Do I understand the frustration? Sure. But a lot of this could have been avoided. Most of it could have been, in fact. So what can we learn from the rollout of Free Dining 2015?
- Nothing is guaranteed. NOTHING.
Has Disney World rolled out a Free Dining promotion in the last for years for the fall season? Yes, but never do they say or guarantee that it's going to continue every year, until the end of time, for all eternity. To be honest, I'm surprised they still offered it, for a myriad of reasons.
- Fan sites need to be more careful about "scoops" or posting rumors.
I know that most fan sites come from a good place; they love Disney and when they hear rumors of something like Free Dining, they want to share it with their readers. But folks, you're doing more harm than good.
When you post about Free Dining coming, and it's going to be open to Disney Visa holders one day, and then the general public another, and here are all the details about dates and resorts......and it turns out not to be true? You have lots of upset Disney fans. And that's on YOU, not on Disney.
- Disney fans should not count their Free Dining (or any discount) chickens before they're hatched.
Hearing a rumor about a discount, or Free Dining, or whatever is just that - a rumor, until Disney confirms the details. Don't let yourself get psyched up for something that very well might turn out to be false. It's perfectly OK to ask your travel agent, "Hey, I heard such and such might come up, can you let me know if it does?" so he/she can be ready to quote you a vacation package if/when a discount becomes available. Just don't set your hopes on every rumor and innuendo you've heard.
This is why I personally am always VERY cautious about talking Free Dining with clients when the details haven't been announced. The last thing I want is for someone to feel like they were promised a deal or discount that doesn't come to pass.
- Disney phone numbers being busy for hours and websites that are jammed is not something new.
Fellow travel agents can attest - days like Free Dining rollouts are notorious for phone lines that ring busy for hours and websites that don't work or work part of the time. It's not unheard of for travel agents to wait for HOURS on hold during these promos. Disney recently rolled out a modification for our travel agent site that allows us to make some changes to a booking without calling in (and that's awesome) but it doesn't allow online modification in all instances and so many people still needed to call for quotes and to make changes. The site also experiences VERY high traffic on days like Monday, and so sometimes we're not even able to log into the website to change reservations or make new ones.
While I understand the public's frustration with the phone number and website, this was nothing new. Does Disney have some room for improvement here? I believe they do, but that's a separate issue.
- Travel agents found out about the Free Dining promo exactly when everyone else did - Monday morning.
Part of our job as travel agents is to monitor new information and let you know if/when your vacation is available for any discounts or promos. We are looking out for you, and rest assured we're on the phone and on the Disney websites for hours, sometimes all day and all night, helping you book the best vacation for your family (whether that's Free Dining, or not).
I think one misconception about travel agents is that we get details from Disney days or even hours before the promos are launched. Nope! We hear the same time you do. So when you found out on Monday morning that there was very limited availability for Free Dining, we found out the same thing at the same time. We were working in the wee morning hours once the details were confirmed, but we found out when you did. We'll always keep you in the loop if/when promos or discounts are announced, but we don't have any special insight or confirmation as to when those are going to be released.
So, in short, folks - - let Monday, April 27th be a lesson to us all. If you get your hopes up for something that has not been verified, you very well might be disappointed. PLEASE do not count on or expect a promotion from Disney (or any other vacation vendor, for that matter), even though historically they might have released one. And finally, be very wary of what you read online before promos are released. Let your travel agent know you're interested IF something comes out, and rest assured they will stay in touch with you and let you know specifics when they become available.
Stay tuned later this week, I have an awesome book review coming up on Thursday! In the meantime, have a wonderful rest of your week!
No comments:
Post a Comment