Disney Does It Again

It’s been a while since I did an old fashion Disney post.  Recent events have made it a prime time to do so. 

As you may have figured out, I’m not a Disney defender.  From 1985 till 2010, I was a HUGE Disney defender, but Disney managed to drive me away.

The biggest reason I turned my back on Disney wasn’t the cost, it was the value.  The value dropped off the face of the Earth, as Disney reduced the guest experience to a shell of its former self.  If my last trip in 2011 taught me anything, it was that Disney no longer cared about the guest experience.  They were solely focused on profits.

Two big stories popped up in the last week.  They go hand in hand with my biggest complaint about Disney World.  The two topics are the new pricing structure and elimination of a third of the Citizens of Hollywood.

Pricing

In a move that proved how little Disney cares for (non-affluent) families, Disney introduced a new tiered pricing structure.  Now you will pay more for busier days.  Let’s read between the lines here.  If you are locked into certain periods of time off (teachers), you are now being punished.  If you can’t pull your kids out of school (most families) you can now pay through the nose. 

Are you getting anything in return for these massive price hikes?  No.  You are actually getting less.  First, this is a MASSIVE price hike.  It’s the biggest of all time.  Disney would argue that with some political mumbo jumbo, but the fact is, this change will result in average price paid jumping to an unprecedented level.

Now, how are you getting less?

The trend of butchering the guest experience continues.   Disney has consistently reduced the value of your ticket by eliminating entertainment.  The most recent example is the elimination of a third of the Citizens of Hollywood.  In translation – one third of the best part of Disney Studios has been flushed down the toilet.  That cut seriously reduces the value of visiting Disney Studios.  If you go back over the last six years, you’ll find similar cuts all around Disney World.  The guest experience is a shadow of what it once was.

I know I walked away.  For a long time I thought I was the only one.  Recently my mother walked away.  I was stunned by that.  My mother has been a huge Disney fan since her first trip to Disney Land as a child.  We are talking about someone who has been a fan for more than five decades.  She said she’s not going back.  It’s not worth it anymore.

Before you point at me and say I influenced her, let me say this.  My mother has no idea that I write this blog.  She has no idea who A. Antonio or CMDTA is, nor has she ever even mentioned it.  We haven’t talked about Disney in years. 

My family is not the only one.  For the first time we are seeing longtime fans walking away.  Now is the time to fix the problem.  If Disney waits until it impacts the bottom-line it will be far too late.  They will find themselves crippled for years while Universal wipes the floor with them.

An Open Letter to AMResorts

Five days ago, while still on vacation, I took the time to email AMResorts.  They are the parent company of Secrets.  I wasn't expecting anything to come from it, but I should have at least gotten a token response.  

It's been five days and I've have not received a response,

The following email was sent to info@amresorts.com :

Why do I get the feeling that as soon as you saw the subject line to this email, you shuddered a little? :)

I don't have to tell you what it's like down here.  No doubt you've been monitoring most of the travel sites and cringing at the reviews.

I haven't seen a review yet that honestly detailed what it's like to vacation here.  My wife and I are half way through our "unlimited luxury".  The experience has been bad enough to forever sour our opinion of Secrets.  I didn't think that was possible before coming here.  I even saw the reviews and thought I was prepared.  It's hard to express how disappointed we are.

I won't go into a lot of details.  I already cataloged them on my travel blog.  There are a few that I have to point out, because I feel they are shockingly bad.

Check in was the worst travel experience of my adult life.  The only travel experience that was worse was when I was a kid and was involved in an accident while on vacation.  All my front teeth were knocked out back then.   This experience comes right behind that.  At least back then someone cared about what happened.

A month or so ago, my credit card was compromised and automatically blocked and reissued.  I thought nothing of it.  It's not the first time I've been through that.  It's never been an issue before.  Can you guess what happened when I went to check in?  I don't feel like writing it again, so here is an excerpt from by blog:

Everything goes well until they ask to see the credit card I booked the room with.  I pull out the card that is tied into that account.  Not good enough.  They need to see the ACTUAL card.  That poses a problem.  That ACTUAL card was compromised and automatically blocked by the bank to prevent fraud.  I explain that.  They don't care.

I try to get pull up my statement on my phone.  Too bad!  I had never accessed my account on that phone.  Even with Wifi, I can't get in.  Being in a foreign country, I can't text the security code back without inuring an expense.  They don't care.

I ask if they can call the bank.  They do.  It takes the lady a while but she manages to connect to my bank.  They tell her that it's the same card and that they see the charge on the account.  Guess what...they don't care.  They want to see something physical.

At this point my wife asks if there is anything that can be done,  The lady shrugs.  What kind of a reply is that?  Guess what my wife did?  She went into dragon mode and demanded to speak to someone else.

I pull up my Tripit Confirmation!  That would work right?   Nope.  Not good enough!

Before I go further, let me outline what Secrets has in their hand:

1. Both our Passports.

2. A rep from the bank saying that it's the same account and that they see the charge paid.

3. The confirmation email that shows the total amount paid.

4.  The credit card assigned to that account.

Two different supervisors come over and hem and haw over it.  Their offer is to put a hold on our card for the full amount of the room (not the deal amount we paid for it) and then see if the booking office can do anything in a couple days when they are open again.  That would involve us putting our vacation on hold when Monday hit.

Thankfully, the girl at the bank broke the rules for us and emailed us the credit card statement that showed the transaction.

Check in time - 1hr.  Annoyance level - considering writing off Secrets for life.  At the very least we totally wrote off going to the spa or the private dinner.  We were not spending a single extra dollar after putting us through that nonsense.

So we get to the room.  I think it's easier to say what's working than whats broken.  It really looks like our room was in the process of getting renovated when someone stopped, cleaned up, and checked us in.

Our phone is the biggest issue.  It's broken.  We've reported it three times and not a single person has come to look at it.  Every time we want to order room service, we have to go to the front desk.  For breakfast, we have to ask for a card at the front desk.  That's worked two out of three times.

I'm not going to go into the service.  It's not possible that you do not know how bad it is.  People are complaining about it everywhere.  I'd rather take the time to single out two employees.  In five days, I've found only two employees who are Secrets level employees.  Balbino is a server who works in the Market Cafe and often in a supportive role at the other restaurants.  Anjimara is a waitress we've run into at Bordeaux.  Those are the only two who have been good.

The front desk, so far, hast been the worst of the batch.  They never smile and when I have to approach them, I feel like an inmate asking for an exemption.

You know an experience is bad when someone stops in the middle of their vacation to write a letter like this.

I fully expect that you will send a token response before filing this away.  If I email you, maybe a couple of people find out.   To date, my review of Secrets St. James has over 23,000 views.  On average it grows by six hundred per month.  My room and resort review of Playa Bonita is going up right next to it.

I know in the grand scope that 23,000 isn't a whole lot, but it makes me feel better knowing that I can warn so many people about this place.

To be honest, after my experience here, I can't imagine traveling to another Secrets.  It's too risky.  This place has devalued the Secrets name to such a degree that it's become almost meaningless.  I can't justify picking Secrets over Sandals, Club Med, or another chain.

Five days is more than enough to get a response back.

If I ever hear anything back, I'll let everyone know.

Room Overview - Logan Airport Hilton

This is a review for a very nice hotel that can really come in handy if you are traveling.  It's ideally located at Logan International Airport.

Secrets Playa Bonita - Standard Room Review

First watch the video, and then I'll fill in some blanks.

So what else is there?  In the bathroom, I mention the gaps where mold can grow.  One of these is caused by the wall moving.  I'm serious.  If you push on the wall, it moves.  It's as if it is floating and not bolted to anything.

You'll notice that the sheets are messy in this video.  That's because the maid service was spotty.  Multiple times during our trip we did not get maid service or a turn down, despite spending at least eight hours a day outside of our room.

You might notice that the door to the room looks wooden.  It is and it's not even slightly insulated.  This means you will hear anything going on outside.  Despite this fact, the AC keeps the room nice and cool.  I can't imagine the amount of energy they burn through maintaining this.

Secrets Playa Bonita: Final Comments

Playa Bonita was, in a word, disappointing.  It did not live up to the Secrets name.  In fact, it dragged the Secrets name into the mud.  At this point, I cannot imagine I will ever return to a Secrets resort.

The food service dramatically improved after they fired the food and beverage manager and replaced him with an actual Secrets employee.   There were still some glaring issues, but the improvement was remarkable

In some ways it seemed like Panama wanted to get rid of us.  The checkout process was far better than checking, but I think that goes without saying.  Checking in was a nightmare.  The transfer to the airport was dramatically better too.  They sent a car and we were there in about a forty minutes.

I think all of the speaks to the biggest issue at Playa Bonita - consistency.  There are some rare times when you get an employee who seems to care and then there is the 90% when things are not so good and you are lucky to get water.

On a side note, I did discover the working arrangements (at least for the front desk).  The employees work six days a week for seven hours.  They get one day off that is determined by their managers.  I hope they get paid well, since that kind of schedule seems like it would lead to burnout.

Overall, don't go to Play Bonita.  Maybe in a few years it might be okay, but right now it's not good.  Maybe if you can get a deal for $99 per person per day, it might be a value.  Just lower your expectations and don't expect it to be a Secrets.