Villains hard ticketed event coming to DHS

[Retired and Happy (Ken) 101]

How much to attend a sneak peek at Lou's Ping Pong Ball?  Written that way, was Cinderella there?  Did Dave really show up?  Now THAT would have been worth whatever Lou charged.

[Lou... 3,118]

How much to attend a sneak peek at Lou's Ping Pong Ball?  

 

Correction, ping pong ball collection.

The guided tour is free, but a donation of either pizza, wine, or some sort of apple pastry, will get you a FP.

 

was Cinderella there?  

 

Yes she was, but she made up a silly excuse about having to leave at midnight.

 

Did Dave really show up?  

 

He said it would be a cold day in hell before he drives more than a mile to visit me.

[.....Gary 85]

He said it would be a cold day in hell before he drives more than a mile to visit me.

Half mile to far!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I totally agree with everything Deb said! I can't wait to read TCD's report about the event.

 

 

I started posting my photos and witty/snarky comments here: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/13414-nothing-fancy-just-a-good-old-4th-of-july-at-the-fort-tcd-tr/?p=389077

 

Enjoy!

 

TCD

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

(what a tool) :

 

What a clueless old idiot she is.  

 

I was there, and those complaints are valid.

 

In my opinion, she's a spoiled old woman, and I'd love to see Disney yank her VIP credentials for badmouthing this latest Villains event.  What an ingrate.

 

And one more thing- I'll bet you've never been to a "sold-out" MNSSHP.  I have.  Those aren't very magical either.  Disney screws those up too.

 

 

Really, TCD?  A tool?  A clueless old idiot?  A spoiled old woman?  An ingrate?  I actually met her last year at the bus stop at AKL (yes, the royalty ride the bus just like you and me) and spoke to her for about 15 minutes...yes, it was only 15 minutes, but I didn't get the impression that she was any of those things.  Definitely not the least bit impressed with herself like she could be considering that she is "Disney royalty".  The funny part about our conversation is that she immediately tried to take the attention off of herself, and made the conversation more about me...or I should say she made it about my camera.  She asked me a lot of questions about it and we talked about photography.  When I told her that I have really enjoyed her newsletter/blog over the years, she told me that she has a great team...definitely not taking all the credit for her very successful website, blog, etc.  Like you said, she is Disney royalty, and I think we would all love to get to do the things that she gets to do.  I'm a little jealous, how about you?  

 

By the way, I have been to sold out Disney events in the past, and you are right, they aren't always magical.  Still, in my opinion, none of the ones that I have attended have been as bad as this one...possibly because this one never "sold out" because Disney never capped the number of tickets sold.  Or maybe because this one had crazy lines for shirts...and yes, I've stood in long lines for merchandise before, but never 2 hours.  Did I have to stand in that line?  No.  Could I have gotten out of the line and not bought one?  Of course I could...but I wanted a shirt.  Did I stand in the long lines to see the villains?  No, because it just wasn't worth wasting anymore of my time at the event doing that when there were other things listed on the map that I wanted to do.  Different strokes for different folks!  The magic that I expected just wasn't there, but then I guess that is what I get for buying tickets the first day before any of the details have been released.  

 

I think we just need to agree to disagree.  I thought it was really, really bad and a total waste of money and the time that I took off of work to go to Florida for the event.  You didn't think it was too bad compared to other events that you have attended.  We just have different opinions...and both are valid. Like I always told my kids, it's s a good thing that we all have different opinions, because if we all thought the same way, the world would be a very boring place to be.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I agree with the above 100% about Deb. I've known her for 15 years. Yes, she now has press credentials.Yes, her website has advertising and sponsors. However, there were many, many years, that she supported her website as a labor of love, without one iota of advertising, not one single press credential, and spent probably tens of thousands of dollars of her own money visiting the parks from her home base in DC at the time. Most of the base elements of her website were developed waaaaay before she had press credentials. She has only recently moved to Orlando. Her website has been around for longer than 99% of all the others out there.

 

I remember the moment when she painfully had to start get advertising on her site. There were several of us in RADP chat, and she had just gotten her site hosting bill. This was right after an annual December meet, and all the trip reports from that meet on RADP literally exploded the traffic on her site.

 

Now, I will say, due to various other influences, I have not had the occasion to spend any time with Deb in recent years, and the "focus" of the events she hosts or attends has changed from the original vision, but I do know she has the real park goer experience to voice the opinions she had on that event.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Really, TCD?  A tool?  A clueless old idiot?  A spoiled old woman?  An ingrate?  I actually met her last year at the bus stop at AKL (yes, the royalty ride the bus just like you and me) and spoke to her for about 15 minutes...yes, it was only 15 minutes, but I didn't get the impression that she was any of those things.  Definitely not the least bit impressed with herself like she could be considering that she is "Disney royalty".  The funny part about our conversation is that she immediately tried to take the attention off of herself, and made the conversation more about me...or I should say she made it about my camera.  She asked me a lot of questions about it and we talked about photography.  When I told her that I have really enjoyed her newsletter/blog over the years, she told me that she has a great team...definitely not taking all the credit for her very successful website, blog, etc.  Like you said, she is Disney royalty, and I think we would all love to get to do the things that she gets to do.  I'm a little jealous, how about you?  

 

By the way, I have been to sold out Disney events in the past, and you are right, they aren't always magical.  Still, in my opinion, none of the ones that I have attended have been as bad as this one...possibly because this one never "sold out" because Disney never capped the number of tickets sold.  Or maybe because this one had crazy lines for shirts...and yes, I've stood in long lines for merchandise before, but never 2 hours.  Did I have to stand in that line?  No.  Could I have gotten out of the line and not bought one?  Of course I could...but I wanted a shirt.  Did I stand in the long lines to see the villains?  No, because it just wasn't worth wasting anymore of my time at the event doing that when there were other things listed on the map that I wanted to do.  Different strokes for different folks!  The magic that I expected just wasn't there, but then I guess that is what I get for buying tickets the first day before any of the details have been released.  

 

I think we just need to agree to disagree.  I thought it was really, really bad and a total waste of money and the time that I took off of work to go to Florida for the event.  You didn't think it was too bad compared to other events that you have attended.  We just have different opinions...and both are valid. Like I always told my kids, it's s a good thing that we all have different opinions, because if we all thought the same way, the world would be a very boring place to be.

 

Yes.  The woman is a tool.  By tool, I mean a person who allows himself/herself to be used by someone else, with a lack of awareness that he or she is being used.  She is also clueless, spoiled and an ingrate.

 

I am glad that she has finally seen the light, but it doesn't make up for the fact that for years she has misled people with her blog.  Everything she is now complaining about has happened time and time again at the "special" events hosted by Disney.  But old Deb was too busy enjoying the VIP treatment to notice.  Or, if she did notice, she didn't have the backbone to speak up.  So, none of her legions of fans heard about the bad stuff- they just saw old Deb taking selfies with Maleficent and would draw the understandable conclusion that these special events were all magic and pixie dust.  They're not.

 

The big problem with blogs is the lack of integrity.  And that is Deb's problem too.  Regular guests don't have the opportunity to enjoy the special events she has attended in the past the way she got to enjoy them.

 

Maybe now that Disney has crossed the line and made her whine, things will change.

 

I don't think you and I actually are on opposite sides of the fence with respect to our opinions about this event.  It was bad.  But, not all bad.  And the bad parts of this event were no worse than the bad parts of the three 24 hour events I've attended or last year's really bad Unleash the Villains night.   If your beloved Deb had attended any of those events as a regular guest without VIP treatment, she would have known that, and so would you and the rest of her readers.

 

I agree with the above 100% about Deb. I've known her for 15 years. Yes, she now has press credentials.Yes, her website has advertising and sponsors. However, there were many, many years, that she supported her website as a labor of love, without one iota of advertising, not one single press credential, and spent probably tens of thousands of dollars of her own money visiting the parks from her home base in DC at the time. Most of the base elements of her website were developed waaaaay before she had press credentials. She has only recently moved to Orlando. Her website has been around for longer than 99% of all the others out there.

 

I remember the moment when she painfully had to start get advertising on her site. There were several of us in RADP chat, and she had just gotten her site hosting bill. This was right after an annual December meet, and all the trip reports from that meet on RADP literally exploded the traffic on her site.

 

Now, I will say, due to various other influences, I have not had the occasion to spend any time with Deb in recent years, and the "focus" of the events she hosts or attends has changed from the original vision, but I do know she has the real park goer experience to voice the opinions she had on that event.

 

I am sure Deb is a lovely person.

 

But, Disney played her like a fiddle.  Apparently, someone at Disney dropped the ball for this event and forgot to get Deb some kind of special perk.  So now she whines.  I am sure Disney will be quick to pay her off with some more VIP perks, and all will be back to normal soon.

 

TCD

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

Yes.  The woman is a tool.  By tool, I mean a person who allows himself/herself to be used by someone else, with a lack of awareness that he or she is being used.  She is also clueless, spoiled and an ingrate.

 

And the bad parts of this event were no worse than the bad parts of the three 24 hour events I've attended or last year's really bad Unleash the Villains night.   If your beloved Deb had attended any of those events as a regular guest without VIP treatment, she would have known that, and so would you and the rest of her readers.

 

TCD

 

Well, like I said before, we will just have to agree to disagree.  I've been receiving her newsletter for probably 15 years, and I've seen her love some things and not like others.  I don't always agree with her, but I don't think that makes her a tool, or clueless, or spoiled or an ingrate.  When I read her articles, I know that she is a VIP, and I have enough common sense to know that I might not have the same experience that she did.  I just happen to agree with her on her opinion on Villains Unleashed.  When I read trip reports, I don't always agree with what the author says, but that's okay because I know that we all have an opinion, and they are all valid.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I was just reading the forum at easywdw.com (because they really help with hard core touring plans) and a woman there sent an e-mail to Disney expressing her disappointment today and got a call from a CM who listened to her complaints, apologized and the refunded her ticket cost.

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I was just reading the forum at easywdw.com (because they really help with hard core touring plans) and a woman there sent an e-mail to Disney expressing her disappointment today and got a call from a CM who listened to her complaints, apologized and the refunded her ticket cost.

I sent an email Monday night and received a form letter back saying that they would contact me within 72 hours. I haven't heard anything back yet, but there is still time. My letter explained what I thought they did wrong, and several suggestions of things they can do next time to make it better. I hope they give me a call.

I'll have to check out that website, Marty. I've never heard of it before. Thanks for the info!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I sent an email Monday night and received a form letter back saying that they would contact me within 72 hours. I haven't heard anything back yet, but there is still time. My letter explained what I thought they did wrong, and several suggestions of things they can do next time to make it better. I hope they give me a call.

I'll have to check out that website, Marty. I've never heard of it before. Thanks for the info!

 

I hope you get a call. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, like I said before, we will just have to agree to disagree.  I've been receiving her newsletter for probably 15 years, and I've seen her love some things and not like others.  I don't always agree with her, but I don't think that makes her a tool, or clueless, or spoiled or an ingrate.  When I read her articles, I know that she is a VIP, and I have enough common sense to know that I might not have the same experience that she did.  I just happen to agree with her on her opinion on Villains Unleashed.  When I read trip reports, I don't always agree with what the author says, but that's okay because I know that we all have an opinion, and they are all valid.

 

Fair enough.  We actually do agree that this was a bad event.  The difference of opinion is simply whether this event was worse than others Disney has recently hosted. 

 

I hope that you get your refund.

 

TCD

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I didn't ask for a refund, so I doubt I'll get one. I just want to know that my concerns were heard and that hopefully it will be a better event for the people that attend the next Villains Unleashed!

[LONE-STAR 370]

I really dont see the draw to the Villains.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I didn't ask for a refund, so I doubt I'll get one. I just want to know that my concerns were heard and that hopefully it will be a better event for the people that attend the next Villains Unleashed!

 

That's good.

 

I would be interested to hear if you get a call, and what the CM has to say about the event. 

 

The thing that I think everyone finds most disappointing is how crowded this event was.  Disney should have known better.

 

TCD

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

As of now, I haven't been contacted by Disney regarding my email. My confirmation email said that they would get in touch with me within 72 hours, which has now passed. However, I did just get an email asking my opinion on Villains Unleashed! In all the years that we have been attending special events at WDW, we've never been asked to complete a survey about one. We always are asked to do a survey based on our overall experience with our trip and resort, but never an event. I'm wondering if this is something they normally do, or if they are doing it because they are getting so many complaints. I answered it honestly, but really wish they had a place at the very end where I could have said more. I'm still hoping that they contact me, but I'm not holding my breath.

Now if they would just send me a survey to fill out about my resort stay I can tell them about the large pair of underwear that I picked up behind the trunk in the bedroom thinking I had dropped a white shirt back there....YUCK!!!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Gross!

 

I got a survey about the Frozen Premium package.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I also got the survey yesterday.

 

It was very detailed.  There were some interesting questions on there asking about how I heard about the event, and when did I decide to purchase the ticket.

 

There were specific questions about the maps and goodie bags and asking how many characters we got to meet.

 

But, very little opportunity to provide specific feedback.

 

Based on that survey, it looks like all their trying to figure out is how to market the next one.  They don't seem to care about hearing about anyone's bad experiences.

 

TCD

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I received a call from Taylor at Guest Relations today! Unfortunately I was outside with the dog and didn't realize that she had called until about 5:05. Of course, Taylor got off of work at 5:00! I called her back and left a message telling her that I would love to discuss Villains with her. Hopefully she will call me back tomorrow (she works on Saturdays).

[Lou... 3,118]

I received a call from Taylor at Guest Relations today!

 

Was it Guest Relations or Guest Communications?

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

Was it Guest Relations or Guest Communications?

She actually said that she was Taylor from the Walt Disney World Resort and that she heard that we found Villains Unleashed to be less than magical, and wanted to talk to me about it.

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I heard back from Taylor earlier today. We talked for about 20 minutes, and I explained why we were so disappointed with the event and what could be done to make it better. She said that Disney has gotten an unbelievable number of complaints, and they are listening. She offered to give me my money back, and I told her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted. She thanked me for being so nice about it...she said a lot of people haven't been, which I hate for her since it wasn't her fault. I was very impressed with Disney's response to my email.

[Lou... 3,118]

 which I hate for her since it wasn't her fault.

 

Don't be. If she works in Guest Communications, she's been trained, more than likely over-trained, to deal with complaints and how to resolve them. It's routine for her. Most guests will calm down after talking to one of the CMs anyway.

Having held so many positions at WDW, you get to hear a certain amount of complaints and after while you know how to handle them.

 

 I was very impressed with Disney's response to my email.

 

They don't want to directly alienate or be confrontational with guests.

And that's why using the honey instead versus the vinegar approach is the way to go.

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

They don't want to directly alienate or be confrontational with guests.

And that's why using the honey instead versus the vinegar approach is the way to go.

LOL! That was the exact approach I used with her. I work at a high school and have to deal with parents who are annoyed when I can't give their child the class they want, or make a schedule change just because they don't like the teacher, etc. It's amazing how you can calm them down with the honey approach. I've only had one get really angry that I couldn't calm down. I finally gave up and just let the principal deal with her.