Disney is notorious for requiring a specific question in order to give a specific answer. When dealing with Disney - whether you're inquiring about the price of hotel rooms, the hours at Mama Melrose's or the benefits of "hopping" with your tickets - you must ask specific questions. It was the much-loved Unofficial Guide that first alerted us to this challenge. It's not enough with Disney, whether by phone or by email, to be vague about anything.
For example:
Question: How much does it cost to golf at Magnolia Walt Disney World? (sounds pretty specific, right?)
Disney Answer: The standard cost for at Magnolia is X.
The answer you won't hear because you didn't ask the right question: Right now, we are offering a summer price slice that costs much less than X if you book a tee time after 2 p.m. And Magnolia is closed during the time you will be visiting.
We first learned of this Disney quirk from the much-loved Unofficial Guide, which offers many helpful suggestions of how to effectively communicate with Disney. It's become a running joke in our house, with teenagers who ask "What are you doing?' when what they really mean is "Will you drop everything and drive me to the mall?" Ask specific questions.
Disney often responds to questions with questions, which can seem frustrating at times. However, it really does help them to narrow down exactly qhat kind of information you're looking for. I'm finally starting to understand this practice. We're gaining a reputation among our friends and family for being Disney experts, so we get a lot of questions. The problem is, I'm not so adept at answering them.
Just today, a friend asked, "How far in advance would we have to book a Disney trip?"
Twenty minutes later, having barely paused for breath, I had explained room-only vs. package, passed judgment on several Disney resorts, told her how much her tickets would cost and informed her of holiday blackout days on the calendar. And warned of the danger of travelling without dining reservations.
I'm still not sure I answered her original question. If I were a true Disney expert I would have determined when she wanted to travel, whether or not she wanted a package, calculated her 45-day mark for her, and informed her, "You can book any time you want, but the balance will be due in full on such-and-such a date."
Which, in the long run, would have taken less time and given her the exact information she wanted. Instead, once again I've overwhelmed her with a whole lot of things she didn't need or want to know.
If Disney did it my way, those 45 minute calls to CRO would easily drag into the hours.
Oddly enough, there is one question you can ask at Disney that will give you the answer you were looking for, even though you asked the wrong question. According to our tour guide last year, the most-asked question at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom is:
What time is the three o'clock parade?
Think about it - what would you answer?
LOL!!!
I used to get those kinds of questions at the bingo hall...Could you tell me what time your midnight session starts???...UM......maybe midnight????
One part of the job i don't miss!
Love the new blog..i for one could never be tired of talking about Disney!
Posted by: kim | August 15, 2005 at 11:37 PM