What separates WDW from everyone else?

[Disneylovescompany]

We are AP holders and generally go to WDW 8-10 times, once for a longer trip and other times for long weekends. We have made it a point to go for special events yearly. MNSSHP, MVMCP, Food & Wine ( Our favorite), Nights of Joy, Candlelight processional, Flower and Garden, etc.
So my 14yo daughter and I took a weekend to go down to the F&G festival and to test out the new FP+ with magic bands.
The FP+ made our trip really relaxed and we definately like the new system, particularly with the additional changes announced.
She is an avid pin collector. not trader, but collector. And she gets event pins etc. While we were there she got the AP pin as well as another F&G pin. Well, the one she bought kepy losing the back and coming off the lanyard. So she pocketed it to be safe. Somehow during the evening she lost it.
When I got home I received the normal "rate your visit " survey. I filled out everything and offered good and bad opinions of our experience. Much more good than bad. only bad being improvements we felt for FP and the pin issue That pin is too heavy for one back.
After submitting, I received a call from Dan in Guest relations. We talked for a bit and he proceeded to tell me they wanted to replace her Pin.
Within 3 days, she had a package addressed to her with a replacement pin and a letter from Dan he obviously didnt just use some form to do.
She was extremely happy and this is what I believe sets WDW apart. The attention to detail, responsiveness to their guests and the way they do business. Sure, the pin costs them nothing at the end of the day. But, the time to just respond and make a kid smile is what impresses me.
For allt he faults and missteps a huge company like Disney can make at times, they do get treating their guests well right almost all the time. And this isnt the first time I have actually experienced the way they go about their business. Never fails, WDW always separates themselves in a good way.

[Aurora]

I have a similar story to yours -- writing a letter and getting a response that was far above and beyond what I expected or what another company would have done. Whenever we've had problems, they've always been resolved beyond our simple satisfaction.

It's this and the excellence of the parks themselves that make WDW stand out for us. There are some complaints about how the quality of the parks and CMs have declined over the years, but they're still far above the competition. (With Universal gaining somewhat, I have to acknowledge.)

When we're there, I'm reminded of what a massive organization it is, and I'm amazed at how well things run.

[Susan A]

Costumer service is A+. When arriving at the airport to head home, we are always reminded of how smoothly WDW operates WHILE having a smile on its face!

Cleanliness is always outstanding.

Oh, and attention to every detail. Local amusement parks just don't add up.

[azcavalier]

On one of our trips, my youngest daughter lost her Marie stuffed animal that she used to carry around *everywhere*. She had left it in the room, and when we came back at the end of the day, she could not find it to go to sleep. After looking everywhere, the only thing we could figure was that she had left it in the bed, and the housekeepers had accidentally bundled it up with the bedding, and it had gotten sent to the laundry.

I went to talk to the manager about seeing if we could recover it from the laundry, and she explained that the bedding laundry was contracted to an offsite company, and that there was no way to recover the Marie. However, if we would buy another one, they would reimburse us for it, no questions asked. I was skeptical at first, because I offered no proof of loss...just me telling a story. But she insisted. We never took them up on it, but we did find Marie later that evening. But I was so impressed with their willingness to "make it right", even when they had done nothing wrong.

[i'm grumpy]

We had a stroller disappear. I don't know if it was stolen or taken to lost and found since it was very late at night. They gave us money for a new one.

The local theme park is just dull. Long lines for short rides, awful overpriced food. I can't wait to head for the exit!! The have stolen many ideas from Disney and they just fell flat.

[Gator]

My story isn't much. On our last trip in Dec of 2012, we had just eaten breakfast at Sassagoula at POFQ. I took the kids back to the room to go to the bathroom one last time and grab their backpacks - all the luggage has been checked in for Magical Express.

We got on the bus, headed for MCO, checked in, sat down and..... it dawned on me that I had left ALL of our sweaters hanging on the coat rack in the room. Most were just normal sweaters, but one was by favorite sweater - a 2006 grey zip-up with a "letterman" style Donald Duck on the back. I love that sweater and still wear it even though it's style has slipped into the past. I called POFQ right away, and within 2 days of our landing, they had packaged them right to our home. That was really great.

Like OP said, among the many things that a company as large as Disney gets wrong, they get so much more right when dealing with their guests.

[SandmanGStefani24]

It seems to be little things that make me take notice.

1. One day All Star Sports was backed up at check-in. (right when I was getting there) The staff sent in a guy (who was amazingly charming and entertaining) whose job was simply to talk to guests while they waited and then direct them to the 1st available CM. He seemed to know a little about everything and made the wait fun. He even knew about the bad weather in my area and we talked about how I just missed any delays.

2. WS Table Service Restaurant Staff. This is often debated at times here on Intercot, but I always have the best staff and the greatest experiences. They are always keen to tell me who they are, where they come from, and what makes where they are from great. Tokyo Dining is a regular stop and each waiter is keen to tell me where to visit, and offer tips for when I travel to the real Japan. All other countries are the same, and a few phrases in the native language always earn back a big smile and a nice story. Last trip, I even made a frienemy when I was told as I was leaving by the manager of Tutto Gusto that if he had seen my AC Milan t-shirt that he would have never let me in! We then chatted about football for 20 minutes before parting with a handshake and a pic. This sort of thing just doesn't happen anywhere else.

There are so much more, but these two just pop up at the moment.

[mom2morgan]

Mine are both about dining!
1. First trip - my 15 year old foster son had a giant hissy-fit, and by the time I got it all straightened out there was NO WAY we'd make it to the contemporary for our breakfast at Chef Mickey's - because the bus goes to the magic kingdom first and we were already late. The bus driver heard us talking (I was in tears by then), and asked the other people if they minded a detour, and radiod for permission to drop us off directly.
2. On another trip I got our reservations mixed up and showed up at the Beach Club when it should have been the Poly...and again realized we'd never get to 'ohana's in time. The concierge put us in a cab at no charge and sent us over
(and by the way....now that I KNOW cabs are available, I'll never have that problem again! We really were such Newbies that we thought the only way to get around was by bus. LOL)