Beauty & the Best
Its all so magical!
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2008
I'll volunteer to tell the tale.
Kirby was a jumbo-sized stuffed bear that a middle-aged couple brought on board. He sat at the table with them, took photos with them, went on excursions, etc. He had his own wardrobe and dressed for dinner.
We thought it was all well and fun until we started to find out weird little things. The couple told us that Kirby had to come along because he writes their Christmas newsletter. And to tell everyone about the trip, he had to experience it first hand.
OK, weird enough.
But then the stories started to get more strange - like the fact that apparently the woman threw a fit when she was told by airline personnel that the bear had to be wrapped in plastic and placed into cargo hold - he could not ride in the cabin. In her opinion this was ludicrous that he was being treated as baggage!
We later started to get collectively ticked off when things started happening like Kirby would ask for a Mickey ice cream bar to be brought to him at dinner, just for it to melt and be wasted.
Kirby sat at Castaway Cay (with a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses and his own beach chair) and his owners brought food from Cookie's BBQ for him - again that went uneaten and to waste.
His handler's server and assistant server were also our table's wait staff (as well as MandyGirl's). Our server got chewed out one night because the head server (maitre'd) gave him orders to be available to carry the bear to his seat every night and he was not there promptly. Of course when Dawn and MandyGirl needed assistance with their actual HUMAN children, they could not get any because the staff was tending to the bear.
And yes - this is all true and not an exaggeration. I'm sure others can chime in on things I have missed. We have pictures of him that we can share - I think somewhere I have one of him at Castaway, and HazelandAnnie have one with him at dinner.
Still glad you asked?
I remember this too! I knew something was seriously wrong when the bear had a change of clothes every day and food was ordered for him in the dining room. Bless those DCL employees for serving a bear - they must see all types.
Okay, confession - I have a bear that comes on trips with me. However, he is confined to the cabin most days and only occasionally comes out for a photo. These photos have become a standing joke with my family....the bear is quite old now...I wonder if you can guess which Disney character he is anymore?
P.S. I love hearing about everyone's lives and history. Please keep going.