11/28/2009 - 12/5/2009 - The Nana's Ride the Seas Again #4

[Mjasp]

Just had to remove some bananas so Kathy has to actually count them

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

I know what your all thinking, but I really do have a life!

just killing time while the pups sleep. When they wake it will be back out to the cold for a potty break. Its so cold we cant stay out long. even the girls feet get sore on the ice if they are out too long.

[/QUOTE]

 

[Mjasp]

Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust
(from Disney Dreams)

[/QUOTE]

And more for Kathy to actually count

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

HO HO HO !!!!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Joanna,
how you doing today??
You've become a great nana poster!!

HO HO HO !!!!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Remember everyone,

you can do 25 of these groupings of bananas at a time reguardless of your signature.
But that is the limit, so no icons on your posts.

[/QUOTE]

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

TOP OF THE PAGE FOR ME!!!!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

well I think I will go and heat up a cup of tea. Back soon,
Kathy

[/QUOTE]

 

[jd99]

It's very sad. I have heard this a lot lately. I have been to WDW where the employees have been outstanding and I have been there when they have been terrible. I think it's all the cutbacks I hope they get their act together by next year.

It's funny with the economy the way it is you would think people would be going out of their way to keep customers but it seem the opposite is happening and I don't just mean at WDW, it's everywhere. All I can say is I don't have much money to spend right now but when I do spend my money I better get amazing customer service or I'll go somewhere else...ok off my soapbox now

Interesting. I'm really sad to hear this is happening to folks. Conversely, we have had the BEST service during our last two trips (May 2008 and just before the cruise). I had no complaints at all. Now DisneyLAND is another story completely. But especially just before the cruise, people were bending over backwards to help us, to entertain the kids, etc. It was really service like what we come to expect on DCL which I think is always a cut above WDW. Since we are heading back in less than 2 weeks, I can let you know how it goes for us then...

 

[jollyg]

Ok, I'm back.

Here is just one of the things that happened to us at WDW.

We didn't go to WDW after we got off the ship on Saturday because we had 7 day hopper tickets and wanted to be able to use them until the following Saturday, so we did Universal first. (saw Wendy and Mike there)

We woke up Sunday morning and got ready to leave for the Royal Table for our character lunch reservation at 1:10pm. We were all so very excited to finally be going to WDW.

We arrived at the castle only to find out that they didn't have a reservation for us??? I showed them the reservation number given to me and they didn't have it listed.

I called the Disney dinning # to find out what was going on and they didn't have it either. I said "Well I made this reservation back in July and my credit card was charged for it because they made me prepay!"

They transferred me to the accounting department where they indeed showed a charge in July for the Royal Table, but they didn't have a confirmation number either??!!

They had me go back to the Royal table and talk to the manager (who wasn't there, spoke to the assistant manager) who was nice enough to reschedule our dinning for the next day.

We arrived at the Royal Table on Monday and were allowed in....the kids really enjoyed meeting all the princess's and contrary to what we heard from other people the food was really good! However at the end of the meal our server brought us the "check"??!! I told him we had already prepaid for this...he had the manager come over who very rudely told us that she didn't show a prepayment for us and that we were responsible for paying another $272.

She also informed me that if we didn't hurry we'd miss our diving reservation at "Disney Diving" over at the "Living Seas" at Epcot???!! Apparently Disney also charged my credit card $240.00 for this! Its for certified divers and I've never been diving in my life! (go figure??)

I could go on for another couple of pages listing all the things Disney pulled on us while we were there, but blood pressure is going up just thinking about it again and I'm trying very hard to block it from my memory.

Overall, Janel and I and the kids agree we'd go back to Orlando in a heartbeat to visit Discovery Cove or Universal again, but I'd never invest nor risk the time and money we spent for Disney to have another experience like that again.

As the plane was leaving Orlando I told Janel that I felt like the ticket prices should have been reversed. We only paid like $79 each for our Universal 7 day 2 park tickets, but we paid around $230 each for WDW.

I felt like I cheated Universal because of the cheap ticket price and how much fun we had their, but felt like I should of brought an industrial strength tube of KY for WDW.

 

[jollyg]

Since we are heading back in less than 2 weeks, I can let you know how it goes for us then...

Jeff, ya let us know how it is for you guys?!

We decided to go when we did because everyone said that was the "slow" time of year for WDW, but that place was packed with people and the wait time for rides was at least 45 minutes.....if that was a slow time I'd hate to see what summer and Holidays look like?!

We did manage to get on "Stitches Great Escape" during Mickey's Christmas party with only about a 10 minute wait, but then it broke down right as the shoulder harness comes down to lock you in your seat......had to wait for someone to come and free us!

 

[jollyg]

Greg...I'm glad you said that about Disney. Samantha loves the big rides but we don't, she was excited when I told her about the amusement park in Ohio, she knew all about it, I'm having a senior moment and forgot the name. So we are either going to go there this summer or Hershey park. We'll Keep it inexpensive compared to Disney, have our first DD going off to college in September.

Joanna, we maybe going over that far this summer also. We really like Cedar point.

I spoke to Janel this afternoon and it sounds like we're going to put a deposit on the Oasis of the Seas for 2010. Just need to find a date that works? Are you guys going to do the Feb 13 one?

 

[cruisemutt]

Hey Nanafolks! Since everyone is making plans to vacation in 09 and 2010--I'm gonna put this out for anyone who'd like to hang with me and the Woo.
I believe that we're doing an RCCL on Nov. 15, 09. Its a 7 nighter and sails from Puerto Rico (which is like an extra port of call for me)-- St. Thomas, Dominica, Curacao and Aruba. I love Disney and all you nutty nanas but we wanna try new places and see new things. I've always wanted to go to Dominica (they filmed a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2 there) and I believe this is the chance to do it.

Gimme a write if you want more info but we'd really love some nanas to join us in the adventure (which also happens to be the ship that we're sailing).

Joanna, I'm still working on the Oasis in 2010---I think we'd like to join in and travel with you folks.

da Mutt

 

[jd99]

Jeff, ya let us know how it is for you guys?!

We decided to go when we did because everyone said that was the "slow" time of year for WDW, but that place was packed with people and the wait time for rides was at least 45 minutes.....if that was a slow time I'd hate to see what summer and Holidays look like?!

We did manage to get on "Stitches Great Escape" during Mickey's Christmas party with only about a 10 minute wait, but then it broke down right as the shoulder harness comes down to lock you in your seat......had to wait for someone to come and free us!

Greg - Disney isn't for everyone and I'm sorry you had a bad experience. And while 45 minute waits don't represent the slowest time of the year it's slower than the busiest. I've waited 90 plus minutes for rides I really like when there in August. However, honestly we love Disney not for the rides but for the atmosphere...the Disney magic that we always seem to find when we are there. Again, to each his own. We're really not big ride people. I like coasters but Mina isn't that into them and Elizabeth is just discovering them. We'll probably try Universal soon but I'm still betting that we will continue to return to WDW year after year for the feeling of complete escape it gives us. Some of our friends have done what you did - gone once and said that was enough. Mina and I actually went there a couple of times before we had kids and it just had a great "feel" to us and that's why we keep going back. I firmly believe that some people are disney people and some people aren't. Thank goodness not everyone loves it as much as we do or it would be even more crowded than it already is!

 

[jd99]

Hey Nanafolks! Since everyone is making plans to vacation in 09 and 2010--I'm gonna put this out for anyone who'd like to hang with me and the Woo.
I believe that we're doing an RCCL on Nov. 15, 09. Its a 7 nighter and sails from Puerto Rico (which is like an extra port of call for me)-- St. Thomas, Dominica, Curacao and Aruba. I love Disney and all you nutty nanas but we wanna try new places and see new things. I've always wanted to go to Dominica (they filmed a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2 there) and I believe this is the chance to do it.

Gimme a write if you want more info but we'd really love some nanas to join us in the adventure (which also happens to be the ship that we're sailing).

Joanna, I'm still working on the Oasis in 2010---I think we'd like to join in and travel with you folks.

da Mutt

Hi Bill. Sounds like a cool cruise. I don't have much interest in Aruba since we've been there a couple of times (not on a cruise). Now if you could substitute Greneda, St. Lucia or Martinique for Aruba and Curacao...

 

[Mjasp]

Joanna, we maybe going over that far this summer also. We really like Cedar point.

I spoke to Janel this afternoon and it sounds like we're going to put a deposit on the Oasis of the Seas for 2010. Just need to find a date that works? Are you guys going to do the Feb 13 one?

I just wrote an entire answer to this thread and I hit a button and it went bye bye

So now you can get the scaled down story...I just asked Mitch if he would rather do the Oasis or the NCL out of NY to the Bahamas...He (without any thought) answers Oasis with a voice that is saying...I can't believe she asked me if I wanted to go to the Bahamas or do the Oasis

So let me know if you book the 2/13/10 sailing...I am going to get either a Promenade view or an oceanview, there is to much to do on the ship to warrant a balcony. Promenade rooms are real nice, you can look out and people watch

 

[jollyg]

I just wrote an entire answer to this thread and I hit a button and it went bye bye

So now you can get the scaled down story...I just asked Mitch if he would rather do the Oasis or the NCL out of NY to the Bahamas...He (without any thought) answers Oasis with a voice that is saying...I can't believe she asked me if I wanted to go to the Bahamas or do the Oasis

So let me know if you book the 2/13/10 sailing...I am going to get either a Promenade view or an oceanview, there is to much to do on the ship to warrant a balcony. Promenade rooms are real nice, you can look out and people watch

I'm going through the dates for 2010 now, but so far 2/13/10 is winning! ....I'm also looking at the 9/25/10 date also.

I'm with you...we'll probably do connecting inside cabins. We enjoyed our veranda on the Magic, but we didn't spend as much time on it as I thought we would.

Mutt, does 2/13/10 work for you guys or anyone else?

I can see it now......Nana's on the Oasis!

 

[Mjasp]

I'm going through the dates for 2010 now, but so far 2/13/10 is winning! ....I'm also looking at the 9/25/10 date also.

I'm with you...we'll probably do connecting inside cabins. We enjoyed our veranda on the Magic, but we didn't spend as much time on it as I thought we would.

Mutt, does 2/13/10 work for you guys or anyone else?

I can see it now......Nana's on the Oasis!

OMG Can you imagine that!

 

[jollyg]

Thank goodness not everyone loves it as much as we do or it would be even more crowded than it already is!

Hey Jeff, sorry....didn't mean to come down so hard on Disney.

I think it just upset me so bad because most of what we did get to do we really enjoyed!

If we could have gotten the CM's and restaurant managers to make us feel even mildly welcome I think we would of had a great time.

 

[jollyg]

OMG Can you imagine that!

Joanna, I was looking at NCL today also.

There is a 9 day cruise out of Miami that caught my eye. Goes to Tortola, Barbados, and St. Kitt, but I'm not sure how great their kids club is?