Well we finally arrived for the vacation that DH, myself and DD 15, 9 and 7 have been dreaming of for 2 years. Thanks to the FTM we stayed at AKL.
We had requested and was assured we had a smoking room but after going into our room we discovered it wasn't. No problem they said - use the veranda. Okay no problem we thought.
After arriving in our room and stowing our suitcases DD7 found a prescription pill on the floor. Fortunately she knew to give it to us and not sample it herself.
So out to the veranda to check out the animals - there they were as promised. After sitting down we discovered soda of some type spilled all over the table. We wrote it off to yet another little housekeeping mistake. Much like the stains and dirt on the door sheers I'm sure.
The next day we discover it still hasn't been cleaned up so we pick up some napkins in Mara to clean it ourselves. Sadly we could find any windex to remove the prior occupants finger and nose prints off the sliding glass doors.
We decide to pickup a small cooler for beverages and stash it out of the way under the sinks. There we discover a thick layer of dust - wondering if AKL is into growing dust bunnies now.
As I apply my makeup I notice a thick layer of dust on the mirror base (which remains our entire visit).
Before you think I'm overly anal about cleanliness I'm not. We live in a 160 year old home that you can no doubt always find some dust in somewhere (but never that much unless its in the basement!)
A few nights layer while soundly asleep the phone rings. Automatic panic sets in - all 5 of us wake up fearing it was bad news. We left word - no calls from home unless a dire emergency occured with my elderly mother who is in a nursing home.
This late night phone call was the "night manager" Yvonne complaining about cigarette smoke on the veranda. I told her we had permission and anyway - no one had a cigarette out there for well over the hour and a half we were sound asleep. She said she was busy. Though she previously said we just had the cigarette a few minutes before that.
I asked what she would do about this confusion - going down 5 floors to have a cigarette would be a pain and she said couldn't help that. I then asked about the police helicopters that had been circling the resort (a man hunt was on) and she said she wasn't aware (talk about an understatement)
While I was waiting for my heart to regain a normal beat after the scare of the phone ringing - I reiterated my request that housekeeping actually use the vacuum in the room (this did no good).
We went down early the next morning abt 7 am for coffee leaving the oldest DD to watch the sleeping kids. The tables outside Mara still had the previous nights litter, beer bottles, liquor glasses etc resting comfortably across the breakfast tables. We cleaned off one table so we could sit. We watched several "cast members" amble by with brooms, etc. but it took until at least 7:30 before one decided to clean off the tables.
Had we not booked a "deluxe" room in a "luxory" resort I would of taken this more in stride but as we planned to spend time in our room enjoying the view and relaxing it put a damper on the entire vacation. This was far from the Disney Magic I remember from earlier years.
DH has not only vowed never to stay in a Disney Owned Property again but states he would have to give the idea of returning to WDW a lot of thought. Not due to the housekeeping but the terribly rude and incompetent staff that we some how managed to always find.
My kids say the best part of the vacation was the 3 days we spent in St. Augustine in the cheap hotel.
We had requested and was assured we had a smoking room but after going into our room we discovered it wasn't. No problem they said - use the veranda. Okay no problem we thought.
After arriving in our room and stowing our suitcases DD7 found a prescription pill on the floor. Fortunately she knew to give it to us and not sample it herself.
So out to the veranda to check out the animals - there they were as promised. After sitting down we discovered soda of some type spilled all over the table. We wrote it off to yet another little housekeeping mistake. Much like the stains and dirt on the door sheers I'm sure.
The next day we discover it still hasn't been cleaned up so we pick up some napkins in Mara to clean it ourselves. Sadly we could find any windex to remove the prior occupants finger and nose prints off the sliding glass doors.
We decide to pickup a small cooler for beverages and stash it out of the way under the sinks. There we discover a thick layer of dust - wondering if AKL is into growing dust bunnies now.
As I apply my makeup I notice a thick layer of dust on the mirror base (which remains our entire visit).
Before you think I'm overly anal about cleanliness I'm not. We live in a 160 year old home that you can no doubt always find some dust in somewhere (but never that much unless its in the basement!)
A few nights layer while soundly asleep the phone rings. Automatic panic sets in - all 5 of us wake up fearing it was bad news. We left word - no calls from home unless a dire emergency occured with my elderly mother who is in a nursing home.
This late night phone call was the "night manager" Yvonne complaining about cigarette smoke on the veranda. I told her we had permission and anyway - no one had a cigarette out there for well over the hour and a half we were sound asleep. She said she was busy. Though she previously said we just had the cigarette a few minutes before that.
I asked what she would do about this confusion - going down 5 floors to have a cigarette would be a pain and she said couldn't help that. I then asked about the police helicopters that had been circling the resort (a man hunt was on) and she said she wasn't aware (talk about an understatement)
While I was waiting for my heart to regain a normal beat after the scare of the phone ringing - I reiterated my request that housekeeping actually use the vacuum in the room (this did no good).
We went down early the next morning abt 7 am for coffee leaving the oldest DD to watch the sleeping kids. The tables outside Mara still had the previous nights litter, beer bottles, liquor glasses etc resting comfortably across the breakfast tables. We cleaned off one table so we could sit. We watched several "cast members" amble by with brooms, etc. but it took until at least 7:30 before one decided to clean off the tables.
Had we not booked a "deluxe" room in a "luxory" resort I would of taken this more in stride but as we planned to spend time in our room enjoying the view and relaxing it put a damper on the entire vacation. This was far from the Disney Magic I remember from earlier years.
DH has not only vowed never to stay in a Disney Owned Property again but states he would have to give the idea of returning to WDW a lot of thought. Not due to the housekeeping but the terribly rude and incompetent staff that we some how managed to always find.
My kids say the best part of the vacation was the 3 days we spent in St. Augustine in the cheap hotel.
