Bad Trip

[Wish I lived in Fl]

I read in a travel article years ago that the happiness quotient for a vacation was roughly the experience divided by the expectation. So this time the expectation was high, the experience was fair and the magic was gone.

As for the pregnant women, either she is a normally nice person who will remember her behavior with mortification or a normally horrible person which is punishment enough!

Go on another vacation soon to overwrite the bitter taste of this one. My sister and her husband honeymooned in Belize. The got Deet poisoning and tummy troubles so six months later they took another honeymoon.

 

[vhoffman]

Thanks for everyone's kinds words and attempts to cheer me up. Actually, I'm not griping that Disney didn't accomodate a disability adequately, that's just part of my gripe. The whole water taxi thing I don't think had anything to do with a disability. I walk with a cane, but I don't think it was obvious from where I was standing. I don't really think the drivers thought "OMG a handicapped person. Not on my boat!" Actually, what I think (and was later confirmed from the transportation security guy I complained to) was that those were the last boats of the night. If they dropped off all their passengers and didn't pick up any more they were through for the night and could call it a night, instead of making one more stop. I did get satisfaction with that incident because, like I posted a kind employee helped me find the right number to call, not just Disney's number. It was an internal number just for employees. That call should have never happened. I'll not identify that employee for fear of getting said employee in trouble.

I like the equation, expectations divided by experiences = satisfaction. I'll remember that. Insofar as another trip, this weekend we're going to Las Vegas. Its just for two nights but sil offered to take the kids so we could have an adult vacation. I've got to remember what I told my kids before this last trip--"there's no guarantee that things will be absolutely perfect in every way. Actually, I can guarantee you that something will go wrong on any trip. Go with the good times and don't dwell on the bad." Well, I should take my own advice. Actually, I was just overwhelmed with everything and couldn't enjoy myself so some days I just told my husband to take the kids and leave me in the hotel to rest. Ok plan until I discovered the mold, etc....

Oh, well, actually I'm planning to go back for MVMCP in Dec. We were going to go last Dec but had to cancel our plans at the last minute. I've learned a few things from this trip. First, don't try to go too cheap. You really do "get what you pay for". We're staying at the Contemporary for ease of accessibility. We can only afford three nights but quality over quantity. And with just three days we won't even try to see all the parks, just concentrate on MVMCP, Osborne lights, and Candelight Processional. That's enough right there!

 

[PamNC]

I hate to hear about a vacation gone bad...especially a Disney vacation. I've had a couple of "not so magical experiences" at WDW but that's a pretty good record since we've been about 15 times since our honeymoon in 1994. However, one year I got bronchitis and it was miserable. And so disappointing to have waited and yearned for my vacation only to get sick. Personally, I think if you had stayed on-site you would have had more magic. We stayed off-site once. NEVER again.

Better luck next time. We're going in 2 days - I can't wait.

PamNC

P.S. I'd love to go to Hawaii too - but I guess I'll stick with the Polynesian for now.

 

[DisneyVillain]

I hope your December trip goes better.

I highly recommend the DISboards' disABILITIES forum. There is a remarkably knowledgable group over there, with answers for just about any disability. (And if they don't know, they know where to point you.)

 

[ellynsoh]

I didn't know there was a Holiday Inn Downtown Disney. Or do the initials mean something else? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Originally posted by ellynsoh
I didn't know there was a Holiday Inn Downtown Disney. Or do the initials mean something else? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

The former Courtyard by Marriott was changed to a Holiday Inn chain hotel.

 

[jennymouse]

I read through your whole thread and am glad you decided to give WDW another try. I took my 80yo father just last week and was so worried how it would go. I rented him an ECV for the week and he managed to go everywhere and had an awsome time without getting worn out. Sometimes he would park the ECV and walk into an attraction and sometimes he would just take the ECV in. He was able to be as moble as he wanted to be and we had no problems at all with the ECV and transportation. The first time he used the ECV on a bus he was scared and got a little frustraited, but he caught on quickly and was soon driving it like a pro on the boats and buses. The only thing he didn't like was in MK trying to drive the ECV in there with it so crowded and the little kids darting in front of him. It was just us two adults this trip so we spent most of our time in Epcot which he liked the best. Over all, we think WDW was very accomodating to folks with disabilities.

You're going to find rude people anywhere you go on vacation though. It's just one of those life things.

 

[ptrbryant]

I just wanted to add that we got back last week and my DS and I both got sick from, what seemed to be, a combination of pollen overload and cool, rainy weather for much of our trip. My DS had to use his inhaler (for asthma) every 4 hours and I'm still on anti-biotics for a sinus infection/bronchitis. I have to say that we were fortunate that we DID have some magical things happen during the trip--esp. for DS. BUT, there's no denying that when you feel sick on an expensive trip, it casts a shadow on it. I've read where some people say "I'd rather be sick at WDW than at home!". Well, not this family. We're a one-income household and can afford one vacation a year---WDW took alot of sacrifice for us and when you can't taste the food in the restaurants because of congestion and feel exhausted from sickness, its' hard to feel the trip was worth it. In our case, there was no fault with WDW itself, but we'll try to go next time at a warmer time of year, maybe Nov.
Karla B.