Coral Reef Diver No More

[kidzant]

Just wanted to let you guys know that the diver and sign at the coral reef has been suspended in 2008.
The person I spoke to said that they were reviewing this decision and to call back in December.

I think what he was trying to tell me was that in 2008 there would be a charge. Oh well.

Everyone else enjoy the divers in 2007

 

[sandybobandy]

Oh no! Big bummer for those trying to reserve for next year.

My husband was sweet enough to surprise me with a diver this year, it was truly amazing.

It was only a matter of time before they started charging for this great surprise though, don't you think? It's just too "once in a lifetime-ish" to stay free for long. Disney sure knows how to make $$!

Sandy

 

[GoingtoDisney]

We saw one (with a happy honeymoon sign) on our visit last week.

 

[Uncleromulus]

If true, it dosen't suprise me. They may have been simply overwhelmed with requests..at the rate they were going there would have been as many divers in the tank as there are fish.

 

[3inthefamily]

That's too bad. We just had a diver and sign this past Friday. It was pretty funny, he held up the wrong sign. I got all excited and got my 4 year old ready to see what the sign was going to say (thinking that it would say Hi, Jake) but it said Happy Birthday Luke! Our waitress was so sweet, she went over to the tank and wrote the diver a note saying that it was the wrong sign! He came back about 20 minutes later with a note for Jake that Nemo says Hi!

 

[yearbook50]

This does not shock me.
Just looking at the frenzy over it here at the Disboards is a lot of requests because it was free.

 

[jake&samsmom]

We were there last Thursday, October 25 for my son's 7th birthday! It was pretty awesome!

We got a personalized menu with his pictures from last year's birthday party.

The diver then swam up to us (we were seated right beside the tank). She motioned to my son to come closer to the glass wall, then she held up a sign that said "Happy 7th Birthday, Love Mom and Dad".

Then she did backflips in the water, and threw around handfuls of seashells (mimicking confetti underwater -- how cool was that?!)

For the record, I would have paid for this service if it were the case. IMHO, it is worth it. It was one of the best memories from our trip.

Not only did it make our day, the other diners at the restaurant clapped and cheered for the diver too!

Thanks to Debbi and all the staff at Coral Reef!

 

[disnut8]

I'm wondering if this decision had anything to do with the divers themselves. It's not a simple thing to get into a wet suit and get your gear and go scuba diving. They probably did not have a spare diver just sitting backstage waiting for a sign to be held up.

And, being the accountant I am, I'm also wondering if this was an insurance issue as well. Yes, the divers are there but for research and tending to the fish and other animals in the tank. Not sure what would happen if something would happen to a diver while he/she was down there just to hold up a sign.

 

[danjoan14]

We have our diver and menu ready to go in two weeks. I'm sure our DS will be really excited. I had heard that something was going to happen in 2008. As soon as the cat was out of the bag, the boards really got bombed about the diver and menu request.

 

[DCDisney]

It seems like they have gotten overwhelmed with requests maybe partially because it guaranteed people to sit right by the tank which then slows down the whole ADR process. When we went in Jan it wasn't that crowded. We had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated at a decent table on the 2nd tier. Another family had been waiting over 45 mins for their table and were kind of upset and ended up being seated about 15 minutes after us to get their diver sign. Not to mention that the sign is just a regular piece of paper size--not worth paying and waiting for unless you really want to which will probably make it a more manageable amount of people.

Yvonne

 

[KristineN]

As soon as I saw the posting frenzy on the DIS about the diver...I knew it was a matter of time before they stopped doing it...I am glad we had the opportunity to experience it...if they charged a fee...we would probably still do it again.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I am glad they stopped it.
2) The first thought was to charge about $50 for 2008.
3) It has gotten to be such a mess.

4) People heard "free" and jumped on it.
5) The staff got inundated with emails and phone calls.
6) Then the guests would keep calling to remind the staff about the sign.
7) Plus, it took the divers' time.
8) The divers are there for fish and tank maintenance, not crowd pleasing.
9) The signs were nice since the divers were there anyway.
10) It got way out of hand.

NOTE: The above is bad enough. But, the loud and rude complaints when a sign wasn't right or the diver was on break and didn't get the sign were simply terrible. Sometimes people would stand at the podium and yell at the CM.

 

[MissFitt]

Now is it confirmed that it is suspended in 2008? The last I heard was to check back in Dec. for a decision on the matter and that doesn't sound like a confirmation to me.

 

[becka]

As soon as I saw the posting frenzy on the DIS about the diver...I knew it was a matter of time before they stopped doing it...I am glad we had the opportunity to experience it...if they charged a fee...we would probably still do it again.

I knew it was only a matter of time once I saw it mentioned all the time on this board. We have never done this and I woud love to do it sometime in the future as a "once in a lifetime" type of thing. It would have been nice if it was still free but I am sure sometime in a few years we will just end up paying for it as part of a special meal event.