Terk-1
Dreaming of Disney Cruising!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 1999
- Messages
- 6,148
Day 1:
Up at 4am, showered and got ready to go. Headed for the airport at about 5:30am. Weather was cloudy and 40 degrees when I left home and by the time I got to the airport, it had started to rain a little. Flight was pretty uneventful and arrived on time in Orlando. Headed down to get my luggage, got my tickets for Mears and headed outside. I only waited about 15 minutes for a van, which only had 3 resort stops (Sheraton Safari, Port Orleans Riverside, then Caribbean Beach) and took a total of 50 minutes from the time I got to the ticket counter to when I got to CBR. Check-in in was bad. Waited 25 minutes in line to check-in and by then, I was a little jet lagged, tired and wanted to get to my room and relax. I called CRO several times prior to my trip and was told by the Cast members that all charges (room included) were charged at the end of your stay. This way you had different options besides a credit card to pay. When I checked in, the CM informed me that the balance of your room is due in full at time of check-in. This completely freaked me out, considering what I was told prior to my trip. I had budgeted my credit card so that the room charges from CBR would be in one billing cycle and the charges for the Wilderness Lodge would be in another. She informs me that my room is not ready, but if I wanted a smoking room, there was one available. Since I do not smoke, this was not an option. She also informed me that I would have to step into another line (6 people deep) to retrieve my Candlelight information. Another 15 minutes later, I finally got my materials and was informed that my room just became available. I headed over to bell services for a ride to my building and was told to go out front and wait. I waited for 15 minutes, then asked a CM about where they pick people up to go to their buildings. He said the CM sent me to the wrong area, and that I needed to go to the side of the building. I did and by this time I was beyond frustrated. While waiting for a CM to show up, I called the WL and spoke with a manager regarding the room charge issue. I was so frustrated and stressed, that I actually broke down in tears over the phone. After apologizing to the manager about doing that and explaining the situation, we were able to work something out. He told me not to worry, to smile, to enjoy my vacation and that they were looking forward to my visit to the lodge. I was finally able to get a ride to my building and as soon as I got to my room, I dropped everything, went into the bathroom and cried. I was just so over stressed and unhappy about everything that had just happened that I actually thought of turning around and going home. After pulling it together, I called home to let them know I had gotten there ok. I headed for EPCOT for my 5pm CP. Parked was crowded, but headed straight for the American Pavilion. When I was looking for a seat, a CM advised me to sit outside of the covered area, so as to not be so close to the orchestra. I questioned this, but thought she knew what she was talking about and took her advice. Promptly at 5pm, the CP began. Andy Garcia was the guest speaker and he did a fantastic job and totally got into it. About ¾ of the way into the show, I looked up and saw some very dark clouds overhead and yes (just to finish off the day), it began to rain, but it only lasted about 20 minutes. The show was great, then headed for my dinner reservation at the Rose & Crown. The food was excellent, as was the server. I was finished by around 8:30pm and was planning on staying for Illuminations, but I was just too tired and headed back to the resort and straight to bed.
Up at 4am, showered and got ready to go. Headed for the airport at about 5:30am. Weather was cloudy and 40 degrees when I left home and by the time I got to the airport, it had started to rain a little. Flight was pretty uneventful and arrived on time in Orlando. Headed down to get my luggage, got my tickets for Mears and headed outside. I only waited about 15 minutes for a van, which only had 3 resort stops (Sheraton Safari, Port Orleans Riverside, then Caribbean Beach) and took a total of 50 minutes from the time I got to the ticket counter to when I got to CBR. Check-in in was bad. Waited 25 minutes in line to check-in and by then, I was a little jet lagged, tired and wanted to get to my room and relax. I called CRO several times prior to my trip and was told by the Cast members that all charges (room included) were charged at the end of your stay. This way you had different options besides a credit card to pay. When I checked in, the CM informed me that the balance of your room is due in full at time of check-in. This completely freaked me out, considering what I was told prior to my trip. I had budgeted my credit card so that the room charges from CBR would be in one billing cycle and the charges for the Wilderness Lodge would be in another. She informs me that my room is not ready, but if I wanted a smoking room, there was one available. Since I do not smoke, this was not an option. She also informed me that I would have to step into another line (6 people deep) to retrieve my Candlelight information. Another 15 minutes later, I finally got my materials and was informed that my room just became available. I headed over to bell services for a ride to my building and was told to go out front and wait. I waited for 15 minutes, then asked a CM about where they pick people up to go to their buildings. He said the CM sent me to the wrong area, and that I needed to go to the side of the building. I did and by this time I was beyond frustrated. While waiting for a CM to show up, I called the WL and spoke with a manager regarding the room charge issue. I was so frustrated and stressed, that I actually broke down in tears over the phone. After apologizing to the manager about doing that and explaining the situation, we were able to work something out. He told me not to worry, to smile, to enjoy my vacation and that they were looking forward to my visit to the lodge. I was finally able to get a ride to my building and as soon as I got to my room, I dropped everything, went into the bathroom and cried. I was just so over stressed and unhappy about everything that had just happened that I actually thought of turning around and going home. After pulling it together, I called home to let them know I had gotten there ok. I headed for EPCOT for my 5pm CP. Parked was crowded, but headed straight for the American Pavilion. When I was looking for a seat, a CM advised me to sit outside of the covered area, so as to not be so close to the orchestra. I questioned this, but thought she knew what she was talking about and took her advice. Promptly at 5pm, the CP began. Andy Garcia was the guest speaker and he did a fantastic job and totally got into it. About ¾ of the way into the show, I looked up and saw some very dark clouds overhead and yes (just to finish off the day), it began to rain, but it only lasted about 20 minutes. The show was great, then headed for my dinner reservation at the Rose & Crown. The food was excellent, as was the server. I was finished by around 8:30pm and was planning on staying for Illuminations, but I was just too tired and headed back to the resort and straight to bed.
. Sounds like the rest of your day wasn't so bad. Hope the rest of your trip was magical!
