Few Observations..just got back

[nunzia]

Stayed Jan 23-26 at VGC..got room 4510, very nice view but blocked by the jutting out part of the building on the left..still.nice! DD and family got 4516, great view of the bear and TOT. Rooms were great and clean (only 1 robe in ours). Only thing I noticed was alot of marks on the coffee table, like with a crayon, but clear..wax? Fox News and Food Network were not to be in found, so maybe they were only added in Florida. WOC was only shown on Sunday and it was nice, but the balls with the projections did not rise. No Fantasmic while there and Fireworks only on Sunday so no way to see those after WOC. DCA is one big maze of walls...a bit confusing. Carthay Theater looks lovely! It rained a good bit on Monday but was manageable with ponchos. Most rides were easy to get on, but for some reason the line at Nemo was pretty big! Plaza Inn Character breakfast was as usual alot of fun. The character interaction at that one is the best of all in our experience.
We had a glitch where my daughter had called Disney Dining to make a reservation for Cafe Orleans..the gal who took the reservastion said she was new and since the system wasn't co-operating made a manual reservation for us..good reason it wouldn't show the restaurant since when we got there it was closed for some reason. Luckily we walked right into Blue Bayou for the meal.
Had a surly CM in the photo center and my family encountered a rude one at Splash photo station. The CM checking us into the Grand was OK, but much more business-like than has been our experience previously.
Was diappointed that the Shish Kabob place closed early..like before 6:30 PM, on the day we tried to go there for dinner.
They changed the cake at Billy Hill!!!! bummer
I left the hat I wore in the rain on a seat at Billy Hill and it disappeared in the 5 minutes I realized it was gone and headed back to get it..shame on you whoever took it..the CM who cleaned the room reported no seeing it,and I checked Lost and Found..no luck. It was a really nice blue suede one that I can no longer find in the park. I also apparently left a windbreaker type shirt in our villa and that was not reported as found when I called today to check, so that was disappointing.
Super good time to visit..yes, short hours but rides were pretty much walk ons..our longer wait was about 20 minutes at Indy.
Great time!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Glad you had a good time. Really have never had a CM experience(s) like you described but sure they happen. Hopefully we get back to the parks this year.

Jack

 

[gardener14]

Was diappointed that the Shish Kabob place closed early..like before 6:30 PM, on the day we tried to go there for dinner.
They changed the cake at Billy Hill!!!! bummer

By "Shsih Kabob place," do you mean Bengal BBQ or Paradise Garden Grill? I hope Paradise Grill is open for dinner.

What was different about the cake "at Billy Hill" (The Golden Horseshoe Saloon)? That cake was amazing on our last trip.

 

[nunzia]

By "Shsih Kabob place," do you mean Bengal BBQ or Paradise Garden Grill? I hope Paradise Grill is open for dinner.

What was different about the cake "at Billy Hill" (The Golden Horseshoe Saloon)? That cake was amazing on our last trip.

I'm sorry, it was the place in DCA..Paradise Grill? The new place that also has the pizza and pasta nearby. It was VERY slow..it was evening the day of the rain and we were the only people at either location..but I was still surprised that it was closed so early..and it looked like the pizza pasta place was shutting down also. I really enjoy the shish kabobs there..several meat or just vegetable choices and several very good sauces plus the rice and enjoy the pita bread. A really healthy and flavorful option.
The cake we used to get at Billy Hill was that HUGE layered chocolate cake. Now it is a single layer wedge, dense, served with a squirt of whipped cream. Pretty good, but not worth the price and no wow factor. When we ordered it and the CM saw we had an AP he made sure to point out that it was different so that we'd know.
Jack, I was a bit surprised about the couple of surly CMs also, and we usually have great CM experiences..Maybe it was the weather since both instances happened on the rainy day..I don't know why that would bug them as we were the ones sloshing around in ponchos while they were the ones warm and dry...but anyway

 

[SGDisneyFam]

I also apparently left a windbreaker type shirt in our villa and that was not reported as found when I called today to check, so that was disappointing.

Sadly I'm not surprised. Last time we were there as a family our son left his beloved buddy there (A small stuffed teddy bear/elephant).

We phoned the day after we left, no one had turned it in. Kept calling back to see nothing. When my wife and I went for our anniversary trip we even asked at the desk if we could see any items resembling close to what buddy would look like. but nope.

 

[nunzia]

Sadly I'm not surprised. Last time we were there as a family our son left his beloved buddy there (A small stuffed teddy bear/elephant).

We phoned the day after we left, no one had turned it in. Kept calling back to see nothing. When my wife and I went for our anniversary trip we even asked at the desk if we could see any items resembling close to what buddy would look like. but nope.

That was my biggest disappointment actually...that housekeeping kept something that I know was there. As someone who has worked a great deal in the service industry, that is inexcusable, especially from what is marketed as a high quality property. Really disappointed in that behavior.

 

[hootey]

That was my biggest disappointment actually...that housekeeping kept something that I know was there. As someone who has worked a great deal in the service industry, that is inexcusable, especially from what is marketed as a high quality property. Really disappointed in that behavior ????????
How do you know someone in housekeeping did this?. I have been to DL many, many times having observed a lot of things. Some simply rude, sometimes illegal but, very common in our modern culture. The rudest and crudest people at DL are almost always park guests. I have encountered a couple CM with angermanagement problems over the years but, only a couple. Can not say that about the other park guests. Just posting my observations. Relax and enjoy your stay.....

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We had scuff marks on our coffee table as well. I called housekeeping and was told that many housekeepers use the coffee table to dust/clean higher objects. I thought that was gross.

 

[nunzia]

That was my biggest disappointment actually...that housekeeping kept something that I know was there. As someone who has worked a great deal in the service industry, that is inexcusable, especially from what is marketed as a high quality property. Really disappointed in that behavior ????????
How do you know someone in housekeeping did this?. I have been to DL many, many times having observed a lot of things. Some simply rude, sometimes illegal but, very common in our modern culture. The rudest and crudest people at DL are almost always park guests. I have encountered a couple CM with angermanagement problems over the years but, only a couple. Can not say that about the other park guests. Just posting my observations. Relax and enjoy your stay.....

I guess you didn't read my post completely. My hat I left at Billy Hill and must have been taken by a guest..OK, so be it.
The shirt/coat thing was left in my room..no doubt. I remember leaving it draped over a chair after our rain day (and OK I'm getting old since I never used to forget leaving stuff around). On our day of leaving we had the sleeper couch pulled out, and to help Housekeeping, like we always do, my DH piled all the big pillows on the chair, and so the shirt was missed. I fully expected it would have been turned in and yes, remain disappointed it wasn't. This in no way damages my trip or my opinion of the VGC. I don't think my being disappointed in something that was left in my room not being turned in is being rude and crude. I'll call back today and see if it has shown up and if not I'll write a letter to the GM. As I said, I've been in the service industry a good bit over the years from being a dishwasher to a manager and although the item is small, the simple fact that something left behind was not handled properly is not. People are always sayinig that if something is wrong in the room it should be reported so the next guest has a better experience and this is no different IMO.

 

[Echie]

I also apparently left a windbreaker type shirt in our villa and that was not reported as found when I called today to check, so that was disappointing.!

Your post just reminded me that I needed to call the PPH because I just came back and also left my windbreaker in my hotel room.

Anyway I just got through to them, talked to housekeeping who is in charge of the lost and found, and sure enough they found my windbreaker and have it there for me. I was surprised actually, so that's a nice change from your and others experiences. I guess I got lucky

 

[hootey]

That was my biggest disappointment actually...that housekeeping kept something that I know was there

I asked the question about this statement. Last year at christmas as we were settling into our room and unpacking, I found a new medium weight disney/mickey jacket in one of the closets. It was obviously new. This would have been easy to miss while leaving the room for checkout. After I finished unpacking, I took the jacket and went down to the front desk. I told the nice CM at the desk our room number and that the jacket was found in the closet and not mine. I asked her if this type of thing happened often. She answered that yes it does, especially when they were real busy. She told me when housekeeping found a new jacket or sweatshirt, they would sometimes hang it in the closet and then forget about it. Most of the time people people just missed seeing items while packing to leave and people like me would either call or bring it down to the desk.
Sounds like most of your trip was fun. Just passing on my experience with the DLR Staff.......Relax and enjoy your stay...