With the comp nights included, we have booked our next stay at the GF, hopefully for a much better trip this time around!! We will be there 4/12-4/19,2006. It is a while away, but something to look foward to Updated-5/20 Just back from the GF. As usual, the hotel is beautiful....our stay was like a comedy of errors however. Check-in went smoothly, even had pixie dust our way...got a LV of the Poly instead of the GV we paid for. So off to a good start right? Our luggage and refrig. come rather quickly and we go to put some stuff in the safe and it won't work. We call for maintenance to come and also ask for someone to override the AC as we like the room COLD. Said someone would be right up....well, an hour and 1/2 later someone finally comes and fixes the two items. Didn't complain, because I was in Disney and out of the miserable NY weather. The next two days are uneventful. On the the 24th, the monorail breaks down on the way to the Poly, for 45 minutes making us late to our PS at O'hana's, then in turn making me miss my DH & DF racing at the Richard Petty Speedway...two more times on this trip we would be stuck on the monorail for over a 1/2 hour each time...(not fun!!!). One day at Gaspiralla's grill Kirstie Alley is there, (looks pretty good too) and orders after I do for her children, so she immediately gets served as do the people after her...they forgot about our 3 grilled cheese sandwiches. After about 20 minutes I ask for my order, and I just get blank stares. My DH asks to speak to a manager, we get our food for free. THe Rock pool gets shut down while we are all swimming in it for a "mysterious" reason, (a possible pooping accident) but noone will say for sure. This really bothered me, because that is how Rotovirus is spread, and that is something everyone should be told about...my daughter was in the hospital EXTREMELY ill from the Rotovirus after swimming lessons from the same exact reason.... Pool incident #2 ...chemicals were changed during the stay and I broke out in a rash from head to toe. Of course, noone else in my family got a rash, just me. Had a wonderful swedish massage. Would recommend the treatments. My second time having them at the GF. Grad Nights...would never go again during them. I was stuck in traffic trying to get back to the hotel. Since there is a limited way to get to the GF when the monorail is not in use, via our rental car or Disney transportation you had to sit in traffic while coach bus after coach bus gets to go ahead of you. In total on Friday night the 29th we sat in traffic (with at least 100 other cars trying to get to the WL, Poly and GF for about 1 hour). It was awful. As paying resort guests, there should have been an alt.. route for us. I did make a very calm complaint to the general manager at the GF...and here is where the Pixie Dust comes in. ..we got a 2 night FREE stay at the GF with passes included!!! For our future use. In her own words "to restore the magic of Disney for us". She said it takes about 4 weeks to get the paperwork sent to us, but I was shocked. This isn't why I complained, just that this trip there was a real lack of that "Disney Service" we have all come to love....but my faith has been restored. Other than that, and the fact that our plane home was diverted to Baltimore for 2 hours yesterday due to fog, it still was a good vacation. Any questions?
WOW!...On all counts... I thought my family (and the Grisswalds) were the only ones to encounter such types of events on vacation. I'm sorry that so many things went wrong, but it's GREAT that the GM from GF gave you such nice comps. It's also nice that you were given free meals since they overlooked your order (due to being "star struck" it sounds like). I'm sure you're looking forward to going back, though.
wow you really are lucky i am surprised they gave you so much but i am happy for you i have read some nasty stuff on the boards lately and people werent getting that have fun on your next trip
Never mind--I had been interested in presenting a dissenting view, but I'd rather refrain from this thread from now on.
My rash was seen by a doctor, not due to stress. I did leave somethings out, but would you leave your room with money in it and no safe working? I don' t think so. I almost am sorry to have posted this, because this reply has a nasty tone to it. Something that seems to go on a lot on these boards. I am not a complainer, and in all the years I have gone to disney, this was the ONLY time I have ever opened my mouth to make a complaint. I am glad I did, SO many things went wrong on this trip. Alot of money is being paid to stay at the GF and if you are staying at a top-notch resort, the service should be top-notch. IMO ONLY. Am I sorry I complained, absolutely not. If you felt you were service was lousy...wouldn't you?
For what they charged for this hotel you should have EXCEPTIONAL "Disney Service" (That's why I don't stay there once was enough!) Your complaints were more then justifed. The service sounds like what I get at a mod or value which is fine there. For those of you who think she "over reacted" try staying a true top of the line resort. Disney charges those prices and advertises this as the flagship etc... They need to live up to thier billing!
I don't think the OP was "complaining,"--she was pointing out some problems that Disney could and should correct. I'm glad she was compensated in the way she was--and I wish Disney had some kind of standard operating procedure to provide such compensation. I felt all warm fuzzy about Disney just reading her post. Good PR for Disney, IMO. Thanks for the post.
I was surprised at the *tone* of that reply also. If you weren't getting *flamed* that was awfully close!!! I think most of us totally agree with you. It seems you didn't go storming up the manager with any demands, you simply expressed your concerns. The fact that they did the right thing and compensated you in any way whatsoever, tells us that they acknowledge there were problems. I'd even be willing to bet that your calm demeanor is a big part of the reason why they took care of you the way they did. Hoping your next stay there will be as Magical as it should be!
I did not think you were complaining, the comedy of errors part told me that. You are lucky to receive your 2 night stay and its great you can look back on some of these issues and laugh. We all want our trip to be perfect, we need to get over that. Sometimes the expectations are too high. Just go and have fun and laugh at the situations we find ourselves in. We have had so many "perfect" trips, but always love talking about the times things did not go as plan. They usually give us a good laugh. We choose to make our own fun and not leave that up to Disney. So did Kristie eat light???
I didn't think you were whining either - you truthfully painted the picture of your vacation and alot of things happened to casue you to miss out on some great fun - or to be late! And you know had you NOT said anything to management while you there and then come back here and posted your story posters would be saying - why tell us now - the time to do something about it is when you are there. You just can't win. Liz
Quite a lot of people are sensitive to changes in pool chemicals. Often at times, brominated compounds are used instead of chlorinated compounds to clean pools because it is more reactive with organic substances. Sometimes though it can cause a rash, and it should go away within a day or two. If not, call your dermotologist.
Everyone has the right to vent and express there joy on these sites. I love this site and feel a few people have been a bit gruff latley. Even this person who vioced her opinion and upset someone was able to vent on the post below.Tina DON'TWORRY BE HAPPY www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=756193
i think you did absolutely the right thing in speaking with a manager. i believe they would rather have it brought to your attention then for you to go home unhappy, and tell all your friends -- and everyone here -- about it. it sounds like you had a good attitude about it all, but eventually even with a good attitude, enough is enough. good for you and your family that you get 2 nights free!!! that is awesome, and i think it goes to show what a wonderful resort GF is! don't worry about miserable people and what they may have to say! i'm glad you posted your story. it confirms my belief that GF is truly a wonderful resort!
Yep, we are another family who has had there share of 'problems' on vacations....never did talk to a manager....I've learned my lesson! There is nothing wrong with venting...you started the thread!! We STILL look forward to our trip to WDW!!
I checked in to GF on April 24 also. I was on the 3rd floor concierge level. I must have just been lucky because I did not encounter any monorail problems, and believe me, I was on it all the time! I checked out on April 28 to do the 3 day Disney Wonder cruise, so I thankfully missed "Grad Nights!" There were 14 people in my party in 4 rooms at GF, and every single one of us would stay there again in a heartbeat. Concierge level worked so well for us because, being such a large group, it gave us a place day/night to just gather, eat and drink all the yummies they put out, and plan the day or evening. I guess it's easy to say after the fact, but I would have gladly suffered a little inconvenience to get 2 free nights with passes for the future!!!
don't be sorry you posted it - you were 100% right, you're paying a small fortune to stay at the GF and everything should go right. Everything you "complained " about seemed completely reasonable to me. I too have noticed that the boards have not been too friendly lately and a bit snarky. 2princessintraining, you did nothing wrong, enjoy your 2 nights on Disney....
Sometimes people are nit-pickey about things they complain about...but jeeze, if i was paying per night what you did...i'd be more than complaining. There was a rude bartender at PI one night we were there last year and i called 8trax manager and let him have it...got comped drinks even though we didnt go back. There really isnt much Disney could do that wouldnt let me go back...but even with all the "bad" things, the Disney way is to "fix". everyone has different tolerance levels....good or bad...no one should be "flamed" for stating their OPINION....
We stayed at GF from 4/29 - 5/2 and had a magical weekend. I am normally a planner, but we decided "spontaneously" three days before we went that we needed a Disney fix. I had no idea it was a Grad Night weekend until we arrived. Fortunately, our room faced the pool and not the lagoon so evening noise was never an issue for us. We decided to use Disney transportation the whole weekend. The monorails did seem slower than usual, but I'm glad we decided not to drive after reading your post. We did take notice of the crowds and were disappointed that Magic Kingdom closed to the public at 7pm Friday and Saturday with no "Wishes". Fortunately we were able to view Wishes on Sunday night and it was really great. The GF was wonderful for us. We were upgraded from a standard room to a Lodge Tower. The Tower rooms are longer because of the turret. The service was great and we even had dinner at 1900 Park Fare without priority seating. So, I hope your next stay will be wonderful - the GF is a magical place. Bugfella
