Just received a call from Member Satisfaction

[KiminChicago]

When we first went to HHI in fall of 2008, my kids fell in love with B'Lou Crabbe and his magic and stories. The first thing they wanted to know when we planned our last trip was whether or not he was still at the resort.

When we were there over Memorial Day, the one thing we noticed was that B'Lou's performances were all scheduled for the afternoon. He told us that this was a new schedule he had just been given. The other difference we noted was that with the new schedule, hardly anyone came to see him. At one point we were the only family there. And it was really weird to walk out of Big Murggies Den into some bright sunlight after listening to ghost stories!

When we got back I wrote a letter to Member Satisfaction, praising B'Lou and expressing our fear that something unique to the HHI experience was being pushed aside so that the resort could show movies on a giant inflatable screen in the evenings (and the one time we went to that, our experience was so unpleasant, it was not something I wanted to do again). I told them that I thought it a shame that originality was being pushed aside by movies that one could borrow from the Mercantile and watch in one's villa.

Anyway, I had gotten a call last week from Member Satisfaction to let me know that they had gotten my letter and were looking into the situation at HHI, but that it might take a few days since the manager at HHI was away. Today I got a follow-up call from Eli in Member Satisfaction, confirming my fear that B'Lou's shows were moved to free up the evenings for the movies. However, he had shared my letter with the management there and said that my letter had made them think about re-evaluating their schedules in the future. Apparently this change had just been made the week we arrived.

I honestly don't know if it will change anything, but B'Lou is the highlight of my kids' stays at HHI and I'd certainly hate it if he was eventually deemed an unnecessary expense. I had never gotten a call from Member Satisfaction before, so I thought it was interesting that they even followed up on my letter.

 

[TisBit]

I am glad you followed up....sometimes management makes decisions that look good on paper, but in the end wind up negative. I am sure they thought it might be a win-win, but if other members take the time to let them know, they may be able to rotate schedules, etc!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm glad they took the time to address your concerns. I hope the do keep B'Lou and Shadow. My DGC haven't had the pleasure of hearing those ghost stories, and I think that they should stay a part of the campfire experience! The campfires at VB don't include ghost stories, we were pleasantly surprised to hear them at HHI!

Bobbi

 

[loveswdw]

My kids too loved all the B'lou stuff they did on our trip back in October. There was only one time when we were the only family to show up for a show. I think that was Shadow Tales or something. The boys got lots of Shadow time and I had a great talk with B'lou for about 15 minutes. He seems like he really enjoys his "job". I would be upset if they ended up changing such a unique aspect of HHI. Hopefully, its a temporary schedule change.

 

[nickspace]

Did you ever think that maybe he wants evenings off and you might have just messed that up for him?

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm glad they took the time to address your concerns. I hope the do keep B'Lou and Shadow. My DGC haven't had the pleasure of hearing those ghost stories, and I think that they should stay a part of the campfire experience! The campfires at VB don't include ghost stories, we were pleasantly surprised to hear them at HHI!

Bobbi

I do know that when we were at HHI at Easter, there were things on sale in the Mercantile with a picture of Shadow on it (and B'leu Crabbe is Shadow's companion). They told me that the resort was getting rid of this logo and bringing in a new logo. I kind of worried about this downplay of Shadow. It now sounds as if they might be toying with down[laying B'leau also.

 

[KiminChicago]

Did you ever think that maybe he wants evenings off and you might have just messed that up for him?

Actually, since we were the only ones at a couple of his performances, we had a chance to spend a little time with him. He told me that the schedule was new and that he had been told that the resort was "trying to keep the evenings free." It was definitely NOT his idea!

 

[scauzilloc1121]

O have to say that Eli at customer satisfaction is awesome. When I had a bad experience at SSR, I called and he called back within 2 to 3 days and did all that he could to make everything magical for my next trip. He put me at top of the wait-list and also sent me a few fast passes to enjoy during my stay. Disney does listen to what we have to say and will do whatever they can to fix the situation.

 

[RobDoc]

I do know that when we were at HHI at Easter, there were things on sale in the Mercantile with a picture of Shadow on it (and B'leu Crabbe is Shadow's companion). They told me that the resort was getting rid of this logo and bringing in a new logo. I kind of worried about this downplay of Shadow. It now sounds as if they might be toying with down[laying B'leau also.

The new logo merchandise is now available at the HH Mercantile and it still prominently features Shadow.

We just checked in this morning and are waiting for our villas to be ready.

B'Lou offer the "Welcome Home" program with Shadow today from 2-4pm, The Mental World of B'Lou - Monday at noon, Tall Tales and Old Tunes with B'Lou - Monday at 2pm, Ghosts and Legends of the Low Country with B'Lou Monday at 4pm, Shadow's Tales with B'Lou - Wednesday at 10:30am and Mid-day Magic with B'Lou - Wednesday at 2pm. B'Lou also entertains from 8:30am - 11:00am at the Beach House Breakfast Buffet on Thursday mornings and is usually at the Pirate's BBQ activities making balloons.

The Movies under the Oaks programs are at 9:00pm on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday evenings following the campfire. Kid's Night Out programs are on Monday and Saturday, Teen's Night Out - Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Pool Party and Swab the deck are Tusday night before and after the fireworks, Goofy Bingo is on Thursday night.

 

[KiminChicago]

Doc --

I'd be curious to know if B'Lou's performances will be better attended while you're there. We were there Memorial Day weekend and it was always us and one or two other families. For the "Mental World" show, we were the only family there to see him. One other elderly couple walked into Big Murggie's Den while B'Lou was performing, but they had just checked in and were waiting for another couple. The gentleman's phone kept ringing multiple times and he wouldn't turn it off . Then when the other couple did show up, he proceeded to start handing out their room keys and chatting. It was unbelievably rude but B'Lou gamely continued on.

 

[Simba's Mom]

The new logo merchandise is now available at the HH Mercantile and it still prominently features Shadow.

Whew, that's a relief! Thanks for that info. Doc. Shadow's such a lovely girl, she SHOULD be prominently featured.

 

[BigEeyore]

We were there memorial day weekend as well, and we made it to a few of B'lou's events, and would have made it to more if the times had been better. He and Shadow are always a highlight of our stays at HHI - glad you wrote a letter!

 

[seelyt2]

We're headed to HHI for our first trip in less than two months and we were looking forward to hearing B'Lou's stories in the evenings. We're likely to be in the pool or at the beach during the majority of the day. Maybe they'll switch it around by then....we can only hope. I really want to hear the ghost stories

 

[KiminChicago]

I was told by Eli that the schedule was pretty much set for the summer and that the management at the resort had decided that the evenings were going to be reserved for the "Kids Night Out" and "Movies Under the Oaks" programs.

Our experience with the "Movies Under the Oaks" was mostly negative. We opted not to go to the campfire that night and went down at the time stated on the Activity Guide for the start of the movie. By the time we got there, the movie had already been running for a while and all the seats were taken. Not by people, by shoes and bags and whatnot. One family had filled an entire row with their "stuff" and only a couple of adults and kids were sitting there. Their other kids would come and watch the movie for a few minutes, then head back to the pool. So we stood in the back until some of the castmembers brought over a few more chairs.

By the time the movie ended, most of the audience had vanished and there were empty chairs everywhere. The only reason we went is because they were showing "Gnomeo and Juliet" and we hadn't seen it yet. The other movie they showed while we were there was "Finding Nemo", I think. Whatever it was, it was something we have on DVD at home, so we didn't feel any reason to go down and watch it on an inflatable screen and get irritated by all the seat savers who never even bothered to sit in the seats they saved.