Mini Trip Review 7/6-7-16

Shoshana

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
462
I'll dispense with the un-pixie-dust first.
1. Contempo Cafe no longer uses the computer ordering stations. Guests have to wait in lines to order from cashiers. During busy times, it is a chaotic mess. The waits for evening meals (2 total) were too long. The breakfast food quality was only fair (re-heated eggs/bread/cheese in many varieties).
2. I used my Chase Disney CC at the Emporium at 1:00 and at Contemporary BVG at 4:20. At 4:47, 4:49, and 4:51, my card was used for fraudulent charges at a Tampa Walmart. After phone calls with Chase and visiting the lobby, the Contemporary manager said he'd investigate. The consequence for me on the trip was that I needed to provide identification on site when using the card (which is relevant for AP fiasco later).
3. EMM - Breakfast was outstanding! Cast members were awesome! Mine Train broke down early, we'd ridden it twice. EMM guests were told they'd have FP+ until 10:00 but it didn't reopen so they extended FP+ again until 2:00. We crisscrossed park twice but each time it was still down, and we were leaving the park at 1:00. Guest relations 'compensated' us with 2 FP+. I wouldn't pay for this experience again.
5. The biggest fiasco? Trying to upgrade our 9-day tickets to annual passes at MK Guest Relations. The CM was not competent. He told me I was using the wrong terminology, that I couldn't upgrade, that I needed to purchase outright. Finally, after many consults with other CMs, he said the price for, yes, an upgrade, would be $980. I gave him my Disney CC. He asked for my address to verify my identity. My address was not correct. Of course, Disney knows my address. I'm not exaggerating. I stood at that counter for one hour and 45 minutes. After I was unable to convince him that I was who I said I was and that my address was indeed in Disney's system, I started to cry and said, "just give me back my magic bands, I'm leaving!" Later, at Contemporary concierge, I learned that the address he'd seen was the Contemporary's, he was looking at the wrong screen. The 'compensation' was a Soarin' FP. There was a surprise ending, however. When I mustered the courage to try again, at MK Guest Relations, the price was $500 LESS than what I was nearly charged.
6. Unbeknownst to me, dd did indeed bring her ipod and it was apparently stolen from the wheelchair. Last ipod I'll buy!
7. Did I mention the heat?

The Pixie Dust
1. We had no negative interactions with other guests, CMs, tour groups, or ECVs. The one exception was a crazed dad with a stroller. He apparently thought I could stop my dd's wheelchair on a dime when he tried to cut in front of us on a main walkway. He lost that game of chicken and he did stop the stroller, but he yelled and cussed at me!.
2. DHS Dessert Party was a huge hit with m 12-year-old dd. The StormTroopers were a riot, the waits for Chewie and Kylo Ren (phenomenal interactions with this evil character, btw) were non-existent, the ice cream & toppings were my favorite, the vodka & watermelon was too strong for me (but others would probably love it), iced coke products in cans were a hit, the buffet of sweets and (too few) savories was nicely done. There were lots of CMs in dress clothes wandering about. We had a blast and we'd repeat this experience.
3. Ultimate Thrills Tour was another phenomenal experience. We loved everything about it. MK, DHS (with lunch at Hollywood & Vine), AK - van transportation with ice water and iced towels... After we ended the tour my dd and I went to EP, so we did four parks in one day!! I walked 15.7 miles, pushing a wheelchair for most of them. OMG, exhausted would be an understatement, but it was so much fun. We plan to repeat this experience.
4. Transportation worked nearly seamlessly, no monorail breakdowns, efficient bus service except for one episode- we waited 30 min. for a bus to AK and were not allowed on (wheel chair would have folded, bus did not appear to be full, no one standing) around noon at the GF.
5. Air conditioning seemed to be sufficiently cold in all of the attractions and gift stores.
6. Food was good to very good at most restaurants. We really enjoyed the new Skippers Canteen.
7. We went to Typhoon Lagoon for the first time to spend the day with local friends. The beach shack was dream for this pasty white midwestern mom. The kids had a lot fun. Not sure we'd return, but it was nice to experience.
8. Rainstorms were wonderful and really cooled things down!
9. The PPO breakfast at BOG at 8:00 worked really well! We were the first in line for 7DMT and we rode it 3 times in a row!
 
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So which price was right on the AP upgrade? That's a huge difference.

Sorry about the bumps you encountered. I'd be less than thrilled with your experience with the Mine Train. If I decided to pay the price for EMM, I'd be less than thrilled to have issues with 7DMT. That's would be the primary reason for us doing the event.
 
Your un-pixie dust moments would be enough to ruin a vacation but I'm so glad you were able to have some wonderful moments. I keep hearing about the Ultimate Thrills experience and it sounds awesome! We just recently had our Disney Visa hacked (end of June) so I wonder if a bank of numbers go stolen but hearing that yours happened so close to the time it was used in Tampa would make me really suspicious.
Glad you had a great time in spite of the ickiness!
 
So which price was right on the AP upgrade? That's a huge difference.

Sorry about the bumps you encountered. I'd be less than thrilled with your experience with the Mine Train. If I decided to pay the price for EMM, I'd be less than thrilled to have issues with 7DMT. That's would be the primary reason for us doing the event.

I paid $412 for the AP upgrade, not the $980 quoted by the incompetent CM. I did write about this on an online survey, we'll see if there's any response. I'm sure it's in my records. I didn't get angry or pushy, I was trying to be polite because I don't want to be "one of those" guests, but the breaking into tears was quite genuine!

Yes, the EMM was really a disappointment. Although, I did love the nearly empty park, the outstanding breakfast, and the festive attitude of the CMs, $147 for Mine Train 2X, 2 FP, and breakfast is too expensive for me.
 

Your un-pixie dust moments would be enough to ruin a vacation but I'm so glad you were able to have some wonderful moments. I keep hearing about the Ultimate Thrills experience and it sounds awesome! We just recently had our Disney Visa hacked (end of June) so I wonder if a bank of numbers go stolen but hearing that yours happened so close to the time it was used in Tampa would make me really suspicious.
Glad you had a great time in spite of the ickiness!

I live in WI. I hadn't used the Disney Visa before the trip, so there was little doubt that online purchases for a Tampa Walmart were originating from my use of the card at Disney.

We're going again in December and we're doing Ultimate Thrills instead of MVMCP!

I'm glad that I see the big picture and refuse to let moments of ickiness spoil the mood for too long. Although, the AP incident was the most difficult to recover from.
 
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Thanks for the detailed report. I'm so sorry for the terrible AP upgrade fiasco. Thank goodness you left (in tears!) before paying the incorrect amount!
Sounds like you had tons of fun, though :hug:

There's a special place in Hell for men who cuss at women pushing a child in a wheelchair:cool2:
 
I paid $412 for the AP upgrade, not the $980 quoted by the incompetent CM. I did write about this on an online survey, we'll see if there's any response. I'm sure it's in my records. I didn't get angry or pushy, I was trying to be polite because I don't want to be "one of those" guests, but the breaking into tears was quite genuine!

Yes, the EMM was really a disappointment. Although, I did love the nearly empty park, the outstanding breakfast, and the festive attitude of the CMs, $147 for Mine Train 2X, 2 FP, and breakfast is too expensive for me.


What did you expect to pay for the upgrade going into it?
 
Aww, what a bummer about Mine Train. Did any other rides get opened up during EMM to help compensate, or was the two extra FP+ it?

And glad the annual pass debacle was worked out in your favor. Sorry you had to deal with a CM like that.
 
Aww, what a bummer about Mine Train. Did any other rides get opened up during EMM to help compensate, or was the two extra FP+ it?

And glad the annual pass debacle was worked out in your favor. Sorry you had to deal with a CM like that.

The only other rides open were the Carousel, Pooh, & Peter Pan. I think they expected it to re-open quickly. The 2 extra anywhere anytime FPs were great, but still too expensive for me.
 
Too bad about the Contempo Cafe - for some reason that has always been one of our favorite places to eat on property.

LOL that half of your "pixie dust" list entries also contain a complaint ;)
 
LOL that half of your "pixie dust" list entries also contain a complaint ;)

That fact didn't escape my notice, ha ha! I figured only one dad-with-stroller experience compared to non-problematic encounters with, oh, 1000s of people counted as pixie dust. After reading so much about tour groups, I expected something -- but didn't notice a thing, sans the matching outfits. Same for one transportation experience out of at least 30 good ones :)
 
3. EMM - Breakfast was outstanding! Cast members were awesome! Mine Train broke down early, we'd ridden it twice. EMM guests were told they'd have FP+ until 10:00 but it didn't reopen so they extended FP+ again until 2:00. We crisscrossed park twice but each time it was still down, and we were leaving the park at 1:00. Guest relations 'compensated' us with 2 FP+. I wouldn't pay for this experience again.

That's a serious ripoff. I know they say attractions may vary, but you should get a refund if SDMT is down before 8:30. I guess I can see making it up with extra FP+ if it goes down after 8:30, but even then I know I'd feel a bit cheated (and a lot cheated if it went down before 8:30).
 
We're going to do Ultimate Thrills Tour and hopefully the Star Wars dessert party (if still available) when we go. It's mostly a Universal Studios trip for us with two Disney Days this time, but these are our two main priorities. Excited to see your review!
 
That's a serious ripoff. I know they say attractions may vary, but you should get a refund if SDMT is down before 8:30. I guess I can see making it up with extra FP+ if it goes down after 8:30, but even then I know I'd feel a bit cheated (and a lot cheated if it went down before 8:30).
Yes, I had to work pretty hard to 'let it go.' I hate getting aggravated when on vacation - I want to be able to tell the CM (Guest Relations, in this case) what the problem is, and to trust them to arrive at a reasonable solution. 2 FP was that solution ;(

We're going to do Ultimate Thrills Tour and hopefully the Star Wars dessert party (if still available) when we go. It's mostly a Universal Studios trip for us with two Disney Days this time, but these are our two main priorities. Excited to see your review!
Yeah! I hope you have a great time, too!
 
Excellent report! Sounds like you and your family had a great trip overall. :)
 
When I was there in May, I wanted to add a day to our 6 day tickets. I went to guest services at the resort, and was told it would be $76.00 per ticket to change from a 6 day to a 7. I know it is only around $30.00, but no amount of asking could convince her that she wasn't correct. She even went back and forth with a manager, but she stuck to the $76.00 per. In the end, I upgraded 2 of the 6 tickets because DS and wife had reservations to the Villains party at DHS. Me, my husband and 2 granddaughters did not add a day, so we just had dinner at the Grand Floridian and watched a movie on the beach. Such a shame because we would have enjoyed another day at Epcot but oh well.
 





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