DISclaimer: In episode 26, I wrote: Last I knew, Disney resort themes don’t include a New York City tenement with balcony railings draped with skivvies and towels flapping in the wind, so please don’t make me stare at your laundry while I’m lying at the pool. TwinkieMama suggested to me that I should write a spoof about a new value resort themed like tenements. While I thought this would be funny, I decided a more humorous and ironic twist would be for the slum resort to be a deluxe resort. Could such a bizarre concept be created? Read on and see! I must also give credit to Lowell. We brain-stormed this spoof while driving last Sunday and he was firing off great ideas right and left! I was amazed. And here I thought I was the creative mind in the family! Even after nearly ten years together, I am still seeing new facets of Lowell’s personality.
Disney’s Grande Ghetto Resort
Disney announced today that plans are being drawn for a new deluxe category resort built in the style of multi-story brick tenement houses. It will be called the Grande Ghetto Resort . Market surveys showed that Disney travelers in the deluxe resort category wanted a modern day resort with a theme unlike anything they would encounter in real life. This seemed a challenging request, as travelers in upper income brackets can buy most any resort experience they desire. The Imagineers devised a thoroughly unique resort concept which is sure to appeal to the most jaded travelers. Deluxe resort guests at the Grande Ghetto Resort will be able to experience the opposite of their current socio-economic status while in a light-hearted, safe, and comfortable atmosphere.
As you pull up the resort drive the first thing you see is a car that has been stripped and abandoned by the side of the road which bears a sign: May We Recommend Our Valet Parking .
If you do not wish to valet park, follow the signs: Park at Your Own Risk to the Self-Park Lot. You will enter through a mosaic arch composed of rusted mufflers, alternators, hub caps, and various other auto parts.
Guests who opt for Valet Parking will continue to the porte cochere where they will be attacked by car jackers. The car jackers will open the front doors and demand that all occupants exit the car immediately. Please comply, and hand over your reservation confirmation papers or things could get ugly. Guests wishing to enhance the roll-playing experience may elect to resist briefly and be roughed up by the thugs. Run for the reception area doors when you have had enough excitement. For your convenience a First Aide Station is located just inside on your left. The car jackers will strip all luggage and valuables from your car and turn them over to Bell Services, who are dressed as homeless people. Bell/Homeless People will deliver your luggage to your room via over-sized shopping carts. Proceed to the Reception Desk.
At the Grande Ghetto Resort, no one will call you Sir or Ma’am. You will be greeted with, “Whazup?” Or “Whadya Want?” and will be referred to as Brotha, Sista, Homey, Sucker, Punk, etc. Roll with it. Your reservation will be processed, after which you will all be finger-printed and have your mug shots taken.
You will enter your guest room through a door pockmarked with bullet holes. Rooms at the Grande Ghetto resort are large and creatively appointed. You’ll find two queen size beds, a couch, a round table with four chairs and a large dresser with a wall mounted plasma TV above it. The furniture is good quality but none of it matches. Lamps, artwork and TVs etc. bear price stickers from the stores from which they were . . . appropriated. Matching bedspreads in bright colors have a few Hidden Mickey designs that resemble cigarette burn holes. Rooms have a spacious balcony with iron railings. Feel free to hang laundry and wet towels on the railings to dry as this enhances resort theming.
Guest room baths are seedily luxurious, sporting chipped marble tile walls and floors, a claw leg tub, vanity with dual sinks, and a painted metal shower stall decorated with Disney graffiti that reads: Mickey loves Minnie. Goofy was Here. Donald is a Quack. Stitch Stinks, etc.
Mousekeeping staff, attired as bag ladies, push bedding and supplies in grocery carts. You may elect to have your room cleaned and left neat and orderly, or alternatively, have the room cleaned and then ransacked for a more authentic atmosphere.
The buildings are equipped with iron fire escapes. On the railings of each landing Mickey’s underwear flaps in the breeze. His colorful T-shirts and boxers are a print fabric depicting assorted cheese wedges. Mickey says wedgie underwear is very comfortable.
The Grande Ghetto Resort has every amenity found at other Disney deluxe resorts. You will find a well stocked gift store called The Pawn Shop, where you can buy replica Mickey Cheese Wedge Underwear and other souvenirs and gift items.
The Resort boasts three on-site restaurants. For Grab-and-Go food-court type convenience there is Dumpster Dining . Glass topped chest freezers and refrigerated cases designed to look like dumpsters hold many selections of ice cream, dairy products, pre-made sandwiches, salads and drinks.
The mid-level restaurant is Guido’s Italian Family Restaurant. A variety of foods, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine is featured here. Guido’s motto is prominently displayed throughout the dining room: Clean Your Plate and Nobody Gets Hurt.
For a signature dining experience, you’ll enjoy the Ghetto’s fine dining establishment: The Soup Kitchen . The hostess will walk you through the Soup Line where you can view sample presentations of the items on the menu, then you will be seated in the dining room. Your gourmet meals will be brought out on trays and served on mismatched dinnerware.
The Grande Ghetto has a Club Level Concierge floor named The Welfare Department. When you enter the Welfare Department, Cast Members greet you to determine what social services you require. At the Employment Desk CMs make sure you employ your time wisely. They recommend shows and activities and make dinner reservations. If you do not need employment guidance, proceed to the Food Pantry Lounge and help yourself to daily donations, some of which have been prepared by the chefs at the Soup Kitchen.
Live music in the lobby is provided daily. Street performers wander in to sing and play saxophones, guitars and other instruments. They play their own repertoire of songs, or guests may make requests, from classical to Gangsta Rap. Please throw tips into the artists’ open instrument cases.
Groundskeepers, dressed as a construction crew, work around the clock to keep the resort tidy but squalid. They also maintain the pool areas. In addition to several quiet pools, the Grande Ghetto has a signature pool which features several uncapped fire hydrants spewing streams of water. This water runs into a metal sluice pipe which forms part of the water slide.
Near the pool you will find snack foods served from street vendor carts, and a pool bar named Molotov’s Cocktails. All drinks are served in bottles.
When you’re outside be on the alert for rival gangs. The East Side Mickeys and the West Side Donalds frequently engage in taunts and deny each other access to various parts of the resort. Duck Gang members have particularly vicious tempers and have been known to bite guests who interfere, so please watch from a safe distance and do not become involved.
At various times of day, you will find Cast Members on street corners selling Hot Items. These are popular items with deeply discounted prices. Offerings include select Trading Pins, Disney design jewelry, and/or Mickey Watches. Rest assured prices are a steal.
Remain on the lookout for muggers. Several times per day guests are mugged. Victims receive a colorful 12 ounce ceramic cup that reads: I was Mugged at Disney’s Grande Ghetto Resort.
On the day of your departure, you will receive a copy of your bill along with an Eviction Notice. Please call the front desk to schedule your eviction if you need Bell/Homeless People to throw your luggage from the room and wheel it to your vehicle in their shopping carts.
Disney says its new deluxe resort is for discriminating travelers who want "The Very Best of the Worst Life Has to Offer.”