Rude CM vent

[KAMLEM]

I am going to be sure to tell them that I cannot tolerate an naproxyn at all. SO, if the chef gets joint pain, make sure he doesn't drop any, accidentally, in my food.

I also react to bee stings; each reaction within a season becomes more severe, but I don't notify establishments ahead of time to clear out the bees.

Quite a stretch from strawberries contaminating another food item in the kitchen.

I've actually made it through EVERY SINGLE MEAL I've ever had at a restaurant since I discovered this allergy years ago without ingesting it. Wow, 100% without notifying anyone.

Wow, I guess you're one of the lucky ones. Instead of being sarcastic, how about being thankful that you never had a reaction?

However instead of even just saying something about the CM, some posters want to attack to OP for following WDW policy and for double checking because of a previous error.

IMHO that just proves that some are so blinded by pixie dust that they jump to "defend" anything Disney, even when it doesn't need defending.

ITA. I can't believe how everyone is attacking the OP for simply FOLLOWING WDW's POLICY! Shame on her for wanting to avoid an allergic reaction that could potentially ruin her family's vacation.

 

[DawnCt1]

Disney requires that you note it at least 72 hours in advance. If you do not they cannot guarantee that they can accommodate you. I don't understand why the OP is getting so much flak for being responsible for their situation and double checking instead of leaving it to chance, especially because they had a problem the last time.

Disney "requires" that one provide 72 hours notice? I wouldn't go to a resort or restaurant that required me to give them 8 hours notice so that they wouldn't "poison me". If a restaurant can't accommodate someone with a food allergy as a walk in, then they shouldn't be in business. It is not an airplane that loads pre packaged meals before a flight. I am going to assume then that a guest would have to have 21 ADRs for a weeks' vacation; which is totally micromanaging. Disney has a policy which serves them in that it gives an impression of individualized service.

 

[rie'smom]

Eeyores Butterfly is a CM who has said that she reads these letters and unlike the pitiful CM that the OP dealt with, she knows WDW policy.
You (general you) don't have to like it. Different posters on the boards don't like the height restrictions, the no smoking at the resorts, etc. but it doesn't matter because Disney makes the policy.

Posters can have hissy fits but it doesn't change a thing.

 

[DawnCt1]

Eeyores Butterfly is a CM who has said that she reads these letters and unlike the pitiful CM that the OP dealt with, she knows WDW policy.
You (general you) don't have to like it. Different posters on the boards don't like the height restrictions, the no smoking at the resorts, etc. but it doesn't matter because Disney makes the policy.

Posters can have hissy fits but it doesn't change a thing.

You really can't think that having a strawberry allergy noted on our ADR is in the same as "no smoking" and height restrictions. It is there to provide an impression of security. Smoking and height restrictions are there to provide for security. If the OP notified every restaurant that they dined at prior to arrival that they have a strawberry allergy, they would at least be consistent. Do only the restaurants with ADRs get notified, or if they decide to spontaneously dine at a restaurant, will they be held in 'contempt of WDW's policies" for not providing 72 hour notice? In fact, maybe that should be the question Dining reservations gets asked. Can I be assured that I won't inadvertantly be killed if I drop into the Kona Cafe without prior notification? Its not as if its a complicated food allergy that requires special ingredients that have to be secured from the far ends of the earth.
Edited to add, before we assume that bees won't be an issue, lets remember the Epcot cast member who was sitting on the rail at the walkway on the top floor of the Contemporary having his picture taken. A swarm of bees startled him and he fell to his death on the monorail "rails". You didn't think that those metal caps that prevent sitting were added for no reason, did you.

 

[luvsJack]

Oh my! Are the subjects to debate getting this slim??

The OP was not venting about what her hubbie should do about his allergy, but about the cm being rude on the phone. If she wants to call WDW dining about this: she should. If you don't: DON"T. WDW says she should and thats what she did.
Now the actual subject of her post was that the cm was rude and she should not have been rude, regardless of what the op called about.

If someone calls and asks what lettuce a particular resteraunt in wdw is using the cm should happily say "I don't know m'am, but if you call the resteraunt directly they should be able to tell you" then either give the caller the number or connect them (if thats possible). It makes no difference why the caller is asking that and it is really none of the cm's business. It is their business to answer the question as nicely and politly and (because its disney and thats what the company expects them to do) with as much pixie dust as possible. Is a cm allowed to have a bad day? of course, but just like any other company expects, I am sure disney would prefer she kept her bad mood at home not on the job. That is this particular cm's job--answer the phone and make adr's or answer questions or check to see if a allergy is noted on the reservation and do it all as nicely and happily as possible.

Would I let this cm or any other rude person ruin my trip? of course not. But the op did not say she was either.

 

[DawnCt1]

Oh my! Are the subjects to debate getting this slim??

The OP was not venting about what her hubbie should do about his allergy, but about the cm being rude on the phone. If she wants to call WDW dining about this: she should. If you don't: DON"T. WDW says she should and thats what she did.
Now the actual subject of her post was that the cm was rude and she should not have been rude, regardless of what the op called about.

If someone calls and asks what lettuce a particular resteraunt in wdw is using the cm should happily say "I don't know m'am, but if you call the resteraunt directly they should be able to tell you" then either give the caller the number or connect them (if thats possible). It makes no difference why the caller is asking that and it is really none of the cm's business. It is their business to answer the question as nicely and politly and (because its disney and thats what the company expects them to do) with as much pixie dust as possible. Is a cm allowed to have a bad day? of course, but just like any other company expects, I am sure disney would prefer she kept her bad mood at home not on the job. That is this particular cm's job--answer the phone and make adr's or answer questions or check to see if a allergy is noted on the reservation and do it all as nicely and happily as possible.

Would I let this cm or any other rude person ruin my trip? of course not. But the op did not say she was either.

Rudeness is always a matter of perception, and perception is reality, so no CM should ever be rude. Customers and guests with requests are the lot in life of someone in customer service. The discussion went in two different directions, which is not an unusual occurrence on a discussion board. It does make me wonder however about guests expectations when it comes to WDW. Everyone wants a terrific experience and a wonderful vacation, but I often think that requests, details and minutia end up getting in the way of a fun, spontaneous time. I am as fussy as the next person, but I have been amazed over the years at the minutia that can ruin someone's vacation. (I am not accusing the OP of this). Conversely, when there have been agregious oversights, dirty rooms on check in, stolen items from a room, poor customer service, that are legitimate complaints, those posters get criticized for being "unreasonable" and "wanting something for nothing". Reasonable expectations and satisfaction lie somewhere in the middle.

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Notifying the reservationist is beyond "overkill". DS#1 had a huge, expansive rash from eating strawberries when he was little. He was covered with a rash from head to toe and itched for 5 days, even with Benedryl. The allergist told me that everyone reacts to strawberries if they eat enough. I guess he ate a lot. Since then, he has eaten strawberries and has not had a reaction. Clearly, DSs reaction was "dose related". That said, don't assume that the line cook in any restaurant is going to respond to a notation on a reservation. An adult can handle this with the server at the point of service. Anything more, seems like a serious case of "micromanaging".

I was under the impression from previous posts that you are in the healthcare field?? And if so, I'm really shocked you have this opinion. Guess you haven't been seeing what I have, which is a huge increase in allergies and severe reactions. Some people have to call ahead to restaurants to find out if the offending items are present in the kitchen at all. I know several people who can't eat in restaurants that serve any peanut products or use peanut oil for any dish. What if you had to travel 2000 miles to go to Disney World, choose a restaurant, be seated, and THEN find out from your server that you can't eat there because they have prepared everything without regard to which knife touched what last. I have dealt with one (only one but it does happen) case where a little girl with a strawberry allergy had a reaction from a restaurant. She did not order strawberries, no one in her party ordered them. They found out later the prep cook had sliced all the produce with one knife...including chopping the lettuce, and she had a chicken salad. You have no way of knowing how severe someone's allergy is and what difference does it make to you if they call ahead? I also think you are being very unrealistic to think that any and all food allergies should be accommodated on a walk-in basis or else the restaurant just sucks. That's ridiculous!

 

[DawnCt1]

I was under the impression from previous posts that you are in the healthcare field?? And if so, I'm really shocked you have this opinion. Guess you haven't been seeing what I have, which is a huge increase in allergies and severe reactions. Some people have to call ahead I also think you are being very unrealistic to think that any and all food allergies should be accommodated on a walk-in basis or else the restaurant just sucks. That's ridiculous!

Some people do have to call ahead but the we aren't talking about someone with a severe, life threatening food allergy here, (in the OP) and we are not talking about a child. We are talking about an adult and a food that isn't widely used as an ingredient in most dishes. Nor did I say that 'any and all' food allergies can be accommodated on a walk in basis. But based on the info in the original post, and the huge number of people who have food allergies and cope with them every day without noting it on every reservation they make an any restaurant, I still think it is over kill. If a diner is so allergic that exposure to a common food substance would result in anaphylaxis, they probably need take more serious precautions than just noting it on an ADR.

 

[luvsJack]

I just don't get why you think she was wrong or "micro-managing" her vacation for calling disney dining about this. That's what disney tells you to do. Everything in print about Disney dining and making ADR's says to let them know about food allergies when you call. She just called back to make sure it was noted, I would assume because disney says its important to have it noted and because they almost had a problem on their last trip. I could understand you saying that the problem on the previous trip may have been because they failed to mention the allergy again to the server; but I don't get why you think it is too much to mention it when making the adr's when that's what they ask people to do.

If anyone in my family had even a suspected ever so slight allergy to a food, I would mention it and do just what the op did. There is no way I would want our trip ruined because a green bean on a plate touched something my loved one is allergic to (wouldn't want my loved one ill either!). People plan and save for these trips for years, not everyone can just "fly down" when the mood strikes; so do they want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible? Of course!

ETA: some of the complaints mentioned in your pp would warrent a complaint letter, e-mail or call to Disney not a vent on a message board. a rude cm would not warrent contacting disney but i just don't think its so over the top for a vent on a message board.

 

[rie'smom]

Conversely, when there have been agregious oversights, dirty rooms on check in, stolen items from a room, poor customer service, that are legitimate complaints, those posters get criticized for being "unreasonable" and "wanting something for nothing". Reasonable expectations and satisfaction lie somewhere in the middle.

....or forgetting to note an allergy on a reservation. That's why the OP called again because last year the CM who made her reservation forgot to put it in the note and as Eyeores Butterfly noted WDW wants a 72 hour notice.

 

[rie'smom]

You really can't think that having a strawberry allergy noted on our ADR is in the same as "no smoking" and height restrictions. It is there to provide an impression of security. Smoking and height restrictions are there to provide for security. If the OP notified every restaurant that they dined at prior to arrival that they have a strawberry allergy, they would at least be consistent. Do only the restaurants with ADRs get notified, or if they decide to spontaneously dine at a restaurant, will they be held in 'contempt of WDW's policies" for not providing 72 hour notice? In fact, maybe that should be the question Dining reservations gets asked. Can I be assured that I won't inadvertantly be killed if I drop into the Kona Cafe without prior notification? Its not as if its a complicated food allergy that requires special ingredients that have to be secured from the far ends of the earth.
Edited to add, before we assume that bees won't be an issue, lets remember the Epcot cast member who was sitting on the rail at the walkway on the top floor of the Contemporary having his picture taken. A swarm of bees startled him and he fell to his death on the monorail "rails". You didn't think that those metal caps that prevent sitting were added for no reason, did you.

For security and health reasons and yes they're the same as far as my previous post went because I noted that people get upset about these things.


I can't assure that someone won't drop dead at their computer posting on the DIS. Just accept that WDW makes the policy and let it go. It doesn't matter if you (general you) post that you don't agree with their policy until doomsday. It is what it is because WDW says so and because Disney owns the parks, they make the rules.

 

[DawnCt1]

For security and health reasons and yes they're the same as far as my previous post went because I noted that people get upset about these things.


I can't assure that someone won't drop dead at their computer posting on the DIS. Just accept that WDW makes the policy and let it go. It doesn't matter if you (general you) post that you don't agree with their policy until doomsday. It is what it is because WDW says so and because Disney owns the parks, they make the rules.

When they post a sign at the entrance of the restaurants that states; "If you have food allergies 72 hours notification is required to dine here", then I will believe it. In the meantime, it isn't a "rule", it is a courtesy that WDW is extending to its guests.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Will they accommodate a special request without notification? Yes. But they cannot guarantee it. See the difference?

I am Catholic and one day decided on a whim to eat at Liberty Tree on a Friday. I wanted to see the characters. I explained the situation and the chef was able to make me salmon because he had it with him. If he had not had it with him though, I would have been SOL. I was lucky that the lunch menu had it on there.

As I stated earlier, it is not uncommon for a chef to buy groceries for a specific family to make sure that they have on hand things that the person with the sensitivities can eat. Obviously they cannot do this if they are not given enough notification. Now, this is in extreme circumstances, but even in other circumstances they want enough notice to make sure they are prepared.

I did not read anywhere where the OP stated that this was the only thing that she and her husband do to make sure that there is no cross contamination. Obviously they realized last year that it was not noted on their reservation. She did not say how they discovered this. My guess is that they were reminding the people at the restaurants and were told that it was not on the reservation and maybe even given the 72 hour in advance spiel. I have a feeling that she probably does take other precautions, why are people assuming that she is not?

 

[rie'smom]

When they post a sign at the entrance of the restaurants that states; "If you have food allergies 72 hours notification is required to dine here", then I will believe it. In the meantime, it isn't a "rule", it is a courtesy that WDW is extending to its guests.

OK, since Disney owns the parks, they decide what courtesies they extend to their guests and if another guest doesn't like that these courtesies are extended, too bad.

 

[DawnCt1]

OK, since Disney owns the parks, they decide what courtesies they extend to their guests and if another guest doesn't like that these courtesies are extended, too bad.

Is not a matter of liking or not liking the courtesies". My point is, they are just that; 'courtesies", not requirements.

 

[rie'smom]

Alright, no one said it was a requirement, but Disney does request that you have it noted on the reservation.

Since I feel like I'm in a few posts that I'm debating with a teenager bound and determined to have their way no matter if they are wrong, this is my last post on this thread. You have to know what arguments to let go,kwim?

Niki, you did the right thing.

 

[d4est]

Boy, some people are so grumpy and just plain mean...

 

[nephthys43]

i feel for you OP. i have a peanut allergy and i put it on all of my ressies. each and every place mentioned it to me when checking in. and the waitstaff made sure to tell me what was safe and what wasn't. at the brown derby, the head chef came out and told me personnally that the entire restaurant was peanut-free for me that day.

 

[Lintasare]

i feel for you OP. i have a peanut allergy and i put it on all of my ressies. each and every place mentioned it to me when checking in. and the waitstaff made sure to tell me what was safe and what wasn't. at the brown derby, the head chef came out and told me personnally that the entire restaurant was peanut-free for me that day.

I used to work at the Brown Derby and things like what this poster mentioned is what we do.

Could we accommodate someone who does not give us advance notice? Yes we can however our options would be limited. With the advance notice the chefs can buy special ingredients or prepare whole menus. The chefs like and WANT advance notice. It's called service and it's what Disney does.

Let me give a couple examples of this service. While these are different situations they do highlight why the restaurants want advance notice. We received notice that a party would be coming in to dine and a member of that party was highly allergic to certain detergents used to wash the dishes. While not a food allergy it is important that we know about these things. The chef made a few phone calls to the family and was able to purchase a special detergent and one of our stewards hand washed several place settings for this family so they could enjoy their dining experience with us.

Another time we got notice that a family of vegans would be dining with us. And while we had one vegan entree on our menu we wanted them to have variety. So the executive chef and two of the sous chefs made up a special menu just for this family of 4 or 5 different vegan options for them.

In both these cases we knew ahead of time so we were able to accommodate the families. Had we not had notice we could not have done that.

Again it's called service and it's what Disney does.

But I guess there are some folks on this board who don't believe that.

 

[arminnie]

I still don't understand how replying "yes" to a question when asked makes someone "grumpy" or "rude". .. I think a mountain is being made out of a molehill.

I totally agree.