We just returned from a wonderful trip, but had such a terrible experience yesterday with a bus driver on our last evening. My MIL and I took the kids (ages 3 and 1) to the parks all week while DH was attending a conference at the Grosvenor in the DTD village area (this hotel wasn't bad at all, contrary to the reviews I read...we stayed in a tower room).
As many of you know, it can be a logistical nightmare getting on and off the buses with a double stroller, two young kids, a diaper bag, jackets for the cool evenings, and any other necessities brought along. All of the drivers had been very courteous, patient and helpful as one of us held on to the two kids and bags while the other folded up the stroller (a side-by-side umbrella-type stroller) and placed it in the luggage compartment under the bus. Some drivers even folded the stroller for us, which we did not expect, but nonetheless appreciated.
Last night both of my children fell asleep as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom. MIL held one child and a bag of gifts she had purchased, I held the other child and the diaper bag, and we both struggled to fold the stroller up with one hand each. MIL asked the bus driver, who stood there watching us struggle the whole time, if he would open the under-bus compartment so we could store the stroller. He told us that space was reserved for wheelchairs. I politely explained that every other driver had told us to put the stroller there, and that there were no people with wheelchairs boarding the bus anyway. He snapped back at me, "well every other driver didn't know the rule...only wheelchairs go under here."
A very nice gentleman who was boarding the bus took the stroller from my MIL and helped her get on the bus ahead of him. When I tried to get on immediately following my MIL, the bus driver told me, "there's a line...you have to go to the back of the line." So I did. Now I was the last one in line, and the driver got on the bus himself. When I got up to the door, he closed the doors on me and put the bus in gear!
I pounded on the door until he opened it up. I told him that my son was on that bus with my MIL and my stroller, and that he had to let me on this bus! He snapped back, "you shouldn't have waited until I closed the door to tell me that!" Huh????? So he let me on, but told me I would have to get off and wait for the next bus unless I could find a seat because it was completely full. The nice man who helped with the stroller gave me HIS seat, and he stood up in the aisle the entire ride back, one had on the bar and one hand holding up my stroller!
I told my MIL as I sat down that we had become separated because the driver told me I had to go to the back of the line. The driver heard me say this (we were in the 2nd row of seats) and said over the microphone, "lady, I didn't tell you that...you chose to go to the back of the line yourself." I told him that it was rude to pick a fight with me over the microphone, and that if he had something to say to me he should do so privately. He said (again over the microphone), "I'm not rude...you're telling lies." I told him that I assumed he didn't work for Disney since he didn't have that Disney spirt, and I decided to leave it at that since there were families on the bus trying to savor their last moments of Disney. But he shot back, "I would never work for Disney. They couldn't pay me enough," and went on to say some negative things about the Disney corporation that I couldn't hear well.
Then he made some disparaging remarks (not over the microphone) about "people coming on buses with big strollers." He then started doing Disney character impersonations to make everyone think he was just loads of fun, and then he told a very off-color joke (not vulgar, just gross bathroom humor that I don't appreciate hearing on a bus leaving DISNEY WORLD, for goodness sakes!).
I reported this moron to the manager on duty at the hotel. It turns out the DTD hotels now contract with some outside company to run the buses, and he said they have had several complaints. I'm about to write a letter explaining all of this, which he told me to do.
I just needed to vent about this because I'm still fuming. This man tried to leave me in the dark Disney parking lot with my 3 yo son because he was irritated with me for asking him to open the luggage comparment to store my stroller! And then he tried to humiliate me over the microphone in front of a full busload of people! I just couldn't believe this was happening to me on a Disney vacation! Has anyone else had such a bizarre experience with Disney contracted workers?
Paula
As many of you know, it can be a logistical nightmare getting on and off the buses with a double stroller, two young kids, a diaper bag, jackets for the cool evenings, and any other necessities brought along. All of the drivers had been very courteous, patient and helpful as one of us held on to the two kids and bags while the other folded up the stroller (a side-by-side umbrella-type stroller) and placed it in the luggage compartment under the bus. Some drivers even folded the stroller for us, which we did not expect, but nonetheless appreciated.
Last night both of my children fell asleep as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom. MIL held one child and a bag of gifts she had purchased, I held the other child and the diaper bag, and we both struggled to fold the stroller up with one hand each. MIL asked the bus driver, who stood there watching us struggle the whole time, if he would open the under-bus compartment so we could store the stroller. He told us that space was reserved for wheelchairs. I politely explained that every other driver had told us to put the stroller there, and that there were no people with wheelchairs boarding the bus anyway. He snapped back at me, "well every other driver didn't know the rule...only wheelchairs go under here."
A very nice gentleman who was boarding the bus took the stroller from my MIL and helped her get on the bus ahead of him. When I tried to get on immediately following my MIL, the bus driver told me, "there's a line...you have to go to the back of the line." So I did. Now I was the last one in line, and the driver got on the bus himself. When I got up to the door, he closed the doors on me and put the bus in gear!
I pounded on the door until he opened it up. I told him that my son was on that bus with my MIL and my stroller, and that he had to let me on this bus! He snapped back, "you shouldn't have waited until I closed the door to tell me that!" Huh????? So he let me on, but told me I would have to get off and wait for the next bus unless I could find a seat because it was completely full. The nice man who helped with the stroller gave me HIS seat, and he stood up in the aisle the entire ride back, one had on the bar and one hand holding up my stroller!
I told my MIL as I sat down that we had become separated because the driver told me I had to go to the back of the line. The driver heard me say this (we were in the 2nd row of seats) and said over the microphone, "lady, I didn't tell you that...you chose to go to the back of the line yourself." I told him that it was rude to pick a fight with me over the microphone, and that if he had something to say to me he should do so privately. He said (again over the microphone), "I'm not rude...you're telling lies." I told him that I assumed he didn't work for Disney since he didn't have that Disney spirt, and I decided to leave it at that since there were families on the bus trying to savor their last moments of Disney. But he shot back, "I would never work for Disney. They couldn't pay me enough," and went on to say some negative things about the Disney corporation that I couldn't hear well.
Then he made some disparaging remarks (not over the microphone) about "people coming on buses with big strollers." He then started doing Disney character impersonations to make everyone think he was just loads of fun, and then he told a very off-color joke (not vulgar, just gross bathroom humor that I don't appreciate hearing on a bus leaving DISNEY WORLD, for goodness sakes!).
I reported this moron to the manager on duty at the hotel. It turns out the DTD hotels now contract with some outside company to run the buses, and he said they have had several complaints. I'm about to write a letter explaining all of this, which he told me to do.
I just needed to vent about this because I'm still fuming. This man tried to leave me in the dark Disney parking lot with my 3 yo son because he was irritated with me for asking him to open the luggage comparment to store my stroller! And then he tried to humiliate me over the microphone in front of a full busload of people! I just couldn't believe this was happening to me on a Disney vacation! Has anyone else had such a bizarre experience with Disney contracted workers?
Paula
