The Battle For My Wallet III: The Smell of Free Dining (Addendum, pg 34)
- Thread starter ZZUB
- Start date
ZZUB
Roll Tide, Mean It
- Joined
- May 9, 2003
- Messages
- 947
Sorry to keep you guys hanging. I'm not intentionally ignoring you. But as much as I enjoy writing trip reports, I actually get paid to do something else. Pity. I'll try to have Chapter 7 up as soon as possible. In the mean time, I heartily recommend you purchase a copy of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve and Other Stories. I just discovered it and I'm very impressed with it. If you enjoy Mannheim Steamroller, then you will enjoy this too. And while this has nothing to do with Disney, it will help kill the time while we're waiting for me to turn my attention back to writing Chapter 7.
Lord Fantasius
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2005
- Messages
- 387
Dear Zzub,ZZUB said:
Please, no apologies necessary...even though your reports are the highlight of some of our days...you probably have a life outside these Boards unlike some people here (sheesh, take a joke people); especially with that daughter of yours!
Can only imagine what the judges say...are your legal briefs this interesting?
BTW, my wife and I...o.k., my wife, and then myself after she played it the first time...discovered TSO last year and played their Christmas album almost daily. Aaaah, guess it's time to dig it out for this year. First snow, then TSO...and then the Joy of the season!!
-R->
ZZUB
Roll Tide, Mean It
- Joined
- May 9, 2003
- Messages
- 947
Chapter Seven:
Although several weeks have past since I posted Chapter Six, it's still the same day, only a few minutes later.
I ran back to Mainstreet and rejoined my family on the curb. In the shade. Three of the prettiest words in the English language. At least when one is in Disney World. I managed to take my seat right as the first cadre of odd ball pseudo early twentieth century animators came rolling down the street.
I felt bad for them.
The parade was pretty much as it was two days before. Except this time we were in the shade. That made a big difference in my enjoyment. Finally I was Sharing a Dream Come True.
Earlier in this War and Peace length trip report I mentioned that my daughter had been eyeing an Ariel (hooch!) and Prince Eric doll set. We asked her to wait because we wanted to make sure she really wanted these dolls. However, we were in World of Disney the night before and she was still asking for them so we purchased them for her. She carried them with her everywhere she went.
Until we went to Epcot and she got a Tinkerbelle Doll.
But that was still a day away. For now she was all about Ariel and Eric.
Theres a reason Ive digressed. Im not just throwing in local color for sport.
So were sitting in the shade watching the parade and we see the float with Ariel and Eric coming down the street. My wife pointed to them and told my daughter they were coming. My daughter, who was holding her dolls, craned her neck around her fathers ample frame to see her heroes du jour coming her way. She got very excited as the float approached and Ariel and Eric were right above her. She waved to them. Eric, noticing that my daughter was holding a smaller version of him and his trashy fish friend cum princess, tapped Ariel on the shoulder and pointed at my daughter and her dolls. They both waved to her and my daughter smiled a huge, toothy grin and waved her chubby little hand back at them. She hugged their likenesses tightly with her other arm.
If we didnt have an inordinate fear of posting pictures of our kid on the internet, I would post a picture of this moment for you.
It was as if Bear Bryant and Elle McPherson (dating myself, arent I?) rode by and pointed at me and waved. My little girl was so enamored of Ariel and Eric and there they were a few feet away, noticing her and waving at her. It made her day. It almost erased the horror of the Main Street Confectionary and the Unspeakable Evil which was visited upon me there.
Something else about this parade and then Ill move on. There was no shoving, no pushing, no kicking, no cussing. Everyone on our side of the street was very well behaved. Dont know what to attribute that to. Perhaps it was the shade. Or maybe the free food.
Parade over, I started worrying again about my allegedly defective Key to the World. I wanted to make another transaction with it to make sure that the nice lady in Guest Services was right and Susie Helpershoes was wrong. We decided to make some minor purchase to confirm it was ok. This took entirely too long to accomplish and I wont bore you with all of the minute details of my search for something to buy but I will allow that it involved a wise decision not to purchase a Walt Disney World emblazoned croakie. I bought a new hat instead. Turns out the CM who rang up the transaction also had problems scanning my card. It took her three times but eventually it went through. I lost five pounds sweating out this most recent exchange. But in the end it worked and I was confident it was ok and we wouldnt be denied dinner.
We still had plenty of time before dinner at Crystal Palace so we headed to Tomorrowland. My wife and daughter headed to the Peoplemover and I went to work out my frustrations on Buzz Lightyear. I enjoy that ride a lot. There was virtually no line when I got to the door but then a gaggle of miscreants ran up from out of nowhere and got in front of me. No problem, the ride continuously loads, Ill get on soon enough. Oh no. They had to stop and take it all in. Hello? The queue isnt all that fascinating. This aint Pirates, people. Keep moving. Then they spread themselves out into separate cars. It took them forever to finally all board. I seriously regretted not bolting in front of them when I had the chance or cutting around them in the queue. If only I had wings.
We headed to the Crystal Palace and a few minutes after we checked in, we were seated at our table and we started to unwind. Our table was in a great location with a remarkable view of the castle. If I was the kind of person who posted pictures in his trip report you would be looking at a picture of the castle through the window of the Crystal Palace. You know what? Weve all seen the castle. Weve all seen a window. Picture the castle through a window and voila. Who needs a digital camera?!
If you read Me v. Disney: The Battle for my Wallet you know that I think the character meal at Crystal Palace is pretty stressful. If you havent read Me v. Disney, go ahead. Well wait.
That was then. Because on this trip we had a luxury of time and because we were on the Free Dinning Plan and because we had already seen thousands (maybe just dozens) of characters and because it was dinner we were remarkably more relaxed. It was 6:00 and Wishes! was at 9:00. There was only one ride we still wanted to do so we had three hours to eat, watch Mickeys Philharmagic and get into our prime viewing spot for Wishes! That meant we were free to kick back and enjoy our food and enjoy the atmosphere. I also decided to leave the camcorder in the bag and only take digital pictures. So we wont have video of my daughter with the Disney glitterati. Well live.
The atmosphere in the Crystal Palace is very nice. Disney nice anyway. It is inviting and comfortable and although there is an energy in the room, its calm. In other words, it lacks the frenetic, napkin twirling electricity found at Chef Mickeys. Because we werent in any real rush to get out the door, we were able to take our time and actually taste the food. Normally we swallow without tasting whole chunks of mostly cooked prime rib while juggling a camcorder and a camera to capture the once in a lifetime picture in front of us.
But the mood was calm, the pace relaxed and the food enjoyable. The menu at Crystal Palace is pretty good and like at most Disney buffets, there are two serving lines with the same food so it didnt feel crowded. However, note this well: each side had different desserts. I learned this because my suspicious nature made me go look.
Admit it, you do it too. Even though youve been told the buffet is the same on the right and the left, you still walk over to the other side to make sure their shrimp is also peel and eat and not fried.
Is it just me?
After we finished dinner, we ordered coffee and enjoyed the many desserts, from both sides, mind you. It was nice. Really nice.
We paid our bill and I laughed all the way out the door. I love, just love seeing how much money I didnt pay for that meal.
Free Dinning. Gotta love it.
We walked back to Fantasyland and caught another showing of Mickeys Philharmagic. Ive seen it now three times and each time I find something new to appreciate about that movie. I like it even better when there isnt a kid screaming while his dufus parents ignore him.
When we came out of Philharmagic, my sister called to let us know they were in the World. My sister and brother in law and their 4 kids live about 2 hours away from Disney World (lucky!). We were planning to see them that night and spend the next few days with them. I told her where we were and that wed meet them at the end of Mainstreet. We started walking that direction and eventually them came walking down the street. There were hugs and kisses all around. My sister and I are very close and with the exception of a few of our teenaged years, weve always been close. But we dont get to see each other as much as wed like. It had been since February and it was good to be together again. I love her kids and she loves mine. Her husband is a good friend of mine and she and my wife are more like real sisters. Also, my daughter is in love with my sisters youngest son. Were from the south; its expected youll marry kin.
We weighed out whether we had time to go ride Puppies of Progress before Wishes! but I suggested we probably didnt have enough time. So we parked ourselves in the middle of Mainstreet (where Rella Bella is right about now or will be soon anyway) and caught up with each other while we waited for Wishes!
Eventually it started and again I found it to be a tremendous show. We all huddled together arms around each other and watched the rockets burst over head, perfectly timed to the music. That moment right there is one of the best 13 minutes of my life. I love my family and I love Disney. Getting to have both at the same time, thats all right with me. The great thing about a moment like that is it doesnt end when the moment ends. Its still with me and sometimes when I need to remember why I work so hard, I go back to it in my mind. Thanks, Walt.
After Wishes! we foolishly decided to head back to PORiverside. When will we learn? The crowd was predictably pushy and shovey if thats a word. As we walked up to the Train Station my daughter said, Goodbye, Magic Kingdom. See you soon. Again, thanks, Walt.
We got back to PORiverside and the piano dude was at it again. We never sat down and caught his show in full but we did catch parts of it a few nights. He was amazing. The lounge was packed so we parked ourselves on one of the poofs (thats what those things are called) and let the little ones run off some of their energy. I decided to go speak with someone at the front desk about the Unspeakable Evil which had been visited upon me earlier that day.
For all of Disneys renown customer service, theyre not so big on correcting mistakes. Towel animals theyll give you. Compensation for a wrong suffered not so much. So I didnt go to the front desk looking for anything tangible; I was merely aiming to vent my spleen about the PORiverside employee who told Susie Helpershoes I had checked out. That person was at least partially responsible for the Unspeakable Evil. I asked for a manager and the CM at the window asked if there was something she could help me with. I explained to her what had happened and how much of my afternoon was spent dealing with a problem, not of my own creation, which was aggravated by the incompetence of a careless CM or two. I asked her to replace my Keys to the World to prevent this from happening again. She apologized and made up some new keys for me. I was about to walk away when another CM walked over and told me she was some kind of manager. She apologized for what happened and told me she had given me a $20 credit on my account.
I thanked her and told her I appreciated her gesture. The funny thing is, at another hotel I would have expected more than $20 for the trouble and time, but since this was Disney and since I had been expecting nothing, I was pretty pleased they gave me $20.
Do you see how smart they are? How crafty. Dont you see the mind games?!
I went back and collected my wife and daughter and we hit the food court for our late night snacks. From there we headed back to our room. Over the river and through the woods and all that. I opened the door to our room and there sitting on the table was a signed picture of Mickey Mouse welcoming the Zzub family and a plush Mickey Mouse sitting next to it.
The PORiverside may not be the cleanest resort and it may not be the most compact and some of its staff may need to be retrained on how to read information off the computers, but as long as they show me some love, Ill keep coming back.
Thanks, Walt.
Next time: Vote for Pedro
Although several weeks have past since I posted Chapter Six, it's still the same day, only a few minutes later.
I ran back to Mainstreet and rejoined my family on the curb. In the shade. Three of the prettiest words in the English language. At least when one is in Disney World. I managed to take my seat right as the first cadre of odd ball pseudo early twentieth century animators came rolling down the street.
I felt bad for them.
The parade was pretty much as it was two days before. Except this time we were in the shade. That made a big difference in my enjoyment. Finally I was Sharing a Dream Come True.
Earlier in this War and Peace length trip report I mentioned that my daughter had been eyeing an Ariel (hooch!) and Prince Eric doll set. We asked her to wait because we wanted to make sure she really wanted these dolls. However, we were in World of Disney the night before and she was still asking for them so we purchased them for her. She carried them with her everywhere she went.
Until we went to Epcot and she got a Tinkerbelle Doll.
But that was still a day away. For now she was all about Ariel and Eric.
Theres a reason Ive digressed. Im not just throwing in local color for sport.
So were sitting in the shade watching the parade and we see the float with Ariel and Eric coming down the street. My wife pointed to them and told my daughter they were coming. My daughter, who was holding her dolls, craned her neck around her fathers ample frame to see her heroes du jour coming her way. She got very excited as the float approached and Ariel and Eric were right above her. She waved to them. Eric, noticing that my daughter was holding a smaller version of him and his trashy fish friend cum princess, tapped Ariel on the shoulder and pointed at my daughter and her dolls. They both waved to her and my daughter smiled a huge, toothy grin and waved her chubby little hand back at them. She hugged their likenesses tightly with her other arm.
If we didnt have an inordinate fear of posting pictures of our kid on the internet, I would post a picture of this moment for you.
It was as if Bear Bryant and Elle McPherson (dating myself, arent I?) rode by and pointed at me and waved. My little girl was so enamored of Ariel and Eric and there they were a few feet away, noticing her and waving at her. It made her day. It almost erased the horror of the Main Street Confectionary and the Unspeakable Evil which was visited upon me there.
Something else about this parade and then Ill move on. There was no shoving, no pushing, no kicking, no cussing. Everyone on our side of the street was very well behaved. Dont know what to attribute that to. Perhaps it was the shade. Or maybe the free food.
Parade over, I started worrying again about my allegedly defective Key to the World. I wanted to make another transaction with it to make sure that the nice lady in Guest Services was right and Susie Helpershoes was wrong. We decided to make some minor purchase to confirm it was ok. This took entirely too long to accomplish and I wont bore you with all of the minute details of my search for something to buy but I will allow that it involved a wise decision not to purchase a Walt Disney World emblazoned croakie. I bought a new hat instead. Turns out the CM who rang up the transaction also had problems scanning my card. It took her three times but eventually it went through. I lost five pounds sweating out this most recent exchange. But in the end it worked and I was confident it was ok and we wouldnt be denied dinner.
We still had plenty of time before dinner at Crystal Palace so we headed to Tomorrowland. My wife and daughter headed to the Peoplemover and I went to work out my frustrations on Buzz Lightyear. I enjoy that ride a lot. There was virtually no line when I got to the door but then a gaggle of miscreants ran up from out of nowhere and got in front of me. No problem, the ride continuously loads, Ill get on soon enough. Oh no. They had to stop and take it all in. Hello? The queue isnt all that fascinating. This aint Pirates, people. Keep moving. Then they spread themselves out into separate cars. It took them forever to finally all board. I seriously regretted not bolting in front of them when I had the chance or cutting around them in the queue. If only I had wings.
We headed to the Crystal Palace and a few minutes after we checked in, we were seated at our table and we started to unwind. Our table was in a great location with a remarkable view of the castle. If I was the kind of person who posted pictures in his trip report you would be looking at a picture of the castle through the window of the Crystal Palace. You know what? Weve all seen the castle. Weve all seen a window. Picture the castle through a window and voila. Who needs a digital camera?!
If you read Me v. Disney: The Battle for my Wallet you know that I think the character meal at Crystal Palace is pretty stressful. If you havent read Me v. Disney, go ahead. Well wait.
That was then. Because on this trip we had a luxury of time and because we were on the Free Dinning Plan and because we had already seen thousands (maybe just dozens) of characters and because it was dinner we were remarkably more relaxed. It was 6:00 and Wishes! was at 9:00. There was only one ride we still wanted to do so we had three hours to eat, watch Mickeys Philharmagic and get into our prime viewing spot for Wishes! That meant we were free to kick back and enjoy our food and enjoy the atmosphere. I also decided to leave the camcorder in the bag and only take digital pictures. So we wont have video of my daughter with the Disney glitterati. Well live.
The atmosphere in the Crystal Palace is very nice. Disney nice anyway. It is inviting and comfortable and although there is an energy in the room, its calm. In other words, it lacks the frenetic, napkin twirling electricity found at Chef Mickeys. Because we werent in any real rush to get out the door, we were able to take our time and actually taste the food. Normally we swallow without tasting whole chunks of mostly cooked prime rib while juggling a camcorder and a camera to capture the once in a lifetime picture in front of us.
But the mood was calm, the pace relaxed and the food enjoyable. The menu at Crystal Palace is pretty good and like at most Disney buffets, there are two serving lines with the same food so it didnt feel crowded. However, note this well: each side had different desserts. I learned this because my suspicious nature made me go look.
Admit it, you do it too. Even though youve been told the buffet is the same on the right and the left, you still walk over to the other side to make sure their shrimp is also peel and eat and not fried.
Is it just me?
After we finished dinner, we ordered coffee and enjoyed the many desserts, from both sides, mind you. It was nice. Really nice.
We paid our bill and I laughed all the way out the door. I love, just love seeing how much money I didnt pay for that meal.
Free Dinning. Gotta love it.
We walked back to Fantasyland and caught another showing of Mickeys Philharmagic. Ive seen it now three times and each time I find something new to appreciate about that movie. I like it even better when there isnt a kid screaming while his dufus parents ignore him.
When we came out of Philharmagic, my sister called to let us know they were in the World. My sister and brother in law and their 4 kids live about 2 hours away from Disney World (lucky!). We were planning to see them that night and spend the next few days with them. I told her where we were and that wed meet them at the end of Mainstreet. We started walking that direction and eventually them came walking down the street. There were hugs and kisses all around. My sister and I are very close and with the exception of a few of our teenaged years, weve always been close. But we dont get to see each other as much as wed like. It had been since February and it was good to be together again. I love her kids and she loves mine. Her husband is a good friend of mine and she and my wife are more like real sisters. Also, my daughter is in love with my sisters youngest son. Were from the south; its expected youll marry kin.
We weighed out whether we had time to go ride Puppies of Progress before Wishes! but I suggested we probably didnt have enough time. So we parked ourselves in the middle of Mainstreet (where Rella Bella is right about now or will be soon anyway) and caught up with each other while we waited for Wishes!
Eventually it started and again I found it to be a tremendous show. We all huddled together arms around each other and watched the rockets burst over head, perfectly timed to the music. That moment right there is one of the best 13 minutes of my life. I love my family and I love Disney. Getting to have both at the same time, thats all right with me. The great thing about a moment like that is it doesnt end when the moment ends. Its still with me and sometimes when I need to remember why I work so hard, I go back to it in my mind. Thanks, Walt.
After Wishes! we foolishly decided to head back to PORiverside. When will we learn? The crowd was predictably pushy and shovey if thats a word. As we walked up to the Train Station my daughter said, Goodbye, Magic Kingdom. See you soon. Again, thanks, Walt.
We got back to PORiverside and the piano dude was at it again. We never sat down and caught his show in full but we did catch parts of it a few nights. He was amazing. The lounge was packed so we parked ourselves on one of the poofs (thats what those things are called) and let the little ones run off some of their energy. I decided to go speak with someone at the front desk about the Unspeakable Evil which had been visited upon me earlier that day.
For all of Disneys renown customer service, theyre not so big on correcting mistakes. Towel animals theyll give you. Compensation for a wrong suffered not so much. So I didnt go to the front desk looking for anything tangible; I was merely aiming to vent my spleen about the PORiverside employee who told Susie Helpershoes I had checked out. That person was at least partially responsible for the Unspeakable Evil. I asked for a manager and the CM at the window asked if there was something she could help me with. I explained to her what had happened and how much of my afternoon was spent dealing with a problem, not of my own creation, which was aggravated by the incompetence of a careless CM or two. I asked her to replace my Keys to the World to prevent this from happening again. She apologized and made up some new keys for me. I was about to walk away when another CM walked over and told me she was some kind of manager. She apologized for what happened and told me she had given me a $20 credit on my account.
I thanked her and told her I appreciated her gesture. The funny thing is, at another hotel I would have expected more than $20 for the trouble and time, but since this was Disney and since I had been expecting nothing, I was pretty pleased they gave me $20.
Do you see how smart they are? How crafty. Dont you see the mind games?!
I went back and collected my wife and daughter and we hit the food court for our late night snacks. From there we headed back to our room. Over the river and through the woods and all that. I opened the door to our room and there sitting on the table was a signed picture of Mickey Mouse welcoming the Zzub family and a plush Mickey Mouse sitting next to it.
The PORiverside may not be the cleanest resort and it may not be the most compact and some of its staff may need to be retrained on how to read information off the computers, but as long as they show me some love, Ill keep coming back.
Thanks, Walt.
Next time: Vote for Pedro
RadioFanatic
Mouseketeer<br><font color=6d6b70>SO not a jewelry
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2005
- Messages
- 4,410
YEAH!!! Another post! Great job as usual - can't wait to hear more!
/
PrincessNED
<font color=teal>I can certainly attest it was not
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2005
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"Were from the south; its expected youll marry kin."
Ellester
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2003
- Messages
- 1,671
"If only I had wings"
OK, I'm going to assume that this was a reference to one of my old favorites. If it's not, that's ok. It made me laugh anyway and now I can sing "if you had wings, had wings, had wiiinnngggsssss........" all day! I particularly used to like the bahamian police directing the flamingos one way and the traffic the other way. Thanks for another great installment!
OK, I'm going to assume that this was a reference to one of my old favorites. If it's not, that's ok. It made me laugh anyway and now I can sing "if you had wings, had wings, had wiiinnngggsssss........" all day! I particularly used to like the bahamian police directing the flamingos one way and the traffic the other way. Thanks for another great installment!
Tigger2252
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2005
- Messages
- 806
"The funny thing is, at another hotel I would have expected more than $20 for the trouble and time, but since this was Disney and since I had been expecting nothing, I was pretty pleased they gave me $20."
I know how you feel about this! Three years ago we were kept waiting for hot dogs for nearly 30 minutes. People in line after us that had ordered different things kept getting served, and there we stood. I finally asked if they had to send out for the dogs or what. They apologized and gave the four of us each a piece of chocolate cream pie. It was the best pie I ever had. Not because of the taste, but because it was FREE! To this day, I refer to that particular vacation as "The Year Of The Perfect Pie"
I know how you feel about this! Three years ago we were kept waiting for hot dogs for nearly 30 minutes. People in line after us that had ordered different things kept getting served, and there we stood. I finally asked if they had to send out for the dogs or what. They apologized and gave the four of us each a piece of chocolate cream pie. It was the best pie I ever had. Not because of the taste, but because it was FREE! To this day, I refer to that particular vacation as "The Year Of The Perfect Pie"
MaryKatesMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2003
- Messages
- 5,339
I'm so glad I stumbled over this thread. Keep them coming!!!! 
zalansky
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Zzub - I haven't had the pleasure of reading the new installment yet because we just returned from a weekend trip to WDW. We left the baby at home with Gramdma and took our son with us, he will be 3 this month. When we rode the "people mover" aka something or other transit authority, I made sure to chuckle when I heard "paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow". I thought of you and your family riding it and you thinking it funny...what's worse is I'd never paid enough attention to hear that before and I've taken that ride a dozen times. Just wanted you to know you enlightened me and you and yours were thought of, and geez I don't even know ya! And BTW (another riddle for you) I agree with you about the gold on the castle. The imagineers overdid it this time.
I'll have to save the reading pf the new chapter until tomorrow...can't wait!!!
I'll have to save the reading pf the new chapter until tomorrow...can't wait!!!
Horizons16
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2001
- Messages
- 3,272
Everyone looked at me funny in the library when I rose and applauded.... they just dont get it
Credit Man
<font color=teal>Love the shark reef<br><font colo
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