2cutiepatooties
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2006
- Messages
- 24
ZZUB;15954873 After that hootenanny said:
The Battle For My Wallet IV: Return of the ZZUBs (Addendum, p.85; 07/12)
- Thread starter ZZUB
- Start date
ZZUB
Roll Tide, Mean It
- Joined
- May 9, 2003
- Messages
- 947
Chapter Thirteen: Buzz Lightyear to the rescue
After the afternoon in the pool, we headed back to our room for showers and snacks. And then we were off to the Magic Kingdom. But the sky was dark and angry. Yet not as dark and angry as I was about to become with the incompetence of Disney’s staff.
Flame away if you must.
Call me a jerkstore, a fartmunch, an Auburn fan. I can take it. And it won't change my opinion.
To a large extent, Disney’s staff has fallen so far below the superior level of service from yesteryear that they are an embarrassment to themselves and the thousands of cast members who came before them. To this current crop of employees, many of whom are over paid at minimum wage, I say, if you don’t love the Mouse and don’t care about excellence: go work at McDonald’s. The pay is better and the hours easier.
To the Mouse House Executives, I say: it’s time to stop paying slave wages for jobs that require actual proficiency and skill. As it turns out, not any idiot can answer a phone at the Wilderness Lodge and give the correct answer to a guest. Not any idiot can operate a ride safely and not any idiot can handle sweaty guests whose lofty expectations are exceeded only by the amount of marketing fatigue they suffer at the end of every day. In other words, hire better people, pay them more, demand more from them.
Like in the old days.
What provoked this rage you wonder? Or perhaps you don’t wonder but your hand is holding a sandwich and you can’t maneuver the mouse quickly enough to close this trip report and move on to another one.
That happened to me just last week. The results were unseemly. And unintentionally funny.
Having observed the snarky skies which were threatening to open a can of whoopin' on us, I wondered aloud whether the boats would be running on the high seas of Disney. I mean it rains there every day from June through mid-September, surely there was some foul weather policy. No one in my room knew the answer to my question, or as it turns out, even responded. So I picked up the phone and rang the front desk.
The first person I spoke with said, “yes, the boats still run even in the rain.”
Not trusting the answer, I thanked the person, hung up and called back. I got the opposite answer. I was told to take the bus to the TTC (at this time, the Lodge was not running busses directly to the Magic Kingdom). This answer seemed more correct and so we gathered up our gear (don’t you love a vacation that requires the daily packing of gear?) and headed towards the Shining elevator lobby. My daughter pressed the button and we were down the lightening fast elevator staring at the bridge across the stream in no time. It appeared to be gently misting outside. I found a third cast member and asked about the boats. She told me they were not running in this weather and pointed us in the wrong directionto the busses. She sent us out front where a valet directed us towards the villas. Where we finally found the bus depot.
If Minnie Minimum-Wage had bothered to either admit she didn’t know where the busses were or to consult a resort map, she wouldn’t have sent us in the most circuitous route possible. As it turns out, if we had simply gone out the side doors, there was a straight shot to the bus depot.
To those of you who think Disney can do no wrong and are currently thinking, “well, lazy butt! Why didn’t you just look at a resort map your own self? Don’t blame them for your stupidity!” My response is this, whether I was lazy in not checking the resort map is not the issue, nor does it relieve the cast member of her culpability in giving us bad directions. That’s like blaming someone whose money has been stolen from her room because she didn’t put it in the safe. Yes, in hindsight that would have been wise, but that doesn’t make the thief any less guilty.
Also, my wife was pregnant and shouldn’t be walking too much. The extra hike around the Lodge, although aesthetically not unpleasant was potentially hazardous.
And, I am a touch lazy, too.
We finally made it to the bus depot where we had time enough to second hand smoke two cigarettes. We had “reservations” at Crystal Palace for dinner and looking at my watch, I was beginning to doubt we’d make it in time. We had a bus to catch, a transfer to make, a monorail to ride, a thorough “security” check to get through, a wheelchair to rent, a Mainstreet to navigate and hordes of sweaty, angry tourists to maneuver around. And 20 minutes left to do it in. I could feel myself getting stressed and frustrated. Disney anxious. I hate,hate this part of a Disney trip. The stress and anxiety about getting someplace on time. It’s a little too much like work.
Then I remembered that Crystal Palace was no one in my family’s favorite restaurant. We liked it but if we missed it, the world would continue to spin. This wasn't Chef Mickey’s. The worst thing that would happen is we’d have to wait a while longer to eat. It's not like we were going to get stuck at the Tomorrowland Noodle Buffet. Perish the thought. I’d sooner eat at Le Cellier.
Eventually, the bus arrived and we were transported to the TTC. My wife couldn’t move at Disney pace, but there was a monorail in the station. So I battled in my head with how much to push her to make this monorail vs. letting her go at her own pace for the sake of her health and the baby’s. I carried my daughter so we could move a little faster and my wife, for her part, moved as quickly as she could. I ran up the platform and threw my daughter inside the monorail. Then I stood straddling the monorail and the platform and shouted, “Hold the monorail, my wife is coming.”
No I didn’t either.
Because I hate the people who think they are the only ones on vacation while the rest of us are just, you know, doing nothing.
We all made our way up the platform and into monorail yellow or blue. Depending on whether you were me or my daughter.
As we looped around the Seven Seas Lagoon, my wife suggested that I go through ahead of her and my daughter and get to Crystal Palace to hold our reservation.
What I said next surprised even me.
“We will all go together.” Yes, free food was on the line, and yes I can move faster than them especially in her condition, but we’d already missed our morning walk down Mainstreet as a family. For some reason, at that moment, being together was more important than free food.
I know. It scared me, too. Who knew I was that sensitive?
As we walked down the monorail platform at the Magic Kingdom, I looked over at the Lodge Boat dock. Where a boat was coming in at that moment.
Turns out they DO run boats in the rain.
Rage on.
I sent my wife and daughter through “security” while I went to rent a wheelchair for my wife. God bless you Disboard nerds and dorks. Because of you, I knew that there was a weekly rental price that was cheaper than a per-day charge for strollers. I reasoned in my head that the same deal was probably available for wheelchairs. I walked up to the cast member and asked if there was a savings if I rented the wheelchair for the week. “Fo shizzle, my izzle,” she said.
“Word,” I responded.
I gave her my Key to the World and she handed me the week’s worth of rental coupons. And a slip of paper to put in the back of the wheelchair.
“Write your name here,” she instructed.
We’ve never rented a stroller nor a wheelchair in Disney World. I always just assumed the cast member at stroller rental wrote your name for you. I had no idea I would get to write my own name.
Or some other name. This little game of silly names amused me throughout the week. As you might expect, I refused to put our real last name on the tag. For reasons previously explained, I didn’t write ZZUB either. During the week, my wife’s wheelchair read:
Seinfeld
Dynamite!
Bartlet
Fonzarelli
HappyHaunts, and
S! (which is how we actually write Schpupin’s name).
I finished personalizing the wheelchair right as my wife and daughter came through the turnstile. The herd moved my direction and I spotted my wife and daughter in the midst of it. As the herd got closer, I said to my wife, “You got through the turnstile ok?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No reason. I’m glad that ticket I got off Ebay worked.”
She got situated in the chair and we stowed the backpack on the handles. My daughter hopped up into my wife’s lap and we were on our way. As we moved through the tunnel, my wife said, “now don’t ram me into anybody.”
“I can’t make that kind of promise,” I replied.
We maneuvered around the flag pole and down Mainstreet at a good clip. The stress of potentially missing our reservation made me move even faster than normal. So this wasn’t the idyllic first walk down Mainstreet that my family normally enjoys.
At least we were all together.
And my wife and daughter were in the wheelchair where I could finally control the speed at which both of them moved.
This was a dream come true for me. And proof that you can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime. You just might find. You get what you need.
I’ll never doubt the wisdom of the Stones again.
Which kind of freaks me out.
I took a hard left at Casey’s to get to the Crystal Palace. I parked my wife and daughter and went up to the window. Checked in, received my oddly shaped buzzer and then went and joined my family to watch the pre-dinner show.
You didn’t know they had a pre-dinner show at Crystal Palace? Good thing you’re reading this. There’s also a pre-dinner show at Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Ripoff, Liberty Tavern, and most any other character meal.
It’s a reality show without cameras.
Invariably, if you hover near the check-in desk, you’ll see raged up tourists trying to get a table for lunch or dinner. And then pitching a diva fit that would make Aretha Franklin blush when they are told nothing is available. It almost never fails.
The first cast member in the reality show she didn’t know she was on approached the check-in window with her head shy husband and frightened children in tow. Mary McNasty yelled at her husband, “I told you! Take them over there!” She waved her arm, wildly pointing in the general direction of, I don’t know, Adventureland? Ned the Neutered obliged and took the kids to stand by a garbage can. In an unusual plot twist, Mary McNasty did have a reservation but it was for later and she wanted to eat now. NOW. I’m not making any value judgments, but based solely on what I observed, you did not want to be between this woman and a buffet. That’s all I’m saying.
She was told they would not be able to seat them right then; they would have to wait for the next available table, Mary McNasty flew into a big ol’ rage. I’m not sure why this woman thought a reservation for dinner at 8:30 would entitle her to show up for dinner at 5:30. Except she seemed like the kind of person who is entitled to a lot of special treatment. She didn’t like what she was hearing. There was lots of loud talking, arm waiving and various uses of Disney words as curses.
What she said was, “you have a magical day!”
What she meant was, “go do bad, unthinkable and biologically impossible things to yourself!”
And then they were gone.
And the ZZUBs were called. We were ushered into the Crystal Palace and shown to our table. We sat. A waitress came and took our drink order and explained the buffet and the rules of character dining. Words, words, eat as much as you like, words.
Mrs. Z and li’l Z headed to the bathroom and I headed to the buffet. I loaded my plate. (who are we kidding?) Plates. Surveyed the dessert bar. Both sides. And returned to my table. Soon enough, the women returned and we enjoyed a pretty pedestrian meal. Characters came. Characters went. Flash and dash. They couldn’t be bothered to hang out long enough for me to even focus my auto-focus camera. No silliness. (Sorry, Haley). No playfulness and certainly no tomfoolery. I’d have been pretty picked off if that was the only character meal of our trip.
Then there was the food. It was neither bad nor good. It was just there. Like Congress. Disney’s food has become so homogenized. Everything is the same. Red meat, white meat, pasta, mashed potatoes and some kind of shrimp. While the seasonings aren’t exactly the same, it’s the same general idea at Chef Mickey’s, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare. I imagine this is part of Disney’s global effort to charge more and give less. And while this may please the stock holders, it’s a very shortsighted strategy. Guests like me will grow tired of paying their extraordinary rates for less-than-superlative and in fact, highly stressful vacations. The advantages to staying on property diminish each year while the prices increase at the same time. I am growing more attracted to staying off property.
Magic schmagic. The very so-called magic that used to make us yearn to stay on property has all but disappeared. Between shoddy customer service, over-priced rooms, food, tickets, famously slow and unreliable resort transportation and the never ending marketing assault, the real magic is that we keep coming back and paying more for less.
Are we that stupid?!
I have narrowed down the best parts of a Disney vacation for our family. They are: planning for the trip; anticipating the trip and arrival day. Once you have gotten checked into your room, jumped on the bed, eaten at your first night restaurant and gone into your first park, the magic is over shadowed by hostile crowds, rushing hither and yon, incompetent cast members, mediocre food, standing in line, heat, humidity, the smell of wet, under-deodorized tourists, and anxiety that you won’t make it to the next thing.
Anymore, for our family, the magic of a Disney vacation has little to do with Disney. It’s just being with our family. We happen to like the same rides and same fireworks, so we return. But I wonder whether we need to stay in their over-priced rooms, suffer their transportation “system” and choke down their ridiculously over-priced food.
This isn’t about money, it’s about value. And about being taken for granted.
Disney is free to charge whatever they want and reduce their services at the same time. Some people will continue to pay it. We will probably do so as well. Probably. But in the long run, when I can stay at any number of off-property resorts and have a nicer room, for less money with equal or better service, and have access to better food for a better price, then why would I continue to line the pockets of corporate officers who are only interested in taking more money out of mine?
This reality came home to me when we were eating dinner at Crystal Palace. Even though our meal was free, I was contemplating how much they were charging for the food and the experience. Let’s face it, character meals have always been about the experience. But the price used to be somewhat reasonable and the characters were more attentive. The diminution in service from just the year before was palpable. And depressing. We’ll go back to Chef Mickey’s again, because it’s a tradition, a Disney thing. But it will most likely be the only character meal we do. Recently, while driving to my office, I was thinking about our next trip and how we would almost certainly rent a car because I don’t like relying on Disney busses. One of the top advantages to staying on property is the resort transportation. But it’s so unreliable that many people rent cars so they can control their own destinies. It hit me that maybe we don’t need to stay on property at all next time. Or the time after that, either.
I love Disney as much as the next guy. Maybe more. I have plenty of Disney crap in my house. For crying out loud, our Christmas tree is a salute to Disney movies and past vacations. We will ALWAYS go to Disney. And they know that. But I say again: the magic of a Disney vacation has less to do with Disney and more to do with being with our family and having fun. To the extent that future vacations take place at Disney, I am more inclined to spend less time there and more time off property in a bigger room, at a better price, with people who understand customer service.
Suddenly, the raged up woman who stormed off from Crystal Palace seemed less funny to me. For vastly different reasons, she was demonstrating how frustrated I was feeling inside with the Disney Experience.
Wow. That got ugly fast.
After dinner, we loaded up in the chair and headed to Fantasyland so we could all ride Peter Pan together. My daughter enjoyed showing my wife the magic bar. “Daddy, make it come down.” After Pan, we rode It’s a Small World and then Mickey’s Philharmagic. That ride just about cleansed my palate from the sub-par dinner at Crystal Palace. Next we headed over to Tomorrowland for Puppies of Progress. Buzz Lightyear was standing out front stamping autographs. My daughter wanted me to have my picture taken with him but as it turns out, he needed to go have his batteries re-charged so they weren’t letting anyone else in line. Score one for dignity.
We wheeled up to the wheelchair holding area which happens to be right next to where Buzz was stamping. He had the kids put their autograph books on this stand and then he had this schtick where he would wind up his arm real big and then hit the stamp. It was very funny. At least to me. None of the kids in line, and none of the kids whose autograph books were getting stamped, saw the humor in it. I on the other hand was very amused. I have a big laugh and Buzz heard me laughing. He pointed at me as if to say, “Dude, you totally rock.” Because all Pixar characters speak the same cool language. I tried not to be embarrassed that my cartoon hero just pointed at me.
Or even that I have a cartoon hero.
____________________
Click Here for the Chapter 13 Addendum:
After the afternoon in the pool, we headed back to our room for showers and snacks. And then we were off to the Magic Kingdom. But the sky was dark and angry. Yet not as dark and angry as I was about to become with the incompetence of Disney’s staff.
Flame away if you must.
Call me a jerkstore, a fartmunch, an Auburn fan. I can take it. And it won't change my opinion.
To a large extent, Disney’s staff has fallen so far below the superior level of service from yesteryear that they are an embarrassment to themselves and the thousands of cast members who came before them. To this current crop of employees, many of whom are over paid at minimum wage, I say, if you don’t love the Mouse and don’t care about excellence: go work at McDonald’s. The pay is better and the hours easier.
To the Mouse House Executives, I say: it’s time to stop paying slave wages for jobs that require actual proficiency and skill. As it turns out, not any idiot can answer a phone at the Wilderness Lodge and give the correct answer to a guest. Not any idiot can operate a ride safely and not any idiot can handle sweaty guests whose lofty expectations are exceeded only by the amount of marketing fatigue they suffer at the end of every day. In other words, hire better people, pay them more, demand more from them.
Like in the old days.
What provoked this rage you wonder? Or perhaps you don’t wonder but your hand is holding a sandwich and you can’t maneuver the mouse quickly enough to close this trip report and move on to another one.
That happened to me just last week. The results were unseemly. And unintentionally funny.
Having observed the snarky skies which were threatening to open a can of whoopin' on us, I wondered aloud whether the boats would be running on the high seas of Disney. I mean it rains there every day from June through mid-September, surely there was some foul weather policy. No one in my room knew the answer to my question, or as it turns out, even responded. So I picked up the phone and rang the front desk.
The first person I spoke with said, “yes, the boats still run even in the rain.”
Not trusting the answer, I thanked the person, hung up and called back. I got the opposite answer. I was told to take the bus to the TTC (at this time, the Lodge was not running busses directly to the Magic Kingdom). This answer seemed more correct and so we gathered up our gear (don’t you love a vacation that requires the daily packing of gear?) and headed towards the Shining elevator lobby. My daughter pressed the button and we were down the lightening fast elevator staring at the bridge across the stream in no time. It appeared to be gently misting outside. I found a third cast member and asked about the boats. She told me they were not running in this weather and pointed us in the wrong directionto the busses. She sent us out front where a valet directed us towards the villas. Where we finally found the bus depot.
If Minnie Minimum-Wage had bothered to either admit she didn’t know where the busses were or to consult a resort map, she wouldn’t have sent us in the most circuitous route possible. As it turns out, if we had simply gone out the side doors, there was a straight shot to the bus depot.
To those of you who think Disney can do no wrong and are currently thinking, “well, lazy butt! Why didn’t you just look at a resort map your own self? Don’t blame them for your stupidity!” My response is this, whether I was lazy in not checking the resort map is not the issue, nor does it relieve the cast member of her culpability in giving us bad directions. That’s like blaming someone whose money has been stolen from her room because she didn’t put it in the safe. Yes, in hindsight that would have been wise, but that doesn’t make the thief any less guilty.
Also, my wife was pregnant and shouldn’t be walking too much. The extra hike around the Lodge, although aesthetically not unpleasant was potentially hazardous.
And, I am a touch lazy, too.
We finally made it to the bus depot where we had time enough to second hand smoke two cigarettes. We had “reservations” at Crystal Palace for dinner and looking at my watch, I was beginning to doubt we’d make it in time. We had a bus to catch, a transfer to make, a monorail to ride, a thorough “security” check to get through, a wheelchair to rent, a Mainstreet to navigate and hordes of sweaty, angry tourists to maneuver around. And 20 minutes left to do it in. I could feel myself getting stressed and frustrated. Disney anxious. I hate,hate this part of a Disney trip. The stress and anxiety about getting someplace on time. It’s a little too much like work.
Then I remembered that Crystal Palace was no one in my family’s favorite restaurant. We liked it but if we missed it, the world would continue to spin. This wasn't Chef Mickey’s. The worst thing that would happen is we’d have to wait a while longer to eat. It's not like we were going to get stuck at the Tomorrowland Noodle Buffet. Perish the thought. I’d sooner eat at Le Cellier.
Eventually, the bus arrived and we were transported to the TTC. My wife couldn’t move at Disney pace, but there was a monorail in the station. So I battled in my head with how much to push her to make this monorail vs. letting her go at her own pace for the sake of her health and the baby’s. I carried my daughter so we could move a little faster and my wife, for her part, moved as quickly as she could. I ran up the platform and threw my daughter inside the monorail. Then I stood straddling the monorail and the platform and shouted, “Hold the monorail, my wife is coming.”
No I didn’t either.
Because I hate the people who think they are the only ones on vacation while the rest of us are just, you know, doing nothing.
We all made our way up the platform and into monorail yellow or blue. Depending on whether you were me or my daughter.
As we looped around the Seven Seas Lagoon, my wife suggested that I go through ahead of her and my daughter and get to Crystal Palace to hold our reservation.
What I said next surprised even me.
“We will all go together.” Yes, free food was on the line, and yes I can move faster than them especially in her condition, but we’d already missed our morning walk down Mainstreet as a family. For some reason, at that moment, being together was more important than free food.
I know. It scared me, too. Who knew I was that sensitive?
As we walked down the monorail platform at the Magic Kingdom, I looked over at the Lodge Boat dock. Where a boat was coming in at that moment.
Turns out they DO run boats in the rain.
Rage on.
I sent my wife and daughter through “security” while I went to rent a wheelchair for my wife. God bless you Disboard nerds and dorks. Because of you, I knew that there was a weekly rental price that was cheaper than a per-day charge for strollers. I reasoned in my head that the same deal was probably available for wheelchairs. I walked up to the cast member and asked if there was a savings if I rented the wheelchair for the week. “Fo shizzle, my izzle,” she said.
“Word,” I responded.
I gave her my Key to the World and she handed me the week’s worth of rental coupons. And a slip of paper to put in the back of the wheelchair.
“Write your name here,” she instructed.
We’ve never rented a stroller nor a wheelchair in Disney World. I always just assumed the cast member at stroller rental wrote your name for you. I had no idea I would get to write my own name.
Or some other name. This little game of silly names amused me throughout the week. As you might expect, I refused to put our real last name on the tag. For reasons previously explained, I didn’t write ZZUB either. During the week, my wife’s wheelchair read:
Seinfeld
Dynamite!
Bartlet
Fonzarelli
HappyHaunts, and
S! (which is how we actually write Schpupin’s name).
I finished personalizing the wheelchair right as my wife and daughter came through the turnstile. The herd moved my direction and I spotted my wife and daughter in the midst of it. As the herd got closer, I said to my wife, “You got through the turnstile ok?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No reason. I’m glad that ticket I got off Ebay worked.”
She got situated in the chair and we stowed the backpack on the handles. My daughter hopped up into my wife’s lap and we were on our way. As we moved through the tunnel, my wife said, “now don’t ram me into anybody.”
“I can’t make that kind of promise,” I replied.
We maneuvered around the flag pole and down Mainstreet at a good clip. The stress of potentially missing our reservation made me move even faster than normal. So this wasn’t the idyllic first walk down Mainstreet that my family normally enjoys.
At least we were all together.
And my wife and daughter were in the wheelchair where I could finally control the speed at which both of them moved.
This was a dream come true for me. And proof that you can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime. You just might find. You get what you need.
I’ll never doubt the wisdom of the Stones again.
Which kind of freaks me out.
I took a hard left at Casey’s to get to the Crystal Palace. I parked my wife and daughter and went up to the window. Checked in, received my oddly shaped buzzer and then went and joined my family to watch the pre-dinner show.
You didn’t know they had a pre-dinner show at Crystal Palace? Good thing you’re reading this. There’s also a pre-dinner show at Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Ripoff, Liberty Tavern, and most any other character meal.
It’s a reality show without cameras.
Invariably, if you hover near the check-in desk, you’ll see raged up tourists trying to get a table for lunch or dinner. And then pitching a diva fit that would make Aretha Franklin blush when they are told nothing is available. It almost never fails.
The first cast member in the reality show she didn’t know she was on approached the check-in window with her head shy husband and frightened children in tow. Mary McNasty yelled at her husband, “I told you! Take them over there!” She waved her arm, wildly pointing in the general direction of, I don’t know, Adventureland? Ned the Neutered obliged and took the kids to stand by a garbage can. In an unusual plot twist, Mary McNasty did have a reservation but it was for later and she wanted to eat now. NOW. I’m not making any value judgments, but based solely on what I observed, you did not want to be between this woman and a buffet. That’s all I’m saying.
She was told they would not be able to seat them right then; they would have to wait for the next available table, Mary McNasty flew into a big ol’ rage. I’m not sure why this woman thought a reservation for dinner at 8:30 would entitle her to show up for dinner at 5:30. Except she seemed like the kind of person who is entitled to a lot of special treatment. She didn’t like what she was hearing. There was lots of loud talking, arm waiving and various uses of Disney words as curses.
What she said was, “you have a magical day!”
What she meant was, “go do bad, unthinkable and biologically impossible things to yourself!”
And then they were gone.
And the ZZUBs were called. We were ushered into the Crystal Palace and shown to our table. We sat. A waitress came and took our drink order and explained the buffet and the rules of character dining. Words, words, eat as much as you like, words.
Mrs. Z and li’l Z headed to the bathroom and I headed to the buffet. I loaded my plate. (who are we kidding?) Plates. Surveyed the dessert bar. Both sides. And returned to my table. Soon enough, the women returned and we enjoyed a pretty pedestrian meal. Characters came. Characters went. Flash and dash. They couldn’t be bothered to hang out long enough for me to even focus my auto-focus camera. No silliness. (Sorry, Haley). No playfulness and certainly no tomfoolery. I’d have been pretty picked off if that was the only character meal of our trip.
Then there was the food. It was neither bad nor good. It was just there. Like Congress. Disney’s food has become so homogenized. Everything is the same. Red meat, white meat, pasta, mashed potatoes and some kind of shrimp. While the seasonings aren’t exactly the same, it’s the same general idea at Chef Mickey’s, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare. I imagine this is part of Disney’s global effort to charge more and give less. And while this may please the stock holders, it’s a very shortsighted strategy. Guests like me will grow tired of paying their extraordinary rates for less-than-superlative and in fact, highly stressful vacations. The advantages to staying on property diminish each year while the prices increase at the same time. I am growing more attracted to staying off property.
Magic schmagic. The very so-called magic that used to make us yearn to stay on property has all but disappeared. Between shoddy customer service, over-priced rooms, food, tickets, famously slow and unreliable resort transportation and the never ending marketing assault, the real magic is that we keep coming back and paying more for less.
Are we that stupid?!
I have narrowed down the best parts of a Disney vacation for our family. They are: planning for the trip; anticipating the trip and arrival day. Once you have gotten checked into your room, jumped on the bed, eaten at your first night restaurant and gone into your first park, the magic is over shadowed by hostile crowds, rushing hither and yon, incompetent cast members, mediocre food, standing in line, heat, humidity, the smell of wet, under-deodorized tourists, and anxiety that you won’t make it to the next thing.
Anymore, for our family, the magic of a Disney vacation has little to do with Disney. It’s just being with our family. We happen to like the same rides and same fireworks, so we return. But I wonder whether we need to stay in their over-priced rooms, suffer their transportation “system” and choke down their ridiculously over-priced food.
This isn’t about money, it’s about value. And about being taken for granted.
Disney is free to charge whatever they want and reduce their services at the same time. Some people will continue to pay it. We will probably do so as well. Probably. But in the long run, when I can stay at any number of off-property resorts and have a nicer room, for less money with equal or better service, and have access to better food for a better price, then why would I continue to line the pockets of corporate officers who are only interested in taking more money out of mine?
This reality came home to me when we were eating dinner at Crystal Palace. Even though our meal was free, I was contemplating how much they were charging for the food and the experience. Let’s face it, character meals have always been about the experience. But the price used to be somewhat reasonable and the characters were more attentive. The diminution in service from just the year before was palpable. And depressing. We’ll go back to Chef Mickey’s again, because it’s a tradition, a Disney thing. But it will most likely be the only character meal we do. Recently, while driving to my office, I was thinking about our next trip and how we would almost certainly rent a car because I don’t like relying on Disney busses. One of the top advantages to staying on property is the resort transportation. But it’s so unreliable that many people rent cars so they can control their own destinies. It hit me that maybe we don’t need to stay on property at all next time. Or the time after that, either.
I love Disney as much as the next guy. Maybe more. I have plenty of Disney crap in my house. For crying out loud, our Christmas tree is a salute to Disney movies and past vacations. We will ALWAYS go to Disney. And they know that. But I say again: the magic of a Disney vacation has less to do with Disney and more to do with being with our family and having fun. To the extent that future vacations take place at Disney, I am more inclined to spend less time there and more time off property in a bigger room, at a better price, with people who understand customer service.
Suddenly, the raged up woman who stormed off from Crystal Palace seemed less funny to me. For vastly different reasons, she was demonstrating how frustrated I was feeling inside with the Disney Experience.
Wow. That got ugly fast.
After dinner, we loaded up in the chair and headed to Fantasyland so we could all ride Peter Pan together. My daughter enjoyed showing my wife the magic bar. “Daddy, make it come down.” After Pan, we rode It’s a Small World and then Mickey’s Philharmagic. That ride just about cleansed my palate from the sub-par dinner at Crystal Palace. Next we headed over to Tomorrowland for Puppies of Progress. Buzz Lightyear was standing out front stamping autographs. My daughter wanted me to have my picture taken with him but as it turns out, he needed to go have his batteries re-charged so they weren’t letting anyone else in line. Score one for dignity.
We wheeled up to the wheelchair holding area which happens to be right next to where Buzz was stamping. He had the kids put their autograph books on this stand and then he had this schtick where he would wind up his arm real big and then hit the stamp. It was very funny. At least to me. None of the kids in line, and none of the kids whose autograph books were getting stamped, saw the humor in it. I on the other hand was very amused. I have a big laugh and Buzz heard me laughing. He pointed at me as if to say, “Dude, you totally rock.” Because all Pixar characters speak the same cool language. I tried not to be embarrassed that my cartoon hero just pointed at me.
Or even that I have a cartoon hero.
____________________
Click Here for the Chapter 13 Addendum:
nicolemarie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2005
- Messages
- 804
Be back after reading!!
I'm back. And I'm said. But first -
I was just working on my next TR installment and I was trying to communicate this same feeling. I didn't do it as well as you, but it's so true. It makes me question why the NM's enjoy such a trip. But the bottom line is, we do. And we'll keep coming back. Over and over again. Cause it's all in our head.
That's VERY funny. And for what it's worth, I was on Ebay the other day and saw someone selling Fastpasses. No lie.
You know, I mentioned this in my last trip report. And don't get me wrong. We've yet to become discouraged with staying on property. In fact, we can't imagine it any other way. But on our Spring Break trip, the reality of the rip-off was in our face. We couldn't get a last night tacked on to our stay. The YC was fully booked. So at the last minute, we went to the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. The room was almost $100 cheaper - in Florida during Spring Break - than Yacht Club with an AP rate. And the differences - all in favor of the Ritz - were too numerous to address. But Disney is Disney. And the NM's love Disney.
I'm said that you feel that way, Z. And I'm said that you are justified in feeling that way.
But moving on - I loved your latest installment and as always, your inner thoughts are incredibly funny.
Hope the ZZUB's are doing well!
NM
I'm back. And I'm said. But first -
I was just working on my next TR installment and I was trying to communicate this same feeling. I didn't do it as well as you, but it's so true. It makes me question why the NM's enjoy such a trip. But the bottom line is, we do. And we'll keep coming back. Over and over again. Cause it's all in our head.
That's VERY funny. And for what it's worth, I was on Ebay the other day and saw someone selling Fastpasses. No lie.
You know, I mentioned this in my last trip report. And don't get me wrong. We've yet to become discouraged with staying on property. In fact, we can't imagine it any other way. But on our Spring Break trip, the reality of the rip-off was in our face. We couldn't get a last night tacked on to our stay. The YC was fully booked. So at the last minute, we went to the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. The room was almost $100 cheaper - in Florida during Spring Break - than Yacht Club with an AP rate. And the differences - all in favor of the Ritz - were too numerous to address. But Disney is Disney. And the NM's love Disney.
I'm said that you feel that way, Z. And I'm said that you are justified in feeling that way.
But moving on - I loved your latest installment and as always, your inner thoughts are incredibly funny.
Hope the ZZUB's are doing well!
NM
Now that is funny although you still sound a little grumpy. Mabye you need a day off from the office to spend with your girls to get your groove back.
Yet I have to agree that off-property sure looks attractive (the rooms... the pricing... the normally priced food... the ability to drive when/where you want to....)
I think we just tolerate bad service better at Disney because there is always something Disney terriffic 
to make up for it. For instance, I can't complain about the 15 minute wait for my ADR because we are standing by a mickey shaped hedge instead of counting ciggarette butts on the ground outside local Olive Garden. Please stay off site next time and let us know that it is the same/better ... it would mean alot coming from Zzub.
ukwildcat
Will always bleed blue. GO CATS!!!
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
- Messages
- 575
Wow, I thought I was the only one who was starting to feel that way about the "Disney Experience." I have thought this for a couple of years now, but have been afraid to say it (or write it) on these boards.
I know, however, that I will never stop going back to Disney (or staying on property) because it, too, is about the experience with my family.
While being a reality check of sorts (and I refuse to let reality alter my fake perception of a Disney vacation....what?
), this was still a great installment.
Happy New Year to all. Tax time is just around the corner.
I know, however, that I will never stop going back to Disney (or staying on property) because it, too, is about the experience with my family.
While being a reality check of sorts (and I refuse to let reality alter my fake perception of a Disney vacation....what?
), this was still a great installment.Happy New Year to all. Tax time is just around the corner.
/
JackJenson
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2005
- Messages
- 94
UtahMama's mantra for customer service...."you never know who you are speaking with" when she tries to imply she is a sneaky, snarky food critic or secret shopper.
Here's hoping that your next chapter sees you avoiding the CM's with the bad sense of direction and the Disney anxiety that we all know so well.
Happy New Year from the world's quietest lurker...I almost never post!
Here's hoping that your next chapter sees you avoiding the CM's with the bad sense of direction and the Disney anxiety that we all know so well.
Happy New Year from the world's quietest lurker...I almost never post!
catherines_mama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2003
- Messages
- 1,950
We recently asked a WL front desk CM where to catch the boat for our Wishes Cruise, we weren't sure what dock to go to, and didn't even know where the other one was. Yeah we were looked at like we had 2 heads! *sigh*
UtahMama
Wakey, wakey, Eggs and Bakey<br><img src=http://ww
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2006
- Messages
- 9,743
I'm not gonna comment except to say ( ) I think you still rock even when you're pissy. *THOSE* CM's of which you speak are getting to be the majority when it used to be one in a 100 were rude, ill-informed, un-helpful etc. BUT, Disney GETS WHAT IT PAYS FOR, I s'pose!
) I think you still rock even when you're pissy. *THOSE* CM's of which you speak are getting to be the majority when it used to be one in a 100 were rude, ill-informed, un-helpful etc. BUT, Disney GETS WHAT IT PAYS FOR, I s'pose!
LaLa
Hangs with the Mensas
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2005
- Messages
- 2,096
Or is it Blue? Orange? Judging from the tone of this one, I think I'm gonna have to go with Black.
Man! Who peed in your Cocoa Puffs?!
All kidding aside, I can totally relate. I think we probably all can from time to time. The stress, the heat, the crowds, the uninformed, and the unhygienic all seem to zap the magic right out of it sometimes, don't they? And oddly enough, I have heard your same gripe almost word for word from DH a good bit lately. But at least you're only talking about staying offsite next time (which you never will), not chunking the whole thing and going to see the grist mill at Dollyworld.
Or worse, Six Flags.
By the way, if you wouldn't have skimmed my trip report last year, you would've known they run boats in the rain and you could've avoided that whole rage inducing experience altogether.
But then, we wouldn't have this to make us laugh...
Just because Mel isn't around to defend herself doesn't mean you can start picking on her trip report. Be nice. And lay off the egg salad. The results are bound to be unseemly.
I'm not touchin' this one.
This was just FOFF. And unfortunately, so true.
This killed me. Completely ded.
Word.
I think I'm offended. Not because the LaLas didn't make the list, but because you didn't use either Morrow, Peace or Lighyear.
I'm sorry this particular day at Disney got you so raged up. As is true in all your chapters, you put us there with you and made us feel how you were feeling. I got nervous and stressed out just reading about yall sitting at the bus stop. I could just see you checking your watch, because I've done that so many times myself. I began to wonder how in the heck we were all gonna make it to the Crystal Palace in just twenty minutes. Then I came to my senses and realized that I'm sitting in front of my computer reading about a trip that took place last year and that the author openly admits to having a cartoon hero and a dog with a speech impediment on a public forum.
So now I'm not stressed anymore. Just slightly amused.
Good job, Z. Keep it comin my friend. I hope the ZZUBs have an awesome 2007!
Man! Who peed in your Cocoa Puffs?!
All kidding aside, I can totally relate. I think we probably all can from time to time. The stress, the heat, the crowds, the uninformed, and the unhygienic all seem to zap the magic right out of it sometimes, don't they? And oddly enough, I have heard your same gripe almost word for word from DH a good bit lately. But at least you're only talking about staying offsite next time (which you never will), not chunking the whole thing and going to see the grist mill at Dollyworld.
Or worse, Six Flags.
By the way, if you wouldn't have skimmed my trip report last year, you would've known they run boats in the rain and you could've avoided that whole rage inducing experience altogether.
But then, we wouldn't have this to make us laugh...
Just because Mel isn't around to defend herself doesn't mean you can start picking on her trip report. Be nice. And lay off the egg salad. The results are bound to be unseemly.
I'm not touchin' this one.
This was just FOFF. And unfortunately, so true.
This killed me. Completely ded.
Word.
I think I'm offended. Not because the LaLas didn't make the list, but because you didn't use either Morrow, Peace or Lighyear.
I'm sorry this particular day at Disney got you so raged up. As is true in all your chapters, you put us there with you and made us feel how you were feeling. I got nervous and stressed out just reading about yall sitting at the bus stop. I could just see you checking your watch, because I've done that so many times myself. I began to wonder how in the heck we were all gonna make it to the Crystal Palace in just twenty minutes. Then I came to my senses and realized that I'm sitting in front of my computer reading about a trip that took place last year and that the author openly admits to having a cartoon hero and a dog with a speech impediment on a public forum.
So now I'm not stressed anymore. Just slightly amused.
Good job, Z. Keep it comin my friend. I hope the ZZUBs have an awesome 2007!
lexmelinda
<font color=blue>Has a Seussical googling DD<br><f
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 3,361
Oh, geez....I hope that wasn't my trip report.
I, on the other hand, knew ya had it in ya.
Makes you wonder how they communicate guests FAQs to the trainees? Certainly there must be a trainee tour and manual for CMs who are earning their ears. Even a test maybe?
But strangely this....I can't picture.
That's what makes you so lovable, ya big dork!
BTW, about all that magic schmagic stuff....I would love to comment but I got a complaint-free bracelet today as the staff meeting. The challenge is to go 21 days without complaining which originated at Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, MO. Their motto is a Maya Angelou quote: “If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." I'm so glad my trip report is over.
Heh, heh....now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go so I can put my bracelet on the other arm!
EEyorelover22
I want to live in the Castle
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2002
- Messages
- 5,597
We just returned from another family trip to WDW. It will be our last for sometime due to the schedule of my teenagers with school and sports. It was a dream come true for me to see the Mouse's House in Christmas lights
We had a wonderful time. It was expensive...enough for a down payment on a car. Another reason we won't go back for awhile. The expenses keep increasing. We have priceless memories from our trip. Some good...some bad...like be giving the kids what for in the car on the way to the airport..."we will never go on another family vacation again"...they were fighting in the car on the way to the airport over whether the sky was blue or gray that morning...or whatever useless thing it was at that moment. I didn't win Mother of the Year on the way for our flight
I was stressed....I couldn't help myself. Afterall, I did all the work for the vacation. Teenagers packing isn't something that I care to do again real soon.
Last summer we went to Washington DC. It was a great family vacation. It cost a lot less than our Disney vacation. However, when we rode the monorail in DC, I did worry about the characters in our monorail car
I didn't dare to ask to ride up front either. It took just as much if not more planning than our Disney trips.
Enjoy your magical Disney vacations as long as you can even if you rent a car or stay off site... or perhaps, other destinations. Children grow up way too fast.
I love reading your reports
We had a wonderful time. It was expensive...enough for a down payment on a car. Another reason we won't go back for awhile. The expenses keep increasing. We have priceless memories from our trip. Some good...some bad...like be giving the kids what for in the car on the way to the airport..."we will never go on another family vacation again"...they were fighting in the car on the way to the airport over whether the sky was blue or gray that morning...or whatever useless thing it was at that moment. I didn't win Mother of the Year on the way for our flight I was stressed....I couldn't help myself. Afterall, I did all the work for the vacation. Teenagers packing isn't something that I care to do again real soon.Last summer we went to Washington DC. It was a great family vacation. It cost a lot less than our Disney vacation. However, when we rode the monorail in DC, I did worry about the characters in our monorail car
I didn't dare to ask to ride up front either. It took just as much if not more planning than our Disney trips. Enjoy your magical Disney vacations as long as you can even if you rent a car or stay off site... or perhaps, other destinations. Children grow up way too fast.
I love reading your reports
kpk89
<font color=green>I know that you know that I kn..
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2004
- Messages
- 2,320
((cue the music)) So you had a bad day ... la la la da da ... sumpn' sumpn' turn it around ...
Here's the thing. You're on the right track with the wheelchair Name Game. Doing goofy stuff to quell the rage. I'm right now thinking up the names the kpk's are going to use.
My choices: (because nobody would dare steal the stroller)
Kent
Soprano
Bauer
DH's choices: because yes, he's THAT much of a geek:
Sulu
Picard
Riker
Troi
Worf
And then there's the "potpourri" category:
McDreamy
McSteamy
McDonalds
DennyCrane
JennyCraig
Oh carp we'll only be there 9 days. ((note to self, pack extra paper and sharpies for name changes))
Thanks, ZZub for an entertaining new way to entertain ourselves at Disney! (since Disney won't do it...)
Here's the thing. You're on the right track with the wheelchair Name Game. Doing goofy stuff to quell the rage. I'm right now thinking up the names the kpk's are going to use.
My choices: (because nobody would dare steal the stroller)
Kent
Soprano
Bauer
DH's choices: because yes, he's THAT much of a geek:
Sulu
Picard
Riker
Troi
Worf
And then there's the "potpourri" category:
McDreamy
McSteamy
McDonalds
DennyCrane
JennyCraig
Oh carp we'll only be there 9 days. ((note to self, pack extra paper and sharpies for name changes))
Thanks, ZZub for an entertaining new way to entertain ourselves at Disney! (since Disney won't do it...)
AshClan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2001
- Messages
- 1,814
Indeed.
Love that!! And from other's comments, methinks you may have started a new trend. Kimmie....how about "Gorilla" or "Saladhead"?! Yeah, you MUST use Saladhead!!
Now that's funny. But NM's Ebay story was even funnier. Wonder if we could sell our DVMC mugs?? There are still about 25 years left to the contract, right?
Do you mean to tell me that you HAVE doubted the wisdom of the Stones before?! Silly, silly man.
Well, Z, I just have one question for you. Did you have a nice vacation? Because from the sounds of it, I'm thinkin' you might need to take another one soon. But, seriously, echoing the thoughts of so many others, you have some very valid points. And as much as we all love the "Disney magic", it is very true that most of the "magic" comes from us. From our childhood and parenthood memories. From our love of Disney movies and characters. And, for many of us, even from the connections we make to our friends here. Unfortunately, in recent years, many visitors have had unpleasant experiences that highlight the corner-cutting and attitude-slipping of some parts of the Disney organization. BUT, that being said, take a gander at one of the Whirlwind Tripper reports, or read the "magical moments" section of your next "All Ears" newsletter. There are still lots of opportunities for magic, and many, many CMs who still have the right attitude and who love making our visits to the World special. Bottom line, no matter where you go on vacation, and barring any outrageous disasters, how good a time you have is about 90% up to you, your companions, and your outlook. I would love to see Disney kick it up a notch, or should I say BACK up a notch, but I still think I'd rather go there than to Six Flags. Or Mexico. At least Disney won't give you Montezuma's revenge.
Or will it?
mmeb144
I do my own theme song.
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2000
- Messages
- 2,156
ZZUB, you would have been better off booting up your laptop and asking the folks on the disboards if the boat runs in the rain.
Sometimes, the CMs as the resort are so clueless. We stayed at the Contemporary Resort last year. I wanted to know when the Lights, Motor, Action show times were for the next day, something that should be on a website that they should be able to look up. Hah! At least we still got to see the show.
By the way, the CMs at the Contemporary don't understand the resort transportation system, either.
Marie
Sometimes, the CMs as the resort are so clueless. We stayed at the Contemporary Resort last year. I wanted to know when the Lights, Motor, Action show times were for the next day, something that should be on a website that they should be able to look up. Hah! At least we still got to see the show.
By the way, the CMs at the Contemporary don't understand the resort transportation system, either.
Marie
New England Eeyore
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2004
- Messages
- 5,079
The thought of "Bartlet" on a wheelchair makes me sad.
Um, hello? Look at my name. Does the fact that I have several photos of me and Eeyore take away any of my dignity? I think not!
I agree with you to some extent - Disney customer service has slipped a tad - but it is still MILES ahead of other parks (6 Flags!!!!!!). And when less than perfect things happen at Disney I'm much more forgiving. It is my happy place, and it can do no wrong.
This next trip will be our first time staying offsite in 4 years. Part of me feels like my heart is breaking because I won't be 'in the magic' 24/7, but the logical part of my brain is excited because for less than the price of 2 rooms at a value resort we will have a spacious 2 bedroom condo offsite. With teenagers it just made sense. I would love to have the same set-up at Disney but I just can't afford it.
Glad to see you update!
Um, hello? Look at my name. Does the fact that I have several photos of me and Eeyore take away any of my dignity? I think not!
I agree with you to some extent - Disney customer service has slipped a tad - but it is still MILES ahead of other parks (6 Flags!!!!!!). And when less than perfect things happen at Disney I'm much more forgiving. It is my happy place, and it can do no wrong.
This next trip will be our first time staying offsite in 4 years. Part of me feels like my heart is breaking because I won't be 'in the magic' 24/7, but the logical part of my brain is excited because for less than the price of 2 rooms at a value resort we will have a spacious 2 bedroom condo offsite. With teenagers it just made sense. I would love to have the same set-up at Disney but I just can't afford it.
Glad to see you update!
monymony3471
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 17, 2005
- Messages
- 7,027
Wow! I'm kinda numb from all the negativity. Surprised somewhat. Maybe a little.
Honestly I feel, and this should be no surprise if you think about it some, that customer service is really a barely existable thing anymore anywhere. (Sometimes you have to read between the lines to get what I'm saying.)
My DH says it all the time. Where's the customer service?
I wasn't ready to believe that has happened with Disney. I don't want to admit it either so I won't.
Looking at my kids faces and hearing them still talk about the trip 4 weeks later covers it all up.
Honestly I feel, and this should be no surprise if you think about it some, that customer service is really a barely existable thing anymore anywhere. (Sometimes you have to read between the lines to get what I'm saying.)
My DH says it all the time. Where's the customer service?
I wasn't ready to believe that has happened with Disney. I don't want to admit it either so I won't.
Looking at my kids faces and hearing them still talk about the trip 4 weeks later covers it all up.
Kay7979
FANTASY NOVEL AUTHOR
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2004
- Messages
- 2,196
Your anger and disappointment are justified. That said, I think the situations you described would have been annoyances you would have taken in stride two or three trips ago when you were all in good health and in a more relaxed state of mind. This trip you were stressed and in a hurry, and your wife had been through a lot and wasn't feeling well. You were being extra diligent about making this trip go smoothly for her sake, bless you. And you spent a lot more money than normal to stay at WL. Naturally, all this makes the CMs incompetence seem almost criminal rather than merely irritating, and the lack of customer service throughout the entire day, including the character meal, becomes all the more frustrating.
Maybe it really is time to take a break from Disney and go on that vacation to Hawaii you mentioned in a prior TR. At very least, maybe you should stay off-site next time. Disney is about 10% of our vacations, and although we love Disney, we have had wonderful vacations both on-site and off, and have had great vacations in dozens of other places throughout the US, and in the Caribbean and Mexico. As you said, you can make wonderful family memories wherever you go.
Maybe it really is time to take a break from Disney and go on that vacation to Hawaii you mentioned in a prior TR. At very least, maybe you should stay off-site next time. Disney is about 10% of our vacations, and although we love Disney, we have had wonderful vacations both on-site and off, and have had great vacations in dozens of other places throughout the US, and in the Caribbean and Mexico. As you said, you can make wonderful family memories wherever you go.
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