skylynx
DIS Sponsor in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2003
- Messages
- 1,280
My kids' "Big" Christmas gift this year was an escape for four days at WDW this past holiday weekend. Chicago's temperature was hovering around 0 so there was no way the weather in Florida would be much to complain about!
This was the kids first trip to SSR (DH and I had been there in Nov and had a lovely stay). We got there pretty late Friday night, but on Saturday morning when I was rebuilding the sofa bed there on the floor by the drapes was a dirty diaper all taped up! The only reason I write about it was when we returned from our November trip there were several posts by other DISboarders about finding dirty diapers and other disgusting stuff in rooms at SSR (and some other DVC places, too). I remember showing the posts to my DH saying wow, we've never had anything like that anytime we have stayed in the world. We are never the types who go around looking for reasons to complain or be disappointed but a dirty diaper...ugh! That discovery led to a peek in the shower, and sure enough, a fair number of long black hairs stuck to the tile walls and around the faucet. Ick.
We called the front desk, who listened then connected us to housekeeping. They offered to come and remove the diaper. Since it wasn't one of those Hazmat diapers, we declined the offer (as we'd already just tossed it in the trash). We weren't looking for a fruit basket, just wanted them to know that the standards for acceptable mousekeeping had not been met. They said they would note the complaint on our reservation. This did not in any way cloud our good time, but I did feel this really lax room care warranted a complaint, if for no other reason than to add to the numbers of people who find unsavory items in their rooms. We pay too much money in DVC dues to let the quality of our "homes" slide.
Had a great Saturday at Epcot and MK. The crowds were kind of tough, and my 15 year old DD was trying to shake off a pretty bad cold, but we got on all the rides we wanted with Fastpass. The Spaceship Earth ride has a cute new ending, along with some clever games to play after the ride dumps you out. Took a midday break to swim at the big SSR pool, which was very nice.
MK was packed...you know it's bad when there's a 30 minute wait for It's a Small World. We managed to get on some rides when others were distracted waiting to see if Spectromagic would be cancelled (it was). The highlight of the evening was a torrential rainstorm which blew in while we were on the Peoplemover. The ride stopped and the rain just blew in sideways. The kids thought this was hysterical. They talked about it the whole ride home.
On Sunday we went pin trading at DTD until DisneyQuest opened. To my 12 year old DS, DisneyQuest is the ultimate dream come true...an arcade with no feeding quarters. We spent five (yes, five) hours there, then checked in at Animal Kingdom Villas. Our room was in the Gulf of Mexico (seriously, that's how far we walked down Zebra trail on the fifth floor to reach it). It was in a corner, but still had a nice savannah view and lots of cool critters. This room was immaculate, well making up for the disappointing diaper 'n hair fiasco at SSR.
DH and I made a bottle of merlot magically disappear on our verandah before heading down to dinner at Boma. That's a sure deal great meal...and the smells are intoxicating. What's even better is that DVC members now get 10% off at Boma, Jiko, and the Mara.
We had aspirations of making extra magic hours at AK the following morning...nope. Now I've got the cold, and feel like my head is in a fishbowl. We buy an obscenely priced box of Contac pills in the marketplace and go on. AK is already really crowded for as early as it was. You cannot move in Harambe. There is an 120 minute standby for the Kilamanjaro Safari. What? Turns out there was a breakdown (or at least that was the story...maybe an impala wandered into the wrong habitat) and it was going to take a while to recover. Luckily we had fastpasses and came back later, no problem. On really crowded days I think Epcot is the only park that doesn't make you feel like you are shuffling through the security line at the airport, so we hopped on over. Had a great afternoon, but I knew I wasn't going to make it to Illuminations so we headed back to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Tuesday morning the kids are so depressed they have to go home today they barely speak. I try to cheer them up by reminding them we are going on a Disney Cruise and coming back to WDW in June, and that DD is coming back over spring break with her high school marching band, but it doesn't work. I guess the moral of that story is that you should always go home from a vacation a little bit hungry for more, so you'll be anxious to come back.
All in all, a wonderful DVC experience.
This was the kids first trip to SSR (DH and I had been there in Nov and had a lovely stay). We got there pretty late Friday night, but on Saturday morning when I was rebuilding the sofa bed there on the floor by the drapes was a dirty diaper all taped up! The only reason I write about it was when we returned from our November trip there were several posts by other DISboarders about finding dirty diapers and other disgusting stuff in rooms at SSR (and some other DVC places, too). I remember showing the posts to my DH saying wow, we've never had anything like that anytime we have stayed in the world. We are never the types who go around looking for reasons to complain or be disappointed but a dirty diaper...ugh! That discovery led to a peek in the shower, and sure enough, a fair number of long black hairs stuck to the tile walls and around the faucet. Ick.
We called the front desk, who listened then connected us to housekeeping. They offered to come and remove the diaper. Since it wasn't one of those Hazmat diapers, we declined the offer (as we'd already just tossed it in the trash). We weren't looking for a fruit basket, just wanted them to know that the standards for acceptable mousekeeping had not been met. They said they would note the complaint on our reservation. This did not in any way cloud our good time, but I did feel this really lax room care warranted a complaint, if for no other reason than to add to the numbers of people who find unsavory items in their rooms. We pay too much money in DVC dues to let the quality of our "homes" slide.
Had a great Saturday at Epcot and MK. The crowds were kind of tough, and my 15 year old DD was trying to shake off a pretty bad cold, but we got on all the rides we wanted with Fastpass. The Spaceship Earth ride has a cute new ending, along with some clever games to play after the ride dumps you out. Took a midday break to swim at the big SSR pool, which was very nice.
MK was packed...you know it's bad when there's a 30 minute wait for It's a Small World. We managed to get on some rides when others were distracted waiting to see if Spectromagic would be cancelled (it was). The highlight of the evening was a torrential rainstorm which blew in while we were on the Peoplemover. The ride stopped and the rain just blew in sideways. The kids thought this was hysterical. They talked about it the whole ride home.
On Sunday we went pin trading at DTD until DisneyQuest opened. To my 12 year old DS, DisneyQuest is the ultimate dream come true...an arcade with no feeding quarters. We spent five (yes, five) hours there, then checked in at Animal Kingdom Villas. Our room was in the Gulf of Mexico (seriously, that's how far we walked down Zebra trail on the fifth floor to reach it). It was in a corner, but still had a nice savannah view and lots of cool critters. This room was immaculate, well making up for the disappointing diaper 'n hair fiasco at SSR.
DH and I made a bottle of merlot magically disappear on our verandah before heading down to dinner at Boma. That's a sure deal great meal...and the smells are intoxicating. What's even better is that DVC members now get 10% off at Boma, Jiko, and the Mara.
We had aspirations of making extra magic hours at AK the following morning...nope. Now I've got the cold, and feel like my head is in a fishbowl. We buy an obscenely priced box of Contac pills in the marketplace and go on. AK is already really crowded for as early as it was. You cannot move in Harambe. There is an 120 minute standby for the Kilamanjaro Safari. What? Turns out there was a breakdown (or at least that was the story...maybe an impala wandered into the wrong habitat) and it was going to take a while to recover. Luckily we had fastpasses and came back later, no problem. On really crowded days I think Epcot is the only park that doesn't make you feel like you are shuffling through the security line at the airport, so we hopped on over. Had a great afternoon, but I knew I wasn't going to make it to Illuminations so we headed back to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Tuesday morning the kids are so depressed they have to go home today they barely speak. I try to cheer them up by reminding them we are going on a Disney Cruise and coming back to WDW in June, and that DD is coming back over spring break with her high school marching band, but it doesn't work. I guess the moral of that story is that you should always go home from a vacation a little bit hungry for more, so you'll be anxious to come back.
All in all, a wonderful DVC experience.
Doesn't everyone? 
We just kept running back to the line. Fun, but we were soaked!
