We're back...and tired!!

[milomummy]

After an arduous journey starting in DLRP at 1100 and ended at home at 2135, I just wanted to very quickly check in and say that we're home. I made loads of notes each evening to help me compile my trip report which I will due when I have had chance to sleep and do the washing, but as a quick round up....
Did we enjoy it.....YES!
Would we return.....maybe in a few years.
Did I feel the magic.....sometimes, but not often


I don't know what happened? Maybe I had it all built up too much in my expectations? I don't know, but it just wasn't as amazing as I hoped and I am SO gutted.
Don't get me wrong, we really did enjoy it, but there were so many occasions when someone did something or something happened (usually someone doing something!) that just tainted everything for us,although DS (almost 4) didn't seem to notice these things, the joys of being innocent I guess!

The hotel (Santa Fe) was ok, pretty much what I expected of a 2* place, although our room was a bit tatty with mould in the bathroom and a disgusting carpet that was sticky and horrible to walk on barefoot (also had a plaster under one bed from the previous occupants for the entire duration of our stay so not cleaned efficiently!). Room was much smaller than I expected, and smaller than the ones in the brochure. Pleasant walk to parks though, and extremely polite and courteous staff.

The parks were busy, scrums for characters so bad that dh almost got into a fisticuffs situation with a guy who insisted on pushing on us so hard that DS was freaking out cos he was so scared. EMH semed pointless as so many people and so few rides open for them, we ended up leaving early both nights as the queues were worse in EMH than they were in normal times!

Meal in Cafe Mickey...highlight for DS and character interaction, low light as dh's food was awful (pluto steak). He sent it back twice and the third time it came out it was still tough and full of gristle so he just left it. Then, as he was eating his dessert (apple tart) he almost choked on a large splinter of plastic that was hidden amongst it.

These were just a few things that struck to my mind immediately when writing this, will go into more detail tomorrow though. We had a few really good highlights though, Buffalo Bills was ace (even tho DS moaned all through it), seeing the parades was great, the music was very catchy and DS did some brilliant boogying to the tunes. He got to meet his 'idols'...Woody, Jessie and Buzz (although Buzz was in a mass scrum off the Character Express which was SO stressful!). The very fact that DS had so much fun makes up for the things that myself and hubby felt were 'wrong' about everything. And we just loved exploring Main Street and looking at all of the finer details...those were the things that really seperated DLRP from any other theme park we felt.

right, considering this was meant to be 'quick' and I am shattered, I shall sign off now and be back later with more details. I hope this doesn't sound too negative to people, I just think I had set my expectations too high which is why I am feeling a teensy bit disappointed...plus, the hideously long trek home has stressed me out and made me very grumpy...hi ho, hi ho, it's off to bed I go...................

 

[kevankiki]

Welcome back, sorry to hear that DLRP was not 'Just what you dreamed it'

Did you complain about the room at the time?

I ask because when we stayed in the Kyriad at Easter we pulled back the bed cover to find a dubious mark on the sheets. It was late, and we were tired, so I simply laid a (hopefully) clean towel over it and got my head down. The next morning I went straight down to reception and told them about it, it was sorted and the sheets were changed while we were out that day. No problem!

Looking forward to reading a full report, and hearing some of the nicer experiences you had, it can't all have been bad?

 

[milomummy]

No, no, it wasn't all bad at all. I just think that I overhyped it for myself. And we encountered so many rude and ignorant people that it kind of took the shine off everything else, if you see what I mean.
I didn't hate it by any stretch, but I didn't find it as magical as I thought I would, maybe I am just a cynical 'oldie'? It's so hard to try to explain what I mean without sounding like I am having a go at particular groups of people, but it was very noticeable from what I saw and speaking to others that things were happening that took the shine off it for a lot of people.
I ended up wanting to leave one day early because I just couldn't face the crushes, the people pushing me left right and center, people invading my personal space, people spitting on the floor, stubbing out cigarettes all over the place and smoking in 'my' air which I prefer to keep fresh.
I am a UK size 20, the wrong side of 15 stone, I stand 5'8 tall yet to many people I was apparently invisible as they insisted on barging me, whacking me with things, I was frightened at several points so can only begin to imagine how afraid kids can feel.
Does anyone understand what I am saying? I don't want to be negative but these things happened so frequently that it just put a massive cloud over the whole week, and I was often close to tears.

 

[Cyrano]

Welcome home. Sorry that the trip did not realise the magic for you.
Hopefully you have some wonderful memories to remember

 

[BRobson]

I am sorry your holiday didn't live up to your expectations . I think we seem to enjoy it more as we know what to expect. I just dont let the queue pushers and rude people of this world spoil it- and believe me you encounter them wherever you go

When my kids gush with excitement about DLP and never notice anything going on around it makes it all worth while.

I am sure you will have some lovely memories

 

[Mrs Stonfiesta]

Just replied to your other post... i do think last week may have been a particlularly bad week in disney as we have been many times before and absolutley loved it, we expect the pushers, smokers and generally rude people but last week was really bad. Had people pushing in frount of us in seeming orderly queing areas in shops, restaurants, rides etc, people scruming for a bus to the extent that a little girl in a wheelchair, that had to be folded up due to space on the bus, had to stand because all the people sitting wouldnt get up and offer her a seat. It was so disgusting

Also the room at the Santa Fe was not up to scratch, we had things under our bed (to be honest maybe monsters would have been nicer!!!! ) We also had mold in the bathroom and dirty sheets/bad covers and the room stunck of smoke! We only had breakfast in the hotel once as the push of people wasnt worth it!
Def wont be going back to the Santa Fe in a hurry, we normally stay at the cheyanne and find this a much nicer environment and maybe what we're used too other than that we had a great time in the parks but the hotel and bus ride really put a dampner on it for us!

 

[DLPdaft]

Hi milomummy,

I understand completely about your concerns.

I didn't even attempt breakfast in the Santa Fe, even in Feb the queue was so long it was almost out the door. I'd had dinner there our first evening, and wasn't overly impressed.

I have to say, our room was great. Not big, but I don't think any of them are at the Santa Fe. It was clean, and everything worked. And the beds were so comfy we both slept like tops almost as soon as we climbed in each night.

The character scrums in the park are, I think, what lets DLRP down the most. After our first day, we didn't even try to get autographs etc at any of the free-for-alls in the main park. The studios seemed to be quieter, so we got most of DD's autographs there, in our hotel, or at the character tea party.

When I was last there in Feb, the park wasn't even that busy, so I can imagine it would be a complete nightmare if, as seems to be the case, it was busy everywhere last week.

Elaine

 

[Ware Bears]

Oh milomummy, I'm really sorry it felt like a let-down.

As Julie reported, it does seem like it was exceptionally bad there last week.

I hope once you've mulled things over and looked back over your photos you will still have lots of happy memories of your holiday.

 

[Kristina]

I'm sorry to hear you had some disappointments with rude and ignorant people, that is the worst isn't it! Are people allowed to smoke anywhere in the park ? We will be visiting DLRP for our first time in two months having only before been to WDW. There the one thing that stands out is how polite everyone is to each other although of course there are exceptions to that rule as well, but in our experience they were few and far between!

Now that I've got the heads up and I am going to just try and look the other way and remember I'm in Disney but if anybody tries to push me, look out !! No but seriously it doesn't sound to good does it, that you were frightened and near tears at one point? I'm sorry you and your family had to go through that . Also the plastic in the apple dessert at Cafe Mickey's , that is totally unacceptable, your poor DH. Will you be writing to complain? I hope so.

At least you didn't get food poisoning, oh hang on, one is not supposed to even expect a possibility of food poisoning at a place of Disney's caliber and here I am thinking ...well there is that! So not acceptable!