McSmooth
I find your lack of faith disturbing
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2020
- Messages
- 107
This is a short, but different kind of trip report.
I just returned home from a weekend trip. Went to Boo Bash on Friday, Epcot on Saturday, and Hollywood Studios on Sunday.
My wife and I stayed at the Polynesian with her parents. We rented the patio at the pool and had a nice day. My mom and stepfather joined us, as well as my sister, niece, and nephew (they are all Florida residents and live nearby). Had lunch at Kona, and went to Boo Bash that night.
On Saturday, my wife and in-laws went to Epcot and had a nice day. Did the same for about half the day on Sunday at Hollywood Studios.
Around 3 PM, my FIL wasn't feeling well and wanted to return to the hotel. We walked them up to the front of the park so they could get the bus.
My wife and I head for our lightning lane appointment at Mickey/Minnie Railway and shortly after the pre-show, her phone rings. FIL passed out while waiting for the bus.
She heads straight to them, while I head to Sci-Fi to cancel our dinner reservation and to the locker to gather our stuff. It's raining heavily at this point.
When I reach them at the bus stop, he's on a stretcher but conscious and lucid. He and my MIL get in the ambulance to head to the hospital. The lead responder then tell us that a van will be coming to take us back to the hotel, and we will be given taxi vouchers for getting to/from the hospital.
The manager at the Polynesian greets us when we return and helps us with all the arrangements. After returning from the hospital, we ask if a late checkout is available since we were supposed to be leaving Monday. They tell us we can have it as long as we need it.
Turns out my FIL had a tear in an artery in his lower intestines area. They had to do emergency surgery to stop the bleeding.
The next morning, we talk to the shift manager at the hotel and he helps us make arrangements for my MIL to stay at one of the All-Star resorts through Friday at a very generous daily rate. (Even a discounted rate at the Polynesian doesn't make sense when you'll be at the hospital most of the day anyway, and the All-Star resorts are half the distance from the hospital). They arrange for a taxi to take us and all of our luggage over to the All-Star hotels and provide additional hospital taxi vouchers.
My FIL is doing a lot better. Just trying to get his blood pressure and vitals back to normal before discharging him. The in-laws plan to fly home on Friday. I flew home late Monday, and my wife is headed back this morning (Tuesday). We wanted to make sure my MIL had everything she needs before returning home. As mentioned before, my sister is local to the area and her family is available to help out if necessary.
So my reason for posting this information, is that THIS is the kind of "magic" that makes Disney stand out. It's not the Magical Express, or Genie +, or liking Happily Ever After better than Enchantment. It's not any of the things they've "taken away". When there's a crisis and people are truly in need of help, Disney comes through. They offered anything we could possibly need. I feel like we could have asked for absolutely anything and would've been provided it. We only asked for what we felt we truly needed, and weren't looking for free meals, lightning lane refunds, etc. As mentioned before, those things really don't matter in a time like this.
We've already been on several Disney trips over the last few years, and have another few planned for 2022. An experience like this just makes us realize that spending our vacation money with Disney is worth it, and we won't have any second-thoughts about supporting this company despite the hits they've taken recently. We've seen them in action, and their caring and compassion when it really matters most.
So in closing, the next time you can't get that ADR for Beaches & Cream or the Donald Duck animatronic on Grand Fiesta is replaced with a cactus, ask yourself is it really worth being that upset at Disney for ruining your dream vacation? Know that if you truly have a magic-altering experience, the genuine Disney love is going to be there for you.
I just returned home from a weekend trip. Went to Boo Bash on Friday, Epcot on Saturday, and Hollywood Studios on Sunday.
My wife and I stayed at the Polynesian with her parents. We rented the patio at the pool and had a nice day. My mom and stepfather joined us, as well as my sister, niece, and nephew (they are all Florida residents and live nearby). Had lunch at Kona, and went to Boo Bash that night.
On Saturday, my wife and in-laws went to Epcot and had a nice day. Did the same for about half the day on Sunday at Hollywood Studios.
Around 3 PM, my FIL wasn't feeling well and wanted to return to the hotel. We walked them up to the front of the park so they could get the bus.
My wife and I head for our lightning lane appointment at Mickey/Minnie Railway and shortly after the pre-show, her phone rings. FIL passed out while waiting for the bus.
She heads straight to them, while I head to Sci-Fi to cancel our dinner reservation and to the locker to gather our stuff. It's raining heavily at this point.
When I reach them at the bus stop, he's on a stretcher but conscious and lucid. He and my MIL get in the ambulance to head to the hospital. The lead responder then tell us that a van will be coming to take us back to the hotel, and we will be given taxi vouchers for getting to/from the hospital.
The manager at the Polynesian greets us when we return and helps us with all the arrangements. After returning from the hospital, we ask if a late checkout is available since we were supposed to be leaving Monday. They tell us we can have it as long as we need it.
Turns out my FIL had a tear in an artery in his lower intestines area. They had to do emergency surgery to stop the bleeding.
The next morning, we talk to the shift manager at the hotel and he helps us make arrangements for my MIL to stay at one of the All-Star resorts through Friday at a very generous daily rate. (Even a discounted rate at the Polynesian doesn't make sense when you'll be at the hospital most of the day anyway, and the All-Star resorts are half the distance from the hospital). They arrange for a taxi to take us and all of our luggage over to the All-Star hotels and provide additional hospital taxi vouchers.
My FIL is doing a lot better. Just trying to get his blood pressure and vitals back to normal before discharging him. The in-laws plan to fly home on Friday. I flew home late Monday, and my wife is headed back this morning (Tuesday). We wanted to make sure my MIL had everything she needs before returning home. As mentioned before, my sister is local to the area and her family is available to help out if necessary.
So my reason for posting this information, is that THIS is the kind of "magic" that makes Disney stand out. It's not the Magical Express, or Genie +, or liking Happily Ever After better than Enchantment. It's not any of the things they've "taken away". When there's a crisis and people are truly in need of help, Disney comes through. They offered anything we could possibly need. I feel like we could have asked for absolutely anything and would've been provided it. We only asked for what we felt we truly needed, and weren't looking for free meals, lightning lane refunds, etc. As mentioned before, those things really don't matter in a time like this.
We've already been on several Disney trips over the last few years, and have another few planned for 2022. An experience like this just makes us realize that spending our vacation money with Disney is worth it, and we won't have any second-thoughts about supporting this company despite the hits they've taken recently. We've seen them in action, and their caring and compassion when it really matters most.
So in closing, the next time you can't get that ADR for Beaches & Cream or the Donald Duck animatronic on Grand Fiesta is replaced with a cactus, ask yourself is it really worth being that upset at Disney for ruining your dream vacation? Know that if you truly have a magic-altering experience, the genuine Disney love is going to be there for you.
