[chastmastr]

Well, we're back. OMG. This was the least good Disney trip we've ever been on.

Resolutions, with more explication to come later:

1. Never, ever, ever again stay at the All-Stars.
2. Never, ever, ever again do the Dining Plan.
3. Lose the weight. Lose the weight. Lose the weight.

Admittedly this trip was also marred by stress -- getting over the stress of selling the house, stress from losing some people we thought were good friends (another long story), and general ill health (see above, re weight). But honestly we have some thoughts about the All-Stars, fun though they are in their own way, and about the Dining Plan -- both of which might work well for other people but were disastrous for us. They seemed like such good ideas at the time, and at least now we know what they're both like. But goodness! We're more worn out and less healthy than we were before the trip, and usually Disney trips make us feel better! Working on it... brown rice in the cooker now in fact... here's hoping!

David and David
we still love Disney, fear not

[mickeysgirlz]

OH bummer . . . sorry to hear that you had 3 negatives on your trip!

Glad you still like Disney though!

[smee57]

Wow! Welcome back. I'm really interested in this TR!! I hope you had plenty of enjoyable and magical moments that outweighed (pardon the pun) the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad ones.

[WishUponAStar]

Hmm, wow, this seems mind-boggling! Please hurry and tell us the stories!

[tigger]

Something is wrong in the World!!!

[tiggerlover1971]

oh my gosh sorry to hear this ...

[DisneyTeacher]

I can't wait to read more about your trip--the good ad the bad.

[dznygrl]

Oh no, not a bad trip!

That's okay. I know the Davids still love Disney, so all is okay with the world. I'm excited to read the TR!

[dznygrl]

Oh and P.S. I'm really interested to hear your argument on why you didn't like using the dining plan...I am weighing this option so heavily for our next trip and can't seem to make up my mind! (Freedom vs. too much food, freedom vs. too much food....)

[Daisee]

OH NO! So sorry it wasnt a good TR.. but come back and tell us more about it.

[Prezcatz]

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience.
I too want to hear all the details and your experience with the all-stars and the dining plan.

Prezcatz Paul

[chastmastr]

Well, to start with...

Less than a week before the trip, we basically lost two of our best friends. Or rather I should clarify, we realized, finally, after months (they live in Tampa; we live in St. Pete, which is very very close indeed; we last saw them in August; they still have not seen our house) or more (looking back at snarky comments they made which were glossed over, sometimes apologized for, but in the end were kind of consistent), they'd genuinely drifted away and cut us loose. This perhaps deserves its own thread in Chit Chat where we can natter on about it, and tragically they were (well, one of them was) instrumental into getting me as much into Disney (and anime, and Japanese stuff) as I am. Known him for almost 20 years... that got us down. It was quietly operative, like the low hum of a vacuum cleaner in another room, in the back of our minds, I am sure, throughout the trip.

We also just weren't feeling well. A lot of tiredness. And tummy woes. It really doesn't help when you can't lie down to sleep at night. We woke up several days of this trip ludicrously late but on the other hand it felt so good, at 5 or 6 am, to be able to lie down and sleep...

And the blazing, blazing sun which we just weren't quite prepared for may not have helped.

However, this is all background. On with the TR...

By the way, the TR title comes from a children's book I think I haven't actually read (thus far) but seems fairly popular.

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by chastmastr

By the way, the TR title comes from a children's book I think I haven't actually read (thus far) but seems fairly popular.

I actually recognized that! I love that book!!

[chastmastr]

We got off to, as usual , a late start. When we finally arrived it was around 7 or 8. I assembled Cubby's scooter and parked the car for check-in, and to get my own rental scooter (which, because my back tends to go out after a few minutes of standing or walking, I rent when we go to Disney) and get help with the luggage. Went to front desk. All was well so far. We were going to be in Broadway building. Cool. And then I asked the fateful question of getting someone to help with luggage. For the first time ever at any Disney hotel we've been in, I got the reply, "Oh, they've gone home for the day."

...

Silence. This kind of "And that's that" attitude was, again, something I'm not used to at Disney at all.

"Er... my partner and I have mobility issues... can we talk with your manager?"

So she went off to parts unknown for a startlingly long time. I asked a passing cast member about it and she said there'd be no problem, thank God, and they eventually found a couple of guys to help with the luggage, and also to get my rental scooter out of Bell Services, and they eventually found the key to start it up , but it did work out. Still, it was a bit jarring. I mean, this is Disney and all. And alas, we found that same kind of not-really-helpful oh-well-that's-just-the-way-it-is tone -- ubiquitous in all manner of other areas of life but not Disney, that's one of the things we love most about it, they're just spontaneously nice and helpful usually -- a bit too much this trip, at least at the All-Stars. (OMG I had the most embarrassing meltdown in the gift shop near the end of the trip about whether or not something I'd had sent there the day before was there, since we were checking out using automatic checkout to leave the next day and all...)

So, we got to the room, with luggage, and the scooters, in the end. Very pretty room too. Pics to follow. We didn't hate everything after all!!

David

[tiggerlover1971]

Originally Posted by dznygrl

I actually recognized that! I love that book!!

Me too I love that book ....