[PrincessJill]

Originally Posted by tinkerbell

we have found a wonderful way to avoid that, we find a place in the park and just wait till the crowds thin out .. specially if we had a nice spot for wishes .. we just sit there watching the castle change :)

We did. My dad can't stand fighting through crowds like a herd of cattle... so we just sat and waited. And when we finally got out, the line was still crazy! They didn't have the winding part of the line through the green gates open, so maybe that was part of the problem. But yes, tinkerbell, you're so right - waiting till the crowds thin out helps A LOT!

[MaulerDude72]

The bad.....I was at WDW back in 1977. My dad, a USAF pilot and officer, was on leave awaiting his orders at his next station (I think it was Homestead AFB or Eglin AFB) when he decided to take the three of us to WDW. Back then, WDW had only three hotels and just the Magic Kingdom. Anyway, he calls in to the Comtemporary Resort (I think it was called something else back then) and was told that rooms were available. When we got there, we were told a different story. Given that this is a Disney site, I will not reveal the unedited transcript of what my dad relayed to the CR staff. The only thing I remember him saying after the whole sordid episode was "we're not coming back here again! EVER!" (and that was the G rated version!) I think we ended up staying at an off site hotel. I sometimes think that Shades of Green was created because of stories like ours.

Fast forward to 2004. Mom and Dad are blessed with a 3 year old DGD when out of the blue Dad asks, "do you want to take Katie to Disney World?" I nearly fell out of my seat when he asked that! This coming from the same guy who vowed never to have anything to do with WDW again? To make a long story short, they paid for everything so that our DD could have a wonderful time at Disney World and meet Mickey Mouse. We ended up staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort and had a blast!

Now I see someone has been dissing on 'Ohana's CB. I have to beg to differ. We had a great time and our DD got to hold Mickey's hand during the character parade. We made a later PS (10:40) and thought everything was wonderful from the service to the food. Besides, we weren't expecting a fine culinary experience because after all, the CBs are for the kids! We would go back here again or maybe try the Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's (which I forgot to make a PS for in advance!).

The only bad thing I could think of about our visit was the so so pizza from the Caribbean Beach food court. It was better than Domino's and Pizza Hut, but since it was Disney we weren't expecting anything fancy. It was edible so it wasn't all that bad. Overall, our Disney experience was FUN!!!! Now the next goal is to get my parents to fly from So Cal (Southern California) for another WDW vacation.

[MerlinMatt]

Now THAT'S what I love to hear. The return of the prodigal family!

Hey Mauler, welcome to DC! Please feel free to post other great stories when you go back when DD is a little older.

[bumble]

Originally Posted by MaulerDude72

Now I see someone has been dissing on 'Ohana's CB.

I don't think of it as "dissing" lol, ... it was just our bad luck to have been there while they were having an off day. Thats just my one time experience there. We did like the food just fine, and our server was attentive... just not Mickey and Goofy and the photo people. We go to WDW so often that when something bad or disapointing happens (which is hardly ever), it is noticeable.

[MaulerDude72]

Ok, maybe "dis" was too strong a term. LOL If you believe half the stuff you read from Frommer's or The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, you would believe that 'Ohana wasn't that great of a place to have a CB. I don't mind the family style service as opposed to running up and back to a buffet line. I tend to think the food is fresher when served family style only because the dishes don't languish under het lamps for an extended period of time. Those of you that have been to some bad buffets (and believe me, I've been to a few in Vegas!) know what I am talking about.

I feel you on noticing when things are bad at WDW. Now that I think of it, when we were at Disney/MGM Studios there were a couple of characters that my daughter wanted to get autographs from (don't remember who they were but I think one of them was Minnie). Anyway, we're waiting in line and a surly CM placed a yellow flag in front of us saying that autograph time is over. When I tried to tell her we were here in line for about five minutes, all she gave me was the "talk to the hand" treatment. I was a little peeved at the CM, but I felt there was no use fighting with her since there was much more of the park to see.

Overall, we had a great WDW trip and don't try to dwell too much on the negative. I look back on some of the mishaps and mistakes I made and can sit back and laugh and use them as lessons to learn for my next trip which I hope will be Oct. 2005. I can also utilize my mistakes to let others know "what not to do" if it is their first trip to WDW.

[Princess D]

Can't really think of bad. If I had it I don't want to remember.
GOOD- On the way back to Wildnerss Lodge from Downtown Disney late one nite, the bus driver started singing 'Wheels on the Bus' and everyone joined in - the whole bus - it was the best bus ride ever!!

[DisneyGimper]

Hi,

My DH, DS, DD and myself were in WDW in Oct 2004. Overall we had a wonderful time.

The Bad:
We took the Disney Transportation from CBR to Epcot the first day we were there. When we were done at Epcot we walked to the bus stop, and noticed that the bus for CBR was just pulling away. No biggie, we figured the next bus would be there momentarily. We waited more than 45 minutes for the next bus to arrive. I must preface this by stating that I walk with a cane and tire easily, and we were there with a 3 year old, who was in dire need of a nap. For most of the rest of the trip we used the rental car (I have a disability parking permit) and parking was very convenient.

The Bad that turned out to be Good:
The evening we went to Epcot's World Showcase, my DS wanted something to eat, and we decided to eat at the Liberty Inn counter service restaurant. For some reason, even though it was not crowded, the service took FOREVER (We were in line for 20 minutes). When we finally got served, I was dismayed to find out that their soft serve ice cream machine was broken. The intent was to get DS dinner and DH, DD, and myself some ice cream (we had eaten earlier). Asked where the nearest place to get ice cream was, and CM had no idea. Anyway I think the CM must have said something to her manager about how unhappy I was, because a couple minutes after DS and I sat down with DH and DD, one of the chefs came out and started to chat with the kids. She got chefs hats for both of them (DS is 13 and DD is 3), certificates that said both of them were honorary chefs for the day, and took pictures with the kids. After that was all done, she came back with two jello desserts for the kids. I do not think it was a coincidence, but it sure made me feel better about the whole experience, which I suppose was the point!

The Good:
We absolutely loved the CBR, we enjoyed the pool at OPR in evenings after hot days in the parks. The service we received at CBR was outstanding, everyone was friendly and knowledgable, the room was comfortable and we were pleasantly surprised that we did not have to request a refridgerator! That was a wonderful bonus. We stayed in Trinidad North bldg 32 and were very pleased with the location.

We had a late PS for a character breakfast at 'Ohana and we really enjoyed ourselves. The characters were able to spend a good amount of time at each table, and as a bonus, Mickey was just coming to our table when they started the parade, so Mickey grabbed my DDs hand and she got to march in the parade holding Mickey's hand the whole time. Brought tears of joy to my eyes.

We did the Dream Maker package and were pleasantly surprised that it included the voucher for our choice of the poster, the two images for Leave a Legacy, the miniature golf, or the $25 coupon for Planet Hollywood. We opted to eat at Planet Hollywood, and we were not disappointed. We used to have a Planet Hollywood here in the Mall of America, and it was mediocre at best. But since we had the coupon, we decided that we would give it a try. The portions were HUGE, the service was fantastic, the food was great, and it was a nice change of pace from the parks.

I have always appreciated how well Disney accomodates those of us with disabilities. When I would board rides where I could not bring my cane along, the cast members at the other end of the ride would somehow know who I was and have the cane ready for when I disembarked the ride. It was a nice personal touch!

Every time I have visited any of the Disney properties, the good has always way outweighed the bad.

[MerlinMatt]

I have another story that I told some time ago, but worth repeating.

Last year, it was our first trip for the 4 of us and none of us owned decent sun-glasses, so the first thing we did was to pick up sunglasses for eveyone at the gift shop.

The next day, DD lost her sunglasses, so we got her a new pair. The day after that, she somehow managed to walk into DS and her glasses just came apart. Of course the sun was blinding. At first, we said that she needed to be more careful, but we finally bucked up and went to go buy a THIRD pair for the trip.

At the sunglasses cart at Epcot (between US & Japan), we were in the process of buying the glasses and telling the story... when the cashier refused to ring it up. Confused, I took out my wallet and she said, "No princess should have her vacation upset in Disney by a silly thing like a pair of glasses." She quickly snipped off the tag, put the glasses on DD and wished us a magical day.

Now that's magic.

[Dopey]

The good: For 7 days we never saw a grumpy face on any CM, everyone was happy and smiling and extremely helpful and going out of their way to accommodate any wishes we might have.
The bad: People throwing trash, including used diapers wherever they felt like it. Like there aren't enough trash cans everywhere.
But thank goodness there were many CMs taking care of cleaning up after the swine.

[leslieh]

With so many great stories, it's hard to pick. But the first time my DH visited WDW, the "magic" got his grumpiness (DH) hooked!

We had late PSs for dinner in the castle at MK, much to our 2 yr old's amazement. We were tired, so we forgot DH's very important hat (travels around the world with it) because I insisted he remove it, even though other people were dining with their hats on...just a personal thing, I guess. Anyway, we didn't realize it was missing until we took the long journey back to our car at the TTC. As we spent a minute having a discussion in the dark, a security vehicle came to us to see if we had car trouble. We told him what happened.

Let me tell you, no other hat in history got such VIP treatment! A very speedy CM whizzed the hat to a waiting speedboat at the dock- the hat made it across the water in seconds- another security vehicle picked it up and delivered it to us. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that this took under 10 minutes to occur- my DH's version is a lot more colorful, but suffice it to say, we were impressed or life!

[JM0318]

You know I have had so many wonderful times at Disney that off hand I can not really think of any bad ones...... that were really Disney's fault... I guess that is the reason they say it is the most magical place on earth...LOL..... ºoºJudy

[Kippage]

The bad... I really can't think of anything bad that has happened to me. But I did witness something that really got under my skin.
While waiting for my friends to regroup outside the Splash Mountain entrance, a Middle Eastern family showed up trying to get in line. They spoke practically no English and tried to use Fast Pass, but only got 1 instead of 4 (he also was trying enter before the time). When the dad showed the pass to the CM at the gate, the CM turned him away without trying to explain why. The guy kept coming back trying to understand why they couldn't get in. The CM got aggravated, and began talking down to them 'Sorry guy, can't help you there. Told you already you can't go in' type of deal - getting really snotty and acting like it was funny.
I finally got tired of it, told the CM he was a jerk (putting it nicely here, I said far worse to his face), and attempted to explain to the dad what was happening. I had to count it out, holding my groups passes, one for each person, etc. The mom finally got it and you could see the relief on their faces.
I know first hand it's difficult in a country where you don't speak the language. I hope that CM finds that out and learns to help out a little bit next time.

[mlsexton]

Bad:

Waiter at Italy Restaraunt in Epcot chased our group as we were leaving. Most places already charge gratuity for large parties such as us (15) but my father misread and thought it was already included. The CM caused a huge ruckass and it was embarrassing. My father tried to tell him that he was sorry, he'd misread, he'd tip, etc. I understand being upset but he didn't have to run out after us yelling.

Bad turned Awesome:

I made reservations for 17 at the California Grill about 3 months in advance. They had placed our table in the private dining area where you can't even SEE the MK. The view and fireworks was key to even eating there. We finally convinced them to move us to a different table, after pleading that we would smoosh 17 into a table for 16 (no big deal!) Our waiter was great. He even helped to time the meal with the fireworks. He took our orders for desert, lead us to the outdoor catwalk where we had a magical fireworks view. On returning inside, our yummy deserts were being delivered.

Good:

The fact that my face hurts after a week of being there from smiling and laughing the whole time!!

[Erin]

Originally Posted by mlsexton

...The fact that my face hurts after a week of being there from smiling and laughing the whole time!!

First, I can't believe that you had a waiter chase you! How embarassing!


Thirdly, I love the fact that I am not the only one who gets face pain from laughing and smiling so much!! HAHA! That's a great description of how happy you are :c)

[Erin]

and, welcome to DC! I forgot to say that! :c)

You'll love it here :c)