Trip Reports
02-20-2007, 10:20 PM
Vincent Randall - August 2003 - All Star Sports
Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: ASSR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: This isn't your standard trip report. Vincent loves Disney World but simply was not happy with his last trip, and the trip before that. While his experiences may not be typical, it is good to hear another view of things.
Vincent Randall -- August 2003 -- Walt Disney World (ASSR)
This report may not be published for its content. However, I am a daily reader of MousePlanet. So, in the chance that this may be seen, it is not to discourage people from going to WDW; this is in the hopes that the Burbank Offices have executives that read MousePlanet as well.
Arriving on August 5th, 2003 and checked in to All Star Sports. Since my first trip in 1997 as an adult, I have always enjoyed having one Disney card that is used for the hotel door key, and the park passes. This time there were two cards handed out. Not that this is a huge deal, it just seemed odd. My party checked in early, and our room was not ready. No big deal; its happened before. I was given a card with a number to dial from any WDW House Phone which the operator would tell me if my room was ready and what the number was. I had two cast members show me a house phone (which both gave me an attitude that I was a bother) when I dialed the number it was a fax. So, I told the closest cast member of the difficulty, got a loud exhale, and he dialed a different number and got me to someone who could help.
FastPass is now a joke. My party would arrive at each park very early in the morning, and go to get a Fastpass for return times late in the afternoon. Whats the point in that? So, we did stand by lines. We decided to do FastPass for The Safari attraction, and the return line was a nightmare.
On the first night at the Magic Kingdom, we ate at The Liberty Tree Tavern. Our server made mention of how much he does not like certain, demanding guests that just left a different table. The service was a bit slower than usual, however the food was top notch.
The attractions: The Haunted Mansion needs to be cleaned up. Not that I mean they need to dust and vacuum, I mean some of the effects are looking like effects and not hauntings. And, when we left the stretching room, the crowd waiting to board the doom buggies was so huge, it took us 15 minutes to get on the ride. Space Mountain was still fun. All the mountains were fun. The fast food service was lethargically slow this time around.
At Epcot: Spaceship Earth - The little movie they now play during the ascension has the influence of Burbank Lawyers all over it. Has the general public actually gotten dumber since Oct. 1982? The countries were as spectacular as always, and the Illuminations was breathtaking. Mission Space: I've read rider reviews, read the press releases and was very excited about going on this. I guess I am the only person on the planet that thought it was a bore. This is tough for me to say, as I am an avid fan and supporter of all things Disney. Test Track was still fun; however, the carpeting in the queue lines have holes and worn out spots all through it. And the Briefing room we were in was dirty. Not Disney Show Standards. We ate at The Garden Grill. I asked one of the servers where the straw hats they used to wear were, and she told me that the new manager sees the place as a fine dining experience. Sure. You tear off brown paper towels and set your place at the table from flatware in a plastic red basket. Sure. Fine dining. Has this manager never been to Citricos?
At MGM Studios - the refurbishment of The Great Movie Ride was nothing more than a clean up job. Still a medoicre ride. Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster, still wonderful. The servers at The Sci Fi Dine In and The 50's Prime Time cafe seemed worn out. On more than one occasion, cast members reminded us that the stores closed early, and if we didn't like it, we could complain at guest services. One even said to me that Eisner's bonus is more important that guest experiences.
At Animal Kingdom - I already mentioned the mess at the safari attraction. The fast food there was painfully slow. Dinosaur was all right. But, where my heart really sank was in "Its Tough To Be a Bug". The waiting area was filthy. Empty cups on the floor, and bug eyes on the floor.
We ate at The Boardwalk, and had what I call a Disney Experience. Complete with a man peddling down the boardwalk playing piano, performers everywhere, and an atmosphere where theming made sense. We ate at Spoodles, and had an excellent server, and excellent food. Thank God for Spoodles. We then walked over to Beaches and Cream for dessert. All I'm going to say is that I didn't pay for mine. It was so horrible and not up to standards that if I was traveling alone, I would have left after the first bite.
Fifth and final day, we spent most of it indoors at Downtown Disney as it was raining all day. The cast members were nice, but painfully slow. We stopped to get a little treat, and the servers forgot about us, and made the tickets for everyone else. So, I kindly asked someone about us, and all I got was a "where's your ticket?".
I think the reason why I was so let down on this trip is a combination of several things. One, is that I have been to WDW since 1997 several times, and this trip really reflected the low morale of The Disney Company. Also, this was my traveling partners very first time to WDW. Or to any Disney Resort. She was less than thrilled, to say the least.
I have decided that until the folks at Burbank remember "That is was all started by a mouse" and that the mouse was started by a man of taste who cared about his guests, I'm not going back anymore. Funny, I said the same thing last year, and went again this year. I guess I love Disney that much. Just wished I loved it now like I used to then.
Vincent Randall
Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: ASSR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: This isn't your standard trip report. Vincent loves Disney World but simply was not happy with his last trip, and the trip before that. While his experiences may not be typical, it is good to hear another view of things.
Vincent Randall -- August 2003 -- Walt Disney World (ASSR)
This report may not be published for its content. However, I am a daily reader of MousePlanet. So, in the chance that this may be seen, it is not to discourage people from going to WDW; this is in the hopes that the Burbank Offices have executives that read MousePlanet as well.
Arriving on August 5th, 2003 and checked in to All Star Sports. Since my first trip in 1997 as an adult, I have always enjoyed having one Disney card that is used for the hotel door key, and the park passes. This time there were two cards handed out. Not that this is a huge deal, it just seemed odd. My party checked in early, and our room was not ready. No big deal; its happened before. I was given a card with a number to dial from any WDW House Phone which the operator would tell me if my room was ready and what the number was. I had two cast members show me a house phone (which both gave me an attitude that I was a bother) when I dialed the number it was a fax. So, I told the closest cast member of the difficulty, got a loud exhale, and he dialed a different number and got me to someone who could help.
FastPass is now a joke. My party would arrive at each park very early in the morning, and go to get a Fastpass for return times late in the afternoon. Whats the point in that? So, we did stand by lines. We decided to do FastPass for The Safari attraction, and the return line was a nightmare.
On the first night at the Magic Kingdom, we ate at The Liberty Tree Tavern. Our server made mention of how much he does not like certain, demanding guests that just left a different table. The service was a bit slower than usual, however the food was top notch.
The attractions: The Haunted Mansion needs to be cleaned up. Not that I mean they need to dust and vacuum, I mean some of the effects are looking like effects and not hauntings. And, when we left the stretching room, the crowd waiting to board the doom buggies was so huge, it took us 15 minutes to get on the ride. Space Mountain was still fun. All the mountains were fun. The fast food service was lethargically slow this time around.
At Epcot: Spaceship Earth - The little movie they now play during the ascension has the influence of Burbank Lawyers all over it. Has the general public actually gotten dumber since Oct. 1982? The countries were as spectacular as always, and the Illuminations was breathtaking. Mission Space: I've read rider reviews, read the press releases and was very excited about going on this. I guess I am the only person on the planet that thought it was a bore. This is tough for me to say, as I am an avid fan and supporter of all things Disney. Test Track was still fun; however, the carpeting in the queue lines have holes and worn out spots all through it. And the Briefing room we were in was dirty. Not Disney Show Standards. We ate at The Garden Grill. I asked one of the servers where the straw hats they used to wear were, and she told me that the new manager sees the place as a fine dining experience. Sure. You tear off brown paper towels and set your place at the table from flatware in a plastic red basket. Sure. Fine dining. Has this manager never been to Citricos?
At MGM Studios - the refurbishment of The Great Movie Ride was nothing more than a clean up job. Still a medoicre ride. Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster, still wonderful. The servers at The Sci Fi Dine In and The 50's Prime Time cafe seemed worn out. On more than one occasion, cast members reminded us that the stores closed early, and if we didn't like it, we could complain at guest services. One even said to me that Eisner's bonus is more important that guest experiences.
At Animal Kingdom - I already mentioned the mess at the safari attraction. The fast food there was painfully slow. Dinosaur was all right. But, where my heart really sank was in "Its Tough To Be a Bug". The waiting area was filthy. Empty cups on the floor, and bug eyes on the floor.
We ate at The Boardwalk, and had what I call a Disney Experience. Complete with a man peddling down the boardwalk playing piano, performers everywhere, and an atmosphere where theming made sense. We ate at Spoodles, and had an excellent server, and excellent food. Thank God for Spoodles. We then walked over to Beaches and Cream for dessert. All I'm going to say is that I didn't pay for mine. It was so horrible and not up to standards that if I was traveling alone, I would have left after the first bite.
Fifth and final day, we spent most of it indoors at Downtown Disney as it was raining all day. The cast members were nice, but painfully slow. We stopped to get a little treat, and the servers forgot about us, and made the tickets for everyone else. So, I kindly asked someone about us, and all I got was a "where's your ticket?".
I think the reason why I was so let down on this trip is a combination of several things. One, is that I have been to WDW since 1997 several times, and this trip really reflected the low morale of The Disney Company. Also, this was my traveling partners very first time to WDW. Or to any Disney Resort. She was less than thrilled, to say the least.
I have decided that until the folks at Burbank remember "That is was all started by a mouse" and that the mouse was started by a man of taste who cared about his guests, I'm not going back anymore. Funny, I said the same thing last year, and went again this year. I guess I love Disney that much. Just wished I loved it now like I used to then.
Vincent Randall