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August 2009 Visit
Attempted Murder At Disney World Resort
In my
opinion contrary
to popular belief Walt Disney World is not all fun and fantasies
where fantasy comes true. Just as in a every other part of the
real world Walt Disney World has it's hidden dark side.
We are
annual passholders to Walt Disney World and have visited more
than 50 times since 1971 and most recently more than 12 times in
the past 24 months. Walt Disney World has changed in numerous
small ways since they opened in 1971, many for the good and in
our opinion quite a few that are not.
Disney
eliminated for the good the E-Tickets which was replace with Park
Passes - Also
for the good, the Cast Members (Employees) are no longer just
young and good looking, they have hired a cross section of
humanity. - Prices of some food and snacks in our opinion are over
priced - for example a small single serving bag of Cheetos for $2.39
which can be found out side the park for less than .75 at any
convenient market. Although one expects higher prices for food
and goods at amusement parks, we believe that some of the current
pricing structures would make Walt Disney turn over in his grave.
During each
of our 5 visits this year to Walt Disney World we experienced fun and many
good times along with some poor experiences, which of course is just part
of life. For example: We could not get reservations at the
'Ohana restaurant in the Poly resort - We did obtain a 6:30pm
reservation at the Kona Cafe. While waiting for our sitting I
walked over to the 'Ohana reservation desk and jokingly offered
to trade a 6:30pm Kona reservation for any time that night at the
'Ohana. The desk was staffed by a young man and young lady who
said she didn't believe they could do that. The young man said to wait a second and
after typing on the computer he said that he would make that
trade. We not only got to eat at the 'Ohana we were seated
almost immediately. The table was at the window with a perfect
view of the Castle - Magical Night was had by all. Food was hot
and plentiful starting with their signature Welcome Bread and
ending with they dessert specialty that we had to pass - just
wasn't any room. The appetizers of Honey-coriander chicken wings
and pork dumplings arrive shortly after the light salad followed
by the never ending Grilled Turkey, Pork Loin, Steak and peel
and eat shrimp. (I love shrimp, however after a few the
legs freak me out, I now Wimp.) Included in the meal is
Lo mein Noodles tossed in Teriyaki sauce with fresh veggies. The
'Ohana is a great place for a good meal especially if you like
mass quantities and flavors.
**I
suggest when planning your next Disney trip to book your food
reservations before you choose your dining plan. Because if you
can not obtain reservations for the restaurants you like than
you might opts for the stand up dining plan or none at all. When
setting up every trip we always go back and forth about opting
for the Dining plan. We always end up with left over stand up
meals because we do not get up early enough for breakfast and
only eat a light snack around 3pm to leave room for our usual
7:00 to 8:00pm dinner. December 2008 visit we could not get a
reservation for dinner to save our backsides. Now we schedule
2-3 months in advance and still can't get a dinner reservation
at Epcot's Le Cellier Steak house. It may sound simple, however
we suggest you plan your meals around which parks you will be in
that day. For example we try to dine at the Parks that have late
hours for Resort guests.
I can
finally say that I found a food offering at Disney world that is
fantastic.
In fact, I would travel to
Disney world just for the Coconut and Shrimp Curry soup at the
Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort. The soup is smooth with a
little fiery aftertaste and the shrimp melts in your mouth.
Fantastic! We both had the shrimp and scallops, all though
the entrees were fine by themselves they paled after the soup. The
scallops where done to perfection with no grit or rubbery
texture. The only minor complaint is I prefer that both sides of
my scallops to be seared. Dessert arrived and neither of us had
room for much of the Crème Brulee or the Chocolate Molten cake
with ice cream.
Just as in
the real world not all Disney Cast members are as friendly as
others. Before I give examples, allow me to say that we do not expect a
Cast Member to bend over and kiss our backside. However we would
at least like for them to appear to appreciate that we are
spending our vacation dollars at Disney World. I do not
make it a habit of mentioning names of Cast Members with
"Attitude", however I will give the name of those who go out of
their way if I can remember.
Bad
Attitude - The lady at the concierge desk who was asked to move
us to a new room per the earlier phone conversation had a frown
and I could care less if I help you attitude. At first she acted
as if we were putting her out to take care of our room change.
The 1st room they assigned us was closer to the food court and
busses however there was no 911 Defibrillator near by or smoking
area for the Boss. As my wife tells them his the heart patient
not me and she wants to smoke. Last but not least we need two
beds because I snore like buzz saw. We had other
incidents of poor attitudes and more cast members discussing
personal business with other cast members. However I do not
remember specifics as the bad stuff usually just fades away.
Great
Attitude - Our waitress at the Kona Cafe, Debbie. She was very
positive, appeared happy to be their and serving her customer.
In fact when I informed her that the Coconut and Shrimp Curry
soup was the first memorable food item I've every had in Disney
in fact any where in a long time. She offered to bring me
another bowl. Their was an older couple at the table next to us
and when Debbie found our he was celebrating his 84th birthday
she brought him a special Ice Cream treat. We ordered coffee and
hot tea to have with our dessert. Debbie sat next to me to
quietly ask me if other property restaurants charged us for our
Tea and Coffee. I told her know, as I was mistakenly under the
impression that it was included in the dining plan, which it is
not if you had a soft drink with dinner. Debbie says she likes
to take care of her customers regardless, however she did not
want to make a mistake in case I was a hidden Disney shopper.
(How do you get that job, Hint - Hint). The vast
majority of the Cast Members young and old where friendly as
well as attentive to the Parks guests.
However
during our most recent visit in the first week of August not all
was pleasant. We had our usually fun trading Pins with cast
members, sitting watching the people go by, watching the birds,
lizards, rabbits, deer and of course riding the Pirates and
Haunted House ride five or six times.
We do find
something new at Walt Disney World every time we visit the parks
and
 Resorts. This time we spotted a "RAT" in the Hollywood Studios
Park and an even larger one in the grass just outside our room
at the Port Orleans Riverside Park. Not the cute little Disney
Animation Rats, these were the live dirty, disease carrying
"LIVE RATS".
On our
final day we decided to use our last "Stand up Meal" at the Port
Orleans Riverside food court, little did we know it could have
been our last meal. We opted for the "create-you-own pasta" with
Penne, Mushrooms, Alfredo sauce and Chicken.
My wife ate
a 1/4th of her Chicken meal before discovering that the
Chicken was "RAW",
Yes "RAW"! Not
under cooked it was "RAW" in the center.
Attempted Murder At Disney World Resort
BY RAW CHICKEN!
While my
wife ran to the bathroom to induce vomiting I took the offending
RAW chicken back to the counter and showed it to the Chef with
name tag Sylvester. With a look of shock he asked " WHO
COOKED THIS" and asked if we wanted another chicken meal. Of course I
declined stating our appetite has been ruined, not to mention my
wife may be ill. This is where he left it. I had to leave to
check on my wife. When we went to pick up our luggage I told the
cast member about the rats and the very recent raw chicken. One
of them gave me a Disney Celebration button for my wife and no
it did not make her feel better
Fortunately
my wife did not get seriously ill only spent the balance of the
day at Disney, the cab driver had to stop on the way to the
airport, on the plane and at home in the restroom.
Will return to Disney?
Yes until
the rats get bigger or they attempt to Murder one of us again.
Will we stay at Port Orleans?
NO!
Will we
eat Chicken at Disney?
NO
NO NO? In fact my wife may never be able to eat chicken again.
Will we
double check our Food?
OH Yes.
When you
take your family to Disney World or any other family amusement
center. Please remember that it is still the real world not
fairy land where all is good. Evil
can happen even at the happiest places and you need to protect
your family. Do not allow our children to wander alone in the
parks or resorts as Pedophiles are everywhere. In fact it
is our understanding that another young person was fondled or
had a man expose themselves at one of the Disney water parks in
July and August which brings the count to over 5 incidents for
the summer of 2009. One can not blame Disney as they do the best
they can with their part security and local sheriff's deputy on
location in uniform and plain clothes. It is ultimately the
child's guardians responsibility for their safety.
June 2009 Visit.
We stayed
at the Animal Kingdom Lodge during this visit arriving in late
afternoon by Taxi from the Airport. We never use the Disney
transportation Bus to our resort, just do not want to wait.
After a minor change to our assigned room we began our Disney
Visit. We always request a room close to the bus stop, food, the
911 Defibrillator and smoking for the boss. We prefer to be in
the building facing the parking lot as it is the closest to the
buses and resort store - This time we had a room on the back
side of the pool which was only a couple hundred more feet. The
room was on the bottom floor, clean and with all the stuff you
come to expect at a Disney Resort. For those of you who have not
recently visited the Animal Kingdom Lodge, they now have two bus
stops.
Because our
plane was a bit late we had to rush to be in time for our dinner
reservation at the new Animal Kingdom restaurant the "Sanaa". Both my
wife and I were excited to eat at the new African- Indian
cuisine being offered at the new Disney Resort themed restaurant. You can
imagine our disappointment when the heavy smell of paint and
turpentine hit us as we walked down the stairs towards Sanaa's reservation desk.
(My
wife is very sensitive to chemical smells, however it is
extremely rare for them to bother me.) Immediately when
the chemical fog hit us we both experienced slight headiness and
nausea. When I the brought the smell to their attention, the
Reservation desk Cast members said they smelled something and
had been wondering where the smell was coming from.
When
our waitress arrived she stated that the smell was really heavy
the past 20 minutes and bothering the staff. Both my wife and I started feeling
more light headed, dizzy and she more nauseous. At which point a
male manager came to our table with our menus to I presume apologize for the smell. He
stated: I understand you can smell the odor. We just discovered
they are painting in the garage and asked maintenance to stop.
Because it was making the cast members ill as well. That was it
- "Oh yea we smell it too and it is making us sick!" At this
point my wife had to have fresh air and stated she had to
leave. The manager simply snatched up the menus and walked
off. No sorry we made you sick - come back to have a
drink, appetizer or meal on me. Once we got in outside into the
fresh air we both started to feel better and with in 15 to 20
minutes we were both back to normal.
After the
bad start to our June Disney adventure the balance of our visit
was just great. We attended our first annual Disney Trading Pin
Convention, which at first I was bored out of mind and later got
into the fun as well. I stood in lines all day with my wife to
pick a pin off the Disney hidden pin board. The boards are
facing away from the public - Once it is your turn you step
around the front of the board with only 1 minute to pick two
pins you want to trade for the Pins on the Disney Pin Trader
Boards. The boards are changed out every 30 minutes offering the
Pin Traders a fresh batch of Pins to choose from. The new pin
boards always brought applause especially from the next trader
in line as they get first pick. My wife and I got first and 2nd
pick twice. Not sure if this was by luck. Ha-Ha, I will swear it
was from successfully picking which line to get in by judging
the number of people and the time left until the board change.
Geeky isn't it, however it was fun. I guess it was like stalking
your prey, treasure hunting or thrill from gambling.
The
second night we waited on our bus as we planned to go to the
Magic Kingdom. After only a four or five minute wait we could
see the bus for the Magic Kingdom pull up to the outer gate of
the Resort and stop as the gate would not open. We are not sure
what happened, however for some reason the bus could not go
forward so he backed up on to the road divider and killed the
bus. The short of it after 40 minutes we all walked out to the
road to board buses for our desired Parks. Just another
experience at Disney World that had gotten some people very
upset, where as we just take it in stride because we are not in
a hurry to be anywhere. My wife and I will swear that Disney
finds out which Park we want to go to for the day and delays
just those busses as well as the return busses to our Resort. If
we stay at the Animal Kingdom then all the other resorts will
have 3 busses arrive before we get one. We know it is not true,
however it is a running joke for us.
When asked
about the food at Disney I always say " You do not go to Disney
for fine cuisine". The food at Disney is usually acceptable,
even the fast food burgers that once you find a place to seat is
tastes like a lukewarm streams meat by-product patty. At most
the fast food (Stand-up meal) stands the best tasting meals are
usually the Kids meals and if you are not on the dining plan
much more affordable. We have found that their is no consistency
in the quality of the food served the Disney guests from visit
to visit. For example: The fish and chips stand up in England
was great during our May visit. The fish and chips both had been
freshly deep fried to a crispy outside texture and flaky
interior . However during our June visit the fish was soggy and
the white fish had an over abundance for the nasty black scaly
looking stuff inside (Just a thing I have about it,
grosses me out).
Epcot's Le
Chefs in France one visit the Filet de boeuf grille
(Grilled Beef Tenderloin) is great one visit then
underdone and chewy the next. We did see something new at Le
Chef's - A waiter cam around with a food cart with a covered
dish. He stopped by our table and lifted the cover to reveal an
animated Fuzzy little Rat with a Chefs hat. Very Cute. This was
one of those moments when my wife and I wished that we had the
Grand Daughters with us.
As a side
note - Even if you are on the dining plan and you do not feel
your meal is unacceptable because it is cold, over or under
cooked or simply just gross. Send it back and request that you
are not charged for your meal. It may be Disney, however you are
still a consumer who deserves the goods you ordered to be as
advertised and palatable.
Best thing
I ate on this trip was a simple dessert found in the food court
at the Animal Kingdom. I believe they called them "Zebra
Cakes?". They are four small round pastries with a smooth rum
after taste priced at $2.69 or you can use one of your snacks
from the Dining plan. (Choose your snacks carefully to
get the most out of your dining plan's snack option. Pick the
snacks that give you greater value, for example do not choose a
single serving bag of Cheetos, instead pick the Disney cakes,
Mickey Mouse rice crispy ears, Cotton Candy etc.)
May 2009 Visit.
Great
Visit! We brought our Daughter and Grand daughter for their
birthdays. Weather was beautiful, rooms ready as requested: Two
a joining rooms on the 1st floor close to buses, food,
defibrillator and smoking for my wife and daughter. Utilizing
the Disney dining plan we ate at Le Chefs in France, Lunch with
the Princesses in Norway, Beer Garden in Germany and
others. The food on a whole was acceptable to very good. Of
course our Granddaughter enjoyed the extra attention she
received for her
6th birthday. My Grand Daughter got me on Splash mountain for
the last time. As my Grand daughter tells everyone "Grandpa
screamed like a little Girl). Later in the visit she and her
mother road every roller coaster in the Parks, which my Grand
Daughter stated was the best thing ever. At each roller
coaster's lines she would tell me to go sit with the little kids
while they road with the big kids so would not have to scream
like a little girl again. Worked for me.
We found many new Trading Pins to add to
my wife's
collection, in fact she even found a new Grumpy pin for my
vacation Boony hat.
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