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DVC Mike
12-09-2007, 11:35 AM
Our vacation at WDW took a turn for the worse at the DVC Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Dec 4, 2007 at the Coronado Springs Resort. The meeting started at 2pm, and my wife got up to use the restroom at 2:45 pm. About 20 minutes later, I have a DVC staff member tapping on my shoulder. She tells me my wife has been injured and escorts me out of the meeting.

As I am taken outside the meeting room, I see my wife surrounded my DVC staff as well as various Coronado Springs security personnel. Apparently, one of the sinks in the woman’s restroom had a leak, and water had pooled under the sink and also ran across the bathroom floor (about 3” wide and 6 ft long).

My wife didn’t notice the water on the floor and subsequently slipped and fell. After she managed to get up, she limped out of the bathroom and notified the DVC staff outside the meeting room, who then called Security and then pulled me out of the meeting.

Since my wife experienced severe pain in her hip when she tried to sit down or raise her leg, paramedics were called who examined her and recommended she be taken to the hospital. She was laid out on a gurney to the paramedic’s ambulance and taken to the hospital in Celebration.

I ran to the front desk, asked for the manager and informed him what had taken place. I told him what resort we were staying at (Animal Kingdom Villas) and gave him our room number and my cell phone. I then drove to the hospital.

Eventually, after four hours at the hospital, an X-Ray, a shot, and a lot of prescriptions, my wife was discharged with crutches. Happily, nothing was broken but she was in severe pain due to something being torn or pulled.

We arrived at our resort and discovered that neither Coronado Springs nor DVC had notified AKL what had taken place. We hobbled down to dinner at Boma. My wife felt worse, and eventually had a bad reaction to the dosage of pain medication that the hospital had given her. She was too weak to walk and we asked for a wheelchair.

We talked to the restaurant manager at Boma and explained our displeasure with CSR and DVC not only not informing AKL of the incident, but that no one at CSR, DVC, or anyone else had Disney had followed up with us to see how my wife was doing. They said it was Disney protocol for CSR to notify the resort we were staying at of this incident.

After several phone calls the next morning to DVC Member Services and AKL resort management, the Disney hospitality engine finally seemed to kick into gear and respond to the fact that our vacation was not going to be as magical as we expected. We were going to spend every day left of our vacation in the hotel room with my wife lying in bed.

Later that day, DVC did send us a complementary fruit/cheese basket. Boma gave us a free dinner for the two of us. Housekeeping gave us 5 small stuffed Disney characters and offered a free full cleaning at the 4-day mark. Best of all, the GM of AKL called us and let us know they were giving us a free private tour of the AKL savannah. I was worried that it would be too bumpy for my wife to be able to enjoy, but it wasn’t too bumpy, and her pain medication allowed her to handle it.

The tour was great. The two of us rode in a van with the hotel manager and the animal curator at AKL. We spent an hour just driving around the 3 savannahs getting very close to the animals.

Our trip up to the point of the incident was fabulous! We spent a great night at MVMCP, seeing both the regular Wishes as well as the holiday version, and saw the ice on Cinderella’s castle. We spent a great night at Epcot eating at Le Cellier and watching the holiday version of Illuminations. We also saw the Osborne Lights at Disney Studios.

We had to cut our vacation short and head home. All in all, we felt that AKL picked up the slack after Disney initially dropped the ball. We never got a call from DVC, and Coronado Springs finally called us two days after the incident to say “they were thinking of us”. Whatever. I really appreciated the hospitality of all the great folks at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

DVC Mike
12-09-2007, 11:36 AM
Even though our trip was cut short, my wife and I really loved AKV! Yes, the rooms in Jambo house were created by DVC with significant space limitations, but DVC made the best of the space they had to work with. I really would have preferred the separate shower and tub like the other DVC resorts instead of the the combination shower/tub, and there is a lack of closet space.

But the decor of the room was great and we really, really (really!) liked sitting out on the balcony looking at the animals.

Our room was 5453, which is off the Zebra trail and overlooked the Uzima savanna. Since we were the farthest away from the Kidani Village construction, it was absolutely quiet and peaceful. We never heard any construction sound. Every so often we would hear a big truck on Osceola Parkway.

We got to see the fireworks at Epcot, although it was very far away.

The entire staff was fantastic, and made every effort to make our vacation magical.

We can't wait to go back in March. Of course, we're staying away from CSR! ;)

JWDisneyFan
12-09-2007, 01:05 PM
I am so sorry to hear about your wife's incident at the meeting. I am really suprised that Disney didn't jump all over that and offer more assistance initially. It's too bad to hear that your vacation was cut short, but I truly hope that your wife recovers soon!

mrsHerbie53
12-09-2007, 01:14 PM
:tink: :pixie:

DVCMike,
I wish your wife a speedy recovery! I am glad AKV at least made the effort to see that you wife got to do some vacation things. I am glad too that it wasn't the meeting wasn't the first vacation activity and you both were able to enjoy WDW before the accident.

I hope her pain is subsiding and everything is OK.

SBETigg
12-09-2007, 01:25 PM
Goodness, what an awful thing to have happen. I hope she hasn't had any lasting effects? I'm glad they treated you well after initially dropping the ball, but so sorry this happened.

Hammer
12-09-2007, 01:40 PM
Mike,

Sorry to hear about your wife's incident and your issues with CSR. As I have stayed at CSR multiple times and never had any issues, I shall hope this was just bad staff that work within convention services (which is still not a good thing). Now if you had said this had happened at POR, I could understand and empathize ;) (to the point POR tried to pull a fast one by talking about their "plan" to correct my room problems in Spanish, not realizing I understood Spanish).

Anyway sorry your plans had to change. Look at it this way; it gave you more time to explore AKV!

BelleandtheBeast
12-09-2007, 02:11 PM
I wish the best for you and your wife. I am glad to hear that the villa's picked up and helped out so much. :thumbsup:

Horizon93
12-09-2007, 02:50 PM
Mike, sorry to hear. I hope that your wife recovers quickly.

Maleficent's Dad
12-09-2007, 03:01 PM
Mike,
Wow, what a story. I'm so sorry to have read about your wife's accident.

It was definitely handled poorly. DW and I were recently discussing how Disney no longer goes as above and beyond as they used to... I'd have been furious that no one had followed up on the incident.

Glad you enjoyed the rest of your trip as well as the safari.

Here's to a speedy recovery! :pixie:

kakn7294
12-09-2007, 03:07 PM
I'm so sorry about your wife. I hope that she's feeling better soon. I'm sorry that they didn't show more concern for her at the time of the incident but I am glad to hear that AKL was so wonderful to you.

DVC Mike
12-09-2007, 07:40 PM
Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts and pixie dust!

JPL
12-09-2007, 07:49 PM
:pixie: for your Wife!


I can't believe nobody from CSR called you or anyone from DVC for that matter and then they wonder why people pick up the phone and call their lawyers :rolleyes: Are they atleast picking up the Medical Bills?

MinnieMommie
12-09-2007, 08:16 PM
here's some :pixie: Dust for your wife.

I am sorry to learn of your wife's injury. Because she is still experiencing pain, and the hip is an injury you want to make sure is taken care of properly, I would go see your doc at home. You might want to consider signing a record release and have the records of all that was done at Celebration Hospital sent to your home doc and ask your doc to make a referal to an orthopedic surgon to evaluate the records and injury. Better to err on the side of caution. Good luck. :mickey:

vizsla
12-10-2007, 05:31 AM
So sorry to hear about your wife. :pixie: on the way for a speedy recovery.

dolphinmickey9170
12-10-2007, 10:21 AM
Mike, here's hoping for a speedy recovery for your wife.

Raptor
12-12-2007, 04:11 PM
Wow, hope your wife is feeling better but seriously how many sites have you posted this story on, need attention or something?? :confused: I've seen it at like several other sites word for word including your initial response lol.:secret: I could see a couple that you frequent the most perhaps but not as many as I saw it on.:cool:

DonLefNY
12-12-2007, 07:42 PM
Wow, hope your wife is feeling better but seriously how many sites have you posted this story on, need attention or something?? :confused: I've seen it at like several other sites word for word including your initial response lol.:secret: I could see a couple that you frequent the most perhaps but not as many as I saw it on.:cool:


I was just wondering the same thing. It's everywhere.:beer:

dlpmikki
12-13-2007, 04:05 AM
Wow, hope your wife is feeling better but seriously how many sites have you posted this story on, need attention or something?? :confused: I've seen it at like several other sites word for word including your initial response lol.:secret: I could see a couple that you frequent the most perhaps but not as many as I saw it on.:cool:


I was just wondering the same thing. It's everywhere.:beer:

When something happens like this it is common to put it on all the sites you are active on. Copy and paste seems like the easiest way to share he same story too. Lots of folks are only active on one board so there is no reason why someone active on several boards should not share it on all.