rmsongs
11-16-2008, 12:12 AM
We just returned from a 7-night stay at CSR and it was, to say the least, quite an eye-opener. I'll start with the positives: Even though it rained 3 times during the week, the weather wasn't too bad. Our first two nights in the parks (Mon & Tue), it got pretty cool at night, but it was still warmer than at home (RI). The crowds were light; we walked right onto several "big" rides (TT, SE, TofT, Soarin', SM, to name a few). Even when we had waits, they were seldom more that 20 minutes (posted), which translated to -maybe- 15. I was a little concerned about the shorter park hours and not having time to see everything we wanted to see, but the XMH's worked perfectly for us: We actually "closed" the MK, staying right up until 1 AM! Over the years I've ridden the Jungle Cruise more times than I can count and, as everyone knows, sometimes you get a really, really good CM and sometimes you're not quite so lucky. Well, this trip, there was a young lady named Julie who was on our boat: I'll just say that, if there's a "Jungle Cruise Skipper" Hall of Fame, she has to be in it. She was amazing: Obviously, there's a script that they follow, but it's the ad-libs that make the ride, and she was the funniest CM we've ever seen. We also had a great server at the 50's Prime Time Cafe (Uncle Tim) who kept sitting down at our table and ended up feeding green beans to my 12-year-old. He was hilarious. These are the people who make a good trip great. This was our first trip since the POTC rehab (they were working on it last time we were there) and it's fantastic. The picture on the mist is incredible. The parks were clean and beautiful, as always. Cinderella's Castle looked amazing, and as the week went on, more and more Christmas decorations kept appearing.
Unfortunately, there always seems to be a flip side to the coin. We stayed at CSR, in Casitas 3. Two years ago we stayed in Cabanas 8B. First of all, we were in Casitas because we booked a suite. Little did I know that a "suite" is just 2 basic adjoining rooms, just with fewer amenities. In '06 we had 2 rooms, so we had 3 beds and 2 refrigerators. With the "suite", we had the 2 rooms,but only 2 beds and one fridge. The housekeeper last trip decorated the kids' room window and left "mouse" towels on the beds each day. This trip, nothing. The laundry, quiet pool, and parking were all very conveniently located in Cabanas; the laundry, NOT quiet quiet pool, and parking are not at all convenient at Casitas. Even worse, there were a cigar, cigarette butts, and a beer bottle on the stairs leading to our room FOR 3 DAYS, there was a sneaker on the grass near our room FOR 3 DAYS (not the same 3 days), and the laundry room (Casitas 4) was DISGUSTING: The floor was filthy every time I was there (3 times). There was a square of wallpaper that was obviously a repair patch hanging off the wall for the first couple of days. The wallpaper and the wall behind it were covered in mold. On our first day, I went to the concierge desk to ask for clarification on XMH's because I read so much about it on Intercot. He gave me all wrong information; he told me they were still using wristbands and I wouldn't need my room card after I got my band. He even told me where to pick up the wristbands. Obviously someone needs to make sure all the CMs are on the same page. Needless to say, there are no more wristbands and you DO need your card. By the way, as awkward as the new system sounds, it doesn't slow things down at all, because I didn't see a single CM check a card. If you held up a card on your way past, you were in; nobody was checking names or dates or whatever they're supposed to check. I can only imagine how long it would take to examine every card. As I've complained about before, people smoke anywhere they darn well please and I've never seen a single CM take issue with it. I had the misfortune of walking into El Centro at CSR just as people were leaving a convention. There must have been 40or 50 people standing right outside the door, smoking. I don't smoke, and I shouldn't have to walk through a cloud to move around the resort. There was a young woman in a room around the corner from mine whom I saw several times sitting outside her room, smoking. Why is this allowed? If smokers want to pollute their lungs, that's their right. However, if I want to breathe clean air, that is certainly my right. My breathing clean air doesn't bother them. Disney should have a strict policy THAT THEY ACTUALLY ENFORCE. There were also issues with yelling and laughing outside the rooms at 2 AM and later. Our friends, who were traveling with us, were awakened by the noise one night and called Security. They "shooed" the noisemakers away, only to have them return a short while later, prompting another call to Security. However, when our friend lodged a complaint at the front desk this morning, she was told there was "no record" of her calling Security. There was also one day when Housekeeping did not show up to their room; supposedly there was "no record" of that complaint, either. And, if you've used the Dining Plan in the past, you're not going to like the changes they've made.
On a scale of one-to-ten, I'd rate this trip (our friends' first, by the way) no more than a 5, maybe a 6. I know no vacation is perfect, but, let's face it, Disney has set the bar pretty high and I think they shouldn't allow themselves to get complacent which, in my humble opinion, is exactly what's happening. This was my 8th trip. I can honestly say I don't know if there'll be a 9th. I didn't think I would ever feel that way. :(
Unfortunately, there always seems to be a flip side to the coin. We stayed at CSR, in Casitas 3. Two years ago we stayed in Cabanas 8B. First of all, we were in Casitas because we booked a suite. Little did I know that a "suite" is just 2 basic adjoining rooms, just with fewer amenities. In '06 we had 2 rooms, so we had 3 beds and 2 refrigerators. With the "suite", we had the 2 rooms,but only 2 beds and one fridge. The housekeeper last trip decorated the kids' room window and left "mouse" towels on the beds each day. This trip, nothing. The laundry, quiet pool, and parking were all very conveniently located in Cabanas; the laundry, NOT quiet quiet pool, and parking are not at all convenient at Casitas. Even worse, there were a cigar, cigarette butts, and a beer bottle on the stairs leading to our room FOR 3 DAYS, there was a sneaker on the grass near our room FOR 3 DAYS (not the same 3 days), and the laundry room (Casitas 4) was DISGUSTING: The floor was filthy every time I was there (3 times). There was a square of wallpaper that was obviously a repair patch hanging off the wall for the first couple of days. The wallpaper and the wall behind it were covered in mold. On our first day, I went to the concierge desk to ask for clarification on XMH's because I read so much about it on Intercot. He gave me all wrong information; he told me they were still using wristbands and I wouldn't need my room card after I got my band. He even told me where to pick up the wristbands. Obviously someone needs to make sure all the CMs are on the same page. Needless to say, there are no more wristbands and you DO need your card. By the way, as awkward as the new system sounds, it doesn't slow things down at all, because I didn't see a single CM check a card. If you held up a card on your way past, you were in; nobody was checking names or dates or whatever they're supposed to check. I can only imagine how long it would take to examine every card. As I've complained about before, people smoke anywhere they darn well please and I've never seen a single CM take issue with it. I had the misfortune of walking into El Centro at CSR just as people were leaving a convention. There must have been 40or 50 people standing right outside the door, smoking. I don't smoke, and I shouldn't have to walk through a cloud to move around the resort. There was a young woman in a room around the corner from mine whom I saw several times sitting outside her room, smoking. Why is this allowed? If smokers want to pollute their lungs, that's their right. However, if I want to breathe clean air, that is certainly my right. My breathing clean air doesn't bother them. Disney should have a strict policy THAT THEY ACTUALLY ENFORCE. There were also issues with yelling and laughing outside the rooms at 2 AM and later. Our friends, who were traveling with us, were awakened by the noise one night and called Security. They "shooed" the noisemakers away, only to have them return a short while later, prompting another call to Security. However, when our friend lodged a complaint at the front desk this morning, she was told there was "no record" of her calling Security. There was also one day when Housekeeping did not show up to their room; supposedly there was "no record" of that complaint, either. And, if you've used the Dining Plan in the past, you're not going to like the changes they've made.
On a scale of one-to-ten, I'd rate this trip (our friends' first, by the way) no more than a 5, maybe a 6. I know no vacation is perfect, but, let's face it, Disney has set the bar pretty high and I think they shouldn't allow themselves to get complacent which, in my humble opinion, is exactly what's happening. This was my 8th trip. I can honestly say I don't know if there'll be a 9th. I didn't think I would ever feel that way. :(