johnO
10-03-2009, 10:08 PM
September 25th, 2009, we woke up late once again and there girls could not find their lanyards. DD had her room key but DDBFF’s was in her lanyard. They both insisted that they had them when they got back to the room but did not remember where they put them. We had to get a new key for DDBFF at the front desk. We headed to Hollywood Studios. The weather was hot but beautiful. The park was crowded as Fantasmic could only be seen that night for the entire week we were there. We also learned that they’d scheduled a second showing of Fantasmic for that day (8pm & 930pm). I believe it was due to the unexpected size of the crowd that day or week.
Once inside the park we headed straight for the TT. DW opted out, citing back pain. DD and DDBFF were willing to go but DD insisted that we not get the front seating this time. We waited approximately 20 min. and we ended up in row one up front. The ride was great for me, nearly lost my hat, but the girls were both crying when it was all over. We headed to RR for fast passes. We headed to Pixar Place for Toy Story Mania. A 70 min wait was posted and ALL fast passes had been distributed already!! I got into line but DW and the girls complained about the wait and decided to head to the Little Mermaid and Narnia. I didn’t care about the wait after all of the talk about this ride on the forums. The wait ended up being only 50 min. I enjoyed the ride but it was not as good as the talk on the forums claims it to be.
We went to GMR and headed to the Friendship Boat that took us to The Boardwalk. We had an ADR for ‘Kouzzina’ by Cat Cora. We bought some fudge next door at the candy shop while we waited to be seated. The décor was beautiful but the staff was not particularly friendly or enthusiastic. Our server was Onsy from Egypt. The food was good however the girls, who are considered adults on the DDP, couldn’t find anything on the menu that they liked so we asked if they could order off of the children’s menu. This apparently did not sit well with our server, possibly because his tip would be lower (IMHO). When the girls’ food arrived their sides were not with the order. I got the filet mignon which was great. DW was disappointed overall with the experience.
It got worse when we received our bill and were told that we only had 3 table service coupons left instead of 6. We insisted that this was wrong but there was nothing we could do until we spoke to guest services. We had to pay out of pocket for one of the meals. We told our server that we’d pay for one of the kids meals out of pocket which he didn’t do, he charged DW’s meal, the most expensive, to our visa. I suspected at this point that someone may very well have gotten a hold of DDBFF’s Key card, which was missing, and used some of our TS coupons. We remained optimistic that it was probably just a mistake and would work it out with Guest services.
We went to the concierge at the Boardwalk for assistance. At that time we learned via a DDP print out that, 20 mins after we left the Crystal Palace the night before, our DDP was charged for 3 TS coupons again by someone at the Crystal Palace!!! It was clear at that time someone had stolen the girls’ lanyards at the Crystal Palace, most likely while we were at the buffet. We were shocked. Talk about tarnishing the ‘Magic’ of WDW.
We went back to Kouzzina and spoke to Amber, the manager, and explained the situation. Amber credited back our Visa, and charged the bill to our room and explained that the problem would have to be resolved at Guest Services at ASMovies.
Due to the time spent dealing with this mess; we were running late for the first showing of Fantasmic. We were informed by the Friendship boat pilot, that we would not make it in time. To add to the stress of the day, DS called and informed us that his flight was running late and that he was going to miss his connecting flight in Atlanta, GA. DW was distraught to say the least. She decided that she could not deal with the lines for Fantasmic and the bus while worrying about DS. We decided to head back to ASMovies.
We went to Guest services at Movies. After an additional 45 min. the issue was resolved by a rude concierge, who didn’t want to listen to our entire problem before he started to work on it. I wouldn’t say we were quite satisfied with the resolution but were preoccupied, dealing with the Airline. DS, 17yoa, would have to sleep in the Atlanta airport if he could not make his flight from ATL to Orlando. The airline, AirTran, said that he was on ‘standby’ for their last flight of the night from Atlanta to Orlando. At the last minute, we learned from Ozzy, an AirTran employee who had given us his cell phone number, that they were putting DS on the plane to Orlando. I picked DS up from KMCO at 1123pm and drove back to movies.
September 26th, 2009. We woke up and ate cereal bars on the way to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. The weather was beautiful but hot. We rode SSE and then decided to eat somewhere. I went and got fast passes for Soarin’. DW decided to eat at ‘Seasons’ in the Land. DS and I went to the ‘Electric Umbrella’. DW was highly displeased with the food at ‘Season’s’ which she described as “Cold, slimy, inedible ‘bleck’” which she threw away. We took in Ellen, TT, MS, The Seas with Nemo & Friends and then Soarin’.
It was time for World Showcase. The atmosphere of the Food & Wine Festival is always great!! DW LOVED all of the food she sampled. DW and the girls went to see AA while I hung out in Germany. I ate at the Cantina in Mexico while the girls rode Maelstrom. We then rode the ride formerly known as ‘El Rio Del Tiempo’ in Mexico which used to be much better. It was nearly time for Illuminations and we grabbed a spot along the rail between Mexico and the gift shop. At that time a torrential downpour ensued. Thankfully I remembered to pack my poncho, the girls were not so lucky. They were drenched and we headed for the exit while a very wet
Illuminations went on without us watching. We took refuge inside MouseGear, where I purchased a faux chrome Mickey head for the rear of DW’s Town & Country Van. We went out and waited a short while for a bus back to AS Movies. DW expressed her desire to skip WDW next year. We packed some of our gear in preparation for check out in the morning.
September 27th, 2009. We packed the rest of our belongings, ate cereal bars, and began our drive to Port Canaveral. After ample toll booths we arrived at the port. Expansion construction in and around the Disney Cruise Line Terminal was underway in preparation for the arrival of the two new ships in the next year or two. The Girls went into the terminal while DS and I handled sorting the bags with the porter. The porter advised us and the people parked behind us that he’d be handling bags from both our parties. I tipped the porter $15 and observed as the other party ‘stiffed’ him. What a shame.
By the time DS and I got back from parking the car, DW called me and told me we were already checked in and they were waiting for us so we could board the ship. We got into the terminal where DW handed me a very sharp looking ‘Castaway Club’ lanyard. We boarded the beautiful Disney Wonder for our four night cruise at about noon and ate at Parrot Cay. It was awesome to be back aboard the Disney Wonder. The décor of this ship is magnificent. Our staterooms were upgraded to Ocean view staterooms from cat 11 GTY. We were assigned staterooms 2026 and 2024. They were clean and very large! The girls shared 2026 and DS and I shared 2024.
We attended the ‘Sail Away Party’ and the ‘Golden Mickey’s’ show at the Walt Disney Theater which was excellent. We went shopping at Treasure Ketch and Mickey’s Mates. We got a men’s DCL leather watch for 10 bucks since we spent more than $20.00 and a DCL throw for $20.00 since we spent more than $40.00. That night we had dinner at The Animators Palate. The food was great. Our servers, Ralph from Jamaica and Willie from South Africa, were outstanding! Ralph looked out for DW, a vegetarian, by bringing different selections for her to try.
Once inside the park we headed straight for the TT. DW opted out, citing back pain. DD and DDBFF were willing to go but DD insisted that we not get the front seating this time. We waited approximately 20 min. and we ended up in row one up front. The ride was great for me, nearly lost my hat, but the girls were both crying when it was all over. We headed to RR for fast passes. We headed to Pixar Place for Toy Story Mania. A 70 min wait was posted and ALL fast passes had been distributed already!! I got into line but DW and the girls complained about the wait and decided to head to the Little Mermaid and Narnia. I didn’t care about the wait after all of the talk about this ride on the forums. The wait ended up being only 50 min. I enjoyed the ride but it was not as good as the talk on the forums claims it to be.
We went to GMR and headed to the Friendship Boat that took us to The Boardwalk. We had an ADR for ‘Kouzzina’ by Cat Cora. We bought some fudge next door at the candy shop while we waited to be seated. The décor was beautiful but the staff was not particularly friendly or enthusiastic. Our server was Onsy from Egypt. The food was good however the girls, who are considered adults on the DDP, couldn’t find anything on the menu that they liked so we asked if they could order off of the children’s menu. This apparently did not sit well with our server, possibly because his tip would be lower (IMHO). When the girls’ food arrived their sides were not with the order. I got the filet mignon which was great. DW was disappointed overall with the experience.
It got worse when we received our bill and were told that we only had 3 table service coupons left instead of 6. We insisted that this was wrong but there was nothing we could do until we spoke to guest services. We had to pay out of pocket for one of the meals. We told our server that we’d pay for one of the kids meals out of pocket which he didn’t do, he charged DW’s meal, the most expensive, to our visa. I suspected at this point that someone may very well have gotten a hold of DDBFF’s Key card, which was missing, and used some of our TS coupons. We remained optimistic that it was probably just a mistake and would work it out with Guest services.
We went to the concierge at the Boardwalk for assistance. At that time we learned via a DDP print out that, 20 mins after we left the Crystal Palace the night before, our DDP was charged for 3 TS coupons again by someone at the Crystal Palace!!! It was clear at that time someone had stolen the girls’ lanyards at the Crystal Palace, most likely while we were at the buffet. We were shocked. Talk about tarnishing the ‘Magic’ of WDW.
We went back to Kouzzina and spoke to Amber, the manager, and explained the situation. Amber credited back our Visa, and charged the bill to our room and explained that the problem would have to be resolved at Guest Services at ASMovies.
Due to the time spent dealing with this mess; we were running late for the first showing of Fantasmic. We were informed by the Friendship boat pilot, that we would not make it in time. To add to the stress of the day, DS called and informed us that his flight was running late and that he was going to miss his connecting flight in Atlanta, GA. DW was distraught to say the least. She decided that she could not deal with the lines for Fantasmic and the bus while worrying about DS. We decided to head back to ASMovies.
We went to Guest services at Movies. After an additional 45 min. the issue was resolved by a rude concierge, who didn’t want to listen to our entire problem before he started to work on it. I wouldn’t say we were quite satisfied with the resolution but were preoccupied, dealing with the Airline. DS, 17yoa, would have to sleep in the Atlanta airport if he could not make his flight from ATL to Orlando. The airline, AirTran, said that he was on ‘standby’ for their last flight of the night from Atlanta to Orlando. At the last minute, we learned from Ozzy, an AirTran employee who had given us his cell phone number, that they were putting DS on the plane to Orlando. I picked DS up from KMCO at 1123pm and drove back to movies.
September 26th, 2009. We woke up and ate cereal bars on the way to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. The weather was beautiful but hot. We rode SSE and then decided to eat somewhere. I went and got fast passes for Soarin’. DW decided to eat at ‘Seasons’ in the Land. DS and I went to the ‘Electric Umbrella’. DW was highly displeased with the food at ‘Season’s’ which she described as “Cold, slimy, inedible ‘bleck’” which she threw away. We took in Ellen, TT, MS, The Seas with Nemo & Friends and then Soarin’.
It was time for World Showcase. The atmosphere of the Food & Wine Festival is always great!! DW LOVED all of the food she sampled. DW and the girls went to see AA while I hung out in Germany. I ate at the Cantina in Mexico while the girls rode Maelstrom. We then rode the ride formerly known as ‘El Rio Del Tiempo’ in Mexico which used to be much better. It was nearly time for Illuminations and we grabbed a spot along the rail between Mexico and the gift shop. At that time a torrential downpour ensued. Thankfully I remembered to pack my poncho, the girls were not so lucky. They were drenched and we headed for the exit while a very wet
Illuminations went on without us watching. We took refuge inside MouseGear, where I purchased a faux chrome Mickey head for the rear of DW’s Town & Country Van. We went out and waited a short while for a bus back to AS Movies. DW expressed her desire to skip WDW next year. We packed some of our gear in preparation for check out in the morning.
September 27th, 2009. We packed the rest of our belongings, ate cereal bars, and began our drive to Port Canaveral. After ample toll booths we arrived at the port. Expansion construction in and around the Disney Cruise Line Terminal was underway in preparation for the arrival of the two new ships in the next year or two. The Girls went into the terminal while DS and I handled sorting the bags with the porter. The porter advised us and the people parked behind us that he’d be handling bags from both our parties. I tipped the porter $15 and observed as the other party ‘stiffed’ him. What a shame.
By the time DS and I got back from parking the car, DW called me and told me we were already checked in and they were waiting for us so we could board the ship. We got into the terminal where DW handed me a very sharp looking ‘Castaway Club’ lanyard. We boarded the beautiful Disney Wonder for our four night cruise at about noon and ate at Parrot Cay. It was awesome to be back aboard the Disney Wonder. The décor of this ship is magnificent. Our staterooms were upgraded to Ocean view staterooms from cat 11 GTY. We were assigned staterooms 2026 and 2024. They were clean and very large! The girls shared 2026 and DS and I shared 2024.
We attended the ‘Sail Away Party’ and the ‘Golden Mickey’s’ show at the Walt Disney Theater which was excellent. We went shopping at Treasure Ketch and Mickey’s Mates. We got a men’s DCL leather watch for 10 bucks since we spent more than $20.00 and a DCL throw for $20.00 since we spent more than $40.00. That night we had dinner at The Animators Palate. The food was great. Our servers, Ralph from Jamaica and Willie from South Africa, were outstanding! Ralph looked out for DW, a vegetarian, by bringing different selections for her to try.