Does the magic still exist? My story. Hope this okay in this forum

[drakethib]

This may not belong in the podcast forum, but many people still ask if “magic” with Disney still exist, and it seems to be a topic on the podcast every so often, so here is my story and I will try to make it as short as possible but I am not the best in writing. Please move this if this is not an appropriate forum.

About 2 weeks ago, the whole Griswald family (wife, kid, inlaws) went to WDW for a well needed vacation.

The second day we were there we were enjoying a breakfast at Ohannas with the family when my cell phone rung. Caller ID showed a odd number but I answered thinking it may be work related. Wrong.

The local Police department informing me that my house had been robbed. Bad news. Asked the P.D. to hold a second while I went find a quite place to talk. Grabbed the wife let her know what was going on and headed to find a quiet place to talk.

While the wife was in tears the nice guy at the Polynesian (A little magic from Disney) gift shop brought me to storage room so I could talk to the Police. Long story short, got off the phone with the PD and spoke with a friend to watch the house until I could fly home and take care of everything.

The family already had left breakfast and was waiting for me to give more info. I told a very upset and crying wife that I guess vacation was canceled and headed back to SSR to pack. Went to the front desk of the ploynesian and explained what had happened and could they call us a cab. “You will have to go outside and get the bell services to call a cab for you” was the response. Gee Thanks (No Magic from Disney).

Back as SSR now. Family starts packing clothes, I am on the phones with the bank canceling ATM cards, Credit Cards, Stopping payment on checks, etc (the robbers had gone through my desk at home), looking for flights online to try to get home. All of the good stuff.

Friend calls me back on my cell. He will stay and take care of the house for the next couple of days so we don’t have to cancel our vacation and try to make the best of it (God Bless this guy).

Talked to the family, decided we would stay.

Oh crap. Credit cards, ATM, etc have all been cancelled. We have about 30 bucks in cash on us as we usually hit the ATM on an as needed basis. (I know, my fault for not being prepared).

No Problem, my bank can wire us money. Talk to the bank, all they need to know if where to send it.

We go to front desk at SSR, ask to speak to the manager (My wife is better, but still shedding some tears), explained what is going on, that we barely have any cash,and asked if there is a way to wire money to the resort. Not able to wire to the resort he says, but there is a western union offiste that they would get us to (Wow nice guy, going to bring us to Western Union, Disney Magic) then he finishes the sentence,” and the cab ride will only cost you $10 bucks”. Gee, thanks. Makes me so glad I shelled out 25 grand for DVC to have you “help” me out like this. (No Disney magic) Yes, I know, they owe me nothing but I am in a bind, have an upset family, maybe the could have helped me get there with a property vehicle? But again, I know they owe me nothing. (Disney magic does not exist anymore)

Week goes buy, we make the best of the trip, still upset, a little tear here and there from the family, worried, some of our possessions are now gone, and someone has invaded our home, but we are ok.

Last day there. We go to the contemporary just to see maybe if we could get in Mickeys breakfast, we have no ADR’s so we know the chances are slim. Couldn’t get in, we understand. Walk to the concourse Steakhouse and ask if there was a way to check and see if we could get into the Character Breakfast at GF since we were unable to get to Mickeys Breakfast. Lovely people Blake and Mrs. Becky, they call and can’t get us in over ther but offer to seat us in a minute or two at Concourse. (Disney Magic maybe?)

While waiting they ask us how are trip has been. Give them the scoop about the burglary and they are so kind with their words of sympathy to us and asked if they could do anything for us. (Yes old school Disney magic) We tell them thank you but were fine.

We sit down, Wendy (our waitress), wonderful, efficient, everything you could want in a waitress. When we are almost done Wendy tells us that Blake and Mrs. Becky had told them our story about our home and that we had wanted to go eat at Mickeys breakfast. Wendy asked if there was a specifc character that we wanted to see had we made it in. We told her that Donald (one of my daughters favorites) was the only character that my 2 year old had not been able to take a picture with the entire trip. At the end of the meal, Wendy tell us that she has arranged for us to have our daughters picture taken with Donald whenever we are ready. (Tough guy me has a lump in his throat now, Disney Magic is back).

We get escorted by a CM straight to Donald and my little girl was smiling, kissing and hugging him. Everything was going to be alright. (Okay, so I am a wuss, I teared up.)

Sorry for the long story, but I guess what I am trying to say is while the magic may not be everywhere, I still know that at least 3 people at WDW brought a rough trip to a magical ending and made use forget about some bad things for a while.

To Mrs Becky, Blake, and Wendy at the Concourse Steakhouse, God Bless you and thank you for making us believe.

 

[simonkodousek]

I am so sorry to hear about your house being robbed! Hopefully the police can track down the culprits and find your possessions.

I think that Disney magic still exists, but only in special situations. They have become so stingy lately that they won't even pay $10 for a cab ride for a family who shelled out $25,000 to join the DVC, and got their house robbed on top of it.

That was so nice of Wendy to arrange the character meet! Hats off to her!

 

[aGoofyMom]

I knew I shouldn't have read this one at work! I hate to cry at work.

I am glad you found some magic after all that. I hope you and your family are able to regain your sense of security after everything you have been through.

 

[WebmasterPete]

I'm so sorry to hear that your house was robbed. What an awful thing to have happen at any time - let alone when you're on vacation.

You did give me a good idea for a new segment though. Tune into next weeks show (and pick a number!!).

Best wishes to you and your family.

Pete

 

[cyberbox2]

Donald Trump is famous for his line "You're Fired"

Emerald has the line " Bam, Bam"

And soon Pete will forever been known for his line "Pick a number" and as elegant as could be, always knows just the right time to say it! What a guy

 

[UrsulasShadow]

See? Magic is not just restricted to WDW! You're wonderful, Pete!

Hope everything turns out okay for you and your family, drakethib. My thoughts are with you.

 

[Annette_VA]

Oh, no! I am so sorry to hear about the robbery. People suck sometimes.

I teared up a bit just reading about your Donald Duck encounter. Nice to know there are still some decent people in the world!

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

I don't think it is wrong to expect a company to help you out a little bit when you have been placed in a situation like yours even when that situation wasn't caused by Disney. I'm so very pleased that your story ended on a good note and sincerely hope that the police are able to make an arrest. What I love most about your story is that you give credit where credit is due - many people get some of that Disney magic and we never hear about it. It's nice to hear that the magic DOES still exist. Good luck on your number!

 

[3DisneyKids]

Hang in there drake! And do let us know how bad the damage was once you got home.

 

[DVC Kathy]

I'm so sorry to hear about your house being robbed - especially when you were so far from home.

I know how horrible it feels when you're at work and get that call. I can't imagine how much worse it is when you're on vacation.

I'm glad there is still some magic left at Disney, and that you experienced some of it.

Kathy

 

[scarlett873]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear about this...it's always my worst fear too.

I'm glad that you found some magic during your trip! It's hard to come by for some, but when it happens, there is nothing that can take away that feeling from you!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We've had more robberies in our area lately as well. I really do worry about it everytime we leave the house for a few days.

Do the police have any leads as to who might have done it? You almost have to hope it just some kids looking for stuff to sell for quick cash and not some seasoned criminals that were looking for identity info. So sorry this happened and hope the break-in was the end of it.

 

[DVCsince02]

I'm so sorry to hear that your house was robbed. What an awful thing to have happen at any time - let alone when you're on vacation.

You did give me a good idea for a new segment though. Tune into next weeks show (and pick a number!!).

Best wishes to you and your family.

Pete

Pete, you are a kind man. God Bless You.

 

[mickeywatch33]

As all the other Diser's before me, I am so sorry for what you and your family had to go through, especially on your DW vacation. As I was reading through your story, I was hoping for some kind of turning point (disney magic). It may have been something simple, but making your 2 year old smile with Donald must have been priceless!

You and your family are in my prayers and I wish you much happeniess and magic!

 

[crazydisneyman]

Pete, what a great idea. Disney people (not just those who work at Disney) are everywhere in this world, and this shows that you really are doing what you are supposed to be doing. This is your passion, and I think the God has placed you in the right place.

Drakethib, I hope that everything works out for you. I still find that the magic is there, too. I don't know if you are religous, but I will add you to my prayers that God would watch over you and grant you peace.

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

 

[SamIAm21]

drakethib, gosh I'm so sorry to hear about your vacation being spoiled. What a great friend you have at home to help you out with your house!! I'm sorry you didn't get treated very well by some Cast Members at WDW, but glad you did find a few who were able to bring some magic to your not so happy vacation. It would be great if at some point, you could take your post and put it in an email to Guest Relations at WDW. It would really be nice for Wendy, Blake and Mrs. Becky to be recognized for their kindness toward your family.

I know how it feels to be really far away from home when something bad happens. On my first trip to Disney, our kennel called to tell us that our dog, who appeared very healthy when we dropped him off, was suffering some sort of health breakdown. He apparently had leukemia unbeknownst to us and the stress of being kenneled caused it to exascerbate. So, although we didn't have the financial difficulties you did, we know how it is to sort of "trudge" through your vacation. We were due to leave the next day when we got the call, so it was a hard 24 hours knowing our dog was so gravely ill at home.

I hope you didn't lose too much when your house was burglarized and I hope you've been able to get some answers as to who did this to you. I'll be thinking about you and your family.

And Pete, you really are a class act!

Sam

 

[ADP]

drakethib,
I'm so sorry about what happened. I can't even imagine the feeling you and your family must had felt when you found out. All the time, money, planning and anticipation of your Disney vacation then all of a sudden this happens. Your emotions must have been all over the place.

I'm so glad you posted this on the DIS. And yes, you absolutely posted this on the right forum. We have one heck of a support group here with some amazing people. We are here for you or anyone who needs support in a tough time.

Pete - What a kind gesture. You're a great person!

 

[LilGMom]

drakethib, I hope that you can recover some/all of your belongings and hope that you haven't lost that sense of security that you should have in your home.

I'll admit that I totally teared up and had to choke back a lump in my throat when I read about the Donald encounter. So glad that there were some CMs that were able to sprinkle some Pixie dust on you and your family when you really needed it.

 

[Regina]

What terrible news to get at anytime, much less when you're so far from home.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this.

 

[Tonya2426]

I've had my house burglarized and it is a terrible feeling. When I got home I noticed my door wasn't locked and my back door was open. My first thought was that those *%^#*@s (nasty word for thieves) had better not let my beloved dog get out. Thankfully Quincy liked to sleep in the walk-in closet and the *%^#*@s had shut the closet door so he was safe. (Some watch dog, huh?) I had horrific nightmares for weeks. It is definitely a pain in the butt to deal with all the credit cards companies and banks. My insurance company was wonderful but it was still tedious.

A few things I learned from the experience:

1. Have an inventory list of all of your CDs and DVDs. The insurance company wanted a list of each one because they have a replacement service and will send the CDs and DVDs to you and not just give you a check. (Not sure if this an industry practice or just my insurance company.) Trust me, trying to remember over 200 CDs - many of which you bought a VERY long time ago - is very difficult.

2. If you have a backup disk for your computer files, don't leave it in the disk drive because when the *%^#*@s steal your computer your backup disk goes with the computer.

3. Get the jewelry rider on your insurance policy. None of your individual pieces of jewelry may be expensive but collectively all of your jewelry adds up to be quite a lot of money. Luckily costume jewelry is not part of the jewelry exclusion but you wouldn't believe how much it all adds up to.

4. Save the original receipts from your purchases because you have to list the original price you paid for items on the insurance forms. I now save the receipts of at least electronics, jewelry and expensive purses.

5. If the police are fingerprinting near furniture make sure you cover the furniture before they spread the powder around. My favorite upholstered chair still has black marks from where the dust fell on the arm. From what I can gather, the powder is designed to stick to body oils and if you have touched something it will most likely stick to it - especially if it is the arm of your favorite chair.

Hopefully no one will have to experience having their house burglarized. You never really think it could happen to you but if it does maybe you will be a little bit more prepared. And check with your insurance carrier about their policies - I have only ever had one insurance company so others may be very different.