Just returned from 10 night stay. Random thoughts...

[wendow]

Yep... Was taking my daughter to a pool once and had her in her swimmie... on the elevator I felt something wet on my hip. We were both covered in it.
Doesn't always hold poop too well either.

Exactly. I have been peed on more times than I can count through a swim dipe.

 

[BookGirl305]

q

 

[Nancyg56]

I also think going in expecting that they will adjust the food for you, and expecting a big deal to be made over your child, sets things up to be disappointing. Yes, a server should have a good personality and smile and be nice. The lack of those things are a problem. But assuming you are going to get the menu adjusted to your liking is a mistake. It is too bad the meal was such a disappointment.

I'm sorry your server was rude, no excuses for that. However, I agree that if your set expectations that menus will be adjusted or that your children will be fussed over, you already have set your experience up for disappointment. I think folks already have high expectations for a castle meal, when in fact it is basically a character meal in a pretty restaurant, so if you inflate that, well... It's going to fall flat.

Op- you can't go back and change your experiences, but you can avoid that kind of thing moving forward. When you have character meals make sure you go in with your camera ready. If you are rushed or you miss a character for whatever reason, tell the server. Know that cost of these meals is not equal to the foid quality, you pay for the characters, and remember that most servers try very hard to give your family an experience that is magical, but there are times when they cannot control the chaos Aron's them. It looks like you got stuck in that kind of circle. I avoid breakfast in the MK because it seems they are pushed to move families in and out. The servers cannot hide that sense of urgency, I think. I prefer dinner or the resorts for character meals, although I must say that Akershus in Epcot has never let us down.

 

[rileyz]

Sorry but swim diapers shouldn't be allowed in any public pool. When my daughter was in them and we vacationed we did other water activities. It's gross and selfish IMO. We did Crystal Palace in February and Tigger never came to us, we ended up mentioning it to the host as we were leaving and they had us wait a few minutes and then brought us to him.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I always love reading the just returned posts so I thought I would write some random thoughts.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I understand that many people will not agree with what I write and what I think.

We stayed 10 nights at AKL and had a wonderful time with our family. I traveled with my DH, DS (4) and my parents. Here are some random thoughts and observations from our time there...

*AKL was beautiful, as always. We had a partial savanna view and really enjoyed seeing the animals.

*The bus situation at AKL was slightly better than last year. The busses did come on a more consistent basis (every 20 min. or so) compared to last year EXCEPT in the mornings that we went to MK. We ended up taking a taxi several times.

*It wasn't as busy as last year for the majority of our time there. That made for a wonderful, easy time walking through the parks.

*We used online check in but I felt that we "lost" something with it. In the past, my son received a safari hat, binoculars and stickers when we first arrived and checked in. This year he wasn't offered anything. I know it isn't much but we were really looking forward to those items.

*Cinderella's Royal Table was a HUGE disappointment. Going in we knew that our son would not be interested in the princesses but he really wanted to look inside the castle so we booked for breakfast anyways. I felt that the food was terrible and the waitress was unable (unwilling?) to adjust the kids menu to something my son would eat. Yes, I did look on the menu ahead of time, I just assumed we could make some changes. Our waitress was absolutely awful. She was openly hostile and made the experience the worst dining experience we have ever had. I *thought* that I had read that boys were given a sword and that the servers make a big deal about it when they are given the sword and I was really looking forward to that. Unfortunately, our waitress handed the sword to my husband as she was passing our table on her way to deliver drinks to another table. She never even made eye contact with my son and never even made a comment about it. At the end of the meal she asked us if we were on the dining plan and if we were in one room. I answered that we were on the plan in two different rooms. I then said it is the 3 of us (pointing to my husband and son) and my parents in the other room. She just stood there and stared at me to the point that I became extremely uncomfortable. Yes, I guess she would have been able to figure that out when I said 2 separate rooms, but I never gave her a reason to be so hostile. I was a server for 4 years through college and make it a point to be nice to the people that wait on us. I am still considering contacting guest services about it.

*EPCOT was, let's just say, quite surprising. On June 23rd we had a fast pass for Frozen at 1:10 p.m. We entered World Showcase around 11 a.m. and started on the left with Mexico. We went through all of the countries up to and including the American Adventure before our fast pass time arrived. We braved the heat (102 with the heat index) and went back to Norway. As soon as we arrived the Frozen ride shut down due to a problem. We were told that we could come back at any time during the rest of the day. So... back around World Showcase we went to our lunch reservation in Italy. (Thankfully, they were able to take us 1/2 hour early.) We finished World Showcase and made our way back to Norway around 4 pm. After about a 1/2 hour wait in the fast pass it was finally our turn. We got on the boat, rode to the boat to the first scene, and the ride broke down. After about 15 minutes we were helped off the boat and walked out of the ride. We were unable to just wait for the ride to be fixed even though the people in the boat right behind us were allowed to wait because they were still in line at the boat. We were told we would have to leave and come back at another time... While I understand the need to keep everyone organized I don't understand why we had to leave Norway and were not even permitted back into line to wait. (We never did get to experience the ride because we only had one day left at WDW and we didn't want to go to EPCOT if the ride was broken. It was broken down 2 additional times the following day according to my Disney app.)

After leaving Frozen we walked over to test track to use our DAS pass there. As soon as we arrived we noticed that the ride was not working. (The cars weren't zooming around every 20 seconds or so.) We waited in line for about 10-15 minutes before we finally gave up. As we were leaving another guest told us that this was the second time that she knew of that the ride was broken down that day. I looked on my Disney app and saw that Frozen, Test Track and the Gran Fiesta Tour were all closed due to problems.

*Soarin' Over the World was definitely different than the first ride. There were times when items seemed to "jump out" at you or other items seemed to almost hit you. There were many guests that were screaming on the ride as these items "popped up". The whole experience (probably because of the screaming) terrified my 4 year old son who loved the original Soarin' as a 3 year old. If you have a child who is a little nervous I would NOT let them on the new Soarin'.

*We had great meals at both Yak and Yeti and England.

*Most servers were great and we enjoyed talking to them and learning where they were from.

*We ate at the Crystal Palace for the first time this trip. When we arrived at our table the characters were just finishing up that area and started to greet our son before any of us even had the chance to sit down. We didn't have our cameras ready as we hadn't even pulled our chairs out yet. We go to at least 3-4 character meals per year and we have never felt so rushed. We had to stand as the characters posed with my son because we didn't want to miss any opportunities. Well, the hostess had sat our party of six a table for 4 and brought over additional chairs. We could barely fit at the table without food so we requested a table change from our server and he moved us to a bigger table. During this process we watch Eeyore skip our table and he was the one character my son wanted to see. He never made it back to us in the 75 minutes we were there. I'm unsure if our experience was "normal" but I don't think I will ever eat here again.

*Each night we noticed several families taking their toddlers into the pool with regular diapers on instead of swim diapers. While some may think that this is no big deal, they are very wrong. Our pool closed several times during our trip due to having feces in the pool. Please follow the rules and put your children in swim diapers. Yes, I understand how much these parents are paying for their vacation. We are all paying the same amount and wanting a pool free of urine and feces should be expected.

Overall we had an amazing trip! The only true disappointments were the meals at CRT and Crystal Palace. If you have a trip planned I know that you will have a great time!!

Happy planning!!

I think we had your servers cousin at CRT. Not so rude, but not personable. Especially for someone who serves children. We have eaten there 3 times but will skip next visit.
Epcot: neither Soarin nor Frozen were running when we were there but we did get stuck on Figment for over 30 minutes. We wished they had walked us off the ride instead of us having to sit there and entertain 2 toddlers. The worst part was where we almost made it out but it broke down in the darkened room. (It broke down 4 times during the ride). Definitely did not get anything out of the ride experience.
We ate at the Garden Grill and the waitress came by towards the end and asked if there were any characters we had not seen yet, and sent him around before we finished. I have always felt rushed at CP, and I find it a little chaotic. If you have not tried it yet, I highly recommend GRden Grill. Tusker house was also a good experience.
Both of my DGDs had swim lessons. The youngest one wore a cover up over her swim diaper that holds very well. They would not let her swim without it. It is similar to the old training pants and they have attractive designs. I highly recommend them to all parents of children not yet potty trained. No "pooh" accidents in the pool. Ironically, she always got out for #1, but we have a pool and we are always asking them if they have to go so they have learned to get out. The consequence of not taking the time to go is the swim session is over. However, as much as sometimes we wish we could (lol) we cant parent other people's children.
Those are only the negatives in response to your post, but, like you, we had a great trip! A lot of great CM interaction and the girls had a blast; that's what really matters to us.

 

[erij11]

OP, I had a similar experience at Crystal Palace in 2014. It was our very first trip and I booked a pre-opening ADR for 8am because I had read all over the boards about how it is a must do. Well, our server wasn't very friendly and seated my party of 5 at a very small round table near the front of the restaurant. We kept the table although it was extremely tight. My son wanted to meet Tigger and Tigger just kept passing our table. It almost seemed deliberate. There were other things that happened but I just wanted to say I understand. Crystal Palace is a one and done for us. I don't see myself booking there again. Tusker House is our must do!

 

[Mitzicat]

I think we had your servers cousin at CRT. Not so rude, but not personable. Especially for someone who serves children. We have eaten there 3 times but will skip next visit.

I think I had this server as well. Three years ago for my 39th bday my cousin and I went to Disney for a quick trip. We had a breakfast reservation at CRT and you would have thought we were serial killers or something. They put us in this back corner (I wasn't expecting a window table) with no-one else around us. After about 10 mins someone finally came over and took our order. Other families started filing in at this point and I stopped feeling like a leper colony. But I noticed that our server was making a huge fuss over the other families not just those with kids but other adult couples. My cousin noticed this as well. I really wanted a wishing star and when I asked our server for one (stating that it was bday and I would really like one) she brought one back and basically flung it on the table (kind of like the servers at Whispering canyon fling a handful of straws on the table, there it's funny at CRT it was shocking). The meal was good but small. Left a small tip and basically got out of there. We talked about it all day and ended up making up stories about why she didn't like us. It was the oddest experience in my life.

 

[DisneyFive]

Wow, sound like rotten timing for both Crystal Palace and FEA!

Also, I don't think the OP is being unreasonable whatsoever. The situation at CRT was totally screwed up! The server just hands the sword to the Dad? Weird. No adjustment to a menu for the kid? Again, also weird. Doesn't sound like the server even made an attempt.

At Crystal Palace I probably would have told the CM that we weren't ready to see the characters yet and ask if they could please come back later once we were seated. But when you are in the moment, and with everything happening, that's not always the easiest thing to do.

Glad you had an awesome trip overall OP!

Dan

 

[GPC0321]

I've been paranoid about babies/toddlers in pools since I was a kid. We were staying at a hotel (I think we were moving?) and my sister and I went to the indoor pool. A couple with a baby left kind of quickly as we went in, but we didn't really think anything of it. So we got in the pool.... and then I stepped in something soft....
Yeah, almost 20 years later and that's a pretty clear memory.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! *runs away*

 

[BarbieGal457]

I don't know if I think it's weird that there was no adjustment made to the menu for the child, because if I remember right, it's a set menu and unless it's a true dietary requirement (like my severe stomach disorder) it might not be easy to change up the menu based on preferences. However, based on the descriptions of the servers attitude, maybe it really would've been possible to make the adjustments OP wanted but the server just didn't care enough to try to help, which is really unfortunate and frustrating. I am so sorry you had that experience OP - we had a similar one on the first and only time we did CRT as well. For us it wasn't as much the server but the princesses who all but ignored our group of six, save for the wonderful visit by Jasmine. My friend was so so so excited to meet her and actually cried when she came over and Jasmine spent tons of time with us! That friend even named her dog after her and when she told Jasmine she made a very big deal of it! It was fun to eat inside the restaurant and the time spent with Jasmine was awesome, but we haven't been back since and I'm not sure we ever will. For my dietary restrictions, it's a very very expensive breakfast of next to nothing for me haha!

We also had a similar experience to those PPs discussing Crystal Palace, another one we haven't been back to in quite some time.

I am really happy to hear of your resort experience! I've been wanting to stay there but have yet to, but I just hear so many good things about it. I am a total animal lover and think it would be a fantastic experience.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've been to CRT several times and they've never made a fuss over the sword or wand. They just hand them out and usually quickly. There's too many kids to make a fuss for each one they hand out.

I've had a rushed experience at an early dinner ADR at CP.

 

[Mikie]

Glad to hear your trip was good overall!

As a few have mentioned, for future reference at a character meal you can let your server or a handler know that you're nearly ready to leave and a certain character hasn't gotten to you yet. They won't drag them over instantaneously, but they'll make sure you get a visit.

CRT sure does seem to have its share of less than stellar servers! Perhaps they stick out in our minds more than other restaurants because of the exhorbitant prices and expectations about the iconic castle. I've eaten there every trip because it has always been a "first" or a must-do fir someone in my group - I always kind of hold my breath and cross my fingers! Luckily, we've had servers so DO make a little bit of an presentation out of delivering the swords and wands (not anything amazing, but at least eye contact and calling the girls princess and presenting it with a little flourish). But I've also had the middle-aged/older gentleman who makes no conversation, tosses your wishing stars, borders on rude. . . Disappointing!

 

[Davey Jones II]

Always complain about rude behavior at WDW. It's amazing how often people encounter this kind of behavior at the table service restaurants. Most of them are outrageously overpriced, so I would never put up with surly service.

 

[niffer5150]

l.... and then I stepped in something soft....
Yeah, almost 20 years later and that's a pretty clear memory.

this is why i can't drag my family back to typhoon lagoon. the teen stepped in "it" on a pathway and now she turns green anytime someone mentions a waterpark.

 

[ajwolfe]

I'm sorry you didn't have the experiences you wanted to on your trip. We noticed more ride closures than ever before on our May trip and it was frustrating to be in line for something or heading towards something and then it shut down.
As far as CRT, we had an awesome meal there - maybe one of the favorites of this trip and we have 2 boys. They did get their swords handed to them and there was make a wish ceremony later that the swords were used for but it there was no super big deal made about the swords initially.

 

[SwanVT2]

I have been to Epcot many times. Every time I have been there Test Track is down. I've stopped putting it on my itinerary because I can't trust it will be working. Thanks for the feedback on Crystal Palace. We were considering booking there but hearing about being rushed definitely sealed the deal for me not wanting to dine there.

I am so grossed out by your pool experience. That is just awful.

Good for you to give Disney feedback about a poor serving experience. For the price you pay at CRT they should be bending over backwards to please the guests!

 

[TexasTSL]

I think we had the same waitress at CRT a couple of years ago. We haven't gone back since because of it. She was extremely rude. At one point I asked her if there was any other fruit besides grapes for the kids as an appetizer, and she said in a very rude and hostile manner, Do you see anything else on the menu? I said no, and she said in the same rude and hostile manner, Then there is your answer. I was just asking, not expecting. I completely understood that there were only grapes available, but her answer and attitude was uncalled for. She continued to treat us very rudely throughout the whole meal.

We never made a big deal out of it. We just ignored her behavior because we wanted our son to have a good time. It sure did dampen the experience for us, though. It's just no fun to be around such an unpleasant person at any time, much less at a place like Cinderella's Castle at Disney World!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Doesn't it suck how a majority of our vacation could be awesome but it's ONE or TWO things that really make you think about it...so sad. The rides they can't do nothing about, things break - however, you are getting paid to serve people food with a polite attitude...

I would have reported her ON THE SPOT.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have been to Epcot many times. Every time I have been there Test Track is down. I've stopped putting it on my itinerary because I can't trust it will be working. Thanks for the feedback on Crystal Palace. We were considering booking there but hearing about being rushed definitely sealed the deal for me not wanting to dine there.

I am so grossed out by your pool experience. That is just awful.

Good for you to give Disney feedback about a poor serving experience. For the price you pay at CRT they should be bending over backwards to please the guests!

Fwiw, I have had many meals at The Crystal Palace and have never felt rushed. The characters do move in a set pattern, so it can be difficult to see them all in a timely manner.

As far as any restaurant bending over backwards to please a guest, if something is not on the menu, it is not on the menu. If the kitchen doesn't at least have the ingredients to make something, there is no way for them to whip it up. They are usually great at leaving off sauces, taking out vegetables. But if someone tries to order plain pasta, for example, and they don't have any pasta dishes on the menu, there is no way to make them plain pasta. I have no idea what the OP wanted adjusted, but sometimes adjustments are impossible.

*The on-line menu lists the kids breakfast as "scrambled eggs, french toast, and sausage". When the menu is fixed like that, it makes changes even more difficult.

 

[jlhill4444]

I wonder if the rude service at CRT is because the tip is prepaid? If I recall it is included in the price of the meal that is prepaid. Servers the already get tipped have little to work for.☺