Outdoor Man Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 This has sort of become a annual tradition for our family. Thank goodness we had beautiful weather this year (not snow like last year). We only stayed on property for 3 days… our “big” family Disney trip won’t be for a few years yet. Took the Magical Express from the airport to the Boardwalk Villas… BEAUTIFULLY awesome resort! We have 2 girls, (almost 6 and almost 2). Our oldest couldn’t wait- because “at Disney, everything is REAL.” We went to the Contemporary resort Monday morning for the Chef Mickey Character Breakfast. I wish I could have seen that whole scene through the eyes of our daughters- though I’m pretty certain we enjoyed it as much as they did. Maybe more. Relaxed through the afternoon and swam at the clubhouse pool and ate in our room. Tuesday morning, under slightly cooler conditions, we went to the Magic Kingdom. As a father, I will NEVER forget the sight of my daughter locking in on the castle for the first time. She saw it on TV, but never in person. First ride was “It’s a small world.” Reminded me of the similar ride that Kings Island used to have (miss that ride). Like most of the rides at DW- they don’t change them (ever) and they never get old. Then over to a 15 minute wait at Peter Pan. My daughter said she felt like she was in the movie… but didn’t like flying. When I was her age, the Dumbo ride (kind of a much larger “Snoopy’s Flying Ace” ride) that I really wanted to ride was closed, so Lauren said I could ride it with her. Leah was affixed on the Carousel, which I must say isn’t as nice as Kings Island’s (and that’s about the only place I can say that). From there it was onto to meet Rapunzel and Flinn. BIG line and probably the only time during our stay that a “cast member” got irritating. Went to Toontown to meet and greet with Mickey, Minney, and the ‘fairies’. All which my daughters loved… and we loved watching them. I have to hand it to the ladies that were in the fairy costumes- they meet individually with probably thousands of kids each day and are as enthusiastic and full of original conversation as can be. Time to eat. Ate at Tomorrow Land (Cosmic something…)- Four of us ate for $45- one meal. Our room had a kitchen so we ate most of our meals there in the three-day span. All of our groceries cost us $43. Parade time. I am pretty certain that every person in the park stopped what they were doing to watch…. It was PACKED! No amount of words can say how well this thing goes. Frontier Land for some meeting and greeting with Woody and Jessie- and a bird-pooping incident. Saw one come from no where to “steal” a churro from someone. Boat expedition with a guide with more one-liners than I’ve ever heard. Very funny though. Country Bear Jamboree (zzzzzzzzzzz…..). Pirates Life boat ride- which was darker than I remember- but still good. American President tribute (can’t think of name)- very good; narrated by Morgan Freeman. On to Tomorrow Land for the Monsters Inc improve show… very funny and in “real time” cutting on attendees. Then “mom and dad” left youngins’ with Grandparents to ride Space Mountain. And lastly, the Motor Speedway before fireworks. Magical Day. Did we see/do everything; not even close. To do Magic Kingdom you need at a minimum 2 days… and it wasn’t even close to being full. Day three was supposed to be Downtown Disney / Rain Forest Café and a few other things but my oldest daughter had other plans. While I was closing out our reservations and airline information she proceeded to, out of no where, manifest full symptoms of the flu. Here’s where Disney’s Board Walk impressed me. They converged from all corners to help us- a concierge helped us specifically until we were settled, gave us a “room for the day” at no charge and checked on us constantly. We love staying at the Board Walk anyway – but they insured that next time we come down we’ll be return guests. While my daughter was a 102 degree dead weight we ventured back to the airport for our non-stop flight on Airtran (which was on time) back to the Tundra. Great trip, and not all written here… way too much that no one would care about. When you have kids in the 5-year old range, Disney is WORTH the trip…. For the kids too. It would be interesting to see what would have become of Kings Island had a recession not taken hold in the early 70’s and derailed much of their “resort” plans…. Kings Island was to be the “Disneyland of the Midwest.” It’s termed a theme park, but really a “thrill park”- which is OK- but much of the flavor that takes you out of the place you’re in and situates you into that make-believe area is gone. Rivertown is now really just a name where rides are named after that theme… not much else tells you you’re in a frontier setting. It just would have been interesting to see what it would look like had all of the original plans come to fruition. Next year when my family goes to KI- we’re season pass holders… I will try every time to tell Guest Services when an associate goes out of their way to make our experience extraordinary. You can’t compare the two- Disney mostly has adults working. Kings Island, teens. Good service is something you’re rewarded for at KI- at Disney, it’s in the job description. Disney goes out of their way to make sure that you have a one-of-a-kind experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Disney’s customer service is truly one of the many aspects that places them above and beyond any other company (and not just in the amusement/theme park industry). I have yet to find any other company or business that comes remotely close to the quality of customer service you will receive while on Disney’s property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Disney’s customer service is truly one of the many aspects that places them above and beyond any other company (and not just in the amusement/theme park industry). I have yet to find any other company or business that comes remotely close to the quality of customer service you will receive while on Disney’s property. I agree. It would be interesting to trace their training back to its origins to see how long they have been perfecting this model. Our organization would LOVE to mimic it- but it simply would not happen in a one-year comprehensive training... not two, three, or ten. I was at Downtown Disney (alone) trying to find a Ken doll (NOT FOR ME) and someone who "just earned her 'ears'" was designated as my personal scavenger hunt assistant. People remember customer service. before my daughter got sick I was sort of getting tired of getting nickel and dimed everywhere... Disney does sap every penny they can, don't get me wrong. But when she got sick and everyone went out of their way to be excessively helpful all day Wednesday, my thoughts of complaining got completely WIPED AWAY to thinking of how I could adequately commend each person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Wonderful trip report Elmer Fudd, I am sorry to hear about your daughters flu symptoms on you last day but it sounds like the best possible situation for the circumstances came to fruition for your family. I can tell by the tone in your report that it was a nice get away for your family and that Disney step up in the way only Disney can. I hope you get that long trip to Disney within your few years goal. BoardWalk is a beautiful resort with the best on site resort pool, I hope it was not to cold for you guys to use it. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 we are well under way getting to our goal. we started saving for it a few years ago (don't intend to finance it- and hopefully will be the "money is no object" trip). all things considered it was a great trip. and by the way i really hate the "elmer fudd" moniker. it was the most creative name I could think of in 2005- and I had wished i went with something else.... since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 How was your flight on Airtran? Cause I fly with them from Dayton on Friday to Orlando? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 But when she got sick and everyone went out of their way to be excessively helpful... But on the flip side of the coin...as I mentioned my nephew suddenly got sick while we were at Chef Mickeys. He threw-up in his bowl. Because it did smell, I immediately picked up the bowl and found our waitress to let her know what had happened. I was surprised that she didn't take the bowl from me. She had me follow her into the kitchen and told me to dump in in the garbage...then she took the bowl from me! It did not upset me but it did surprise me that that is how she handled the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 How was your flight on Airtran? Cause I fly with them from Dayton on Friday to Orlando? I normally fly Delta- but they couldn't do an on-time flight it they left the gate an hour early... it would still be late. Airtran was on time and very courteous. never had a problem. fyi- you can upgrade to business class at the check in for cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 But when she got sick and everyone went out of their way to be excessively helpful... But on the flip side of the coin...as I mentioned my nephew suddenly got sick while we were at Chef Mickeys. He threw-up in his bowl. Because it did smell, I immediately picked up the bowl and found our waitress to let her know what had happened. I was surprised that she didn't take the bowl from me. She had me follow her into the kitchen and told me to dump in in the garbage...then she took the bowl from me! It did not upset me but it did surprise me that that is how she handled the situation. that's almost funny. I don't know that my reaction would have been much different. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I normally fly Delta- but they couldn't do an on-time flight it they left the gate an hour early... it would still be late. As a frequent traveler in a past life, this made me chuckle - just remember, you can't spell Delta without late, seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed the quick report. Making me get even more excited for our trip the first week of May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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