a Fantastical Wooden Coaster-Ride-of-a-trip

journ116 · Jul 15, 2013

*Back at the resort: Since we had 'technically' checked out earlier and then checked back in, maid service had stopped by and left our girls this:

toy set up by journ116, on Flickr

****From here on out, in regards to the remains of the day, is all text*****

My next order of business, besides cleaning off my feet, was to check the fridge and its contents. The only items worth saving were the apple slices and bottled water. I tossed the butter, leftovers, milks, yogurts, and shredded cheese. I called Maintenance and within 5 min., the same CM from earlier showed up. This time, he had a helper with as they were doing 'rounds' at the resort. He decided to bring us a new fridge and completed the swap in 20 min.. I used that time to run down to the little BW gift shop/market to replace our milks and butter. Even after we received a new fridge (I literally mean 'new'), I still had to wait an hour for it to cool down. So, I put all of our cold items in the sink and filled it with ice.

*While the fridge cooled, I decided to do a load of laundry. After dropping off my clothes, I went back to the room to find 2 hungry kiddos. Down I went to the boardwalk to use up some of our 14 remaining QS meals (not including a fresh batch of 8 we received with the new room cards!). While picking up some meals at the Bakery, I decided that there was no way that we could get thru 11 more meals by midnight (after using 3 for us). I proceeded to stand at the register and wait 'to pay' for another guests' meal.

First up, a lady who had never been to WDW and was new to everything. I asked if I could 'take care of her meal,' and she was soooo happy! I then saw that she was also buying a refillable mug, to which I asked her if I could 'take care of her mug, too.'

Lady: "Seriously? You are going to buy all of this for me?"

Me...trying to explain to her the DDP and how I was running out of time and had too many meals left, and instead of letting the meals go to waste (including the brand new set of 4 mugs coming our way with the new room cards), I'd rather brighten someone's evening!

The CM rung up the lady's meal and I swiped my 6/5-10 room card. Then, the CM rung up the mug and I swiped my 6/10-11 card...

CM: "It shows that you have no mugs available."

Me: "That's odd, because I have yet to swipe this card all day." I looked at the room card to make sure I had the right one out and handed it to the CM to try it again.

CM: "Sorry, it's telling me that you have no remaining mugs."

Me to the lady: "Well, I can at least take care of your meal, but the mug is on you."

Lady: "Oh, that's quite all right! Are you sure I can't pay you for this?"

Me: "No thank you. It was my pleasure. Have a great evening."

Lady: "Thank you so much!"

I then left the Bakery with my 3 meals in hand and headed back to the room. I dropped off the food, told my DH that I was going to switch the laundry and then go to Concierge to check our room keys.

*Laundry switched and room card issue #2: I ended up talking with a really kind and patient CM, Michael, at great lengths over this issue, and he told me everything looked good on his end. He then asked me to go over to Sundry's and swipe my card there purchasing a Coke. OK, so off I went. Nope. Didn't work. The CM behind the counter there told me I had no remaining snacks, but had 10 meals remaining. No, that's not right...that info is from my 6/5-10 card, which was in my pocket (I checked 3 times). I walked back over to Michael and he asked me to charge my Coke to my room. Success! He then compensated the charge and said he was very perplexed as to why our 6/10-11 cards were not working.

Michael: "If you go to swipe that room card tonight and it doesn't work, charge whatever items to your room and come back and see me in the morning. I'll be here until 9 a.m. tomorrow."

Me: "Wow, that's a long shift! Thanks and I'll see you tomorrow!" (how unfortunately right I was)

*Checked on the laundry, found it to still be damp, and headed back to the room. Found the girls and DH had eaten their meals and were now craving ice cream. I said I'd take Eliza down with me, in the stroller, back to the boardwalk. I also asked if it was all right if we 'paid for other peoples' meals' and explained our room card dilemma. He was too preoccupied with work at that point (something had not gone entirely correct with his vacation helper). So, leaving Chloe to build her Lego set and DH to talk on the phone, I took Eliza for a ride.

*I decided to go to the Bakery first to find more guests to "buy" food for. I parked the stroller outside, took Eliza by the hand, and went in to fill up my mug I had gotten the day we checked into BWV. Then, I found a family of 4 ordering meals, so I offered to 'take care of it' for them. The mother furrowed her brow as if I was some scammer and took a small step backwards from me. Seriously lady? I almost rescinded my offer, but her husband was intrigued, so I explained my DDP dilemma to him. I then made their children's evening when I said that they could pick ANY dessert from the bakery case! Once his wife realized that I was not some lowly soul, she perked up a bit and took $5 out of her wallet.

Me: "No, it's my pleasure to treat you."

Lady: "Are you sure? I mean, this is all the cash that I have on hand...are you sure you won't take it?"

Me: "No thank you. Please, enjoy the rest of your evening and meals!"

"Thank you's" were expressed by not only the family, but by the CM behind the register, too. I then took my patiently waiting Eliza over to the ice cream shop a couple of doors down. I called Joel to get his order and asked if Chloe wanted anything...she declined. Eliza on the other hand, wanted more ice cream. I placed our orders making sure that they fit in with the DDP as snacks. I swiped my 6/10-11 card: "Sorry, it shows that you have no snacks available. Only 6 meals."

Inside my head: "NOOOO! That isn't right!"

I then tried to charge the ice cream to my room using that card and once again was declined: "I'm sorry, but it's telling me that you're over your limit." (this makes issue #3)

Out loud this time: "I am NOT over my limit." I then paid with cash, collected my receipt and ice cream orders, set Eliza in her stroller and headed back to the room....again.

*Time check: 8 p.m.. Dropped off Eliza and the ice cream and went back to the Front Desk to talk with Michael. The short of it, he was able to refund me my money, manually charged the ice creams as snacks onto the 6/10-11 ressie, put a new credit card onto the reservation (for fear that my card info was stolen...it wasn't), and sent me on my way.

Picked up the still damp laundry (really...it had been drying for 52 min.), and threw it on the floor in the room. Got the girls all ready for bed (showers, pj's, teeth), and headed back down to the boardwalk to use up the rest of our meals. Oh, wait, I put our cold items into the fridge finally.

*Time check: 9:15 p.m.. This time, I stood by the pizza take-out window and informed the CM there that I was waiting to 'pay for someone's pizza' as we had 6 meals left...good enough for 3 whole pizzas, 6 drinks, and 6 desserts! I had no problem finding patrons willing to accept my offer and I was finally able to put our 6/5-10 room cards to rest. But, I wanted to test our newer room card one more time at the bakery. Nope...would not work. I was just too tired and gave up for the night. Michael would see me shining face in the morning.

*By 11 p.m., I hung up our damp clothes around the room, got myself all ready for bed, and hopped on the iPad to cancel our 3:30 p.m. ressie at the Brown Derby for tomorrow, which was a part of the Fantasmic! package. Welp, I couldn't do it online and had to call the Dining #. I was surprised someone picked up at that late hour...the CM informed me that there was a 48 hour cancellation policy and that we would be charged $10 per person on the reservation if I canceled now. I declined to cancel and kept everything as is. There was no way I was about to lose another $40 to food. Besides, I saw that Hollywood n' Vine had an opening later on in the evening...perhaps I will try to change it at our Concierge AFTER I talk with Michael.

*Lights out by 12 a.m....that was a long, long day!

Pooh'sBuddy · Jul 16, 2013

LOVE the t-rex shirt!! I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I saw it.

You're SO sweet to spend your time paying for others' meals.

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

Tues., 6/11: our last full park day

AM
*When I woke up that morning, I felt an overwhelming longing for home. The ups and downs of this trip was proving to be too much for a Disney vacation, and for once in my life, I couldn't wait to leave the bubble of WDW.
Between the lows of the: oppressive wet heat, my cold and blisters, struggling with food options for miss Eliza, nonsensical bickering with my DH, restless nights, and room card trouble....
Coupled with the highs of: joyous grins on our DD's faces when riding their favorite attractions, scoring 2 sets of twin pearls, treating strangers to a meal, and ordering room service...
my emotional ticker was nearing its last 'tock.' Then, guilt started to set in as I was reminded at how lucky I was to be traveling to Disney World.
"Keep it together, Sara. Just one more day."

*I had gotten up much earlier today, because I needed to stop down at the front desk to:
A. Sort out the dilemma with our 6/10-11 room cards, and...
B. Pick up our new room cards because tonight's reservation was on points.

If you've done your math correctly, that's a total of 16 QS meals, 6 snacks, and 8 mugs between the two room cards.

Michael was there and asked me how I fared, and I explained the dilemma to him again. And, once again, he asked me to go over to Sundries and test out both room cards. Welp, the 6/10-11 worked just fine, but the 6/11-12 card was reading 6/10-11's info! Michael compensated me my OJ and Coke, checked to make sure the credit card on file for tonight's reservation was "not over the limit," and instructed me to charge our QS meals and snacks to the room if our card gave us any problems...we would then need to visit the front desk before leaving to get things sorted out.

*Got back to the room and woke everyone up and explained the room card scenario to my DH.

DH: "I tell ya what, if we have any problems with our cards, someone is going to get an earful before we leave this resort."

*AK or EP: With everyone up, dressed, and fed, we once again debated on which park to visit that morning. Should we go to AK because we only spent a total of 3 hours there thus far? However, on a day like today, when the temps would be sky rocketing, would we really want to walk around one of the hottest parks?

Ah, let's just skip Disney transportation and rely on our feet...even if one pair was covered in blisters.

*Arrived at EP shortly after opening, and decided to partake in "2nd breakfast." Down to Sunshine Seasons we went and loaded up on meals. Surprisingly, we burned thru 6 meals alone here! I love that you can make a meal with fruit, pastries, yogurt and a drink!

The crowds were really piling in at this point. DH glanced over at

DSC_1319 by journ116, on Flickr (note that the escalator was out of commission)
...and saw "10 min.," so, off he and Chloe went. Eliza was going to eat, even if it took 1/2 the day! I "people watched" and enjoyed the scenery...

DSC_1317 by journ116, on Flickr
...while Eliza ate and watched "Wreck-it Ralph" on the iPad.

*24 min. later, and DH and Chloe finally got back to us. By this time, Sunshine Seasons was already switching over to lunch (that's how long we were sitting there), so we decided to walk around the park and if any rides had a 10 min. or less wait time (i.e. SSE, Nemo), we'd hop in line. Sorry, not today folks...this was the busiest we've ever seen EP, and it was only 11:30 a.m..

*Shops, countries, and we were ready to bid fare-thee-well to EP. As we exited the park, the girls had to use the restroom, so we stopped right outside of IG and used the facilities there. The girls then took off their shoes and ran around in that big patch of grass by the gates. I then took off my Crocs and walked back to the resort in my 1/2 socks...something is terribly wrong if hot pavement feels better than a pair of plastic/foam-like shoes. My DH walked a ways ahead of me, embarrassed by the simple fact that I did not have my shoes on...but in my defense, I at least had socks on.

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

****This next section is all text****

PM
*We stopped at the General Store on the boardwalk to pick up Mickey ice cream bars and use up the remaining snacks on our 6/10-11 reservation card. No problems there. I then searched high and low for a pair of shoes or slippers, anything that would not rub against my "hot spots." Nada. Not even a pair of yellow Mickey or Minnie shoe slippers (hey, if 'Gloria' could walk around DL in a pair, why not me? ).

*Next order of business: see if I could change our dining reservation for tonight. We were scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. meal at Brown Derby, and although the kid menu looked appetizing, the adult one, not so much for us. If we couldn't change it, ah well! I stopped over at Concierge and gave the kind CM (the same one who took care of my parasol fiasco) our reservation #...nothing. I pulled up my original confirmation e-mail on the iPad and she tried again...nothing.

CM: "It looks like this reservation was canceled."

Me: "Oh brother." I explained to her what transpired the night before and asked if she could check to see if I was charged the cancelation fee....yup, I was. "I didn't want to cancel my dining reservation because I didn't want to be charged the ridiculous fee. Is there any way that I can re-enstate the reservation and get refunded?"

CM: "I will be happy to do that for you. Would you like to keep the same restaurant or would you like me to check the availability at the other participating locations?"

Me: "Could you please check Hollywood n' Vine?"

CM: "Sure, no problem. I have a 6:05 p.m available there. Would you like me to book it?"

Me: "Yes, please."

At 12:54 p.m., the CM refunded me the cancelation fees and was able to rebook our Fantasmic dinner package! Another "up" on our roller coaster-ride-of-a-trip!

*Back to the room, where I started to pack up our belongings. I knew that we'd probably be out late and have to be up early the next day, so I wanted to get as much organized (especially with all the souvenirs) before leaving our room again. At 1:15 p.m., there was a knock on the door: Mousekeeping. I kindly informed our maid that she needn't bother cleaning the room, as it was just cleaned yesterday and we were leaving very early in the morning.

CM: "Would you still like fresh towels and supplies?"

Me: "Sure, why not!" I collected all of our towels, handed her our trash and recyclables, and she restocked our supplies.

CM: "Now, if only all the rooms were this easy!"

*Time check: 2 p.m.. Lunch time...DH went down to the Bakery and pizza window. 30 min. later he was back in the room with quite a story. He was able to use up the remaining meals on our 6/10-11 card (there were only 2 left), but when he went to swipe his 6/11-12 card, NOTHING CAME UP! He couldn't even charge the meals to our room! He paid with cash, collected his receipt, and told me, "not to bother with going down to the front desk...we'll sort it out before we check out, just like Michael told you to do."

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

Pooh'sBuddy said:
LOVE the t-rex shirt!! I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I saw it.

You're SO sweet to spend your time paying for others' meals.

I know, right! I saw an assortment of T-Rex t-shirts throughout DTD and the park, with T-Rex always in the same position: one was T-Rex trying to grab a golden lamp, dreaming of big arms. Hilarious!

And hey, instead of Disney getting the best of our money, why not use up the remaining DDP points...even if it was on total strangers! It was kind of fun being the person spreading pixie dust!

Pooh'sBuddy · Jul 16, 2013

journ116 said:
Tues., 6/11: our last full park day

For the record, I'm still thinking, "Where were we on...?" We were at EP, too (as I look at your pics for us). We saw the escalator not working, too.

journ116 said:
"Keep it together, Sara. Just one more day."

Secondly, I felt the same way, too. Just keep swimming. I look back and wonder about all the little spats and bickering we had/did, but we did have an amazing time.

journ116 said:
*Got back to the room and woke everyone up and explained the room card scenario to my DH.

DH: "I tell ya what, if we have any problems with our cards, someone is going to get an earful before we leave this resort."

To be honest, I don't blame him for getting perturbed, but it seems that you dealt with most of the issues.

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

Pooh'sBuddy said:
For the record, I'm still thinking, "Where were we on...?" We were at EP, too (as I look at your pics for us). We saw the escalator not working, too.

Secondly, I felt the same way, too. Just keep swimming. I look back and wonder about all the little spats and bickering we had/did, but we did have an amazing time.

To be honest, I don't blame him for getting perturbed, but it seems that you dealt with most of the issues.

Too funny that you're scanning my pics...however, I didn't really take many at EP that day

Dory's voice was in my head quite often, "Just keep swimming..."

Aaaand, I did indeed deal with 3/4's of the issues. It gets worse if you can imagine.

Pooh'sBuddy · Jul 16, 2013

journ116 said:
Too funny that you're scanning my pics...however, I didn't really take many at EP that day

Dory's voice was in my head quite often, "Just keep swimming..."

Aaaand, I did indeed deal with 3/4's of the issues. It gets worse if you can imagine.

If memory serves, it rained that afternoon. Just enough to be miserable but not enough to clear the crowds.

Oh, no!

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

*Food, naps, packing complete...off to DHS. By 3 p.m., we were all set to leave our room and head over to DHS. The skies had opened up once again as we entered the park, so we ducked into the shops on the left side. Here I found the Mickey slippers! but...I was no 'Gloria,' so I put them back. Instead, I found a pair of canvas slip-ons, with a Minnie bow encrusted with gems. I handed the CM my 6/11-12 room card to charge the shoes to the room:

"I'm sorry ma'am. But you're over your limit."

Me, near tears from all the frustration of our room card dilemma, only stemming from yesterday, handed over the last $50 in my wallet.

I then reconnected with my DH near the Star Wars merchandise and explained what had just happened. He calmed me down and showed me a shirt that he thought my 17 y.o. sister would like:

darth vadar on dumbo tshirt by journ116, on Flickr

I texted her a picture of the shirt and I could "hear the squeal" in her text as she responded: "LOVE IT!" This time, I pulled out my credit card attached to the room and paid for the shirt and stuffed Ewok. No problems.

Here's pics from my DH's phone:

ToT by journ116, on Flickr

statue sign at DHS by journ116, on Flickr

DHS statue by journ116, on Flickr

*The girls were kinda hungry at this point, so, even though we'd be eating at a buffet in 2 hrs., I stopped in at Starring Rolls for a kids meal and pastry. We still had 8 meals and 4 snacks to get thru on our 6/11-12 card...but, as luck would have it...my room card didn't work!! It read that we had "0" remaining meals and snacks, but 4 mugs were still available. SERIOUSLY!!!

Okay, okay, calm down, Sara. I tried to charge it to the room..."you are over your limit." SERIOUSLY!!!

Here's where tear droplets starting coming.

I handed over my credit card tied to the room: "over the limit." I handed over my bank card: "over the limit." I handed over a gift card: "over the limit." ALL RIGHT, now I know something is wrong, and it's not my card! By this point, the tears started flooding and guests were just staring at me, some even avoided me and moved to the other line. Even the CM's didn't make eye contact. Great...now I feel like an outcast. I shakely handed over $15, collected my receipt, was told to go over to Guest Relations, and left the store sobbing.

I had had enough...

I called my DH, since he took the girls and wandered around the big hat, and asked him to meet me just outside of Starring Rolls.

DH: "Why don't you come over here?"

Me: "I can't."

DH: "Why not?"

Me: "I am too embarrassed to move."

DH and kids arrived and the tears were rolling down my face as the rain fell, expressing my sheer and utter exhaustion.

DH, recalling a Tom Hank's line: "'There's no crying in baseball.' And there's no crying in Disney World. Look at you. You're a mess." (here's where his lack-of-sympathy gene rolled in)

I had to control myself long enough to explain what had happened and give the girls their food. Then, it was off to Guest Relations. Along the way, I started worrying: "How will we be able to pay for our Fantasmic meal? What if our card information was stolen?" As we walked, my DH called his bank...everything was fine with that. Then he called the Visa guys...everything was fine.

*Guest Relations: As I was explaining our situation to the kind CM here, my eyes started to well up again, and my DH didn't help quelling them by telling me to, "Suck it up. You're embarrassing yourself."
The CM pulled up our info, found that we had 8 meals, 4 snacks, and 4 mugs remaining on our 6/11-12 card. We said we knew that already, but why wasn't that info showing up whenever we try to swipe our cards? Here's where it got interesting:
A. She was showing that my DH's room card was deactivated. (fantastic!)
B. We were not over our credit limit by any means (she found this out after calling the resort directly).
C. Explained that we should charge any meals directly to my card and things would be sorted out at the resort.

That was that, and that's all the poor CM could do...besides offer me a box of tissues...sigh...

By now, both my DH and I were furious, and left Guest Relations feeling duped. We couldn't very well leave the park now to go back to the resort to get a manager to take care of us, because we still had things we wanted to do here, and our dining reservation was coming up soon.

*All right, we have to get out of this funk...off to Playhouse Disney to see the revamped show. We got in line and waited about 8 min. until the next show began. Eliza loved it, but Chloe pouted as she didn't get any "gold deblooms" at the end.

*Time check: 5:30 p.m.. Let's check in for our reservation. There were a lot of people outside the restaurant, some with reservations and some without; some who understood English, and some who had difficulties. Even though we were early, we were seated at our table by 5:50 p.m.. The buffet "looked" good, but "tasting" good was a whole other issue. Chloe ate some food, Eliza nibbled, I could only force down one plate, while my DH filled three, plus 2 plates of dessert...he was determined to get his monies worth. At this point, the girls had to use the restroom, so I left my TIW card with DH and off we went. We came back and my DH told me: "Well, that's the most expensive meal of the trip. We can't use the TIW card because our reservation is a part of the Fantasmic dinner package." RATS!

*Bill paid, tip left, time to wander around. Star Tours did not have a long wait time, so DH and Chloe hopped in line and I took Eliza (left the stroller parked outside with the rain cover) into the T. Traders. Here, I bought their cousin (who accompanied us on our last big family trip), his first Star Wars Vinylmation. My DH wanted us to keep it just to see which character was inside (we didn't, and it was Luke Skywalker), then we moseyed on out.

(another photo-op)

girls at DHS by journ116, on Flickr

*We made our way up Sunset Blvd. toward the Fantasmic seating arena. It was only 7:45 p.m. and the CM said that we should come back in 30-45 min. because we were part of the reserved seating...however, if we "felt like sitting for over an hour," we most certainly could. Instead, I tried to persuade Chloe to ride ToT, since there was only a 20 min. wait...no go. So, I hopped in line, while the rest of my little family did who knows what.

I was able to walk right into the first waiting room, where we were packed in like sardines. Spiel, spiel, spiel, then the doors opened to go to the service elevators. Luckily for me, a CM was looking for a "party of 1," so I bypassed the line and headed straight onto the ride...back row, to the left, 1st seat. I was seated next to a CM on his day off, who was thoroughly enjoying himself. His laughter was contagious, so he unknowingly brightened my evening!

*Caught up with my family near RnRc, where I broke out my room card to test it one...final...time...

Me: "2 bottles of water please. I would like to use 2 snacks." Tapped Mickey's head. Entered personal code...

CM: "I'm sorry, it's showing that you have '0' snacks remaining."

Me, uh oh...word vomit commencing in 3...2...1: "I DO TOO HAVE POINTS REMAINING!" Thru a fresh new set of tears, "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. You have done nothing wrong. It's just...just..." (my tears cut me off)

CM, prints out a receipt, which I ask for, thinking he charged the waters to my room: "There is no charge. These waters are on Mickey. I can tell that you're having a rough day."

Me: "Really? I don't mind paying, because I'll be compensated later." *sobbing, sniffling*

CM: "No, really, Mickey can spare 2 bottles of water. Please, try to enjoy the rest of your evening."

Me: "Thank you. Thank you so very much." *sniffle*

*Thru my tears (again), I told my DH what happened and he was stone-cold...this time, it wasn't directed at me, it was telepathically being directed at Disney's IT department. Have you ever heard of someone having this much trouble using their room cards?!

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

*Let's go sit down now. By this point, it was 8:30 p.m. and guests were piling into the stadium. I parked the stroller, threw the rain cover over top, and caught up with my DH and DD's. There was plenty of reserved seating available, so this is where we sat:

DSC_1321 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1322 by journ116, on Flickr
(this sign made me a tad nervous...good thing we had our ponchos, DVC coats, and a Speedo towel)

This time, I brought both iPods and a headset for each DD...kept them occupied until the show started, and the earphones served double-duty as "ear muffs" for the show.

*9 p.m. and our hosts arrived...2 with a microphone, and 1 guy who seemed out of place.They bantered, had the crowd in a sing off, and then finally left us because Mickey had arrived!

DSC_1323 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1325 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1326 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1327 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1330 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1333 by journ116, on Flickr
(the explosion around this scene did our oldest DD in...she was sobbing, while Eliza clutched my arm for dear life)

(Mickey to the rescue)

DSC_1345 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1348 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1351 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1357 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1358 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1361 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1362 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1368 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1369 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1378 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1379 by journ116, on Flickr
(fin!)

*This was our first viewing of Fantasmic....it was awesome! Although the girls hid in our coats, they did peak out from time to time and decided that they, too, liked the show! As we were walking out of the stadium with the masses, the girls spied a cart with Sorcerer Mickey stuff: Eliza got a mini-stuffed animal, and Chloe got a Sorcerer's hat. DH paid with his bank card with no problems.

*The march to BW's front desk ensued...tempers were flaring...

PrincessNelly_NJ · Jul 16, 2013

Okay...
1. your family is soooooooo cute! Apparently everyone on WDWmagic has adorable families!

2. It really sucks that you had to deal with all that drama while on vacation. You're better than me, because I would have been livid!

You spend so much money on Disney and spend time planning and counting down the days just to have a stress filled trip? Errrrr! Im dying to hear the rest of the report though!

What happen at the front desk? Don't leave me hanging!!

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

PrincessNelly_NJ said:
Okay...
1. your family is soooooooo cute! Apparently everyone on WDWmagic has adorable families!
2. It really sucks that you had to deal with all that drama while on vacation. You're better than me, because I would have been livid! You spend so much money on Disney and spend time planning and counting down the days just to have a stress filled trip? Errrrr! Im dying to hear the rest of the report though!

What happen at the front desk? Don't leave me hanging!!

1. Thank you!

2. It did suck having to deal with drama on vacation...that's why we go on vacation, to escape the "at-home" drama.

As for what happened...read on below...

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

****ALL text again*****

*Made record time walking back to the resort and headed straight to the front desk, the WHOLE family!: We told the girls to pick any couch in the lobby and just sit...we were the only ones around. So, my DH and I tagged-team the front desk crew, which were only 2 CM's and 1 manager at Concierge.

Me: "Good evening gentlemen. My name is Sara _____ and we're staying in room 2112 at the villas. I was here several times since yesterday pertaining to the use of our room cards, specifically accessing our DDP. I talked with Michael, who has since left for the day, and he assured me that we would be taken care of. Well, we're not. Now, I know that neither of you personally have anything to do with why our cards are not working properly, but I want answers and resolutions, and I would like them now."

I explained ALL that transpired since yesterday, showing extra concerns that our reservations were "talking to each other" and that our room charges were "over the limit" (even told them that we personally spoke to our banks and found no problems there).

DH chimed in: "Frankly gentleman, we're tired of the hassle and we're leaving tomorrow morning on a very sour note."

Neither CM could figure out what was going on, so they had to call over their on-call manager. In unison, the CM's and I explained to her what was going on...she glanced at me once, typed on her computer and said:

"We don't do this often, if at all, so you're very lucky at that, but we're going to refund your entire DDP for today's reservation."

This kind of settled me, but we were still miffed over the whole situation particularly because I spent at least, and I'm not exaggerating, 3 1/2 hours at the front desk over the course of 27 hours (6 1/2 which were spent 'sleeping'). While the lady refunded my correct account: I hopped on the iPad to check my bank account to make sure all room charges were adding up, and my DH went down to the Bakery to pick up our 4 remaining mugs on our 6/10-11 card, using my room card, because apparently his room card didn't work for that reservation either

!

*By 11:15 p.m., we were in our room and beyond ready for bed, and honestly, we were ready to head home. The DME would be picking us up at 5 a.m. the next morning, so I quickly bathed the girls, brushed their teeth, set them to bed, got myself ready for bed, finished packing, left out essentials, readied our carry-ons, left Maid Service their tip by the toaster, checked in for our flight, paid our luggage fees online, charged all the gizmos, and finally climbed into bed by 1 a.m.

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

Wed., 6/12: departure day

*I have never said this before about ending ANY Disney vacation, but there's a first for everything:

"THANK GOODNESS THAT'S OVER!!!"

*I would be remissed if I didn't write that there were some good times, but the bad ones kept on coming from the left, and then from the right, at the tail end of our vacation. Just when we should be saying, "I don't want to go home yet," we found ourselves figuratively running away from Disney World and welcomed TSA with open arms.

*DME picked us up at 5 a.m. exactly and we made it to our gate by 6:45 a.m. for an 8:10 a.m. flight. We decided against upgrading our seats and agreed to pay for only 2 TV head-sets. The flight boarded on time, with me boarding only moments before the herd, so I could secure Eliza's car seat. We left MCO on schedule and soon found ourselves flying homeward.

*Flight: The way the plane was set up, DH and I each had a child who sat by the window, while we rode the middle seats. Seated next to me was a sweet old woman who was having a "ladies weekend" with her 3 closest friends. They were hilarious to listen to:
While loading the plane, their kind of heavier set companion yells out to one of her friends holding up the line: "Hey, I may be the fat one in the group, but at least I'm not the slowest. Could you move things along granny?"

Her friend chided back, "I have age to blame, what's your excuse?" (Sass-ey!)

Response, "Diabetes and a slow metabolism."

Whoever was on that plane at those moments burst into laughter, including their other 2 friends! All comments they said were in good fun and taken in stride! I ended up sitting next to 'granny,' who was 89 y.o.!! She was so sweet and smelled like home.

However, my DH was seated next to an older gentleman who smelled like an ash tray...even Chloe commented rather loudly, "Dad, is there someone smoking on the plane? Eew!"

Within an hour, my DH, Chloe, and even myself were passed out. Since Eliza had fallen asleep on DME and even up to security, she was wide awake. She kept herself entertained watching Disney Junior on the TV and occassionally woke me up for something to eat and drink.

By the time we landed (10:30 a.m.), we were all up, organized, and ready to get off the plane. Before we got off, 'granny' and her friends commented to me how well Eliza and Chloe traveled...and I would have to agree...they are good airline travelers!

*While my DH and Chloe collected our baggage from the carousel, I took Eliza and our carry-ons on the airport shuttle to pick up our van. This way, we wouldn't have to lug every piece of baggage onto the small shuttle bus.

*After picking up DH, Chloe, and our 3 checked bags (yes, we had to check a 3rd bag that had all of our souvenirs), we decided we all needed some retail therapy to cheer us up! There is a Disney Outlet store located 15 min. from the airport, one we frequent quite often.

*Time check: 12:30 p.m.. Quick stop at Wendy's and Dunkin Donuts and we were on our way home.

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

In conclusion, this particular trip was memorable, but mostly for all the wrong reasons. It was definitely an emotional roller-coaster with plenty of, "You've got to be kidding me"'s...oh, and lots of rain!

We learned that resort system upgrades stink, that we will never travel to FL again in June (also kind of solidified any desire of moving to FL), and that we will always bring the in-laws on vacations lasting 5 or more days.

Personally, I learned that I need to pack sneakers (even if they don't match my outfits), visit the doctor's office before any Disney vacation begins, and that I am a hideous crier (yes, I can admit that).

The girls will tell you that they had a fun time and loved riding Goofy's coaster!

My DH will tell you everything that I said about myself, "is absolutely true!"

We will stick with traveling to WDW between October-April (not counting any holidays or spring breaks), and will approach each new vacation with a wonderous set of eyes!

In fact, I am already knee deep in planning our very first trip to Disneyland! We will be traveling with the same group of people as we did in Oct./Nov. 2012, and we'll be staying in a 2-bedroom at the Grand Californian Villas (no nights on cash...just a continuous reservation!)!

I hope that some of you found this TR entertaining, insightful, and well, worth reading! This has been therapeutic in nature and now resides as a closed chapter in our family album.

Thank you and happy travels!

journ116 · Jul 16, 2013

P.S. I just got our professional photo CD in the mail! Sometime in the near future, I will post my favorite ones!

TheMouseFan · Jul 16, 2013

I'm so sorry you had such a dramatic trip!! Hopefully, your Disneyland one will be much more relaxing! I am so jealous, I want to go to DL so badly! Can't wait to hear all about that trip!

KappleB2 · Jul 16, 2013

What a wonderful TR! Thank you for posting as I truly enjoyed reading it!

It totally stinks about all those card problems, what's the deal?! My worst nightmare right there! I went solo for just two nights in February and they couldn't find my reservation AND the person checking me in was training...so it took what felt like FOREVER at the desk after my 12 hour drive. I can feel some of your pain. we got it all worked out but I will always remember that time it was messed up! Hopefully everything will be fine in November

!

Yay for Disneyland! I went once when I was 5 (we lived in CA at the time) and I can't wait to get back (someday)! Planning is so fun!!

Pooh'sBuddy · Jul 16, 2013

Wow. Just wow! How unbelievably messed up was all that?! I'm so sorry you had so much hassle. Can't wait to see your photo shoot pics.

DiSnEyF@n · Jul 17, 2013

I absolutely loved reading about your trip. I am sorry to hear about all the problems you faced, but I am glad that you can notice that there were, too, very memorable moments that you and your family shared.

On another note, I remember when we last year that by day 6 or 7 of our 8 day trip I was thinking the same thing... That I wanted to go home (even though we didn't have any of the troubles you had)..... Now looking back I wish I didn't wish that and am hoping that on our 2 week trip there next August I won't be thinking that AT ALL!!!! - Especially because I am already obsessed with that upcoming trip.

I suppose I will write a very lengthy TR as well next year... Hopefully it will be as good and detailed as yours was.

Thanks again for sharing your Disney Story!!!!