Hey Disney family!
Just thought I’d drop in to share with everyone the amazing act of kindness a fellow guest displayed upon my fiancée and I this weekend. Spending the weekend in the World was a pleasure as always! We arrived Friday night to experience Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, and boy, was it EVER a HORROR! Insane lines, loud, rude, profane drunks at every turn, foul, demanding, and downright RUDE employees, and worst of all, cheesy, cheap, over-hyped “haunted house” attractions that boast no superior quality to any haunted house event you can find at your local fairground. I will confess, I am a Disney snob, and I look down at Universal Studios as the second-rate wannabe theme park to the almighty Mouse, but I gave into the hype, fully expecting some mind-blowing “scary” experiences that solidified Universal as the reigning champion of world renowned Halloween events. I was wrong, but I won’t drag on with a detailed scathing review of this poorly aging, practically guest oblivious, less-than-par theme park or its over hyped, overpriced, mass chaos of an event. Going back to our proper “home” (WDW of course) we enjoyed just hopping about, taking in our favorite sights, smells and sounds. We were just at the World in September, acting as tour guides to my parents who have not visited the resort in seven years, so this trip was our “break” so to speak. Having dined in many restaurants around the World, we have yet so have an official sit down at the ever-welcoming Garden Grill, appropriately themed into The Land Pavilion. Our reservations were for 8pm, so we caught just the tail end of the character dining experience. Having joined Mickey and pals for several other character based dining events around the resort, we were satisfied with the relatively short times spent with each character. Taking in the atmosphere, we eagerly hunted the much discussed side profile hidden Mickey that dons the giant green-life mural on the left-side of the restaurant, snapped some wonderful, candid pictures of Mickey quietly and solely overlooking the observable scene of the Living with the Land tour, and hungrily devouring the constant slew of buffet-style platters that continually tempted our senses. Completing out meal promptly at 9pm, we found ourselves the very last guests still lingering within the rotating restaurant. As we scoped the scene for our busy, yet extremely attentive and friendly server, the Garden Grill Manager AND Assistant Manager approached our table, eager to deliver some exciting news. In an unprecedented act of kindness ever witnessed by either manager, we were informed that our entire meal had been paid for, gratuity included, by a generous guest who wished to remain anonymous. Shocked and amazed, we could not believe the nearly $80 bill was completely covered by an unseen stranger. It turns out the kind-hearted guest was leaving the World the following morning, and had some extra funds available on his dining plan, and instructed the managers to cover the bill of the last remaining patrons. From what we learned from the managers, there was quite a bit of money left on the plan (I am not familiar with the exact details of the dining plan since I am only three hours from WDW and never stay longer than 3-4 days per visit, but I assume leftover point or funds are either refunded or simply expire into oblivion once the allotted days are up), and our relatively small 2-person bill only dented the overall “dining bounty”. I cannot be certain what happened to the remainder of the funds, but I can truly say this unexpected, generous, and selfless act was well appreciated to two very grateful Disney fans and guests. Being a young couple just stepping out into the world of endless bills and responsibility, our frequent Disney getaways certainly wipe us clean of spending money, so this simple act was certainly received with grateful and humble arms. May this kind soul be blessed in return! Thanks for taking the time to share in my recounting of this Year of a Million Dreams prize awarded by a truly magical guest!
Just thought I’d drop in to share with everyone the amazing act of kindness a fellow guest displayed upon my fiancée and I this weekend. Spending the weekend in the World was a pleasure as always! We arrived Friday night to experience Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, and boy, was it EVER a HORROR! Insane lines, loud, rude, profane drunks at every turn, foul, demanding, and downright RUDE employees, and worst of all, cheesy, cheap, over-hyped “haunted house” attractions that boast no superior quality to any haunted house event you can find at your local fairground. I will confess, I am a Disney snob, and I look down at Universal Studios as the second-rate wannabe theme park to the almighty Mouse, but I gave into the hype, fully expecting some mind-blowing “scary” experiences that solidified Universal as the reigning champion of world renowned Halloween events. I was wrong, but I won’t drag on with a detailed scathing review of this poorly aging, practically guest oblivious, less-than-par theme park or its over hyped, overpriced, mass chaos of an event. Going back to our proper “home” (WDW of course) we enjoyed just hopping about, taking in our favorite sights, smells and sounds. We were just at the World in September, acting as tour guides to my parents who have not visited the resort in seven years, so this trip was our “break” so to speak. Having dined in many restaurants around the World, we have yet so have an official sit down at the ever-welcoming Garden Grill, appropriately themed into The Land Pavilion. Our reservations were for 8pm, so we caught just the tail end of the character dining experience. Having joined Mickey and pals for several other character based dining events around the resort, we were satisfied with the relatively short times spent with each character. Taking in the atmosphere, we eagerly hunted the much discussed side profile hidden Mickey that dons the giant green-life mural on the left-side of the restaurant, snapped some wonderful, candid pictures of Mickey quietly and solely overlooking the observable scene of the Living with the Land tour, and hungrily devouring the constant slew of buffet-style platters that continually tempted our senses. Completing out meal promptly at 9pm, we found ourselves the very last guests still lingering within the rotating restaurant. As we scoped the scene for our busy, yet extremely attentive and friendly server, the Garden Grill Manager AND Assistant Manager approached our table, eager to deliver some exciting news. In an unprecedented act of kindness ever witnessed by either manager, we were informed that our entire meal had been paid for, gratuity included, by a generous guest who wished to remain anonymous. Shocked and amazed, we could not believe the nearly $80 bill was completely covered by an unseen stranger. It turns out the kind-hearted guest was leaving the World the following morning, and had some extra funds available on his dining plan, and instructed the managers to cover the bill of the last remaining patrons. From what we learned from the managers, there was quite a bit of money left on the plan (I am not familiar with the exact details of the dining plan since I am only three hours from WDW and never stay longer than 3-4 days per visit, but I assume leftover point or funds are either refunded or simply expire into oblivion once the allotted days are up), and our relatively small 2-person bill only dented the overall “dining bounty”. I cannot be certain what happened to the remainder of the funds, but I can truly say this unexpected, generous, and selfless act was well appreciated to two very grateful Disney fans and guests. Being a young couple just stepping out into the world of endless bills and responsibility, our frequent Disney getaways certainly wipe us clean of spending money, so this simple act was certainly received with grateful and humble arms. May this kind soul be blessed in return! Thanks for taking the time to share in my recounting of this Year of a Million Dreams prize awarded by a truly magical guest!
