Just returned from Disney

[ChrisTUK]

I went in April and had a great time, it seemed clean, the rides were all working correctly and the CM's were fine with the exception of some old guy on test track.
It seems that the main problem is with CBR and not the parks.

 

[RPMdfw]

Originally posted by blackride
Bah this will ruin your trip if you read this before hand

Well, I did warn you that I don't read it because I find it derpressing . . .

 

[wdwforus]

Originally posted by figmentmom
We've stayed at the CBR in the past, and always liked it. However, it was true for us, also, that it was a LONG bus ride from the CBR to just about anywhere else.

I didnt think the bus rides themselves were long just the wait. We would get to the bus stop plenty early and then kept looking for the bus we needed. Which ofcourse with a 7 and 5 year old seems like the one we were waiting for took forever. The day we wanted to go to AK we saw 10 MK buses go by, same for MGM except they were for AK. And naturally the 2 days we wanted to go to MK we couldnt get one of those buses within 20 minutes. Sometimes it also seemed that different drivers took different routes to get out of CBR so the timing was off. The one thing my wife noticed and wasnt impressed with was where you got dropped off at MK. The AS resorts got droped off app. 75-100 feet closer than the CBr and we had to walk farther. It didnt really bother me but she thought since we were paying more we should get dropped off closer than those at the AS resorts and I just laughed at that one. So next time we are staying at an AS resort so we can be 75 feet closer!:hammer:

 

[Ames0097]

Re: Re: Just returned from Disney

Originally posted by wdwforus
We didnt have a very good experience last April with the CBR buses either. Did you contact anyone to express your displeasure while you were there?

Acutally my Mom was sitting next to a transportation manager and he apologized but later when we landed we spotted him talking to another Disney person and they were laughing about it and the other guy said I would have told them where to take their complaints. And not in a good way.

 

[Ames0097]

As far as the food court goes, the lines were long which is expected, hard to get extra sauce etc without getting attitude. many things empty often--forks, ice etc. And no cleaning of tables, overflowing garbage cans. Only 2 counters open at a time.

Sorry to those of you who feel that I go to Disney to find things wrong. Sorry for sharing my experience with everyone. Sorry for expressing my feelings. I've been to Disney numourous times and was just stating it has changed and I was disappointed. I will not be staying at the CBR again.

 

[rbishop77]

:veryconfu I am staying at CBR in about 3 weeks and I am slightly deflated after reading this post. This makes me second guess my choice to stay at CBR this time.

 

[Ames0097]

Sorry to make you feel that way. I hope you have a great trip. Barbados and Trindad South are a very far walk. Shoot for one other villages

 

[Dwarful]

I don't think an apology was in order. If I were going to Disney soon, I would want to know what to expect...longer lines due to CM cutbacks, CM's are probably over worked, short staffed etc which tends to make people crabby...they are HUMAN after all, and everyone has an off day (well, ok maybe not Mary Poppins). Still, its better to be prepared and know what to expect, for example it might be faster to eat at the theme park and not eat at the resort if they only have a few lines open. When you are at Disney time is money and no one really wants to spend their time standing in a line at a food court..no matter how great the theme is!
The bus issue is a whole different thing. DId you encounter long waits at the parks trying to get back to the resort or at the resort trying to get to the parks?

 

[stingrock23]

I'm going a week from today on an impromptu trip, and i'm exicted as hell. I haven't been since spring of 2001.

I'm not staying at CBR, but hopefully I won't have any problems. I haven't before, but again, I haven't been since 911.

I'm not sure exactly what changes to expect, but I know I'm going to have a good time regardless. But if there's anything wrong or something i'm disappointed about, I'll let everyone know.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by wdwforus
The day we wanted to go to AK we saw 10 MK buses go by, same for MGM except they were for AK.

I'm sorry, please don't take this the wrong way, but might there be a bit of exaggeration in that statement? There is no way that could happen.

Originally posted by wdwforus
Sometimes it also seemed that different drivers took different routes to get out of CBR so the timing was off.

There are two different start points within CBR. Jamaica, Martinique. During morning hours, a bus is dispatched to Jamaica, and another is simoultaneously dispatched to Martinique. This way, it doubles the coverage in case a bus fills up. Depending on which place your bus started determines where it exits. It is specially coordinated that way, so the timing is not off.

Originally posted by wdwforus
The one thing my wife noticed and wasnt impressed with was where you got dropped off at MK. The AS resorts got droped off app. 75-100 feet closer than the CBr and we had to walk farther.

Um... no.

Before 11am, buses drop off anywhere they can find an empty load zone. Most buses will drop off on the Middle loop, however, a lot of buses will drop off on the South loop as well. The reason for dropping off on the slightly further loop is because that is where you need to go back to get your bus. If we drop you off on the closer bus loop, folks ignore the big huge directional sign, and head back to the wrong loop. After 11am, buses drop off wherever thier next dispatch point is.

So, technically speaking, it's a crap shoot where you get dropped off at. Doesn't matter what resort you're staying at.

For pick up... the All-Star load zones are the three furthest load zones... PAST the CBR load zones. In fact, with the exception of DAK, and Marketplace, the All-Star load zones are always much further away than CBR. In the DAK and Marketplace case, CBR is only a few feet further.

 

[wdwforus]

Originally posted by rbishop77
:veryconfu I am staying at CBR in about 3 weeks and I am slightly deflated after reading this post. This makes me second guess my choice to stay at CBR this time.

I wouldnt get too deflated...when we stayed last year for 4 nights we only ended up grabbing breakfast at CBR 3 times and dinner 1 I think and the food was fine. If you hit the place at the wrong time there are apt to be overflows and questionable service but dont let that ruin your trip... just be lucky your going unlike us poor, stuck at home, working our _ _ ses off slugs praying to go next year....or maybe the year after....

 

[miles1]

Don't get too deflated about the CBR. We stayed there in October 2001 (three weeks after 9/11). The only shortcomings we noticed were the room, which desperately needed refurbishing, and the food court. I believe that the rooms were all renovated last year, so that should be much better. Apparently, the food court is still marginal, but we found alternatives. If you have a car, the Crossroads Mall is a fairly short drive and offers a good variety of sit-down dining for about the same cost, or even less, than the CBR food court. Believe me, sitting down and being served is a big plus after a long, hot day walking in the parks.

Other than that, the CBR is clean, centrally located and has an awsome pool at the Old Port Royale. We just about lived there in the evenings (it was 90 degrees plus every day, even in October). There is also a poolside bar with real good magaritas.

We are still considering staying there again this October.

Did I mention that there is a poolside bar with real good margaritas?

:hammer:

 

[wdwforus]

To Fantasia Boi: Of course it wasnt that bad but when you are waiting with a 7 year old and 5 year old who have never been there before it seems like thats the way it is. I would put money on it though that we saw 5 MK buses go by that morning. When I said the timing was off I meant our timing was off on trying to figure out how long the bus rides lasted. Sometimes we had to ride all the way around, sometimes we didnt. As far as getting dropped off and picked up at MK for example...the CBR slot that was marked by a sign was where we always got dropped off and it was the last slot in the line on the way out of the loop. If its the loop I think you are talking about at MK. You get off looking out at the water and the Contemp is on your left. Mk is over your right shoulder. At pickup in the p.m. it was always at this spot also. The AS resorts were all in a line before the CBR stop. It didnt really matter to me at all but it was funny when my wife started whining about it. I told her she could enjoy it better back in our living room in Maine at 40deg. F. Maybe they have changed things since we went but as far as the drop off and pickup it doesnt really matter. I do feel that the number of buses to each park was not laid out properly when we were there and thus had to spend at least 15 and sometimes well over 20 minutes to get a bus. One morning a woman who worked at the CBR was out there with a radio to get people rides to the different PS for breakfast and even she questioned the absence of buses. I am not trying to be critical...it must be a nightmare trying to coordinate all the transportation there....I wish I was riding a bus or any sort of WDW transportation right now:hammer:

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by wdwforus
As far as getting dropped off and picked up at MK for example...the CBR slot that was marked by a sign was where we always got dropped off and it was the last slot in the line on the way out of the loop. If its the loop I think you are talking about at MK. You get off looking out at the water and the Contemp is on your left. Mk is over your right shoulder. At pickup in the p.m. it was always at this spot also. The AS resorts were all in a line before the CBR stop.

Before CBR closed, the bus stop was located on the middle loop... however, once it reopened, the stop was moved over to the South loop (Closest to the water). The All-Stars have ALWAYS been on the south loop. The only stops that have ever been further than the All-Stars - for a month OKW, AK Lodge, and Coronado were temporarily moved to the end.

Originally posted by wdwforus
I do feel that the number of buses to each park was not laid out properly when we were there and thus had to spend at least 15 and sometimes well over 20 minutes to get a bus. I am not trying to be critical...it must be a nightmare trying to coordinate all the transportation there....I wish I was riding a bus or any sort of WDW transportation right now:hammer:

You would be SURPRISED at all that goes into our transportation system... it's not just shuttling back and forth... there's much more to it. And yes, it is a nightmare to coordinate. I really wish y'all could see what goes into it... our guests would have a greater appreciating for what goes on.

 

[KathyG/poohbear]

I have a friend who just returned from CBR and she was very happy with the hotel and food court except for the food prices. She hadn't been to WDW in many years so she didn't know what to expect.

However, I have been on the other side having had a bad experience at AKL and know what it is like to have everyone disagree or be against you.

I still think if you are depending on WDW transportation, it helps your attitude and travels to stay at a MK resort. I know they aren't cheap but at least you can take the monorail to 2 of the parks and that helps. I quess the Beach & Yacht Club would be good too because you could walk to Epcot and MGM if you had to. I know transportation is complicated but it doesn't help when you feet are so tired and it's so hot.

I also agree that WDW is one of a kind and if you have a bad day there imagine what a day would be like at your local amusement park. We get season passes to ours and everytime I go I just wish I was at Disney. A bad day at Disney is better than a good day at any other park.

 

[PhotoDave219]

When i was at ASM in March, my only complaints about the Busses was the driver thinking he was Mario Andretti (i guess Tony Stewart for you Younger folks) with a huge and slamming on the brakes right before a speed bump.

However.... Since me and my friend were the absolute last guests out of Epcot one night, i give Disney serious props for running a special bus, just for me.

And the food court IMO was excellent. It really beat the food court where i went to school, and was only like a dollar more expensive. I'll definetly take Disney food over Sohodex-Marriott any day of the week.

 

[BitO'PixieDust]

We stayed at CBR last June and had a few minor mishaps also. Our first problem was checking in and the clerk said to us "two adults and a junior"? I said "yes" and her response was "well your son doesn't look like a junior". Now our son was 16 at the time and over 6 feet tall. We realize that he's tall but most people would make a comment on his height rather than question whether we were trying to get away with something. She then went on to tell us how she hated living in FL...lol Imagine anyone not enjoying FL:hammer:

Our room was great, very clean but on the second floor which normally isn't a big deal. Except we brought two huge suitcases to transport everything and the hotel has no elevators. That might be something parents with a lot of luggage traveling with small children might be interested in knowing.

I also agree about the long bus wait. One morning we had to put a call in for a bus to Epcot since we waited almost an hour. And this was to be the first bus of the day.

We were so far from the food court that we only went there once and it seemed ok then.

I'm not trying to cut Disney but just because I do love Disney doesn't mean that we can't make a few constructive observations. We still had a wonderful vacation simply because we were at WDW.

But things have changed from years ago and that's life.