We went to Disney World in late August of 06 and had a magical, wonderful time. We were not planning on going back in 07 but we received a "code" for discounted resort rates and jumped on it. We were expecting another magical, wonderful trip. Boy, were we surprised! Our trip this year was the total opposite of last. The parks were extremely crowded, very dirty (which shocked us) and the cast members were anything but pleasant as they had been last year.
Our resort was Port Orleans Riverside and we were there for 8 nights. We had 5 people in our room and they constantly left 4 towels, even after calls to housekeeping. The first two nights, the beds weren't even made...the quilt was simply thrown up on the bed. Our sheets were never changed the entire time we were there.
We had cast members respond to our have a nice day with "How can I, I work for a Mouse." Complaints about their wages and in general a sour demeanor. We even had a bus driver with the bus listing where he was going, refuse to take us there. He was sitting in a slot (apparently not the correct one for where we wanted to go) with the lights showing where we wanted to go and when we got on the bus, he said in a rude way that he was getting ready to go on a run and wasn't going where the bus stated. However, he said in a put out way that he would take us. I told my kids to get off the bus...I didn't need more attitude. We came away wondering if there are labor issues going on at the World.
In general what shocked us most were the attitudes of the cast members and the lack of cleanliness in the parks. We have never seen Disney dirty before but it sure was this time.
- How can you blame Disney for the crowds? Sorry it was crowded, but choose a less crowded time of year.
- Was there anything good that happened that you care to mention? The fact that you got a discount wasn't one good thing?
- Dirtiness is a bad thing. But in all the times I've gone, WDW has been as clean as I could ever expect it to be, especially given the wanton disregard for other people many guests show by littering all over the park. The CM's can only wade through the crowds so often with their litter-pickers before it jams crowds even further. Bottom line: heavier crowds means dirtier parks. No amount of trash-cleaning CM's can change that. That is mostly a function of our self-centered society.
- Sheets not being changed during your stay? Sorry, but that is pretty much the industry standard. Most (but not all) hotels (Disney and non-Disney) will change sheets before and after your stay, but I have never once seen sheets changed during my week-long stay at a hotel, and I've been to a lot of hotels.
- Not making the beds up neatly is a bad thing. Not leaving enough towels is bad.
- The bus driver was inexcusable. But that is one driver. Were there not any good drivers that deserve a mention?
- The "I work for the mouse" CM's sound bad, but that is to be expected at minimum wage. Was it more than one CM who said this? Frankly, though, I've seen far, far worse behavior by employees of Six Flags, Universal, King's Island, etc., and on a far broader scale. I've never once personally heard a CM complain about wages. Ever.
- I am sorry all this happened to you. Did anything good happen, besides the discount?