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Summary
extremely disappointing
Reviewer's Comments
Our last stay at Port Orleans Riverside was poor to say the least. We are Disney regulars so this was not our first stay at the former Dixie Landings, which used to be beautiful. The stay was so bad that I sent a letter to Disney World executives The letter is not only about Port Orleans but I would like to share the letter with you :
January 31st, 2003
To Whom It May Concern;
Among our family and friends we are know as “Disney Freaks” or “Disney Geeks.” A title we were proud to bare - until our last vacation in December 2002. We LOVE Disney World and make regular trips - usually every two years, we would save for a couple of years to afford the trip. Even though you offer “moderate” priced hotels the cost is still significant for the average person ... but usually worth the two years of saving and anticipating. Not so last December .
Because of our enthusiasm and urging - my brother, sister in-law, nephew, and niece joined us. I cannot tell you how excited I was to show them “The World!” Our flight was delayed two hours (I know - not your fault), when we checked in we were told that even though we made our reservations at Port Orleans Riverside almost a year in advance, we could not have a river view room in Alligator Bayou. The cast member curtly informed us that we still had a water view, a pool. When we made our reservation we asked for a lower level room because I have a bad hip, we asked for a room near the Bowen family - but NOT adjoining rooms. When we got to our rooms they were adjoining, upper level, and our water view, which we paid extra for, was a view of the pool if you looked really hard between the pine trees! So far we have gotten nothing that we requested. Imagine how happy we were when we opened the door to our room and found huge stains on the carpet, stains on the chair pads, peeling wallpaper, and a light in the bathroom so dim I thought I was going blind. I thought Disney had a reputation for accommodating guests with special needs, I guess those stories were untrue. After the not so Disney like treatment when questioning our river view we didn’t return to the front desk to push the issue of the upper level room. During our 5 night 6 day stay, the hot tub was broken until the final day, the big pool on Old Man Island was closed - even on the one 80 degree day we had. So we decided to take the kids to the water park - Blizzard Beach. So we sat and sat and sat at the bus stop, finally another guest asked what bus we were waiting for, we told him Blizzard Beach. He told us that we had to get on the bus to Animal Kingdom to get there, and that the same thing had happened him, he waited and waited until someone told him. No place on the signs, no where in the transportation guide did we find this information!
Blizzard Beach, fun place to be ... if you don’t have to use the changing rooms! I understand that it is a water park, wet and sandy, but the changing rooms were disgusting, with absolutely filthy bathrooms. There were three employees at the front gate with nothing to do, couldn’t one of them drag a mop through the changing rooms? I was afraid to let my niece stand on the floor in her bare feet!
Port Orleans Riverside - or as we know it from out previous stays, Dixie Landings, always had such beautiful grounds, as well as the rest of Disney’s property. It was sad and disappointing to see a broken railing on one of the small bridges, chipped paint on a small bridge, a knocked over sign, and burnt out lights.
Let’s talk transportation - the water taxi’s now limited service, the buses have gotten extremely bad. We had to wait 30 minutes for a bus to Magic Kingdom’s early morning entry. We spoke with other guests who were extremely disappointed with their rooms and service also. There was a family waiting for a bus who missed their special tour because of the slow bus service.
Cut backs at the parks were disappointing also. A broken fountain in the gift shop at Pirates of the Caribbean, no snack stands open until 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm (rather late when you’re doing the early mornings). Food stands closed at 5:00 pm when the park is open until 7:00 pm!
As far as a return trip goes, my brother and his family will probably not visit again. My husband and I are holding onto the hope that things will return to the standards that Disney used to have, still it will be some time before we return.
We have always loved and appreciated Disney’s service and the helpful cast members. The Disney “magic” always brought us back. People I work with used to call me Michigan’s Disney Ambassador. After our last trip I would like to hand the title over to someone else, someone who isn’t familiar with way Disney used to be. The magic, the fun, the way I used to feel that rush of happiness as I stood on Main Street looking in the distance at the castle in the Florida sunshine.
I miss the Disney I used to know and love ...
I did receive a call from someone named "Judy", who left a message on the answering machine saying that someone would be in contact with me about my comments, she left no information for me to contact them back and it's been a month since the call and I have yet to hear from them. It's a shame that guests and customer service is no longer number at Disney World.
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