Originally Posted By RoadTrip Well, maybe that isn't an accurate description. Maybe it is more what we Twins Fans called "playing small-ball right" back when they were winning their division every year. Doing all the little things right. We've completed our first full day at WDW and I have been more than satisfied. THE RESORT We are staying at the All Star Music. I used all my DVC points this year with the Disney Cruise Line. Besides paying for our Deluxe Outside Stateroom with Veranda we decided to invite Ann's sister and her husband along, and paid for a Standard Inside Stateroom for them with points, leaving nothing for a WDW hotel. So we went cheap. But I have been very pleasantly surprised by the ASM compared to the last time I stayed here. The rooms have been recently renovated and are much less garish than before. They are still quite small... not much larger than a DCL standard inside stateroom. But they seem much more spacious. Perhaps Disney's experience with DCL has taught them how to maximize use of space. The furniture has been upgraded, there is more drawer-space than in the past, and the table area seems more spacious. They have also added a mini-fridge which used to be an added charge and installed a privacy curtain which can be used to close off the vanity area from the sleeping area. The dreaded soap and shampoo dispensers in the tub/showers are gone and you once again have individual bars of soap and bottles of shampoo. Nothing huge, but just a number of small things done right... things that make you think they actually listened to the desires of their guests. THE PARK We visited the MK today and had a very enjoyable experience. Outside of the rather tired-looking Carousel of Progress, everything we saw seemed to be well maintained and looking fresh. Most impressive was the fact that the MK stayed open until 10 PM on a week-night in early October... a slow period. This made for a day of easy touring... many attractions were walk-ons, most had a wait not exceeding 10 minutes. Our longest wait of the day was 30 minutes at Peter Pan, and that was during a period when Pooh was down so I'm sure many people who would have otherwise been at Pooh were now in line at Peter Pan. My favorite bay at Cosmic Ray's was also open, which many times is not during slow periods... the soup and sandwich bay. Often during slow periods they shut that down just leaving the hamburger and chicken bays open. Since I feel Cosmic Ray's soup and sandwich section offers the best quick-service in the park, I was very happy to find it open. It wasn't very busy. There was exactly NO ONE in line ahead of us. But I was very pleased to find it open. Overall, I was very pleased with our day at the MK and felt that they were really making efforts to improve the guest experience. Again nothing huge, just a number of small things done right. THE RESTAURANT OK... this probably DID qualify as a home-run! We had plans to meet my niece and her boyfriend (who live in Orlando) at 'Ohana for dinner. She has a gluten allergy, and asked the server which of their offerings were gluten-free. He said probably just the salad, the steak and the shrimp. That didn't help my niece much since she also has an allergy to shellfish. The server said he would send the head chef over and that he was sure he could do something for her. He arrived at the table within minutes and took detailed notes on what she could not eat. He assured her that in addition to the standard items that she could eat, he would prepare a full meal for her that would be safe for her. He TOTALLY came through. She had a full meal that she found absolutely delicious, including delicious gluten-free biscuits (most gluten-free bread tastes like cardboard) and a marvelous flour-free chocolate cake for desert. My niece was so impressed with it that she had to share it with us, and it was WONDERFUL! She said it was by far the best dinner she ever had since being diagnosed with her allergies, and that she was going to start saving money so she could go there again! All in all, a damn fine day!!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Thanks for the update! Despite the complaints about things on the boards all the time (I know I do it all the time), I still have fun in the parks. It's nice to hear about some of the smaller updates, like the ASM redo, that have gotten lost in the bigger mix over time. I didn't know that they ever had soap dispensers in the showers, but I'm glad to hear that they're gone. Ick!
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I think what gets lost on the boards is the fact that the great majority of visitors to the parks are as awed as the first time we all went there.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I tend to be more of a critic of corporate rather than the parks. I was out at EPCOT for the D23 event on Sunday and we had a 2 hour break for lunch, so I decided to walk around, buy some 30th anniversary stuff and grab lunch. At every single stop I made from attractions to food and merchandise locations the CM's were friendly and helpful. The park looked great and overall a great day and experience. It was the first Sunday of Food and Wine so World Showcase was packed by noon. But even with the crowds, the CM's were friendly and went out of their way to be helpful.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I forgot to mention something that for me is a big plus... wi-fi is now FREE at the All Stars! It always used to irritate me that Disney charged for it even at their Deluxe Resorts.
Originally Posted By DlandDug So glad to hear about the WiFi. The last time we stayed on property at WDW (December, 2010) there was a single hard wired connection in the master bedroom of our Saratoga Springs two room suite. With two teenagers and three laptops, this was just not at all acceptable.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA LOVE that the head chef came to the table to create something for your neice -- The Disney Touch.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Didn't someone else post a positive report about a WDW visit recently? I think it was about courteous cast members. Hopefully things are on the upswing for Disney in Orlando.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Another positive change I forgot to mention... it used to be that the cable in the resort rooms only had about a dozen channels, all of them either hyping the WDW attractions, DVC, or the assorted Disney/ABC owned channels. Now they have a full range of channels... as many as I have on my cable package at home (though no "premium" channels).
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad Great post Roadtrip. When someone really goes that extra mile it can not only make the day but the trip and that is what it sounds like happened at Ohanna. I can always go back to 2 or 3 interactions on each trip that are what make my trip a real Disney trip. Enjoy your stay and keep us posted.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Good to know you are having fun . Is this part of the cruise trip or just separate family tripping? I am glad you posted about the "Values" since we are all discussing hotel value/pricing at Disneyland on the boards. I have been looking for a long time hoping for a hotel discount at DL in vain. I was considering cancelling my Nov birthday trip but then discounts popped up at the POP Century giving me a cheaper rate and saving me more than one nights cost. Also DVC announcing $300 savings on APs makes me realize the addiction will begin all over again. Keep us posted about your fun trip. Cause we want to know all about it.
