No Dreams Here

[Andyjo0930]

Sorry I called them brats, when I wrote this I was still hot under the collar about what happened. To me that just reinforced the notion that to be someone you have to have kids and it really bothers me because I'm never having any, I don't have any desire to and so I will spend the rest of my life a second class citzen because of that choice, which is wrong.

I am entitled to my own opinion though and I do get annoyed when I go to eat in the dining hall and it's trashed in the morning with food thrown everywhere because the kids or the parents couldn't be bothered to clean up their space after they've used it. Common courtesy things that don't seem to be extended these days.

Let me tell you, as a mother of two wonderful children, one of whom is autistic, i hope you NEVER have children. You obviously have no idea how to deal with children, let alone raise a child. I have seen many parades at Disney. Sometimes, it's just a couple who are in the parades, sometimes its a family with children. And just to rub some salt in the wound, I have actually been in a parade TWICE!!!! They happen to have been looking for faimlies that day for whatever reason. Maybe you shouldn't get married because then you couldn't catch the bouquet of flowers anymore when you go to a reception, because your not single anymore. But then if you do that, you could never use the carpool lane either. Its called life and maybe it had nothing to do with not being a family, maybe the CM just didn't like your attitude!

 

[Mermaid_Ariel]

I was contacted by a Disney cast member looking for "20 special families" on my recent trip there, but because my boyfriend and I "aren't a family" we were turned down and didn't get to be in the parade. I almost cried right there on Main Street. It ruined my whole day in the Magic Kingdom. When you've been through some of the stuff I have you forget that you can dream and that you can make wishes, I thought for once that I was going to get to be special and do something cool, but no, I was wrong, guess I've got to go adopt some of those baby brats running around Disney to have my wishes fulfilled.

Maybe you should try expressing your opinion with something called tact.

I don't think the "baby brats" were the ones running around, sweetie.

 

[kimmikayb]

I was contacted by a Disney cast member looking for "20 special families" on my recent trip there, but because my boyfriend and I "aren't a family" we were turned down and didn't get to be in the parade. I almost cried right there on Main Street. It ruined my whole day in the Magic Kingdom. When you've been through some of the stuff I have you forget that you can dream and that you can make wishes, I thought for once that I was going to get to be special and do something cool, but no, I was wrong, guess I've got to go adopt some of those baby brats running around Disney to have my wishes fulfilled.

This post comes across as vain, entitled and spoiled. And certainly it is a disappointment but not enough to ruin an entire day when you are enjoying said day at the Magic Kingdom!! Think of all the people who will never have the chance to enjoy any time at WDW. You are lucky!

We've all been through a lot in life. It doesn't help to slam all of us who happen to have kids.

 

[loricandy]

 

[Flametamr]

really?

You didn't have a magical vacation?

You didn't get what you paid for?


I just can't understand *WHY* anyone would be upset at Disney for not giving them something for FREE during a RANDOM promotional period? What makes YOU or YOUR family so much more DESERVING of this RANDOM ACT than any of the thousand OTHER families who also paid for their park admission that day??? (note: that's a TRICK QUESTION--no one is DESERVING of this RANDOM Gift-Giving that occurs in YOAMD--hence the RANDOM nature of it!!!!!!)

I'm constantly surprised at the incredible sense of *entitlement* that is so prevalent these days...

The simple answer is NO. It was not as magical as it could have been. Did I get my monies worth. Yes probably. We had many issues this trip that took away from our normally great time at Disney. It started with being stuck at the back of POR with a handicapped child who does not walk. Due to that we were not able to enjoy the resort at all. Then it didn't get much better. I can understand how my post might be seen as expressing entitlement. But it was not meant that way. I was expressing my dissapointment and I was simply trying to report that the Year of a Million Dreams had passed us by.

Thanks to the nice (I use that term loosely) people on here I now understand that we had to be at the parks at opening and stand in ride lines continuosly to have a chance to win a dream. Well this is difficult with my daughter's medical conditions. It takes about 2 hours to get her ready in the mornings. Then taking the bus adds another 30 to 45 minutes. Once we arrive at the park we have to unload all her medical equipment to be inspected by security. Then we finally get into a park. Usually by then it is after 11 am and we are starving since we have not eaten yet so we look for food. When we do get around to riding something my DD has a GAC so we bypass most of the ride lines and go on in. Which means basically we didn't even have a chance to win a dream in the first place.
That did anger me a little and that was what I was expressing. I was tired of reading about how certain people had won numerous dreams and did not even use them. Had a few of them passed and said they already had won maybe more people could have won something. Thanks for trying to understand and not just taking an opportunity to jump on someone.

 

[mking624]

It started with being stuck at the back of POR with a handicapped child who does not walk. Due to that we were not able to enjoy the resort at all.

Out of curiosity...did you do any special requests for a closer room ahead of time, and did you talk to them about the need to be closer while you were there? Seems to me that this would have been taken care of since it's dealing with disability. Also if travel time is a big concern where you want to be somewhere sooner, it's best to invest in renting a car. We've never done it, but many people here recommend it, especially when it's known that other things will take a considerable amount of time.

 

[Flametamr]

Out of curiosity...did you do any special requests for a closer room ahead of time, and did you talk to them about the need to be closer while you were there? Seems to me that this would have been taken care of since it's dealing with disability. Also if travel time is a big concern where you want to be somewhere sooner, it's best to invest in renting a car. We've never done it, but many people here recommend it, especially when it's known that other things will take a considerable amount of time.

I did not request a handicapped room becuase it really is not necessesary and I didn't want to tie up one if it was needed by another person. She can walk enough to get around in the room. I did request a first floor room closer to the front and explained my reasons on arrival. They went in the back to search the system for a room. When they returned and told us the room would be assigned later and to call and it would be ready when we got back after 4. When we did return to find out we were in Bldg 36 all the way in the back and I went to the office to try to change. They said the resort was booked full and we were stuck there all week. No chance of moving at all. Surely they could have gotten us a little closer at some point with all the rooms at POR.

I did have my car and yes we eventually did start driving due to all the hassel of loading and unloading her chair and equipment. So I eliminated some time and stress that way. But in the end the vacation was tiring and too stressfull and Disney (POR) didn't care. Just for the record we went in July last year and had a great time at POFQ. Were going back there next year.

 

[mking624]

Oh well that's a bummer the resort didn't quite work out as you had hoped. I would recommend requesting a handicap room next time though...it's not just other people who might need it, YOU need it too! Don't put your needs to the side!

I do see you're returning to POFQ...that's our favorite. It's so beautiful there!

 

[catalexander]

Flametamr:
I apologize if you felt my response was "jumping on you". That was not my intention.

I merely wanted to point out that YOAMD is a Random Sweepstakes Event, and I would hope that the *magic* of being AT WDW would overtake any disappointment in not "winning" a dream.

I am sorry you were not able to enjoy POR to it's fullest, as I think it's a beautiful property. Your experience should be valuable to others, in that, if they have *ANY* special needs, they should make them known UP FRONT. It is my experience that Disney CM's really do their best to accomodate, but the more "lead time" they are given, the more successful they are. While your child is able to get around the room, she is not able to enjoy the extensive Resort grounds, and therefore should have been accomodated to allow for easier transportation transfers. I can understand how your room location would make your resort experience more difficult.

I guess over-all, you had some negative experiences that impacted your over-all vacation. Not "winning" a YOAMD is not the only problem, although it was the only one addressed in your initial post. That's why we all focused on that.

Either way, I'm sorry if you felt I was "jumping" on you, or attacking you in any way, that was truly not my intent.

I'll be looking forward to your trip report next year... I'm sure you'll have a magical time!!

ps... I just wanted to say, that despite what you may read here, I doubt that being at "rope drop" or riding attractions continuously in the first three hours are ways to "guarantee" winning... to my understanding, YOAMD winners are chosen completely at random based on a specific place at a specific time... or otherwise, just being a person who catches a CM's eye for any reason. I honestly don't think there is a way to "increase" your odds. It's like a lottery. For example, we've spent almost 6 weeks in the parks since YOAMD began and have not won a THING. We've seen lots of dreams awarded, and I was happy for the guest each time. I try to live with abundance mentality (there's plenty for everyone) vs. scarcity mentality (everything you get takes away from me).... and even if we never win a single dream... we're STILL spending the day at Disney... and you can't beat that with a stick!

 

[kimmikayb]

Flametamr:
I apologize if you felt my response was "jumping on you". That was not my intention.

I merely wanted to point out that YOAMD is a Random Sweepstakes Event, and I would hope that the *magic* of being AT WDW would overtake any disappointment in not "winning" a dream.

I am sorry you were not able to enjoy POR to it's fullest, as I think it's a beautiful property. Your experience should be valuable to others, in that, if they have *ANY* special needs, they should make them known UP FRONT. It is my experience that Disney CM's really do their best to accomodate, but the more "lead time" they are given, the more successful they are. While your child is able to get around the room, she is not able to enjoy the extensive Resort grounds, and therefore should have been accomodated to allow for easier transportation transfers. I can understand how your room location would make your resort experience more difficult.

I guess over-all, you had some negative experiences that impacted your over-all vacation. Not "winning" a YOAMD is not the only problem, although it was the only one addressed in your initial post. That's why we all focused on that.

Either way, I'm sorry if you felt I was "jumping" on you, or attacking you in any way, that was truly not my intent.

I'll be looking forward to your trip report next year... I'm sure you'll have a magical time!!

ps... I just wanted to say, that despite what you may read here, I doubt that being at "rope drop" or riding attractions continuously in the first three hours are ways to "guarantee" winning... to my understanding, YOAMD winners are chosen completely at random based on a specific place at a specific time... or otherwise, just being a person who catches a CM's eye for any reason. I honestly don't think there is a way to "increase" your odds. It's like a lottery. For example, we've spent almost 6 weeks in the parks since YOAMD began and have not won a THING. We've seen lots of dreams awarded, and I was happy for the guest each time. I try to live with abundance mentality (there's plenty for everyone) vs. scarcity mentality (everything you get takes away from me).... and even if we never win a single dream... we're STILL spending the day at Disney... and you can't beat that with a stick!

I don't know about most of the "dreams" but when we were there last September we got Tinkerbelle pins which came in pairs. One to keep and one to share when you saw someone else passing on magic. My mom got a set late in the afternoon because a Disney castmember saw her picking up trash that someone else had carelessly thrown in the bushes. I got a set when one of the dream team sat down and talked to me about my trip. I told him how I had surprised my kids with this trip and what a great time we were having. This was late at night and he said because I had such magic in me he wanted me to have the pins. In the middle of the afternoon my kids were chosen to have instant fast pass on the RNR coaster. And it was also afternoon we were chosen to be in the family parade. My mom was being pushed in a wheel chair. We never got to the park early in the morning.

I agree it is just totally randem.

 

[mrzrich]

I got a pin and lanyard set on Star Tours at 1 in the afternoon. I don't think you really have to be at rope drop to win a dream.

BTW Kim, from your count down, looks like you and I will be there at the same time!

 

[kimmikayb]

I got a pin and lanyard set on Star Tours at 1 in the afternoon. I don't think you really have to be at rope drop to win a dream.

BTW Kim, from your count down, looks like you and I will be there at the same time!

LOL! See? I've already won a prize! Getting to meet my friend at WDW!!

 

[kimmikayb]

I'm sad to report that we did not recieve even one dream our whole week at Disney. We were a family of 3 adults and one teen. In fact only my sister saw a Dream Squad member standing by city hall once. I was very dissapointed to see hundreds of people wearing fast passes and such. But we never got picked for anything. I had built my family up in hopes of getting something.

I don't understand why Disney would come up with a plan to spend so much money to only make a certain people feel special. And exclude others making them feel left out. It's not like a fast pass actually cost anything. Then to top it off the one day we saw the parade and the Castle winner family it was announced they were from Celebration Florida. I thought only Disney employees lived there. That really made my week.

Thanks for nothing Disney

OP, I'm having a hard time understanding your post now. I was just reading the tinkerbelle pin thread and you posted that your DD received a pin, several in fact.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1566372&page=3

Why are you thanking Disney for "nothing"?

 

[Flametamr]

OP, I'm having a hard time understanding your post now. I was just reading the tinkerbelle pin thread and you posted that your DD received a pin, several in fact.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1566372&page=3

Why are you thanking Disney for "nothing"?

My DD did in fact recieve one Tink pin set from a mgr at Kona and another single Tink pin from an off duty CM at the P&PP. But not several as you are exagerating. I was not aware these pins were part of the YOMD. I though they were just special CM only pins that were being given out to kids. If they are YOMD pins then I guess I was wrong to make my original post. I guess I was angry when I did the OP due to all the people bragging about the numerous dreams they got from the Dream Squads. We never even saw them the whole trip. I just wanted to vent and say that the Dreams were not so numerous so someone else might not get ther hopes up and be dissapointed. Does this explain it well enough ?

 

[DisDarling]

Boo hoo- you are lucky enough to go, have clothes on your back, food in your stomach, and any kind of resort is better than nothing. Sorry, but this "poor me" act gets old really fast. Be happy for those who get them and be happy for what you have.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm sorry you had such an awful time, but from reading all of your posts, I would have been surpised if you had a good time. You thought that the Disney Cms were somehow psychic, and would know what you needed in a room for your special needs child, and when they were not, you got angry. Disney does its best to help people, but you need to let them know what they can do for you. And as far as rooms go, that info needs to be communicated ahead of time. There is a wonderful Disabilites section to these boards. You should check it out.

I can assure you that you do not need to be at the parks at open to receive a dream. I saw for myself several handed out later in the day. Dream Passes at Splash Mountain, for example.

Both of my nieces recieved special certificates from "helping" CMs with their jobs. One at a pin booth, one in a store. They did not need to announce that these things were part of the YOAMD in order for them to be appreciated. The girls were both tickled with them, and that is all that matters.

I truly do not understand going to Disney and expecting to win a prize. With as many people as pass thru their gates each day as they have, it wouldn't be possible for everyone to win something. If anyone goes with the attitude of I had better win something then they are only setting themselves up to be disappointed.

 

[Idroveallnight]

Flametamr - I'm sorry you had some disappointments on your trip! I am glad to see that you will be returning next year! We all need to vent sometimes!

 

[Flametamr]

Boo hoo- you are lucky enough to go, have clothes on your back, food in your stomach, and any kind of resort is better than nothing. Sorry, but this "poor me" act gets old really fast. Be happy for those who get them and be happy for what you have.

Next time you post a problem or concern I hope people are just as nice to you. My mother told me once if you have nothing nice to say then keep it too yourself.

 

[Flametamr]

QUOTE: You thought that the Disney Cms were somehow psychic, and would know what you needed in a room for your special needs child.


I posted previously that I did tell the CM Mgr at check in of our needs. I don't think we need a handicapped room per say. My DD is not bound to her wheel chair and does not need any appliances in the resort room. She can walk short distances. We only require a first floor room or elevator access. I mentioned my time at POR was completely soured due to being put at the back of the resort. It was so far to walk to the front we were unable to use the facilities. When we did it was so crowded we just gave up. I feel the mgmnt at POR was unresponsive to a simple request to be moved a little closer to the front. If that was too much to ask I am sorry.

I won't be posting here again. People are too quick to jump on people here without even taking time to read all the posts. I mistakingly thought this was a place to share advice and concerns. I appreciate the decent pople who responded with honest advice and also the kind words. Thanks.

 

[inkkognito]

Telling them at check-in is pointless; they can't do anything unless they know ahead of time. Otherwise, when the resort is full they might well have all the close rooms assigned (as they apparently did). They're not going to ask someone who is already settled in to move for you.