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I'm at Disney this week. My sister and her family were coming down, and I invited myself along. (I wanted to be there the first time my nephew went on the Star Wars ride. Except that ride is closed. Except there's still some really cool stuff outside of it. Even better, there's "Jedi Training" for a select few kids every day, which gave him the opportunity to fight Darth Vader on stage. That was really cool.)
I'm staying at a different hotel from them. Usually, it doesn't make much difference; I see what time I get up and then meet them wherever they are. It's a little more complicated, though, if I want to go from my hotel to theirs (or vica versa). Disney provides busses from each hotel to the major areas - the various theme parks, the main shopping area, etc. - but there's no direct transportation from one hotel to another.
This morning, I was heading over to their hotel. Walking through the lobby of my hotel, I came across an elderly couple. He was taking a picture of her by this neat fountain. I offered to take a picture of the two of them. They thought about it for a moment, and he agreed. I took the picture, and they commented that they hadn't been in a picture together in a long time. (I guess they usually travel with just the two of them.) I walked off, feeling good that I'd done something nice.
I went out the front door of the hotel to find that the bus I needed was just leaving. It was about to pass me by (the bus stop is just to the side of the main hotel driveway, and it needs to pass in front of the doors to get out). I waved to the driver to let him know I wanted to board, but he didn't stop. Instead, he signaled to me that I should go to the bus stop and wait for the next one.
That didn't seem like the Disney attitude to me, but sometimes they drill their employees to strictly follow the rules. So I wandered over to the bus stop, expecting a 20 minute wait for the next bus. That's what I get for doing something nice. If I hadn't stopped to take the picture, I would have made that bus.
Just as I get to the bus stop, another bus pulled up, and the sign said it wass going to the same place! Turns out there had been a mix-up at the dispatchers, and they'd sent two busses on the same route. The bus was empty because everyone else who'd wanted to go had gotten on the first bus. We had one more stop, but no one got on there, either. So the driver commented that I had a private bus. Then, for whatever reason, he asked if I was going to the Magic Kindgom. It was what it said on the front of the bus, and the only other place the bus was going, so I'm not sure what he was thinking except to make conversation. I told him that actually I was going to a hotel to meet up with the family, but that transferring at the Magic Kingdom was the easiest way to get there.
We drive along, and I see we're coming up to my sister's hotel. I knew we'd be passing nearby. Next thing I know, the bus is pulling in to the driveway (even as the automated announcement says we're arriving at the Magic Kingdom). He let me off right there. When I got out, I noticed that no one waiting at the bus stop at that hotel was coming up to the bus. I looked back at it to see why, only to notice that the sign on the bus had changed to say "VIP CAST MEMBER". Wish I'd gotten a picture, but I did laugh out loud.
That saved me a bit of walking, a bit of waiting, and having to double back from the park to their hotel. Probably about fifteen minutes, not to mention a walk up a one-story ramp.
And to think, if I hadn't stopped to take that picture, I would have made the first bus.
I'm staying at a different hotel from them. Usually, it doesn't make much difference; I see what time I get up and then meet them wherever they are. It's a little more complicated, though, if I want to go from my hotel to theirs (or vica versa). Disney provides busses from each hotel to the major areas - the various theme parks, the main shopping area, etc. - but there's no direct transportation from one hotel to another.
This morning, I was heading over to their hotel. Walking through the lobby of my hotel, I came across an elderly couple. He was taking a picture of her by this neat fountain. I offered to take a picture of the two of them. They thought about it for a moment, and he agreed. I took the picture, and they commented that they hadn't been in a picture together in a long time. (I guess they usually travel with just the two of them.) I walked off, feeling good that I'd done something nice.
I went out the front door of the hotel to find that the bus I needed was just leaving. It was about to pass me by (the bus stop is just to the side of the main hotel driveway, and it needs to pass in front of the doors to get out). I waved to the driver to let him know I wanted to board, but he didn't stop. Instead, he signaled to me that I should go to the bus stop and wait for the next one.
That didn't seem like the Disney attitude to me, but sometimes they drill their employees to strictly follow the rules. So I wandered over to the bus stop, expecting a 20 minute wait for the next bus. That's what I get for doing something nice. If I hadn't stopped to take the picture, I would have made that bus.
Just as I get to the bus stop, another bus pulled up, and the sign said it wass going to the same place! Turns out there had been a mix-up at the dispatchers, and they'd sent two busses on the same route. The bus was empty because everyone else who'd wanted to go had gotten on the first bus. We had one more stop, but no one got on there, either. So the driver commented that I had a private bus. Then, for whatever reason, he asked if I was going to the Magic Kindgom. It was what it said on the front of the bus, and the only other place the bus was going, so I'm not sure what he was thinking except to make conversation. I told him that actually I was going to a hotel to meet up with the family, but that transferring at the Magic Kingdom was the easiest way to get there.
We drive along, and I see we're coming up to my sister's hotel. I knew we'd be passing nearby. Next thing I know, the bus is pulling in to the driveway (even as the automated announcement says we're arriving at the Magic Kingdom). He let me off right there. When I got out, I noticed that no one waiting at the bus stop at that hotel was coming up to the bus. I looked back at it to see why, only to notice that the sign on the bus had changed to say "VIP CAST MEMBER". Wish I'd gotten a picture, but I did laugh out loud.
That saved me a bit of walking, a bit of waiting, and having to double back from the park to their hotel. Probably about fifteen minutes, not to mention a walk up a one-story ramp.
And to think, if I hadn't stopped to take that picture, I would have made the first bus.
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what a lovely and fast reward!
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