So what's been going on for the last month or so since I have written? Well, not a whole lot to be honest. I can't believe how fast time is flying, it's crazy. Things aren't really going anywhere with me right now but at the same time, everything is changing.
So it's the first week of July. Last month me and Chris leased an apartment in Orlando at this place called Camden at World Gateway. It's a VERY nice apartment and with our Disney discount we got it for pretty cheap compared to what the normal rates are for that particular model. I really love it. It is in a nice location, gated community, has vaulted ceilings, burber carpeting, tons of storage space, a screened in balcony facing the woods and a like-new kitchen with black appliances. it's like a dream. It has felt like a lifetime that we had to wait to move in, but we are finally moving in there in seven days. I can't even believe it's almost here. I haven't started packing yet but I plan to do that sometime...I'll probably start on Sunday. I was going to yesterday before work, but I got lazy, and I was going to today after work, but I got home later than expected. So it's going to have to wait. Most of it is last minute stuff, anyway. The important stuff is taken care of, such as the utlities and internet and cable and everything. I owe that all to Chris, he did everything and I feel bad but I know that he is more than willing to step it up and be the man in this relationship and I also trust him more than I trust myself to do it. If I were living alone, it wouldn't be an issue but i'd just rather him deal with that than me. We also purchased all of our furniture and have spent the last six weeks arguing over bedding that we hate. It took three times to find an apartment we love though, go figure.
Work is work. I've spent almost every single day since I last wrote in my blog NOT working at the Contemporary. It's terrible. They started deployment with some of the other interns who started around the same time as me...they deploy everyone according to seniority. We'd all started approximately five months prior to. Two of my co-workers were sent off to the Grand Floridian, Chris was sent over to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground (and i laughed hysterically for awhile after that), and I was sent over to Wilderness Lodge (which I was excited for). Turns out we all hated it and wanted nothing more than to go back home to the Contemporary. Wilderness Lodge wasn't BAD, the guests were mostly nice and overall just not a bad experience but it wasn't the same as being with my friends and people I know so well. The costume is ugly too, not very comfortable and I looked like a freakin Native American Puritian. Disgusting. Week was half over, new schedule was coming out and I looked forward to seeing Contemporary back on my schedule. Not so much. we all got ANOTHER week of deployment...everyone's location remained the same except mine, I was sent over to Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground with Chris. I was kind of excited, to be honest. I heard that it was really laid back there, nothing like the Contemporary where the guests are rude & stuck up and rich as hell. So I was excited for the relaxing atmostphere, filled to the tee with guests from all over the country looking to unwind and relax in the beauty that central Florida has to offer. I mean, really, the rich and obnoxious don't go to Disney World to camp, they go to the upper class resorts and spend a ton of money on a freakin' hotel room.
Anyway, long story short I've been deployed at Fort Wilderness for going on four weeks and I'm SICK of it. I HATE HATE HATE it there. The staff members are okay, I've come to like a lot of people that I work with, but what I really hate is the guests that I encounter. I think they are actually worse than my Contemporary folk. Most of the campers that come bring either a tent or some sort of RV or whatever (heck if i know the first thing about camping) and they come to Fort Wilderness a couple times a year, if not more, and mostly all of them have a VERY specific site that they MUST HAVE. MUST MUST MUST HAVE. And if they don't have it, or anything else on their stupid list, they throw a HISSY FIT.
Today, has been a terrible day. I went to work expecting to not have the greatest day, but I wasn't expecting to have the worst day of work since I got to Disney. Its the fourth of july weekend, so we all knew what was in store...a very busy day filled with very impatient people. well you would have thought it was Halloween Eve instead of Fourth of July Eve the way people were acting.
One couple in particular that had their kids with them. The Conrad family. Their kids had to of been humiliated the way their parents were talking to me, and later to a co-worker of mine. I don't recall which state they were from but the way they acted I'm sure they were from New Jersey. Things started out fine. I noticed in their reservation it stated that the guest had requested the site 418. I looked in the system but there was absolutely NOTHING available in that area, every single 400-site was occupied or there was a due in and I couldn't change it. It's always noted in a reservation if a guest had requested something and it usually always says ''not guaranteed'', like this particular reservation. So I got the keys and map for the guest and explained where their site was, which was 520. ''Wait, wait, wait a second!'' starts the wife, ''We have site 418!''. I told her that I saw the request in the computer but unfortunately requests are not guaranteed, we try to accomodate the requests best we can but it can be very difficult, especially on a holiday weekend when it's very busy. She didn't let up and claimed she called over and over again to confirm her site would be 418. Back and forth we went until she was practically in my face.
Even though I know there's no possible way they could have this, I ask very politely ''Do you have a printed confirmation that states this information?" The husband pulls out his confimration number. I said ''No, I do not need a reservation number, i have your reservation up here. What I want to know is, do you have printed confirmation stating that you are staying in 418?" The woman tells me to pull up her DECEMBER reservation and to look at it, supposedly it says that she is to be assigned 418 when she comes in on July 3rd. RIGHT. I wasn't going to bother looking at that because what would that DO?! haha!! I explained to them t hat we don't pre-assign the sites that far in advance, only the day of and sometimes the day before. what does the woman yell at me? "YES THEY DO!" as if she works here or something. So I said ''No, they don't.'' haha. She was getting really ticked off at me and she made it a point to say my name out loud as if to remember to tell a manager later that i was rude to her. Like I care. She was terrible. Both of them were *yelling* that this was unacceptable so I asked what other loops they'd be interested in. everything they named off to me was fully occupied. They either wanted the 400 loop or the 100 loop, which is not even in their category at all. I literally had to list off every room we had in both of those loops, and tell them the status of each and every site. I wish that I could describe in words the rudeness of these people. Telling me that what i was doing was unacceptable; that I fail at doing my job; that I don't make *it* happen for them EVER; why should we even bother asking what they want if we arent going to give it to them, etc etc. All I did was try to calmly explain how things work at the campground, and why they couldn't just TAKE a spot that was already occupied. The woman, with that whole black-girl attitude was yelling ''If I drive around this campground in the 400 loop, I KNOW i'm going to find empty sites, and here you are telling me theres NOTHING available, I KNOW I'm going to find sites that aren't taken''...it was like talking to myself trying to explain that just because theres nothing AT the site doesn't mean there isnt someone OCCUPYING it. As a last resort, I called the back office operations support team to MAKE SURE that there was nothing in either of the areas they wanted to be at. I was told no, nothing, and told these guests SORRY, tough luck. Just as these guests are peaking at their very worst a co-worker of mine is coming out to break me so I can go on my much deserved break. I told him the situation and basically told him there was nothing we could do, but the guests were yelling at me at the same time and they weren't going to leave without getting what they wanted. They actually said ''We pay all this money, we DESERVE THE BEST! WE DESERVE WHAT WE WANT!" what-ever. as if we're making them pay any more than the other guests are paying. they also told my coworker that they think the other guests are paying us more money so we'll give them the sites they want. haha. I couldn't take their ridiculous hassles anymore and left my coworker to finish dealing with them, and even he said they were ridiculous beyond belief.
I know that story is a little boring, but when it happened, it was terrible. I felt like i was treated with such disrespect, and all for doing my job. if it were that one guest, not a big deal, but that was my EVERY guest today. it gets old after guest #5. i just don't understand how its so hard for the guests to treat us at the front desk like we are people instead of robots. we're doing what we're trained to do, not only to benefit them but to benefit the entire resort as a whole. it's ridiculous that these people are too thick headed to see that, but I wish I was able to tell them all off because it really makes me mad. Its not like this is a first, I have days like this all the time, i'm constantly being bitched at or put down or insulted due to things that are beyond my control. I just don't understand the world today....people are so greety and materialistic. I'm so over Disney. I hate working for a company where people have such high standards and expect that we're going to kiss their ass constantly. it's so annoying. I miss the courtyard days like today. i miss working at a hotel that i love where the guests are friendly and treat us with respect and actually care about us as people. i can't wait to get back to a hotel like that again, where people see us as real people, not machines or slaves.
Speaking of which I applied for a job working at the courtyard by marriott in lake buena vista. it's front desk, full time, set schedule. i turned in my resume and filled out an online application so i'm hoping to hear back in a couple of days, if not i'll call them and see what i can do because i would LOVE to have this job. the location is good because it's right by my apartment and its for a company that i love. So..wish me luck with that.
Anyway i'm going to bring this to a close now, and i'll update more after we move into our apartment and after i find out more about the job situation! have a good one
