Lou...

I said all along that working for the Disney company is a love hate relationship. Loved the actual work but hated how day to day things were managed. For me it was an occasional and temporary escape from my actual profession for the first twelve years and then a retirement job for the last ten, I never had to climb the corporate ladder. And when they did offer me an interview for a full time position in the Ride & Show group, I declined because I knew I wouldn't last when it became real. 

Now after having received my Mickey gold watch from Disney and retaining all my benefits, I look back and feel good about my couple of decades as a CM, no regrets, I had a lot of fun. I'd still be a CM if I could.

3 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Have we reached the ecstasy, or are you going to tell us your camper burst into flames, or rolled into the lake?  🤣

That site looks nice.  I remember being at the Fort when they were adding those sites (had to be 2009 or so?), and not liking what they were doing.  But that looks like a pretty spot to sit, drinking coffee and watching for stuff to pop up out of the water.  As long as it isn't anything that wants to eat me.  Wait, is that your next update?  Did your dog get eaten? 

The agony continued, they watched the EWP.

On 6/18/2021 at 10:25 PM, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

Who else will be at the Fort? We are planning to bring the light show back down. 

When?

7 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

Well, hi folks. Just thought I’d say I miss you guys and hope to see you at Stone Mountain in September. 😊

Hey, maybe we'll finally get together. If only we lived closer to each other.

12 hours ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

Those snack coupons expire in September, I know you probably won’t be back to WDW before then. 

but you could mail them to me. I’ll pay for the postage. Lol. 

I'll try requesting again. We won't be back until maybe in Dec so you can have them if I get them.

14 hours ago, djsamuel said:

Lou,  Be sure to get an account on the Okta site to gain access to your comp tickets.  Also, you need to send an email to get the snack coupons.  

They had changed the main entrance passes and never sent me the new cards so the old cards were useless when I got to WDW. I contacted them after I got back and I have them now. I haven't bothered to check where I stand on my comp tickets yet.

I submitted the snack coupon request twice and got nothing. I actually wanted the dining coupons more because we were having dinner with Dave and Linda, aka Grumpy and Grandma. It wasn't a big deal because I got the 40% regular CM discount instead of the 50% Celebration discount.

It's not just customer service, it's employee service as well. I never got what I was supposed to get such as tickets, discount coupons and vouchers before our spring visit. We went down anyway and when I got to Epcot I went to Guest Services to at least get myself and two guests into the park. I did but it was a mess. The status of my file still has to be straightend out before my next visit. But I never did receive what I had requested over the phone. Turns out the CM on the phone was working from his home and didn't have access to what he needed to help me. I'll try again after things hopfully get back to normal.

I lived in central Florida next to WDW for decades and now that I've lived in cold weather country for two winters, the Atlanta area, I really miss the Florida winters. However, while there I've seen ice, rain and lots of sunshine in Jan. As Forest Gump said, you never know whatcha gonna get.

I was at WDW a few weeks ago and spoke with a few of my former co-workers in the Events Group that had already been called back and they told me that PEO, Park Events Operations was being restaffed and that private parties and events were on the books.

It was just a matter of time before this guy showed up.

I bet all of you familiar with DIT's infatuation with the downward evolution of the cinnamon bun thought you had heard the last of it. Just don't bring up Disney.

How in the world did this thread go from FF dying to Moose?

2 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Like...knock, knock..Linda "yes",, "Hello, I'm Lou"....Linda "who"?... 😂 She wasn't on FF.. She still talks about that..

She cracked me up when she first told me that story long after we became friends, it cracks her up too. To paraphrase her "Who is this guy and why is he just showing up here?" 

2 hours ago, ftwildernessguy said:

We started camping at the Fort in the’80’s. Times change, people get older.  I had reservations for September which I must cancel due to a serious health issue.  I do hope to get there again next year but I don’t know how many more trips I have in me. Sad.

What's sad for me is that you are one of the few Fiends that have evaded me, and that was hard to do, just ask Ray.

8 hours ago, caveat lector said:

This past weekend, I came across my official TCD spike with a handwritten note. My kids remembered that same trip Captain Lou stopping by the site to just say hi.  Those great memories cannot be taken from me.

They sure are great memories. I met so many great folks during my hundreds of unannounced vists to the Fort. I've remained close to many of them.

I do remember the note Fred. Ahh the famous TCD FWRR spikes. Even though I handed out a lot of them at the Fort I think I still have some in my trunk. The best thing about the spikes is the story of how TCD hunted them down.

6 hours ago, Live4FW said:

Yep, we’d be one of those families.  We also had a visit at our house 

I remember that visit during one of my many trips to Georgia. Hope to see you guys at Stone Mt.

I'm finding out that a handful of people on here also live in Georgia, six so far. Except for possibly one, not sure, I believe I've met all of you at the Fort.

From my point of view, how Disney treats CMs/retirees now is not much different than they've been treated during normal times. They've always gotten the leftovers. Disney gives them stuff when it doesn't cost them anything. They're allowed into the parks when the parks are not overly busy. Disney loses nothing by letting them in. They give them discounted cruises and resort stays if they know they won't sell out. In all cases Disney still makes out because as guests, CMs and retirees go to the restaurans and buy Disney crap. IE, it's the same old, same old. 

The treatment didn't bother me even when I lived next to WDW because I already had been to WDW enough times to last me a life time, I prefer Universal anyway. And I had enough Disney junk and had been to the restaurants that I wanted to eat it at enough times. The lack of cruises was the only thing that affected me but that will probably change when the new ships come on line, plus there are other good cruise lines.

12 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Wow!  A post from a former giant on this board. I’m glad to hear that the retirement plans worked out, and I hope that you and Gail are enjoying it to the fullest.

TCD

Thanks for the kind words. We're enjoying our completely new life but I do miss FL and not being a CM at WDW. Sorry to hear about your girls ending to their Disney careers, I know how much they loved WDW. For me Disney was always a love hate relationship and ended on a positive note, at least I got all my Disney perks. Hope everyone in your family have done well through the pandemic mess. 

10 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

Is McDonald’s Apple pie ok? I think I can afford that? 

Sure

I'm only about 45 minutes away so I'll be by for a visit.

1 hour ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

So part of what makes Fort Fiends so special to me is the Grand Gatherings both those at the Fort and those away from the Fort. I just posted a Fall Grand Gathering that will be happening in September. Check out the Grand Gathering thread for information on the Stone Mountain GG September 10-12. 

I'd love to attend but I'd have to drive a whopping 45 minutes just to see some Fort Fiend knuckleheads. For those who remember me, I retired from Disney and now live north of Atlanta. I will show up at Stone Mt. to annoy as many of you as I can. It'll be just like old times at the Fort. And you thought you had gotten rid of me. I expect some apple pie. 

Heard from a little bird that you knuckleheads were having a ten year party so I thought I'd crash it. It's not that I like any of you, well maybe a few, but what the heck, if there's free food, I'm there. No, I haven't changed. There is free food ........right? Great job Jen and Chris and I hate to admit it, but, Mo too. Who's got the apple pie and where's Snarky? 

And DIT, I still have more reputation points than you...I think.

36 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I'm not bent out of shape. It is extremely insensitive for those of you who don't know this woman to make assumptions about whether it's ok to discuss her life on a public message board. This thread needs to be deleted. 

TCD 

I've known Hilda for years, especially when she was a CM. I stop by and chat with her every time I see her at the Fort.

I simply made an observation and expressed my opinion and was neither endorsing or condemning the original post. For you to react as you have is little much. I've been off here for a long time and didn't realize that expressing opinions is now subject to approval by other posters. 

I'll go back to where I was, but if any of you see me at WDW, and you will, stop and say hi.

Looks like advertising, and good advertising at that, to me. As long as that's her business phone number, from a business point of view, wouldn't  Hilda approve?