The Princess reigns!!

Re: last post.
The princess pulled the wet handshake trick at the Sam's Club here in town. The person she spoke to told her to call 1-800- Wal mart to lodge her complaint, because "they don't listen to us". Figures. Either business as usual, or a lazy cop out.....
She did so. They told her there would be paper towels back in the restroom IMMEDIATELY. She went back in 2 days later just to check, and guess what they had in the bathroom. YES! Royalty is not just a ceremonial title!!

eeeeeeyewwww!

I want to start a campaign.
Lately, my friends and I ( people who have taken microbiology and either don't want to touch ANYTHING, or stick our hands in all kinds of nasty stuff without flinching, as long as it is OUR OWN nasty stuff)are noticing that the public bathrooms in this world are maybe the most dangerous places to visit that there are. Either they don't have paper towels AT ALL, or they don't have a trash can close to the door you exit so you can open the door, then dispose of them.
We have been known to be very bad kids and throw our paper towels on the floor, or go to the manager with our hands dripping, introduce ourselves, shaking their hands with one hand while covering their hands with the other as we explain our dissatisfaction with their facilities (kudos to my friend, the princess, for this idea.)
Ever heard of e-coli? Pseudomonas? C-difficile? Ever just stood in a bathroom and watched how many people go out the door without even washing their hands? If you have to grab that door behind them, you are touching their nether regions without any thrill to go with it. AND, if the employees of a restaraunt use the same bathroom, they are touching it , too, even if they are diligent about washing their hands before they leave.
We need to turn off the faucets with the paper towel, so, if they ARE available, get your paper towel before you start, then carry the paper towel with you to the door, open the door and go out. If there isn't a receptacle for it, carry it to the manager to dispose for you, and tell them WHY they are doing it. If they AREN'T available, do the wet hand trick, it is fun to see the look on their faces when they feel your wet hands.......
Remember, crack kills! (get it?)

Post roadtrip blues

Well, back home again, and while I would give the overall trip a plus report, there were too many negatives to ignore.
What has happened to service in this country? If I did MY job the way many do theirs, people would die, and at an alarming rate!
We stayed at the Royal Pacific, to the tune of $229 a night, and while that may not seem like alot to some people, to us poor working slobs, it is a chunk of change. I would not be able to afford it at all, if I were paying the whole tab, and it was painful even being split down the middle, what with room taxes, and all the little add ons. But, my friend and I save all year to do this. This year was to be special, as we had Ivan-itis.We had not been able to go last year because of that monster and we were primed to be pampered and play. There are benefits to staying "on property", such as "Express pass" riding which can save you an hour or more in line for the rides at Universal and Islands of Adventure. This time, that was wonderful, as we were there during spring break. Worth alot, all by itself.
I won't list the whole list of complaints we had, but some highlights were, the room was not as clean as it should have been, mold in the bathroom grout and filthy dusty areas, items were not replaced on a daily basis as they should have been, housekeeping woke us up on numerous occasions banging doors as they cleaned the other rooms. We had to call every day to fix things. Any one or two of the things that were wrong would not have caused us that much heartburn, but we got to the point where we began immediately looking for what was wrong the second we came back into the room. Fun, huh?
We didn't get read at the John Edward seminar, but we got to see him nearly throw somebody out. He was masterful in how he handled her. He started her reading by telling her, as she came back into the room from wherever, that the young boy he had contact with didn't want her there. Told her that her energy made the boy uncomfortable. She started to walk out, John asked her where she was going, and she said "Well, you told me I wasn't wanted." John then told her HE didn't tell her to leave, that the boy didn't want her. I can understand why that might unsettle someone, but it became evident that she was either a total butthole generally, or she was drunk. She became belligerent with John, until he finally told her he didn't give a rat's ass what she thought of him, he was just trying to get to why the boy would key him in on her. She then told him she would behave, but didn't. He finally asked her " have you done any acting?" And she said " Yes" He said "And?" she said "I'm acting right now, John" He paused and told her, "don't waste my time, or the 300 other people here will kick your ass!" The crowd went wild! Now that's something you won't see on his show!
The highlight of the trip tho, was on the last night. Walking back to the water ferry from getting a wonderful relaxing massage at the spa at the Portofino, my friend tripped on a cobblestone that was 2 inches higher than the others, and we spent 3 hours in the emergency room making sure the whack she got to her head wasn't more serious than just a bad bruise and that there were no broken bones. We went back the next day after having checked out, and found that they hadn't even put a trash can, or yellow cone or ANYTHING over the spot to prevent it from happening again!! Now, we are not litigious people, but their blatent disregard for their patron's safety, coupled with not a word being said about paying her hospital bill, made my friend rethink her position. We took pictures of the offending block and her bruises, and spoke to the consierge about the situation. To their credit, she received a phone call today from their risk management honcho, following up on the incident report that had been filed by security when it happened. She was able to relate her concerns, and was assured that all would be addressed. Okay, great. She was also asked "was the rest of your stay okay?" No. Not only no, but..... He told her we would be contacted by their guest services if she would send him a letter or e-mail with a list of our concerns......Okay, we'll wait and see what happens now.
Sure did mess up the benefits of her massage she had just paid for. But, that may have prevented her from being injured any worse than she was, kinda like a drunk. Thank goodness she wasn't. Drunk, I mean. At least not right then........(it's a joke....mostly).
Anyway, will update you as to whether their word is any good. Each trip is a learning experience, this one taught us a little too much.
By the way, if you wish you could ride rollercoasters, but can't handle anything wilder than Space Mountain, or Thunder Railroad, the new "Mummy's Revenge" ride at Universal is the ride for you! We got off the ride, and got immediately back in line, and rode one more time before we left the park. Fun. And different.