Worst advice you got

[srauseo]

I could quarrel with what many people have stated here as "bad" advice. Just because it didn't work for you or you didn't like doesn't mean it won't work or appeal to other people. I'd really be more interested in hearing about universally bad advice. Things that are just plain factually wrong. For instance, I've had people tell me that Big Thunder Mountain is open during EMH when it is not. To my knowledge, it's never been. Now, maybe there have been exceptions or maybe at one point in history it was but in any event - this is what I would call bad advice. I'm pretty sure I've also heard that "front of line pass" thing, too.

 

[srauseo]

Don't go in the summer. Don't go in August. It's too hot.

We went in August 2014. It was hot. Step outside into a wall of sweaty air hot. But we had a blast. We adapted. We got used to it. We made smart plans for the middle of the day.

 

[TCB in FLA]

"Try the Beverly."

 

[Robo]

I've had people tell me that Big Thunder Mountain is open during EMH when it is not. To my knowledge, it's never been. Now, maybe there have been exceptions or maybe at one point in history it was but in any event - this is what I would call bad advice.

You/they need to differentiate between AM EMH and PM EMH.

BTM is very much open for PM EMH.

EMH does not stand for "EARLY Magic Hours."
EMH stands for "EXTRA Magic Hours."

 

[Praying Colonel]

Oh, I just remembered this one from our 1st trip (pre-DDP): get an ADR for a late lunch/early dinner to save money on lunch vs. dinner prices.

Nope. We ate breakfast before we left for RD. By late morning we were starved from burning off all those calories walking around the park (especially the 2 teens). We'd graze on these snacks we brought in, but by the time we made our late lunch ADR we were famished. Probably ordered 50% more food than we would have otherwise, plus got hungry later in the evening and got more snacks. Completely negated any savings on lunch v. dinner prices. That lasted about 3 days, then we decided to eat our normal schedule.

 

[Imaginique]

I'd honestly rather go in August. We went in June and weren't used to the heat yet (We're from the mid-Atlantic region so it hadn't got super hot at home yet). Plus all the schools were out and it was busy. By August I'd be used to 90 degree heat so I could have dealt with it better. Plus my kid doesn't start school until after Labor Day. I told my husband never ever going in June again. I can't do heat AND crowds. Only one or the other.

 

[JimmyBean42]

Hmmm I'll break mine down into two categories. Non-CM and CM. Non CM - ton of people told me I was nuts for taking my DS at 2 3/4 b/c he would not remember a thing. He is 4.5 now and still talks about things from that first trip.

CM - leaving AK to Downtown Disney we asked a CM what the quickest way to go. He said take the bus to Saratoga Springs, get off and first stop and walk. Well we watched as resort bus after resort bus showed up (most resort buses showed up 2 times) before the Saratoga Springs one showed up. We got on, got off at the first stop and could not figure out how to walk there. Here 3 other families did the same thing. Finally we got back on the bus and realized we needed to stay on it for at least 4 more stops in Saratoga Springs. Our fault for not looking at a map ourselves but the CM did tell 3 other families the same thing as well. At least we stayed calmer than the other few of them.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I'd honestly rather go in August. We went in June and weren't used to the heat yet (We're from the mid-Atlantic region so it hadn't got super hot at home yet). Plus all the schools were out and it was busy. By August I'd be used to 90 degree heat so I could have dealt with it better. Plus my kid doesn't start school until after Labor Day. I told my husband never ever going in June again. I can't do heat AND crowds. Only one or the other.

We went to Disney last August and this June for SWW. I'm ITA with you. In August we were hot and sweaty, but at least there was no one around! LOL. In June, we were hot, sweaty, and crowded.

 

[smiths02]

Oh, I just remembered this one from our 1st trip (pre-DDP): get an ADR for a late lunch/early dinner to save money on lunch vs. dinner prices.

Nope. We ate breakfast before we left for RD. By late morning we were starved from burning off all those calories walking around the park (especially the 2 teens). We'd graze on these snacks we brought in, but by the time we made our late lunch ADR we were famished. Probably ordered 50% more food than we would have otherwise, plus got hungry later in the evening and got more snacks. Completely negated any savings on lunch v. dinner prices. That lasted about 3 days, then we decided to eat our normal schedule.

We did okay if we ate late breakfast/early lunch. But late lunch/early dinner didn't work for us at all either.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Worst advice I ever received...hmmm. Well, the whole "go back to your resort and take a nap" thing makes no sense in my life. We've been told that over and over again by guide books, podcasters, message boards, etc. They say we should go back to the resort and relax midday, even though we have no kids....So we tried it once. Not only was it the opposite of relaxing...the bus ride back to the resort alone took up more of our time than was needed....we weren't tired and could barely relax by the pool, because we would rather be in the parks that we paid to be in. So in our personal opinions, we'd rather stay in the park from Rope Drop to closing (except on our park hopping or free days).

 

[Rash]

"DIsney Vacation Club is a waste of money", and "All timeshares lose value and are difficult to resell".

I bought DVC at $72/point. It is currently $165/point. We have gone every year for over 10 years - it has paid for itself. And I could sell it now and make a profit.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Several years a ago a mom at our school was excitedly telling me about her family's upcoming trip. She said they were staying at CBR and would be taking the Monorail to every park. I tried to explain that the Monorail only goes to three resorts, two parks, and the TTC. She said it must have changed since I was last there because you could take it to any park or resort. I told her I had just been there about a year earlier and that she should research the transportation system. Her family could ride the Monorail between MK and Epcot and if they wanted to visit the Monorail resorts, otherwise they would be taking buses from CBR to the parks. She said, "Oh, no. My husband hates buses. We would rent a car if that was the case. But we know we can use the Monorail to go everywhere." I said OK. I didn't see her after that because her trip was in the summer and our kids when off to different middle schools in the fall. She was the same mom who tried to convince me that Epcot was called Expo.

 

[AquaDame]

Wait until you have kids to go/don't go without the kids. If we did, we'd never go at all.

 

[Robo]

She was the same mom who tried to convince me that Epcot was called Expo.

I heard that they took out the CBR monorail to Expo.
Now, it's a Zip-line.

 

[ZoZo]

"If you see something you like, buy it! You can always return it at your resort's gift shop."

That piece of advice did not work out well for me. I couldn't decide on a few pieces of clothing at Mouse Gears, so I decided to get it all. I charged it the room, with the intent of possibly returning some of it to Fulton's General Store at POR. The CMs there were clueless on how to do a return, 3 of them tried and failed. After a half hour a manager finally took care of it rather easily. In the end, it wasn't a good way to finish our trip.

It's advice I read often, so maybe it was just a fluke, but either way, I'm going to be hesitant to try this again in the future.

Oh, shoot, I'm sorry you had such a frustrating experience! I sometimes give this exact advice - I think many folks think you'll find the same merchandise in every store at WDW, but some merchandise is store/park-specific. I've had a couple of occasions that I wish I'd gotten something when I first saw it, because I never saw it in any other store! I guess I've had pretty good luck returning items at my resort gift shop - I must have had better-trained CMs than your experience! I've even had CMs at the parks give me this exact advice - "you can return it to any store on WDW property!" Good to know that I should take that advice with a grain of salt. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[ZoZo]

Mine is the "take an afternoon break" advice. That works for some circumstances, especially during the hot summer months when the parks are open late. But I always go at times of the year when the parks generally close any time between 5:00 and 9:00 pm. If I took a long afternoon break every day, I'd miss out on so much park time, especially at parks like AK (which closes at 5:00 pm in October). Rarely do I heed the "afternoon break" advice.

If I'm totally sweaty and miserable, I might do a quick run back to the resort and have a shower and change my clothes. But that's it!

 

[ZoZo]

LOL - My wife is one of "those people" who gets cold at WDW in September. My boys and I just give her that look when she starts to put on her sweater in a store or restaurant.

For me - I can not remember ever being even a little bit cold at WDW in August or September.

For me, it's more of the contrast between hot/humid outside, then going into a heavily air-conditioned restaurant, shop or ride. I admit to getting really chilled sometimes, and almost always carry a light sweater in my bag. Who wants to shiver for an hour??

 

[Texas Barbie]

My in-laws think we're Walt Disney Co. chumps because we insist on vacations where we stay and eat (table service meals) on site. In their minds, we're foolishly throwing our money away.

Their vacation style is to rent a condo off-site, buy a bunch of groceries at Costco, go commando between about 10 am and 6 pm, and have breakfast and dinner back at the condo (while brown bagging lunch and snacks).

To me, this is a completely a different strokes for different folks kind of thing (their vacation style, while more economical, just wouldn't be nearly as fun or relaxing for me). But they think their style is objectively superior (and that we've just drunk waaaay too much of the Disney Kool-Aid).

That sounds just like my in laws! Vacationing with them is more work than actually being at my job. They are so concerned with saving a dollar that it's impossible to enjoy the experience at Disney.

 

[elizabethswan]

I heard that they took out the CBR monorail to Expo.
Now, it's a Zip-line.

this made me laugh!

 

[larryz]

"Try the Beverly."

Harrumph! I like the Beverly!