I'm losing it for Disney (long) ...

[Bete]

You gave me the best laugh since I've returned from our trip.

We went to many popular dining places and we hit many of the most popular attractions, etc. at the most busiest time of the year. So, I do understand that it wasn't going to be easy but I didn't expect what we experienced, either. Thank goodness I got over it quickly. I'm getting started on our next trip, already.

Again, I appreciate everyone sharing their experience. I think I felt better knowing that I'm not the only one feeling this way.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Oh I'm sorry. I just noticed that I had said it didn't rain on Christmas Eve and I was thinking Christmas night. We arrived midday on Christmas Eve (drove there) and spent that day at Wonderworks and the dinner/magic show afterwards and it sure WAS raining that night! My apologies!

About the pushing forward for the parades. We didn't really experience that. It was WAY too cramped/packed for the early parade on Christmas day so we avoided it altogether. I got there early (came back alone that night) for the late parade at MK and videotaped it. Even had a VERY nice couple (who were staying at the Ft Wilderness campground btw) who even saved my seat next to them on the curb so I could run in the store and buy the jacket I'd been wanting all day! The few times I'd been able to browse the stores (there earlier with the whole family) I hadn't found the jacket I wanted (similar to a school jacket with light blue denim on the chest/back part- I'm sure you have seen it) and they said it was in the store directly across from where we were sitting and they saved my seat for me! So I zipped over there to get it and came back before the parade.
No one tried to get in front of us- but the lady next to me (not the one that saved my seat for me) kept pushing towards me practically (and I'm not joking) sitting on my right thigh trying to make room for someone else to sit. It was okay though- the lady on the other side of me kept scooting over so I could scoot over and EVENTUALLY that other lady stopped trying to sit on me! LOL

But all the other parades (at the other 3 parks) we saw with the entire family. We would get front row (curbs all but one time on a bench at Epcot but I only took one seat and DH stood with the stroller- my older two sat in front of me on the ground or in my lap for portions of the parade) about 30-50min prior to the parade- basically before everyone else started getting their spots. No one ever tried to get in front of us- but at Animal Kingdom we did see one child standing behind my two oldest who were sitting on the ground (he was probably about 5/6yrs old and my son is 5yrs old) and even though they didn't say a word I asked if they'd like him to sit up front. They said yes and I just told my kids to scootch over and make a little room so he could sit for the parade.
In other words, I didn't mind making room if I offered it but I would have been annoyed if people tried to take our spots away after we spent a good amount of time in advance procurring those spots.
Videotaped them all! (plus pics) Lots of pics with characters "high-5'ing" or shaking hands with my kids also.

 

[lisakordes]

Yes They were all running at both ends.We ate breakfast at The Polynesian and after my DD got ill we had to go all the way back so she could chage 7 start over.... My son actually left a pair of his boxers at MGM. Talk about a griswald vacation!!! I may sit down sometime this winter and write it all down.

 

[Alice42]

Well, I was at the world from 1/1 to 1/8 and I felt from about 1/1 to 1/4 that I was losing it for Disney. It felt truly unmagical and un-Disneylike. We thought the holiday crowds would have thinned out by then, boy were we wrong. We stayed at POR, which was okay, but not my dream place to stay by any means. The check-in line took about 50 minutes, our AB building (25) seemed like a far walk from the main building/food court area, our drawers in the armoire smelled of mildew, and the busses were way overcrowded and slow. One night we waited 45 min. at the west depot bus stop for a bus to Epcot
The CM's that we even encountered at POR weren't that friendly and Disney-like. The crowds at the parks were horrendous and did not help things at all.
On Jan. 4, all of the above mentioned things really got to me (I literally felt sick) and I decided that I really needed to have a magical rest of my trip, so my fiancee arranged for us to transfer from POR to the Beach Club (my favorite resort) to restore our faith in Disney. We are even getting married at the Wedding Pavilion in October.
Needless to say, things perked up after Jan. 4th. The CM's were very nice at the BC. Crowds at the parks seemed to thin out. People in general were nicer. The busses weren't crowded. Our room at the BC was truly heaven-like. We were able to watch Illuminations from our balcony. I just wish that the first four days of our trip weren't so miserable, because I still have that memory.
To avoid a total Disney let down, my advice would be to 1) go after holiday or peak crowd time (maybe 2nd week of January), and 2) If you are used to staying in deluxes and then stay in a moderate, you may be in for a let down. For my fiancee and I, it is worth the extra money to splurge for a deluxe for the Disney experience to be truly magical. That's just my opinion, though
Sorry this was so long, but it feels good to get it all out!
I still love Disney!!!!

 

[SpottyDog]

Thanks for sharin this thread and yer thoughts.

We've always visited in March as it's much less populated and a better climate for us Brits. The one thing I've always been gratefully aware of is that we get to do almost everything without considerable waits and crowds.

We're comin over for December this year because we've never seen the lights and special Christmas events. We'll just try to grin and bear the extra 'people hassles' and try to stay focused on why we're there. This thread has been great - to be forewarned is to be forearmed - Thanks Bete.

 

[Eeyore2U]

It seems to me that those with less then magical trips are victims of their own expectations. Sorry that you didn't have a great time but how much was truely Disney and how much was it just not living up to the expectation you built/

 

[Bete]

Sorry, Eeyore 2U but after many trips to WDW and the monies involved to go there getting higher and higher I don't expect it to be my worse experience ever. I try harder then most to plan and organize and I get in all those, so-called, very magical moments. I do my homework. How is it, that the other parks where totally to my satisfaction and beyond my expectations? I've been to those parks before, too. I go back to my original premise of wanting value for what you are paying out. If you payout more, you should get more. Disney has always strived to be better then their competitors. I want that magic back!

I'm not a perfectionist, either. Also, I canvassed many who were there because I waited the two hours for the parades, fireworks, ride line ques, dining ressies, etc. Also, took two, special Disney tours where you meet all the diehard, Dis fans. Not too many were very happy about their experiences at the moment. I talked to one family who had been there over 30X ( 5 of which were the Christmas holidays) and they were cutting their stay short to enjoy Disney's competitors. That's a statement in itself.

I know there are those who wish these kinds of posts could be erased but it's important to share the bad with the good. I enjoyed aspects of my Disney trip but it just wasn't up to par this time. I had my holiday experience and that's enough to last me. I sure hope I don't feel the same way about my May trip. Thanks again for all those out there that were willing to take a stand and speak out. If it wasn't for us, Disney would not have reinstated early entry recently.

 

[Eeyore2U]

How is it, that the other parks where totally to my satisfaction and beyond my expectations? I've been to those parks before, too. I go back to my original premise of wanting value for what you are paying out. If you payout more, you should get more. Disney has always strived to be better then their competitors. I want that magic back!

Could it be that the other destinations were not as crowded so the waits were less. Could it be YOU expected WDW to be empty. Could it be you didn't do your due diligence for the time of year you went. I find it funny for everyone that has a bad experience there seems to two good ones.

Not too many were very happy about their experiences at the moment. I talked to one family who had been there over 30X ( 5 of which were the Christmas holidays) and they were cutting their stay short to enjoy Disney's competitors. That's a statement in itself.

I think if one does WDW repetitively, and I am in that category, it gives you the ability to rearrange. If WDW is crowded and another place is not, is that testament to WDW or a knock on the other places. So I'm not sure what the point of the "statement" is.

I know there are those who wish these kinds of posts could be erased but it's important to share the bad with the good. I enjoyed aspects of my Disney trip but it just wasn't up to par this time. I had my holiday experience and that's enough to last me. I sure hope I don't feel the same way about my May trip. Thanks again for all those out there that were willing to take a stand and speak out. If it wasn't for us, Disney would not have reinstated early entry recently.

I also enjoy the good with the bad.

And as far as EE, all the whining and crying and emails didn't bring it back. The lost revenue from those not staying onsite is what brought it back. If it was the noise it would have been brought back immediately.

 

[Ajax]

Bete wrote

I know there are those who wish these kinds of posts could be erased but it's important to share the bad with the good. I enjoyed aspects of my Disney trip but it just wasn't up to par this time. I had my holiday experience and that's enough to last me. I sure hope I don't feel the same way about my May trip. Thanks again for all those out there that were willing to take a stand and speak out. If it wasn't for us, Disney would not have reinstated early entry recently.

Good post. Every time I come across a thread like this, I e-mail the URL to Disney, hoping that they'll read it. I e-mailed them weekly about EE. They may have kill filed me e-mail addy, but I continue to do it anyway! If we don't keep a foot on the collective Disney neck when we spot a problem that needs to be addressed, we'll soon be paying big bucks to attend Six Flags over Mickey.

Our CM's at POFQ were top notch at all levels. We've lodged at that resort five times, and this time may have been the best. The CM that I dealt with upon check-in on 12/30 was cheerful and professional even after listening for five minutes to an obnoxious mans' screed after finding a .75 phone charge on his bill. Our requested river view room in Bldg 7 was ready at 10 am, and neat as a pin.

At the MK that day, the only problem I saw other than the crowd was the mess in the restrooms- wastebaskets overflowing, water on the floors and countertops, etc. I remember a day when Disney used to post a CM in each restroom to keep them clean. They need to do that again, because I'm at WDW, not Cedar Point!
We had no problem manipulating Fast pass & Standby to ride what we wanted to. In fact, at 2pm on 12/30, the wait for Pirates was only 20 minutes.
After the 8pm Spectro parade that evening, the crowd thinned considerably, and we had no problems walking on with minimal waits (10-20 min.) at Splash, Big Thunder, and the Haunted Mansion.

My wife & daughter returned to the MK on 1/1 after we'd seen the 6:30 Fantasmic show at MGM, and rode Splash 3 tims, Big Thunder twice, Space Mountain once, and Buzz Lightyear once in the space of 2 1/2 hours, even managing to eat a dog at Caseys Corner.

IMO, the crowds the remainder of the week were tolerable at the MK and Epcot, and even on the thin side at MGM & the AK. At MGM on 1/1 at 11am, R&R was a 20 min. standby, with TOT only 30! So we FP'd R&R, rode it standby, jumped on TOT, ate a Mickey Bar, and then jumped back on R&R with our Fast Passes.

Believe me, I've seen the crowds and lines much worse!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I'm sorry to hear that you had such bad experiences at WDW. We just returned last month from a 10 day stay at Disney and had the greatest time. I can honestly say I had no complaints. We did MVMCP and just loved it. I hope you give Disney another try sometime, maybe when there not so crowded.

 

[mike-n-jen]

Originally posted by Eeyore2U
I find it funny for everyone that has a bad experience there seems to two good ones.

What's so funny about that? Nobody's perfect - not even WDW - and, even if your statement is construed in the light most favorable to WDW, it still works out to a 33% dissatisfaction rate. Statistically, that's certainly not something to be dismissed.

I know your statement was not meant to be statistically literal, but the point is the same - two good experiences don't change that fact that there was one bad one, nor do those two good experiences make the person with the bad experience more culpable or less credible.

Mike

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by mike-n-jen
I know your statement was not meant to be statistically literal, but the point is the same - two good experiences don't change that fact that there was one bad one, nor do those two good experiences make the person with the bad experience more culpable or less credible.

Mike

Mike,

You're right, it wasn't meant to be taken statiscally literal. If you read my first post in this thread I said

It seems to me that those with less then magical trips are victims of their own expectations. Sorry that you didn't have a great time but how much was truely Disney and how much was it just not living up to the expectation you built/

A person is allowed to the opinion or their bad experience. The thing I find hard to figure is that a number of people at WDW at the same time had a totally different experience.

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by Deb & Bill

We saw the long lines at some of the attractions, but by the time these lines had formed, we had already been on it one or two times. You have to go when the park opens. If you decide that you are on vacation and sleep late, well, you get what you get.

Yep. We were there 12/26-1/1. We got to the parks right when they opened and walked on everything. We did Test Track several times in a row. Same with Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain and everything at MGM. The parks got pretty crowded by around lunch time but we'd usually done all the rides we wanted by then.

 

[eeyore0062]

We saw the long lines at some of the attractions, but by the time these lines had formed, we had already been on it one or two times. You have to go when the park opens. If you decide that you are on vacation and sleep late, well, you get what you get.

We have also found this to be the case in all of the WDW parks, no matter what time of the year! As the old saying goes: "the early bird catches the worm"!

We always get up and are one of the 1st in line to get into the parks, and in 3 hours, we are ready for our break, having seen all of the headliners, and other attractions of interest as well. WDW seems not to be a vacation destination for those who like to linger in bed, and still get the most for their money!

 

[kazzie]

Hi Lisakordes,

If there is a Euro Disney, why do they all come to FLA?????????
By 'they' I take it you mean Europeans? If you had been to Disney Land Paris (what Euro Disney was re-named to),you wouldn't ask that question......because it isn't Orlando!