Do people leave Disney World disappointed?

[Anonymous]

We had a terrible Disney trip. Just about everything that could go wrong did. We were staying in the Polynesian and were given a handicap room with a door opener. It was broken so our door kept opening randomly the whole trip. We spent hours calling and waiting for maintenance so we could close the door.

We were staying at an expensive hotel so we could use the pool, but it wasn't open during the 5 days we were there. Apparently there was a storm, the. a kid puked in it, then it was closed for two days for maintenance, then a kid pooped in it. Never got in even once.

We arrived at Magic Kingdom our first day and we're there for 6 hours. A big storm had just come through and lightning had struck so every ride in the park was down. We were wading through knee deep water. We had reservations at the castle, aans between the storm and closed rides, they were running 2 hours late so we had to wait. That whole day we didn't get on a ride, had a terrible, late dinner with starving, grumpy kids, and the Princesses were behind so skipped our table at dinner.

The next day we were going to rope drop MK to get on all the rides we missed, but every single mountain ride was down at opening still. We eventually got on a few rides, but so much was still down it was terrible. The lines were horrible because so much was still closed.

So the next day we went to Hollywood studios and had a reservation for the drive in restaurant. But there was a fire in the kitchen right when our food was being delivered so we ended up being evacuated and held for over three hours while the fire department put out the fire and wrote a report. So we baked in 102 degree heat with starving kids while we waited. We finally got out and rode a few rides, but then our bus broke down on the way from the park to the hotel and we had to wait another 2 hours while standing in a stuffed bus. It was awful.

I could keep going, but every single day was a calamity and Disney did nothing to make it right. I think they were overwhelmed with the huge number of ride closures and just couldn't cope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kills Disney for me is everyone says you have to check your phone constantly to make plans/reserve stuff. On vacation, I put down my phone and focus on my family and experiences. I just cannot wrap my head around this being fun.

Really? I see people on phones constantly on vacation. Looking for directions, finding out where to go and how to get there, taking videos, photos, etc, finding information about what they are seeing. You're just a Luddite, everyone is always on the phone. Unless you're on a sedentary beach vacation zoning out doing nothing which isn't what everyone wants to do either.

I feel like I’m actually on my phone less at Disney. I do the lightning lanes a week before, then it’s just a quick search after you use them to add another (done in line)

[Anonymous]

We aren’t big Disney movie/theming fans, so the appeal was the rides. DS was 9, so really only the bigger rides, he’d outgrown kiddie stuff. The lines were insane (even a random week in November) and rides shut down mid line multiple times on our trip. It was frustrating. We went on maybe 5-6 rides in a day? I remember it not feeling like a lot. It seemed really expensive since the parades and character photos weren't of interest to our family. The only Disney movie he was ever passionate about as a little kid was cars, so maybe we were dumb to book the trip, but I fell for the “everyone has to take their kid once!” silliness.

We enjoyed our day at universal though. Harry Potter land was great.

[Anonymous]

Disney is the absolute worst vacation I’ve ever been on without question.

My kids HATED waiting in hours of lines. Everyone was hot, then it rained for 20 minutes and everyone was hot and wet. My mother in law was with us and kept buying them sweets throughout the day until we actually reached the point of my daughter crying that grandma wants her to eat ice cream but she doesn’t want ice cream.

When we got home the kids all said their favorite part was the day we spent at the hotel pool, and comparing Disney negatively to Hershey park which they have loved with nothing close to the same lines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kills Disney for me is everyone says you have to check your phone constantly to make plans/reserve stuff. On vacation, I put down my phone and focus on my family and experiences. I just cannot wrap my head around this being fun.

Really? I see people on phones constantly on vacation. Looking for directions, finding out where to go and how to get there, taking videos, photos, etc, finding information about what they are seeing. You're just a Luddite, everyone is always on the phone. Unless you're on a sedentary beach vacation zoning out doing nothing which isn't what everyone wants to do either.

DP. I love technology, so not a Luddite. But I only pull out my phone to look at the map if I’m lost, and sometimes to get a great shot of a place or sight I want to remember.
Being on vacation is the best time to put the phone away because you’re not expected to be available for calls or emails. It’s a mindset, it’s not about rejecting new things and technology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kills Disney for me is everyone says you have to check your phone constantly to make plans/reserve stuff. On vacation, I put down my phone and focus on my family and experiences. I just cannot wrap my head around this being fun.

Really? I see people on phones constantly on vacation. Looking for directions, finding out where to go and how to get there, taking videos, photos, etc, finding information about what they are seeing. You're just a Luddite, everyone is always on the phone. Unless you're on a sedentary beach vacation zoning out doing nothing which isn't what everyone wants to do either.

DP. I love technology, so not a Luddite. But I only pull out my phone to look at the map if I’m lost, and sometimes to get a great shot of a place or sight I want to remember.
Being on vacation is the best time to put the phone away because you’re not expected to be available for calls or emails. It’s a mindset, it’s not about rejecting new things and technology.

You make dining and lightning reservations far in advance at Disney. So if you heard from a friend that they are on the phone the whole time they did something seriously wrong.

[Anonymous]

This is the second time that I'm sick at Disney. I've been well all winter and then I get here and immediately get a massive sinus infection, vomiting, fever, the works. I'm pretty sure I got this before traveling but the other one I got here. It's so crowded, I'm not surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kills Disney for me is everyone says you have to check your phone constantly to make plans/reserve stuff. On vacation, I put down my phone and focus on my family and experiences. I just cannot wrap my head around this being fun.

Really? I see people on phones constantly on vacation. Looking for directions, finding out where to go and how to get there, taking videos, photos, etc, finding information about what they are seeing. You're just a Luddite, everyone is always on the phone. Unless you're on a sedentary beach vacation zoning out doing nothing which isn't what everyone wants to do either.

DP, and I feel the same way PP does. If I want to be on my phone all day I can stay home. Whether it's a beach vacation, camping in the mountains or museums in the city I only want my phone out to take a quick picture.

I'd like to hear you tell us why someone was on their phone ALL day at Disney. There's really nothing you can be doing all day long. You can book a new lightning lane after you use one. Then you wait an hour, maybe two or more for the next one. So maybe you do it 4-5 times a day. Hardly ALL day. This is just what people say who really don't know what they are talking about. I'm sure most people pick up their phone more than 4-5 times a day.

[Anonymous]

I went in a bit hesitant but seriously loved it, as did the kids. We did the lightning lane madness but it wasn’t as bad as I feared, and we only did about six hours a day in the parks the rest relaxing at the hotel pool.

[Anonymous]

I really don't understand adults loving Disney so much they spend all their vacations there. We went when our boys were 4 and 6, knowing that the trip was for their enjoyment and at best we were enduring torture for their sake that could be minimized with advanced planning. Namely we got express passes, better parking and arranged one of those character meals. We spent a total of 3 days at the park which is about all we could manage - with one day at Magic Kingdom (30% fun, 70% torture for us...kids had 70% fun, 30% torture - just overstimulation), one day at Animal Kingdom/Epcot (where we had the character meal and the food was the best) and one day at a Disney water park. Honestly the water park was the best because it was so hot and the park was full of fun slides and other features. The cost for the whole family to go was pushing $1,000/day without even doing many extras. We haven't been back and are relieved we ticked off the Disney box without any major disasters.

PP above with the big storm, power outages and maintenance issues at a Disney resort...if it hasn't been too long I would reach out about your experience. Hopefully you would get some sort of perks on a future visit if you can stand the thought of it. It's terrible your vacation was ruined by so many things outside your control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like every vacation can be disappointed if that’s the mind set. My last two vacations we had a tour I was looking forward to the most of the whole trip cancelled due to weather. I was disappointed! But tried not to let it ruin vacation. Probably my most disappointing vacation was when we went to Ireland and foot and mouth broke out so they closed all the national historical/cultural sites anc all the national parks! But we could still drive around and look at sheep. And drink beer. I still hope to go back and see the archeological sites.

This is OP. I had a tour cancelled on my last vacation also, and it was disappointing, but I am mostly okay with that because I didn't cause it and couldn't have predicted it, so we pivoted to something else that was also fun.

I think the thing that's bothering me about Disney is it seems like you theoretically can control it all, but then controlling it all is all on me. I don't want that pressure and stress. I travel for freedom from having to be so scheduled all the time and Disney seems like setting myself up for failure.

I know I could create a packed minute-by-minute itinerary for Chicago, for instance, but I never would because I'd be in a bad mood all the time. Maybe "in a bad mood" and "stressed" are what I really mean by disappointed.

I posted above about winging it when we'd be in Orlando to see family. Schedule things up to a point, and then just be comfortable going with the flow. My kids were just as happy at the hotel pool as they were in the parks, especially when it was hot out.

Mine too. I left feeling like why am I dragging myself around in the heat to wait in lines and spending $1K a day?

[Anonymous]

We have been several times due to family in the area but have never done a full-on Disney trip. Either stayed with them or off property. To me it's always been a mixed bag: I loved seeing dcs excited by some rides/characters and decor, and the fireworks really are beautiful. There are always elements of great fun that feel "worth it", and then the absolute misery of lines and the heat and crap food. It's not how I as an adult would spend my child-free time, ever, by choice. I won't go again but I am glad we went with the kids at various ages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a terrible Disney trip. Just about everything that could go wrong did. We were staying in the Polynesian and were given a handicap room with a door opener. It was broken so our door kept opening randomly the whole trip. We spent hours calling and waiting for maintenance so we could close the door.

We were staying at an expensive hotel so we could use the pool, but it wasn't open during the 5 days we were there. Apparently there was a storm, the. a kid puked in it, then it was closed for two days for maintenance, then a kid pooped in it. Never got in even once.

We arrived at Magic Kingdom our first day and we're there for 6 hours. A big storm had just come through and lightning had struck so every ride in the park was down. We were wading through knee deep water. We had reservations at the castle, aans between the storm and closed rides, they were running 2 hours late so we had to wait. That whole day we didn't get on a ride, had a terrible, late dinner with starving, grumpy kids, and the Princesses were behind so skipped our table at dinner.

The next day we were going to rope drop MK to get on all the rides we missed, but every single mountain ride was down at opening still. We eventually got on a few rides, but so much was still down it was terrible. The lines were horrible because so much was still closed.

So the next day we went to Hollywood studios and had a reservation for the drive in restaurant. But there was a fire in the kitchen right when our food was being delivered so we ended up being evacuated and held for over three hours while the fire department put out the fire and wrote a report. So we baked in 102 degree heat with starving kids while we waited. We finally got out and rode a few rides, but then our bus broke down on the way from the park to the hotel and we had to wait another 2 hours while standing in a stuffed bus. It was awful.

I could keep going, but every single day was a calamity and Disney did nothing to make it right. I think they were overwhelmed with the huge number of ride closures and just couldn't cope.

Whoa! I hope this isn't real and you are trolling.

If true, I feel for you.

Did Disney at least reimburse you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to Disney 20 years ago before kids. We had Park Hopper passes and reservations at one character meal and Victorian & Albert's. We pretty much just wandered around and had fun. Meanwhile my friend with kids had a travel agent with a packed written agenda, which sounded like torture to me.

Now it seems like the only way to go is even more complicated than the travel agent's agenda with various tricks and constraints. Can you go without a carefully curated plan? Have you been disappointed, whether with or without a detailed plan?

Yes, Disney World is awful. Long lines. Heat. Expensive. Kids don't remember anything. Melt downs after meltdowns. And I can't even imagine going there without kids. Why would I ever?

A little prudence when planning could have avoided most of this, but your kids don't remember anything? Maybe they blocked it out because you failed to plan for their needs.

Most Disney trips revolve around the kids, but oh ok let’s blame the parents again. They must not have created a magical enough experience to create a memory. I don’t remember much before 2nd or 3rd grade. Perhaps they don’t remember because they are kids??

It has to do with visiting during peak heat; marching kids around all day, without pool breaks, etc. And most people have memories before 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like every vacation can be disappointed if that’s the mind set. My last two vacations we had a tour I was looking forward to the most of the whole trip cancelled due to weather. I was disappointed! But tried not to let it ruin vacation. Probably my most disappointing vacation was when we went to Ireland and foot and mouth broke out so they closed all the national historical/cultural sites anc all the national parks! But we could still drive around and look at sheep. And drink beer. I still hope to go back and see the archeological sites.

This is OP. I had a tour cancelled on my last vacation also, and it was disappointing, but I am mostly okay with that because I didn't cause it and couldn't have predicted it, so we pivoted to something else that was also fun.

I think the thing that's bothering me about Disney is it seems like you theoretically can control it all, but then controlling it all is all on me. I don't want that pressure and stress. I travel for freedom from having to be so scheduled all the time and Disney seems like setting myself up for failure.

I know I could create a packed minute-by-minute itinerary for Chicago, for instance, but I never would because I'd be in a bad mood all the time. Maybe "in a bad mood" and "stressed" are what I really mean by disappointed.

I posted above about winging it when we'd be in Orlando to see family. Schedule things up to a point, and then just be comfortable going with the flow. My kids were just as happy at the hotel pool as they were in the parks, especially when it was hot out.

Mine too. I left feeling like why am I dragging myself around in the heat to wait in lines and spending $1K a day?

My favorite memory from Disney is when we didn't do the parks and went resort hopping to see the Christmas trees and the huge gingerbread house from Disney Springs using the free bus and my kids loved the free cable car rides and we got to see fireworks from the hotel where the gingerbread house was. We spent the day between wandering around Disney Springs and resort hopping to see all the fancy resorts, had ice cream in one. Disney Springs was magical during the Holidays.