Do people leave Disney World disappointed?

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

Disappointment is a function of expectations. I’m not a Disney fan, but I’ve been 4 times and had a great time each time. I knew what to expect, what my kids/traveling companions liked to do, and made plans keeping all that in mind. Plans doesn’t have to mean a minute-by-minute itinerary.

[Anonymous]

You went to a character meal as an adult without kids? Can you talk me through your thought process?

[Anonymous]

I hope not but we are headed to Disney land next week with very little plans other than purchasing tickets and having kids list what rides they want. Plan to wander, use the express/ fka fast pass and call it a day. Just going with mindset to be patient and have fun.

I think people buy into the hype then spend so much money the expectations are impossible to meet with the crowds etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You went to a character meal as an adult without kids? Can you talk me through your thought process?

People told us that particular one was fun. I think it was in Animal Kingdom and rotated? Plus we had to eat somewhere, so we may as well.

I do have a bit of nostalgia for traditional Disney characters. However, once at Disney was plenty for me personally. My kids might like going now though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disappointment is a function of expectations. I’m not a Disney fan, but I’ve been 4 times and had a great time each time. I knew what to expect, what my kids/traveling companions liked to do, and made plans keeping all that in mind. Plans doesn’t have to mean a minute-by-minute itinerary.

OP here. Totally agree disappointment is a function of expectations. I'm very good at applying that to other vacations. I'm just not sure I could at Disney, given what I'd feel (self-imposed) pressure to get for the relatively high cost.

Curious to hear more of how you approach Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You went to a character meal as an adult without kids? Can you talk me through your thought process?

People told us that particular one was fun. I think it was in Animal Kingdom and rotated? Plus we had to eat somewhere, so we may as well.

I do have a bit of nostalgia for traditional Disney characters. However, once at Disney was plenty for me personally. My kids might like going now though.

Correction -- Garden Grill in EPCOT

[Anonymous]

Do most people just wander around Europe without a plan or advance tickets to see the Louvre or Eiffel Tower? Everything is crowded these days, so we plan ahead.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is possible to go and have fun without a professionally-curated plan. BUT it’s also probable that if you just show up at the parks with no plan, you will be disappointed in your experience. You can watch YouTube videos or search around online for recent posts to get a sense of what you need to plan for.

[Anonymous]

I think if you get sick or bring a kid without a good framework of vacationing with a kid, you might regret it. Otherwise despite what people claim, it actually doesn’t take much more time or energy to plan as compared to any other active vacation. But if your idea of vacation is to sit around and do nothing, probably you won’t like it that much.

[Anonymous]

We went 10 years ago with in laws and 3yo DD. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed because in laws paid for the entire trip. I was shocked and the long lines and crowds given how expensive it is to get in. They let too many people in. If I would have saved up for the vacation and paid for everything I would have been disappointed.
There were even lines to meet characters.
I went to Disneyland in CA in the 90s and remember loving it, I was 18. Characters just wandering around, not crowded at all.

[Anonymous]

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?

Long lines: not hard to avoid if you get lightening lanes and know how to use the app. Plus it is kind of fun to wait in line at Disney.

Heat: It’s actually not that much hotter than DC as the height of summer. If you plan it well it’s just one factor.

Expensive: A little more but given that flights can be cheap and there is a huge price range of accommodations and you may not even need to rent a car, not all that different from other vacations.

Kids don’t remember: well you will remember them having fun. And you can wait until they are older (6-11).

Kids melt down: Well yeah, you need to have age appropriate expectations and actually parent. A meltdown means it’s time to go back to the hotel for pool time or sit down and have a cool drink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disappointment is a function of expectations. I’m not a Disney fan, but I’ve been 4 times and had a great time each time. I knew what to expect, what my kids/traveling companions liked to do, and made plans keeping all that in mind. Plans doesn’t have to mean a minute-by-minute itinerary.

OP here. Totally agree disappointment is a function of expectations. I'm very good at applying that to other vacations. I'm just not sure I could at Disney, given what I'd feel (self-imposed) pressure to get for the relatively high cost.

Curious to hear more of how you approach Disney.

It’s not that much of an additional cost. What are you usual vacations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disappointment is a function of expectations. I’m not a Disney fan, but I’ve been 4 times and had a great time each time. I knew what to expect, what my kids/traveling companions liked to do, and made plans keeping all that in mind. Plans doesn’t have to mean a minute-by-minute itinerary.

OP here. Totally agree disappointment is a function of expectations. I'm very good at applying that to other vacations. I'm just not sure I could at Disney, given what I'd feel (self-imposed) pressure to get for the relatively high cost.

Curious to hear more of how you approach Disney.

It’s not that much of an additional cost. What are you usual vacations?

Primarily domestic cities recently.