If you had a negative experience traveling to Disney, can you share why?
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Anonymous
| I went twice as a child to Disney world and had a lot of fun. I always thought I’d take my kids once. I have now heard so many recent horror stories of crowds/lines/tears. Or advice that you must use an expert or specialist or something and buy special passes or do a ridiculous amount of add-ons or plan like it’s a military operation so that the entire trip doesn’t end in massive disappointment. I like travel and planning and can generally go with the flow but I have been entirely put off by what I’ve heard! No thanks! |
Anonymous
For those who enjoy planning and Disney, the process leading up to a Disney vacation is part of the pleasure. But it's not for everyone. By the way, I recently read a thoughtful piece about Disney adults that captures much of what Disney lovers experience. https://nerdist.com/article/mikey-walsh-walt-disney-world-experience-personal-essay/ |
Anonymous
Yeah I know they frame it that way - they are comparing it to standby. For legal reasons they probably cannot compare it to Genie+ because that costs money. |
Anonymous
DP. I don’t think the amount of planning for Disney is really much different from the amount of planning you’d do for any vacation where there are a lot of different activities and you have to choose between them and maybe know in advance which you prioritize. The real issue is that there is so much to do in a limited time period so you have to plan, if you have preferences. It’s not like there’s some place just like Disney, but requires less planning. And the Genie+ app actually is quite easy to use. About the only “trick” you really need is to understand that you need to get right online at 6:59 for those few super popular rides, or plan to “rope drop” them. You can have a perfectly great time even without that. But just like you wouldn’t expect to waltz into the hottest restaurant on your vacation with no reservation, you do have to plan if you want to ride the most popular rides. |
Anonymous
This is a terrible analogy. When I go on vacation there are maybe one or two activities I need reservations for and I can get those reservations (or know I haven't gotten them) weeks in advance, and plan around that. I'm not spending my vacation trying to get reservations for the things I want to do. |
Anonymous
It’s an active vacation with lots to do. If you don’t like fast paced, action packed, multiple experiences offered such that you can’t possibly do them all, then it’s not for you. My family would be bored sitting on a beach all day with little to do. |
Anonymous
Right, so the PP keeps repeating a false statement. It will be interesting to see how things play out. From reading comments in various forums about how the DAS interviews have been going, the Cast Members are proposing ways to encourage individuals to proactively manage their disabilities and trying to grant DAS only to those who are unable to manage on their own. If Disney would consider more ways to ensure that every guest has a good experience, that would help disabled people most of all. As the complaints in this thread demonstrate, problems like paying for Genie+ and not getting the times you want or not getting popular attractions at all. Other complaints center on long lines, heat, and cost. These factors have an even greater impact on disabled people than the general public. Many (maybe most) DAS users can't be in the parks all day, even with DAS. Disney's operation of the parks makes it harder than ever to manage disabilities without DAS (and I'm sure that contributes to why people have taken advantage). Years ago, the parks had longer operating hours, so there was more time each day to leave, take breaks, and return to the parks. Now, the parks close earlier (AK being the earliest - closes as early as 6:00 p.m. and is never open later than 8:00 p.m.) HS - the park with the fewest attractions and Genie+ attractions like Slinky Dog that sell out early in the day, frequently closes at 9:00 p.m., as does Epcot. Extended hours are offered only for deluxe resort guests. Because Genie+ return times are unknown in advance, sell out, or allegedly may have additional slots released during the day, you can't plan your day in advance, which makes things harder for people to be proactive in managing their disabilities. |
Anonymous
Nobody is going to be happy all the time. People with small children also cant use extended hours or be out all day in the heat. Disney has to provide reasonable accommodations and they do. People can try and sue but they will likely lose. |
Anonymous
| I mean, I know the old FastPass isn't coming back, but especially for families with special needs members, it was great. Made it much easier to plan everything out from finding restaurants that accommodate restricted diets, to figuring out timing of rides. My family previously loved Disney (we've done three separate week-long Disney trips as a family of four in the past decade), but now that things are so much more expensive and crowded, we're skipping it on a California road trip. |
Anonymous
Same. This is why we plan our holidays at places like Club Med - with a lot of easily organized activities on site - or Costa Rica, where its a bit of authentic wildness. Disney seems to have neither. |
Anonymous
Dvc member here and we went every other year when my kids were growing up. When you have kids with an age gap, you go multiple times because the rides are geared for different ages. A preschooler loves Peter Pan and the carousel and the character breakfasts but a teen likes Tower of Terror. |
Anonymous
The old fast pass was awesome and frankly the ride time ticket booths before that were great too. |
Anonymous
With Paris and Rome, I do all the pre planning before hand. My problem with Disney is the stress of lightning lanes and genie plus which means you can’t know your ride times until the day of. And that may or may not work with special meals or Disney events scheduled. I don’t like throwing a wrench into my plans last minute nor do I like being on my phone organizing my day while on the vacation. |
Anonymous
Right - because the vacation you choose just doesn’t have as many things to do. That’s the point I am making - don’t go to a buffet if you don’t like having to make choices! |
Anonymous
I agree, I am not one of those planny people either. But some people love that, so they can go to Disney and I can go elsewhere far away from them! |