Washington Post article on Disney vacations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IMO it was far more complicated pre-covid. They are finally bringing back the dining plan but you can still only book that 60 days out. We've gone many times and we hate standing in line. I think the longest line we've waited in (wasn't on purpose, the ride went down and we didn't notice) was 30min. Usually we wait a max of 5-10min. Stack your Genie+ passes for late morning/early afternoon when you'll actually need them. Get them early and hit the must do ride(s) first.

I've never had to be on my phone very long while at Disney either. Only when I'm booking a new pass after we scan into the first (which takes maybe 2min tops), quickly checking ride times (again like 1min to scan nearby rides) or ordering food for pickup (maybe 5min). If you're on your phone longer you're doing it wrong lol.

Much preferred FP+. With refreshing you could get almost anything including repeats. Not repeats with Genie+. We were FP+ power users for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO it was far more complicated pre-covid. They are finally bringing back the dining plan but you can still only book that 60 days out. We've gone many times and we hate standing in line. I think the longest line we've waited in (wasn't on purpose, the ride went down and we didn't notice) was 30min. Usually we wait a max of 5-10min. Stack your Genie+ passes for late morning/early afternoon when you'll actually need them. Get them early and hit the must do ride(s) first.

I've never had to be on my phone very long while at Disney either. Only when I'm booking a new pass after we scan into the first (which takes maybe 2min tops), quickly checking ride times (again like 1min to scan nearby rides) or ordering food for pickup (maybe 5min). If you're on your phone longer you're doing it wrong lol.

Much preferred FP+. With refreshing you could get almost anything including repeats. Not repeats with Genie+. We were FP+ power users for sure.

So did I. Also, you could plan in advance. This time, I had to be walking around the park planning. Totally kills the trip for the planner of the group who is usually the one pushing for a Disney Vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been putting off Disney until my kids are old enough to remember and enjoy it because I only plan on doing it once more. We are big amusement park enthusiasts and definitely planners, but the last time I was at Disney pre-COVID it all required too much staring at the phone to enjoy. Sounds like it’s even worse now.

I feel like when I go to other parks, it’s enough to avoid the peak times, come up with a general game plan for the popular rides, and hit up the food lines in advance of usual meal times. Disney requires all of this and ongoing active management throughout the day. They’ve taken a lot of the happiness and spontaneity that makes a magical trip.

what other amusement parks do you all like? we've done DW and DL and Universal hollywood - looking for other parks.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So beautifully landscaped and shady with really good food. Rides for roller coaster fanatics and wimps alike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been putting off Disney until my kids are old enough to remember and enjoy it because I only plan on doing it once more. We are big amusement park enthusiasts and definitely planners, but the last time I was at Disney pre-COVID it all required too much staring at the phone to enjoy. Sounds like it’s even worse now.

I feel like when I go to other parks, it’s enough to avoid the peak times, come up with a general game plan for the popular rides, and hit up the food lines in advance of usual meal times. Disney requires all of this and ongoing active management throughout the day. They’ve taken a lot of the happiness and spontaneity that makes a magical trip.

what other amusement parks do you all like? we've done DW and DL and Universal hollywood - looking for other parks.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So beautifully landscaped and shady with really good food. Rides for roller coaster fanatics and wimps alike.

We are Busch fans too, but have to hard disagree on the food. It’s a big weakness for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been putting off Disney until my kids are old enough to remember and enjoy it because I only plan on doing it once more. We are big amusement park enthusiasts and definitely planners, but the last time I was at Disney pre-COVID it all required too much staring at the phone to enjoy. Sounds like it’s even worse now.

I feel like when I go to other parks, it’s enough to avoid the peak times, come up with a general game plan for the popular rides, and hit up the food lines in advance of usual meal times. Disney requires all of this and ongoing active management throughout the day. They’ve taken a lot of the happiness and spontaneity that makes a magical trip.

what other amusement parks do you all like? we've done DW and DL and Universal hollywood - looking for other parks.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So beautifully landscaped and shady with really good food. Rides for roller coaster fanatics and wimps alike.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been putting off Disney until my kids are old enough to remember and enjoy it because I only plan on doing it once more. We are big amusement park enthusiasts and definitely planners, but the last time I was at Disney pre-COVID it all required too much staring at the phone to enjoy. Sounds like it’s even worse now.

I feel like when I go to other parks, it’s enough to avoid the peak times, come up with a general game plan for the popular rides, and hit up the food lines in advance of usual meal times. Disney requires all of this and ongoing active management throughout the day. They’ve taken a lot of the happiness and spontaneity that makes a magical trip.

what other amusement parks do you all like? we've done DW and DL and Universal hollywood - looking for other parks.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So beautifully landscaped and shady with really good food. Rides for roller coaster fanatics and wimps alike.

We are Busch fans too, but have to hard disagree on the food. It’s a big weakness for them.

Interesting perspective on the food! I always get the same things: sausage sampler & Apple Strudel at Oktoberfest and Barbeque platter in New France. I also like the caramel apples at the candy shop in England. Since those are the only things I ever eat (or have for at least a dozen or so years) I can't speak to most of the rest of the menu. The food festival booths can be good also. Pizza and chicken fingers are not good. Everything is overpriced, but since the season passes are so cheap I figure that the food is the only way they make any money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been putting off Disney until my kids are old enough to remember and enjoy it because I only plan on doing it once more. We are big amusement park enthusiasts and definitely planners, but the last time I was at Disney pre-COVID it all required too much staring at the phone to enjoy. Sounds like it’s even worse now.

I feel like when I go to other parks, it’s enough to avoid the peak times, come up with a general game plan for the popular rides, and hit up the food lines in advance of usual meal times. Disney requires all of this and ongoing active management throughout the day. They’ve taken a lot of the happiness and spontaneity that makes a magical trip.

what other amusement parks do you all like? we've done DW and DL and Universal hollywood - looking for other parks.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So beautifully landscaped and shady with really good food. Rides for roller coaster fanatics and wimps alike.

We are Busch fans too, but have to hard disagree on the food. It’s a big weakness for them.

Interesting perspective on the food! I always get the same things: sausage sampler & Apple Strudel at Oktoberfest and Barbeque platter in New France. I also like the caramel apples at the candy shop in England. Since those are the only things I ever eat (or have for at least a dozen or so years) I can't speak to most of the rest of the menu. The food festival booths can be good also. Pizza and chicken fingers are not good. Everything is overpriced, but since the season passes are so cheap I figure that the food is the only way they make any money.

Its not the price that gets me - we do lots of amusement parks including WDW and Universal so we are used to that. I've never eaten anything I've liked in Oktoberfest. I agree the BBQ place is the best option, but its just "fine." The chicken fingers around the park are just terrible. That is one thing that WDW does really well, which is great for picky kids. Also at Busch, the lines are long and just do not move quickly enough. There have been several times we've wanted to buy our kids a very overpriced ice cream or pretzel and waited in the line only to give up when it barely moved.