Washington Post article on Disney vacations

[Anonymous]

There are certain things that really underscore how very different we all are and wanting to go on Disney vacations is one of those things.

[Anonymous]

Disneyland Paris is fun. Much smaller and not crowded. We just showed up and rode a bunch of rides. No planning at all. Something to try if you are over there and want a smaller Disney experience.

[Anonymous]

Attendance is at an all time high pretty much and so is cost. The DCUM boycott is not having much effect unfortunately. As for Disneyland, everything I read indications that if you like and are used to WDW, Disneyland will be underwhelming.

[Anonymous]

Nothing new in that article. We love Disney. In fact, once you figure out the Lightning Lane and Genie+ system on the first day, you can whiz around, avoid waits, and pretty much ride every ride. Disney World was actually cheaper than Universal Studios per day. The Disney resort was cheaper and the daily tickets. I was shocked at the per day burn rate at Universal to get the max experience with ‘the park to park ticket’ and the $60 Hp wand! It was all fun, but Universal has climbed in price.

[Anonymous]

I’m glad we went before too, OP.

Disney used to offer free parking and early access to the parks. We had a fantastic time.

We did go back a few years later, and the park was overcrowded and more expensive. We had to pay for parking…

I can’t see going back again.

[Anonymous]

I know this isn't an option for most or a choice that many would make but while our first Disney World trip was fun, it was the repeat visits that were way more fun after that. We knew our way around, didn't feel like we had to do everything, understood the Fast Pass/Genie+ system so we wait in almost no lines, the kids didn't mind skipping character lines, etc. It becomes more of a vacation and less of a "holy crap, I'm at WDW, I may never be back and I must do everything!" trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing new in that article. We love Disney. In fact, once you figure out the Lightning Lane and Genie+ system on the first day, you can whiz around, avoid waits, and pretty much ride every ride. Disney World was actually cheaper than Universal Studios per day. The Disney resort was cheaper and the daily tickets. I was shocked at the per day burn rate at Universal to get the max experience with ‘the park to park ticket’ and the $60 Hp wand! It was all fun, but Universal has climbed in price.

Agree. Either you know the system and love it, or you don’t and have a terrible time. We really hit our stride last trip and had an amazing time. Hit every wide we wanted, multiple times, with not much wait time. We’re headed back in March and can’t wait!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Attendance is at an all time high pretty much and so is cost. The DCUM boycott is not having much effect unfortunately. As for Disneyland, everything I read indications that if you like and are used to WDW, Disneyland will be underwhelming.

This hasn’t been true since this summer with both wait times for lines dropping and attendance numbers as well. Whether that’s due to prices or bad weather over the summer in particular or otherwise is a little unclear.

WSJ in July: “Travel analysts and advisers say traffic to Disney’s U.S. parks, and some rival parks, has slowed this summer. Data from a travel company that tracks line-waiting time at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., shows that the Independence Day weekend was one of the slowest in nearly a decade.“

Business Insider: “ Walt Disney World bills itself as the "Most Magical Place on Earth," but based on a growing amount of evidence, it seems as if fewer people are spending this summer soaking up the fairy dust. And for all the talk about its parent company's fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, it's pretty clear that the park's problems run deeper than a political beef. Disney execs warned earlier in the year that they expected earnings at their US theme parks to be down this year, but according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the drop-off may be worse than feared. According to data from Touring Plans, a company that tracks major amusement parks, the average wait time for a ride in the flagship Magic Kingdom park on the July 4 holiday was 27 minutes, down 13% from 2022 (31 minutes) and 43% below pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (47 minutes). It was also the third-slowest day in the past year at Hollywood Studios, despite the park being home to the uber-popular "Star Wars" attractions. Disney-focused blogs have also been tracking the foot traffic decline for months, posting pictures of near-empty parks and nonexistent lines during major holiday weekends.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing new in that article. We love Disney. In fact, once you figure out the Lightning Lane and Genie+ system on the first day, you can whiz around, avoid waits, and pretty much ride every ride. Disney World was actually cheaper than Universal Studios per day. The Disney resort was cheaper and the daily tickets. I was shocked at the per day burn rate at Universal to get the max experience with ‘the park to park ticket’ and the $60 Hp wand! It was all fun, but Universal has climbed in price.

Agree. Either you know the system and love it, or you don’t and have a terrible time. We really hit our stride last trip and had an amazing time. Hit every wide we wanted, multiple times, with not much wait time. We’re headed back in March and can’t wait!

I know the system well, and don’t love it. It’s not that I couldn’t manage it or didn’t get what I wanted out of it. It’s that I don’t want to have to plan and organize so much on what is supposed to be a fun day at an amusement park.

[Anonymous]

I think people want to make it harder than it is. We went to Hollywood Studios at the spur of the moment last summer while visiting Orlando. We did not get up super early and stayed near Universal. We were probably there at 9 or so and managed to do all the major rides multiple times. I did buy the lightning pass for Rise of the Resistance but that was it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people want to make it harder than it is. We went to Hollywood Studios at the spur of the moment last summer while visiting Orlando. We did not get up super early and stayed near Universal. We were probably there at 9 or so and managed to do all the major rides multiple times. I did buy the lightning pass for Rise of the Resistance but that was it.

Also, I think bringing kids under five is a waste unless you independently want to go to Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people want to make it harder than it is. We went to Hollywood Studios at the spur of the moment last summer while visiting Orlando. We did not get up super early and stayed near Universal. We were probably there at 9 or so and managed to do all the major rides multiple times. I did buy the lightning pass for Rise of the Resistance but that was it.

Yeah you didn’t do anything superior and your success was not due to your more laid back approach either. You just got lucky.

If you tried the exact same thing on a different day it probably wouldn’t work.

[Anonymous]

They need to let fewer people in. Cap the admittance/attendance numbers but keep prices the same. It’s ridiculous to pay almost $200 per ticket (once you include genie+) and still have to wait in such long lines and be on your phone all day strategizing.

[Anonymous]

As an alternative that's within driving distance, my kids loved Dollywood. We went two years ago as part of a bigger trip to the Smoky Mountains. Beautiful, pristine grounds and attractions, and a simple fast pass system. We would go back for sure vs. attempt Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m super organized. I had our recent Disney trip planned to a T. I was up getting our genie reservations at 7am, I’d booked all the best character dining. I was on my phone booking new passes every 2 hours.

Even still, dh was so over it. The crowds were out of control (we went M-Th during the lowest week of the year) and we often waited in line 45-90 per ride. My 2 year old lost her mind at having to wait in lines like this. My biggest beef is with child swap. Dh would go with one kid while I waited with the other two and then I would go with the other kid while he waited with the toddler. Doing this took foreeeeeever. You used to be able to walk on (rightly so, we already waited once!) but now the wait was 20 min each time.

I don’t think I can ever convince my easy going husband to go back to Disney. We’ve been 2x a year for years. It’s just straight up miserable now. Dh thinks they’ve allowed too many people in for the rides that they have.

Oh yeah and not one character was walking around. You either pay $$$ for character dining, wait in long lines to meet them or wave while a parade goes by.

Wow - that does NOT sound like fun!