If you had a negative experience traveling to Disney, can you share why?

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Anonymous wrote:[twitter] Jo

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Anonymous wrote:All of the discussions in this thread literally prove beyond a doubt now terrible it is to go to Disney. Look at how much work you all describe it being just to go there.

This. Why the hell would I look forward to spending an insane amount of money after spending 50 hours pre-planning the visit. International travel is far easier and cheaper.

I find it hard to believe there isn’t a lot of preplanning involved with an international trip.

Exactly. You don't just show up in Paris or Rome without planning and getting advance museum tickets, tour tickets, etc.

I mean I usually do. I’ve never pre booked anything for a trip except hotels. There’s always plenty to see and do and explore without scheduling ourselves ahead of time. Much nicer to take each day as we feel like.

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.

This is a valid critique. I felt like it was basically impossible to plan restaurant reservations and get all the value out of the park ticket. But at the end of the day, we didn’t really go there to eat at restaurants. I can see if you were doing a character meal, that might be hard to plan around. It would be nice if you could reserve at least 1 LL in advance every day.

You will get a LL ride first thing at 7 if you book one. You just can't be such an anal planner that you want to do them in an exact order. You have to be somewhat flexible and just take them as they come. If you your first choice isn't the best time then take your 2nd choice and rope drop the one you didn't get. It's not impossible. Trying to plan each minute of the day on a strict schedule will be your undoing. And planning multiple sit down meals is a waste of time and money for mediocre food if you want to ride the rides.

We always stay club level so breakfast and dinner are provided for us. We make lunchtime reservations at each park and have never had a problem timing/scheduling rides. It’s all about finessing the LL’s, rope drop, extended park hours, and getting in line exactly at park closing time.

You can spend your time finessing all that, or go to Paris and Rome. That was the original point in this thread - that unlike Disney, I CAN plan those activities around my meals well in advance and not have to “finess” on the day of, which I don’t want to do!

You miss the point, which is that at Disney there’s so much to do that every choice has an opportunity cost. A better analogy would be a foodie who obsessively plans what to eat when & where in Paris and Rome.

European cities have choice as well and I’m not sure how you can reasonably deny that. But I can pre plan what I want to see and do and not have to juggle it the day of like Disney. This isn’t a complicated concept despite your repeated pushback.

But do you have to plan 60 days out? That seems like a real hassle and obstacle for some people.

You only have to plan nice sit down meals 60 days out. If you want to do quick service there’s no planning necessary.

NP "planning 60 days out" makes it sound easy. No- I woke up at 5:30 because you need to be online and selecting right at 6am ET in order to get dining. By 6:05 I could tell most were sold out.

You obviously wanted something specific. Nobody is starving because they weren't able to get a dining reservation. There are plenty of places to eat.

But the thread is about why a person had a negative experience. If this was negative to them, who are you to say they shouldn’t share it with OP? Why do you care that someone has a negative experience to share?

Because it is misleading. If you want to do something specific, yes, you have to be proactive. If you're flexible, you don't.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

serious question - what’s so hard about genie+?

People have hour long youtube videos about how to maximize genie +.

The hard part is that most ride times are sold out so you're basically scrambling all day to make any popular ride happen for your family.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

I'm not assuming anything. It's clear people in here are merely reacting to what they have read without any personal experience.

No, it’s not “clear.” No one here has said they are responding as someone who hasn’t been to Disney so unless you can prove that “people” are doing so, it’s just assumptions on your part.

Ok. If you claim all the rides are for kids and you HAVE to make all dining reservations 60 days out then I think you're full of shit. YMMV.

I’ve been to Disney more than ten times and we’ve ALWAYS made dining reservations 60 days out. We are a large party including grandparents who need a break in the AC and who can’t do rides and want the time with the kids to relax. Not everyone has a small group and can do grab and go food all the times. Not everyone is traveling the way you are. Character meals are another one you need to book well in advance. So yes, for certain dining experiences you absolutely do need to book ahead. And yeah, some rides are definitely for the kids.

So perhaps I'm not talking to you? There are lots of posts in here from many people. There are anti-Disney people who just love to hate and you can tell who they are vs the people who have legit gripes.

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Anonymous wrote:[twitter] Jo

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Anonymous wrote:All of the discussions in this thread literally prove beyond a doubt now terrible it is to go to Disney. Look at how much work you all describe it being just to go there.

This. Why the hell would I look forward to spending an insane amount of money after spending 50 hours pre-planning the visit. International travel is far easier and cheaper.

I find it hard to believe there isn’t a lot of preplanning involved with an international trip.

Exactly. You don't just show up in Paris or Rome without planning and getting advance museum tickets, tour tickets, etc.

I mean I usually do. I’ve never pre booked anything for a trip except hotels. There’s always plenty to see and do and explore without scheduling ourselves ahead of time. Much nicer to take each day as we feel like.

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.

This is a valid critique. I felt like it was basically impossible to plan restaurant reservations and get all the value out of the park ticket. But at the end of the day, we didn’t really go there to eat at restaurants. I can see if you were doing a character meal, that might be hard to plan around. It would be nice if you could reserve at least 1 LL in advance every day.

You will get a LL ride first thing at 7 if you book one. You just can't be such an anal planner that you want to do them in an exact order. You have to be somewhat flexible and just take them as they come. If you your first choice isn't the best time then take your 2nd choice and rope drop the one you didn't get. It's not impossible. Trying to plan each minute of the day on a strict schedule will be your undoing. And planning multiple sit down meals is a waste of time and money for mediocre food if you want to ride the rides.

We always stay club level so breakfast and dinner are provided for us. We make lunchtime reservations at each park and have never had a problem timing/scheduling rides. It’s all about finessing the LL’s, rope drop, extended park hours, and getting in line exactly at park closing time.

You can spend your time finessing all that, or go to Paris and Rome. That was the original point in this thread - that unlike Disney, I CAN plan those activities around my meals well in advance and not have to “finess” on the day of, which I don’t want to do!

You miss the point, which is that at Disney there’s so much to do that every choice has an opportunity cost. A better analogy would be a foodie who obsessively plans what to eat when & where in Paris and Rome.

European cities have choice as well and I’m not sure how you can reasonably deny that. But I can pre plan what I want to see and do and not have to juggle it the day of like Disney. This isn’t a complicated concept despite your repeated pushback.

But do you have to plan 60 days out? That seems like a real hassle and obstacle for some people.

You only have to plan nice sit down meals 60 days out. If you want to do quick service there’s no planning necessary.

NP "planning 60 days out" makes it sound easy. No- I woke up at 5:30 because you need to be online and selecting right at 6am ET in order to get dining. By 6:05 I could tell most were sold out.

You obviously wanted something specific. Nobody is starving because they weren't able to get a dining reservation. There are plenty of places to eat.

But the thread is about why a person had a negative experience. If this was negative to them, who are you to say they shouldn’t share it with OP? Why do you care that someone has a negative experience to share?

Because it is misleading. If you want to do something specific, yes, you have to be proactive. If you're flexible, you don't.

It’s not misleading if that was their experience and what frustrated them about their time at Disney, which is what OP is asking about. There are people here saying things like “I don’t mind waiting in a line” or “you don’t HAVE to book 60 days out” but get real, most people DON’T like lines or have specific restaurants they want to try, and that creates a negative experience for people who have choices about how to spend their vacation dollars.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

serious question - what’s so hard about genie+?

People have hour long youtube videos about how to maximize genie +.

The hard part is that most ride times are sold out so you're basically scrambling all day to make any popular ride happen for your family.

hopefully the DAS restrictions will improve that situation… it’s true though that you need a plan for the top rides. It worked for us because we like doing all the other stuff too while waiting.

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Anonymous wrote:All of the discussions in this thread literally prove beyond a doubt now terrible it is to go to Disney. Look at how much work you all describe it being just to go there.

This. Why the hell would I look forward to spending an insane amount of money after spending 50 hours pre-planning the visit. International travel is far easier and cheaper.

I find it hard to believe there isn’t a lot of preplanning involved with an international trip.

Exactly. You don't just show up in Paris or Rome without planning and getting advance museum tickets, tour tickets, etc.

I mean I usually do. I’ve never pre booked anything for a trip except hotels. There’s always plenty to see and do and explore without scheduling ourselves ahead of time. Much nicer to take each day as we feel like.

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.

This is a valid critique. I felt like it was basically impossible to plan restaurant reservations and get all the value out of the park ticket. But at the end of the day, we didn’t really go there to eat at restaurants. I can see if you were doing a character meal, that might be hard to plan around. It would be nice if you could reserve at least 1 LL in advance every day.

You will get a LL ride first thing at 7 if you book one. You just can't be such an anal planner that you want to do them in an exact order. You have to be somewhat flexible and just take them as they come. If you your first choice isn't the best time then take your 2nd choice and rope drop the one you didn't get. It's not impossible. Trying to plan each minute of the day on a strict schedule will be your undoing. And planning multiple sit down meals is a waste of time and money for mediocre food if you want to ride the rides.

We always stay club level so breakfast and dinner are provided for us. We make lunchtime reservations at each park and have never had a problem timing/scheduling rides. It’s all about finessing the LL’s, rope drop, extended park hours, and getting in line exactly at park closing time.

You can spend your time finessing all that, or go to Paris and Rome. That was the original point in this thread - that unlike Disney, I CAN plan those activities around my meals well in advance and not have to “finess” on the day of, which I don’t want to do!

You miss the point, which is that at Disney there’s so much to do that every choice has an opportunity cost. A better analogy would be a foodie who obsessively plans what to eat when & where in Paris and Rome.

European cities have choice as well and I’m not sure how you can reasonably deny that. But I can pre plan what I want to see and do and not have to juggle it the day of like Disney. This isn’t a complicated concept despite your repeated pushback.

But do you have to plan 60 days out? That seems like a real hassle and obstacle for some people.

You only have to plan nice sit down meals 60 days out. If you want to do quick service there’s no planning necessary.

NP "planning 60 days out" makes it sound easy. No- I woke up at 5:30 because you need to be online and selecting right at 6am ET in order to get dining. By 6:05 I could tell most were sold out.

You obviously wanted something specific. Nobody is starving because they weren't able to get a dining reservation. There are plenty of places to eat.

But the thread is about why a person had a negative experience. If this was negative to them, who are you to say they shouldn’t share it with OP? Why do you care that someone has a negative experience to share?

Because it is misleading. If you want to do something specific, yes, you have to be proactive. If you're flexible, you don't.

It’s not misleading if that was their experience and what frustrated them about their time at Disney, which is what OP is asking about. There are people here saying things like “I don’t mind waiting in a line” or “you don’t HAVE to book 60 days out” but get real, most people DON’T like lines or have specific restaurants they want to try, and that creates a negative experience for people who have choices about how to spend their vacation dollars.

I think it would be helpful to someone who is early in the planning stages to know that if they are planning with a large group, or want a popular character dinner that yes you do need to do things a certain way but that's not always the case.

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Anonymous wrote:All of the discussions in this thread literally prove beyond a doubt now terrible it is to go to Disney. Look at how much work you all describe it being just to go there.

This. Why the hell would I look forward to spending an insane amount of money after spending 50 hours pre-planning the visit. International travel is far easier and cheaper.

I find it hard to believe there isn’t a lot of preplanning involved with an international trip.

Exactly. You don't just show up in Paris or Rome without planning and getting advance museum tickets, tour tickets, etc.

I mean I usually do. I’ve never pre booked anything for a trip except hotels. There’s always plenty to see and do and explore without scheduling ourselves ahead of time. Much nicer to take each day as we feel like.

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.

This is a valid critique. I felt like it was basically impossible to plan restaurant reservations and get all the value out of the park ticket. But at the end of the day, we didn’t really go there to eat at restaurants. I can see if you were doing a character meal, that might be hard to plan around. It would be nice if you could reserve at least 1 LL in advance every day.

You will get a LL ride first thing at 7 if you book one. You just can't be such an anal planner that you want to do them in an exact order. You have to be somewhat flexible and just take them as they come. If you your first choice isn't the best time then take your 2nd choice and rope drop the one you didn't get. It's not impossible. Trying to plan each minute of the day on a strict schedule will be your undoing. And planning multiple sit down meals is a waste of time and money for mediocre food if you want to ride the rides.

We always stay club level so breakfast and dinner are provided for us. We make lunchtime reservations at each park and have never had a problem timing/scheduling rides. It’s all about finessing the LL’s, rope drop, extended park hours, and getting in line exactly at park closing time.

You can spend your time finessing all that, or go to Paris and Rome. That was the original point in this thread - that unlike Disney, I CAN plan those activities around my meals well in advance and not have to “finess” on the day of, which I don’t want to do!

You miss the point, which is that at Disney there’s so much to do that every choice has an opportunity cost. A better analogy would be a foodie who obsessively plans what to eat when & where in Paris and Rome.

European cities have choice as well and I’m not sure how you can reasonably deny that. But I can pre plan what I want to see and do and not have to juggle it the day of like Disney. This isn’t a complicated concept despite your repeated pushback.

But do you have to plan 60 days out? That seems like a real hassle and obstacle for some people.

You only have to plan nice sit down meals 60 days out. If you want to do quick service there’s no planning necessary.

NP "planning 60 days out" makes it sound easy. No- I woke up at 5:30 because you need to be online and selecting right at 6am ET in order to get dining. By 6:05 I could tell most were sold out.

I do this every year. The entire process takes about 10 minutes tops. If it’s a weekend, I go back to bed after. If it’s a weekday I leave for work right after because I’m already up.

This is not the hardship you are making it out to be. It’s very easy. You may not enjoy it, but it’s not difficult or time consuming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went with my first child and large group of family seven years ago and it was magical. We got there for rope drop (my first time) and it gave me goose bumps!

The bus driver treated my son like prince - each time was engaging and happy. If I walked to the restaurant I was greeted with a smile and check-in for our reservation. We had fast passes passes and all that - went well. We left and went to the pool and came back. I enjoyed the shows.

We went again last year with second child who was 5 and what a big pain in the rear. Too many rules to read and understand about LL and whatever that I didn’t bother. I made reservations for restaurants a few days before we left and got odd times at odd places. EVERY SINGLE TIME I asked for helped, or wanted to check-in to something I was told to do it on my phone. Research on my phone. Can’t you just tell me where the bathroom is? Do I have to search for it on a map on my phone? We had to wait for everything. Including restaurant reservations.

I was SO over it. No friendliness anywhere. It is a resort based on entertainment, but where was the customer service? Our food outside the park at the hotel was great. Inside - blah. Hotel room was $1000 per night and it wasn’t special. Like give me a fridge and microwave! Come on! People have kids. The pool at the hotel was fabulous.

These are all fair criticisms. We had two Disney vacations over ten years ago, which were magical. The cast members made our kids feel so special, and the level of friendliness, positivity, and responsiveness was beyond anything we have ever experienced. I agree that something has been lost in that area. During a recent trip, I didn't find the customer service to be terrible, but it wasn't as good as I remembered. At the same time, some of the things the PP is complaining about have a positive side, too. Yes, you are on your phone quite a bit. On the other hand, mobile ordering is fantastic and saves time that used to be spent waiting in line.

OP, consider whether you will stay on-site or off as you contemplate your trip. As noted by the PP, staying on-site is expensive, and $1000 per night does not get you anything close to what you would expect elsewhere. Some people would not consider a trip that involves staying outside the "Disney bubble," but there are pros and cons. In the old days, Disney offered free Magical Express, which included transportation to and from the airport, and provided bag service by claiming your bags and delivering them to your room. That service has been eliminated. For our family (which includes older kids), having more space at a lower cost is a priority, so we now stay off-site and rent a car. Using Disney transportation can be fun, but it also has its hassles, including having to wait in long lines at popular times. On the other hand, some families whose kids need car seats prefer not to deal with rental cars.

As others have noted, the cost of the trip tends to ratchet up the stress associated with getting your money's worth.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

I'm not assuming anything. It's clear people in here are merely reacting to what they have read without any personal experience.

No, it’s not “clear.” No one here has said they are responding as someone who hasn’t been to Disney so unless you can prove that “people” are doing so, it’s just assumptions on your part.

Ok. If you claim all the rides are for kids and you HAVE to make all dining reservations 60 days out then I think you're full of shit. YMMV.

I’ve been to Disney more than ten times and we’ve ALWAYS made dining reservations 60 days out. We are a large party including grandparents who need a break in the AC and who can’t do rides and want the time with the kids to relax. Not everyone has a small group and can do grab and go food all the times. Not everyone is traveling the way you are. Character meals are another one you need to book well in advance. So yes, for certain dining experiences you absolutely do need to book ahead. And yeah, some rides are definitely for the kids.

So perhaps I'm not talking to you? There are lots of posts in here from many people. There are anti-Disney people who just love to hate and you can tell who they are vs the people who have legit gripes.

Anti-Disney stances are legit if that is what people truly think. I have to go to Disney every few years for work and I would literally rather be anywhere else.

You seem to think that if we would just actually really go to Disney we would love it! Because you love it. We must be making it up!

It’s odd. I have been six or seven times and have to go for a week in the fall. I dread being surrounded by Disney people for that long.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

serious question - what’s so hard about genie+?

People have hour long youtube videos about how to maximize genie +.

The hard part is that most ride times are sold out so you're basically scrambling all day to make any popular ride happen for your family.

It's also not intuitive or easy to use.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

I'm not assuming anything. It's clear people in here are merely reacting to what they have read without any personal experience.

No, it’s not “clear.” No one here has said they are responding as someone who hasn’t been to Disney so unless you can prove that “people” are doing so, it’s just assumptions on your part.

Ok. If you claim all the rides are for kids and you HAVE to make all dining reservations 60 days out then I think you're full of shit. YMMV.

I’ve been to Disney more than ten times and we’ve ALWAYS made dining reservations 60 days out. We are a large party including grandparents who need a break in the AC and who can’t do rides and want the time with the kids to relax. Not everyone has a small group and can do grab and go food all the times. Not everyone is traveling the way you are. Character meals are another one you need to book well in advance. So yes, for certain dining experiences you absolutely do need to book ahead. And yeah, some rides are definitely for the kids.

So perhaps I'm not talking to you? There are lots of posts in here from many people. There are anti-Disney people who just love to hate and you can tell who they are vs the people who have legit gripes.

Anti-Disney stances are legit if that is what people truly think. I have to go to Disney every few years for work and I would literally rather be anywhere else.

You seem to think that if we would just actually really go to Disney we would love it! Because you love it. We must be making it up!

It’s odd. I have been six or seven times and have to go for a week in the fall. I dread being surrounded by Disney people for that long.

What do you find to loathsome about "Disney people" that fills you with dread?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

I'm not assuming anything. It's clear people in here are merely reacting to what they have read without any personal experience.

No, it’s not “clear.” No one here has said they are responding as someone who hasn’t been to Disney so unless you can prove that “people” are doing so, it’s just assumptions on your part.

Ok. If you claim all the rides are for kids and you HAVE to make all dining reservations 60 days out then I think you're full of shit. YMMV.

I’ve been to Disney more than ten times and we’ve ALWAYS made dining reservations 60 days out. We are a large party including grandparents who need a break in the AC and who can’t do rides and want the time with the kids to relax. Not everyone has a small group and can do grab and go food all the times. Not everyone is traveling the way you are. Character meals are another one you need to book well in advance. So yes, for certain dining experiences you absolutely do need to book ahead. And yeah, some rides are definitely for the kids.

So perhaps I'm not talking to you? There are lots of posts in here from many people. There are anti-Disney people who just love to hate and you can tell who they are vs the people who have legit gripes.

Anti-Disney stances are legit if that is what people truly think. I have to go to Disney every few years for work and I would literally rather be anywhere else.

You seem to think that if we would just actually really go to Disney we would love it! Because you love it. We must be making it up!

It’s odd. I have been six or seven times and have to go for a week in the fall. I dread being surrounded by Disney people for that long.

What do you find to loathsome about "Disney people" that fills you with dread?

You’ve been, you’ve seen them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

I'm not assuming anything. It's clear people in here are merely reacting to what they have read without any personal experience.

No, it’s not “clear.” No one here has said they are responding as someone who hasn’t been to Disney so unless you can prove that “people” are doing so, it’s just assumptions on your part.

Ok. If you claim all the rides are for kids and you HAVE to make all dining reservations 60 days out then I think you're full of shit. YMMV.

I’ve been to Disney more than ten times and we’ve ALWAYS made dining reservations 60 days out. We are a large party including grandparents who need a break in the AC and who can’t do rides and want the time with the kids to relax. Not everyone has a small group and can do grab and go food all the times. Not everyone is traveling the way you are. Character meals are another one you need to book well in advance. So yes, for certain dining experiences you absolutely do need to book ahead. And yeah, some rides are definitely for the kids.

So perhaps I'm not talking to you? There are lots of posts in here from many people. There are anti-Disney people who just love to hate and you can tell who they are vs the people who have legit gripes.

Anti-Disney stances are legit if that is what people truly think. I have to go to Disney every few years for work and I would literally rather be anywhere else.

You seem to think that if we would just actually really go to Disney we would love it! Because you love it. We must be making it up!

It’s odd. I have been six or seven times and have to go for a week in the fall. I dread being surrounded by Disney people for that long.

I find it hilarious that you have to rub shoulders with the "Disney" people you are clearly so much better than. By your definition going to Disney even once makes you such a person. You are what you hate. Love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

I'm not assuming anything. It's clear people in here are merely reacting to what they have read without any personal experience.

No, it’s not “clear.” No one here has said they are responding as someone who hasn’t been to Disney so unless you can prove that “people” are doing so, it’s just assumptions on your part.

Ok. If you claim all the rides are for kids and you HAVE to make all dining reservations 60 days out then I think you're full of shit. YMMV.

I’ve been to Disney more than ten times and we’ve ALWAYS made dining reservations 60 days out. We are a large party including grandparents who need a break in the AC and who can’t do rides and want the time with the kids to relax. Not everyone has a small group and can do grab and go food all the times. Not everyone is traveling the way you are. Character meals are another one you need to book well in advance. So yes, for certain dining experiences you absolutely do need to book ahead. And yeah, some rides are definitely for the kids.

So perhaps I'm not talking to you? There are lots of posts in here from many people. There are anti-Disney people who just love to hate and you can tell who they are vs the people who have legit gripes.

Anti-Disney stances are legit if that is what people truly think. I have to go to Disney every few years for work and I would literally rather be anywhere else.

You seem to think that if we would just actually really go to Disney we would love it! Because you love it. We must be making it up!

It’s odd. I have been six or seven times and have to go for a week in the fall. I dread being surrounded by Disney people for that long.

What do you find to loathsome about "Disney people" that fills you with dread?

You’ve been, you’ve seen them.

If you go to Disney you are one too.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m just not interested in competing against SAHMs who have time to learn all the hacks and systems. I’m busy, so it sounds like way too much work.

I work full time and know most of the good hacks - it’s really not that hard. It’s just like planning a regular vacation. Most of the actual “work” is time on the phone getting LL’s when you’re actually there.

Not 100% sure why you tried to make this a SAHM vs. working mom issue.

I don't understand PPs point about working/not working but there are some serious Disney fanatics (of all types) a newbie is up against and it can be very overwhelming for a first time visitor to get up to speed which sucks the fun out of a vacation.

I do. Disney is a perfect for vacation with a SAHM with a lot of time on her hands. A woman who is type A and doesn’t have an outlet for it. I see HS classmates who are SAHMs taking Disney vacations and it’s perfect for them.

You would be shocked at how many childless adults are Disney addicts then. You clearly don't understand the fan base.

It's perfect for anyone who is type A, loves to plan, and has time on their hands to do all that planning - not matter of they have kids or not.

Sounds like a horrible way to vacation!

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.

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.

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.

Beach vacations can be active. Kayaking, swimming, walking, wander for food, see local history and sights, charter a boat, fishing, live music, parks, different beaches mean different character, shops, sunset, family
Football/frisby/whatever. None of that I have to wait in line for. I can call the day before and make a reservation without worry nothing being available. I don’t have to get to at 7 to do it.

I just don’t get posts like this. If you don’t like Disney, you don’t go. I don’t jump on Antarctica Travel Forums and tell people that there are better ways to spend their time/money, and how horrible the Drake Passage is and who really wants to go to a continent made of ice? Some people dig it. Some people don’t. The only thing I get out of your post is that you somehow need people to know that your way is better. It’s not - it’s just different.

This isn’t a Disney Travel Forum. It's a post on a Travel Forum asking why people don’t like Disney.

Actually OP asked for experiences where people’s kids didn’t like Disney (she herself was a Disney fan). And then we get this screed about how active beach vacations are better. It was pretty pointless.

Akshually what happened is someone claimed that Disney vacations are just like any other vacation because you can’t expect to walk into a popular restaurant without reservations.

I have friends who like Disney and if you like Disney too that’s great, but it’s weird to me to act like the only difference between Disney and other vacations is that there are more things to do on a Disney vacation.

umm that’s exactly one of the main differences between Disney and any other kind of vacation. there are hundreds of things to choose from.

No, there are hundreds of things to choose from to do on a normal vacation. On a Disney vacation, there are hundreds of things to wait in line for.

Right. Because nobody ever waited in line to see the Sistine Chapel or rushed to save a beach chair at 630am anywhere. You can walk into everything with no reservations, tickets, or waiting.

There are very, very few other vacations where every element of the vacation is oversubscribed. Even if you end up waiting at the Sistine Chapel and are then running late, as per your example, you will still be able to sit down for dinner at a nice restaurant in Rome. Every single sit down restaurant doesn't book up 60 days out. And the next day you can do hundreds of things that aren't oversubscribed at all, so it's just one day of crowds. I also don't have to refresh an app hundreds of times per day to schedule each activity or walk a half mile to talk to customer service when something goes wrong.

there are no other vacations where the entire point is to choose from 100s of options within a defined space that you buy a single-entry ticket to. it’s FINE if that is not your thing - but silly to act like maybe there is something just like Disney that is better than Disney. If you’re here to make detailed comparisons between theme parks, that’s more on point. but do not go to Golden Corral and complain it’s not KFC.

Yet you missed the entire point of the thread. OP asked why people don't like Disney. You explaining why we're complete idiots to dislike Disney doesn't address OP's question. It just makes you sound like an ass.

It is you missing the point. The question asked: Can you share any experiences where your kids didn’t like disney and why?

Instead we have people rambling on about what makes Paris so great and how they don't like carnivals or having to use a cellular phone for any reason on vakayshun.

Title is “if YOU had a negative experience.”

If you had a great Disney time, this isn’t the thread for you.

If you have never been to Disney nobody cares about what vacations you prefer. People aren't talking about their neg experiences they are talking about what else they would rather do.

I don’t see any responses here from people who haven’t been to Disney. What are you talking about?!

It’s clear to me some people have no idea what they are talking about.

You are assuming that the people who don’t want to plan or spend their vacations on their phone maximizing genie plus don’t know what they are doing. I’ve done Disney multiple times and know perfectly well how to do it. I don’t WANT to do it any longer because it has gotten so complicated. I remember how Disney used to be (and frankly, not even that long ago) and think they have gone in a bad direction. Don’t assume that people who prefer Paris haven’t done Disney and haven’t done Disney “right.”

serious question - what’s so hard about genie+?

People have hour long youtube videos about how to maximize genie +.

The hard part is that most ride times are sold out so you're basically scrambling all day to make any popular ride happen for your family.

It's also not intuitive or easy to use.

If you can figure out Uber or any other basic app it's pretty easy. Find ride from list, click time and people, done. If you are a Luddite, then it's probably going to be beyond your grasp.