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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img] hi

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are more Disney adults than Disney kids.

This. The obsessed adults ruin it for kids. So many of them have the DAS pass, go all the time, skip the lines, and make little kids who are maybe there for the first time have to stand and endure the lines when they already have so little patience. I mean why not go all the time when you barely have to wait in line and can ride as often as you want, that's the entitled attitude. Hopefully the new rules make it a better experience for everyone, especially kids.

I agree with this. I also wish they limited DAS passes to once a year or maybe twice. I have a friend I grew up with that goes weekly or even multiple times a week and she has DAS passes. I’m all about accessibility but surely people realize that if you go nonstop that means others are waiting in lines even longer?

I don’t agree with this. We go just about every year and if you know how to use Genie + and LL’s you won’t have to wait more than 30 min tops for any ride; most much less than that.

What is there to disagree with? Disney realized it was getting abused in this manner and updated the rules. It was being used far more in the past few years than ever before, as people want to avoid paying for Genie+. It's not that there are suddenly 3x as many people with disabilities from a few years ago. It was a loophole that got closed.

I disagree that DAS users were negatively impacting us. They clearly weren’t. Our lines weren’t longer because of them.

It was much harder to get LL slots with regular Genie+ because DAS was taking all of them. That’s why it would be so absurdly hard to book popular rides like 7 Dwarves and Slinky Dog. It also in theory made standby waits longer because so many people had LL priority through DAS. This is why Disney had to get ahold of the situation - because a big ride like Tiana would end up 100% DAS and nobody else could get on except in a 2 hr standby line. I think Genie+ worked really well for us but in part because we didn’t prioritize the super popular rides. At the end of the day it IS a bit absurd that to get a Genie+ slot on Slinky I had to be refreshing the app at 6:59am …

I mean I’m glad Disney changed the system but the DAS system specifically didn’t affect us at all. Not even for the popular rides. If you know how to work the system you won’t have a problem. We never do.

I’m not sure what you mean by that. It’s basically impossible to get some of the more popular rides if you don’t pick them at 6:59am. We still had a good time, but no, I don’t think it’s fair that most of the lightening lane spots were taken by DAS.

How would you know how many spots were taken by DAS users at the beginning of the day? Under the old system, slots for DAS users to reserve rides in advance were limited. Large numbers of DAS users could not take up LLs before the parks even open.

DAS advance planning is still very limited. Two rides per day (limited selection) which hasn’t changed. The advanced availability is pretty limited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img] hi

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are more Disney adults than Disney kids.

This. The obsessed adults ruin it for kids. So many of them have the DAS pass, go all the time, skip the lines, and make little kids who are maybe there for the first time have to stand and endure the lines when they already have so little patience. I mean why not go all the time when you barely have to wait in line and can ride as often as you want, that's the entitled attitude. Hopefully the new rules make it a better experience for everyone, especially kids.

I agree with this. I also wish they limited DAS passes to once a year or maybe twice. I have a friend I grew up with that goes weekly or even multiple times a week and she has DAS passes. I’m all about accessibility but surely people realize that if you go nonstop that means others are waiting in lines even longer?

I don’t agree with this. We go just about every year and if you know how to use Genie + and LL’s you won’t have to wait more than 30 min tops for any ride; most much less than that.

What is there to disagree with? Disney realized it was getting abused in this manner and updated the rules. It was being used far more in the past few years than ever before, as people want to avoid paying for Genie+. It's not that there are suddenly 3x as many people with disabilities from a few years ago. It was a loophole that got closed.

I disagree that DAS users were negatively impacting us. They clearly weren’t. Our lines weren’t longer because of them.

It was much harder to get LL slots with regular Genie+ because DAS was taking all of them. That’s why it would be so absurdly hard to book popular rides like 7 Dwarves and Slinky Dog. It also in theory made standby waits longer because so many people had LL priority through DAS. This is why Disney had to get ahold of the situation - because a big ride like Tiana would end up 100% DAS and nobody else could get on except in a 2 hr standby line. I think Genie+ worked really well for us but in part because we didn’t prioritize the super popular rides. At the end of the day it IS a bit absurd that to get a Genie+ slot on Slinky I had to be refreshing the app at 6:59am …

I mean I’m glad Disney changed the system but the DAS system specifically didn’t affect us at all. Not even for the popular rides. If you know how to work the system you won’t have a problem. We never do.

I’m not sure what you mean by that. It’s basically impossible to get some of the more popular rides if you don’t pick them at 6:59am. We still had a good time, but no, I don’t think it’s fair that most of the lightening lane spots were taken by DAS.

Learned 3 trips ago that this isn’t true. I logged on at 7 for a LL and got nothing. As I was walking by complaining about it the concierge heard me and said “they don’t release them all at once. Try again in a few minutes and keep refreshing.” I did exactly that and voilà! got us a LL for 8:30 am. You just need to know the hacks.

Didn't work at all that way for me so don't bank on it. Was on at 7am (last week) and got Slinky Dog for 9:15 PM!! At like 7:00:04. Tried to modify all day long and nothing. Ended up just going stand by and the stated wait time was 60 mins and it only took 30. So, alls well that ends well.

Yes; you can see this in the data they publish.

Agree. I was using this site to help prioritize: https://www.thrill-data.com/lightning-lane/wdw

So I don't exactly believe anyone said they waltzed in at 830 and got an immediate LL for something that sold out at 730am. Probably wasn't for a popular ride. If you get one of the last LL it's going to be late in the evening. But if you got lucky and randomly scooped one up I would call that just luck and not a strategy I would build my day around.

Never said I waltzed in at 8:30 and got a lightening lane. I didn’t get a LL in the first group of slots released at 7am, so I tried going in again in about 15 min (after walking by the concierge and getting the tip), and that’s when I got the 8:30 LL. So you’re right - your scenario never happened. This was for Rise of the Resistance.

You realize that Rise of the Resistance is ILL and not just LL, right? It works very differently and they are much easier to get. So I wouldn't use this strategy at all for regular LL. Apples and oranges.

You can use the same strategy with Genie +. You need to take whatever reservation you get at 7am, then modify the plan. You have to keep looking because some people will give up their genie time and when those slots become available you need to jump on them.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

That’s part of the fun for us! It’s like a giant game. And we love every minute of it.
We don’t do relaxing vacations. Too boring for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t pay for anything extra besides staying on property, and that was enough of a stretch. My kids absolutely loved it, it was an amazing vacation for them. I was nervous because I’ve heard things like this thread but it was great for us, we had such a good time and really spent very little on “extras” beyond the park tickets and hotel (which were already very expensive).

[Anonymous]

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:[img] hi

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are more Disney adults than Disney kids.

This. The obsessed adults ruin it for kids. So many of them have the DAS pass, go all the time, skip the lines, and make little kids who are maybe there for the first time have to stand and endure the lines when they already have so little patience. I mean why not go all the time when you barely have to wait in line and can ride as often as you want, that's the entitled attitude. Hopefully the new rules make it a better experience for everyone, especially kids.

I agree with this. I also wish they limited DAS passes to once a year or maybe twice. I have a friend I grew up with that goes weekly or even multiple times a week and she has DAS passes. I’m all about accessibility but surely people realize that if you go nonstop that means others are waiting in lines even longer?

I don’t agree with this. We go just about every year and if you know how to use Genie + and LL’s you won’t have to wait more than 30 min tops for any ride; most much less than that.

What is there to disagree with? Disney realized it was getting abused in this manner and updated the rules. It was being used far more in the past few years than ever before, as people want to avoid paying for Genie+. It's not that there are suddenly 3x as many people with disabilities from a few years ago. It was a loophole that got closed.

I disagree that DAS users were negatively impacting us. They clearly weren’t. Our lines weren’t longer because of them.

It was much harder to get LL slots with regular Genie+ because DAS was taking all of them. That’s why it would be so absurdly hard to book popular rides like 7 Dwarves and Slinky Dog. It also in theory made standby waits longer because so many people had LL priority through DAS. This is why Disney had to get ahold of the situation - because a big ride like Tiana would end up 100% DAS and nobody else could get on except in a 2 hr standby line. I think Genie+ worked really well for us but in part because we didn’t prioritize the super popular rides. At the end of the day it IS a bit absurd that to get a Genie+ slot on Slinky I had to be refreshing the app at 6:59am …

I mean I’m glad Disney changed the system but the DAS system specifically didn’t affect us at all. Not even for the popular rides. If you know how to work the system you won’t have a problem. We never do.

I’m not sure what you mean by that. It’s basically impossible to get some of the more popular rides if you don’t pick them at 6:59am. We still had a good time, but no, I don’t think it’s fair that most of the lightening lane spots were taken by DAS.

Learned 3 trips ago that this isn’t true. I logged on at 7 for a LL and got nothing. As I was walking by complaining about it the concierge heard me and said “they don’t release them all at once. Try again in a few minutes and keep refreshing.” I did exactly that and voilà! got us a LL for 8:30 am. You just need to know the hacks.

Didn't work at all that way for me so don't bank on it. Was on at 7am (last week) and got Slinky Dog for 9:15 PM!! At like 7:00:04. Tried to modify all day long and nothing. Ended up just going stand by and the stated wait time was 60 mins and it only took 30. So, alls well that ends well.

Yes; you can see this in the data they publish.

Agree. I was using this site to help prioritize: https://www.thrill-data.com/lightning-lane/wdw

So I don't exactly believe anyone said they waltzed in at 830 and got an immediate LL for something that sold out at 730am. Probably wasn't for a popular ride. If you get one of the last LL it's going to be late in the evening. But if you got lucky and randomly scooped one up I would call that just luck and not a strategy I would build my day around.

Never said I waltzed in at 8:30 and got a lightening lane. I didn’t get a LL in the first group of slots released at 7am, so I tried going in again in about 15 min (after walking by the concierge and getting the tip), and that’s when I got the 8:30 LL. So you’re right - your scenario never happened. This was for Rise of the Resistance.

You realize that Rise of the Resistance is ILL and not just LL, right? It works very differently and they are much easier to get. So I wouldn't use this strategy at all for regular LL. Apples and oranges.

You can use the same strategy with Genie +. You need to take whatever reservation you get at 7am, then modify the plan. You have to keep looking because some people will give up their genie time and when those slots become available you need to jump on them.

But that's not what PP did at all. ILL is totally different. You can modify a LL once you have it, but you still need to be on at 7 to try to get what you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img] hi

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are more Disney adults than Disney kids.

This. The obsessed adults ruin it for kids. So many of them have the DAS pass, go all the time, skip the lines, and make little kids who are maybe there for the first time have to stand and endure the lines when they already have so little patience. I mean why not go all the time when you barely have to wait in line and can ride as often as you want, that's the entitled attitude. Hopefully the new rules make it a better experience for everyone, especially kids.

I agree with this. I also wish they limited DAS passes to once a year or maybe twice. I have a friend I grew up with that goes weekly or even multiple times a week and she has DAS passes. I’m all about accessibility but surely people realize that if you go nonstop that means others are waiting in lines even longer?

I don’t agree with this. We go just about every year and if you know how to use Genie + and LL’s you won’t have to wait more than 30 min tops for any ride; most much less than that.

What is there to disagree with? Disney realized it was getting abused in this manner and updated the rules. It was being used far more in the past few years than ever before, as people want to avoid paying for Genie+. It's not that there are suddenly 3x as many people with disabilities from a few years ago. It was a loophole that got closed.

I disagree that DAS users were negatively impacting us. They clearly weren’t. Our lines weren’t longer because of them.

It was much harder to get LL slots with regular Genie+ because DAS was taking all of them. That’s why it would be so absurdly hard to book popular rides like 7 Dwarves and Slinky Dog. It also in theory made standby waits longer because so many people had LL priority through DAS. This is why Disney had to get ahold of the situation - because a big ride like Tiana would end up 100% DAS and nobody else could get on except in a 2 hr standby line. I think Genie+ worked really well for us but in part because we didn’t prioritize the super popular rides. At the end of the day it IS a bit absurd that to get a Genie+ slot on Slinky I had to be refreshing the app at 6:59am …

I mean I’m glad Disney changed the system but the DAS system specifically didn’t affect us at all. Not even for the popular rides. If you know how to work the system you won’t have a problem. We never do.

I’m not sure what you mean by that. It’s basically impossible to get some of the more popular rides if you don’t pick them at 6:59am. We still had a good time, but no, I don’t think it’s fair that most of the lightening lane spots were taken by DAS.

How would you know how many spots were taken by DAS users at the beginning of the day? Under the old system, slots for DAS users to reserve rides in advance were limited. Large numbers of DAS users could not take up LLs before the parks even open.

Disney knows this. Disney has the data and that’s why they restricted DAS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sure, but then you’re in the Louvre, not an amusement park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went once as a child and sort of vaguely didn’t it? I don’t remember clearly but we visited magic kingdom and I don’t remember anything but heat and lines and the rides not being anywhere near as fun as the water park near my home. I went back with friends who’d been before for a long weekend in the fall when I was in college — THAT was magical. It was rainy most of the weekend so there were almost no lines and we got to try all the rides and go on the ones we liked several times. We were all engineering majors and friends from a theater club so we spent a ton of time geeking out about how the rides and effects were done. For me, Disney was way more fun as an adult and I don’t plan to bring my kids unless we get given free or cheap tickets and/or have the whole thing planned by someone who knows the parks really well.

This is why I think taking tweens is kind of a sweet spot - young enough to still be excited by characters but old enough that it’s more fun for parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img] hi

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are more Disney adults than Disney kids.

This. The obsessed adults ruin it for kids. So many of them have the DAS pass, go all the time, skip the lines, and make little kids who are maybe there for the first time have to stand and endure the lines when they already have so little patience. I mean why not go all the time when you barely have to wait in line and can ride as often as you want, that's the entitled attitude. Hopefully the new rules make it a better experience for everyone, especially kids.

I agree with this. I also wish they limited DAS passes to once a year or maybe twice. I have a friend I grew up with that goes weekly or even multiple times a week and she has DAS passes. I’m all about accessibility but surely people realize that if you go nonstop that means others are waiting in lines even longer?

I don’t agree with this. We go just about every year and if you know how to use Genie + and LL’s you won’t have to wait more than 30 min tops for any ride; most much less than that.

What is there to disagree with? Disney realized it was getting abused in this manner and updated the rules. It was being used far more in the past few years than ever before, as people want to avoid paying for Genie+. It's not that there are suddenly 3x as many people with disabilities from a few years ago. It was a loophole that got closed.

I disagree that DAS users were negatively impacting us. They clearly weren’t. Our lines weren’t longer because of them.

It was much harder to get LL slots with regular Genie+ because DAS was taking all of them. That’s why it would be so absurdly hard to book popular rides like 7 Dwarves and Slinky Dog. It also in theory made standby waits longer because so many people had LL priority through DAS. This is why Disney had to get ahold of the situation - because a big ride like Tiana would end up 100% DAS and nobody else could get on except in a 2 hr standby line. I think Genie+ worked really well for us but in part because we didn’t prioritize the super popular rides. At the end of the day it IS a bit absurd that to get a Genie+ slot on Slinky I had to be refreshing the app at 6:59am …

I mean I’m glad Disney changed the system but the DAS system specifically didn’t affect us at all. Not even for the popular rides. If you know how to work the system you won’t have a problem. We never do.

I’m not sure what you mean by that. It’s basically impossible to get some of the more popular rides if you don’t pick them at 6:59am. We still had a good time, but no, I don’t think it’s fair that most of the lightening lane spots were taken by DAS.

How would you know how many spots were taken by DAS users at the beginning of the day? Under the old system, slots for DAS users to reserve rides in advance were limited. Large numbers of DAS users could not take up LLs before the parks even open.

DAS advance planning is still very limited. Two rides per day (limited selection) which hasn’t changed. The advanced availability is pretty limited.

yes but Disney collects data and analyzes it so of course they know how many of the LL DAS was taking up. And it was clearly too many. Not to mention people doubling up with DAS and genie+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sure, but then you’re in the Louvre, not an amusement park.

I've done both. So have a lot of people. It's not one or the other.

[Anonymous]

Why didn’t they make DAS just use the same system as genie plus? It doesn’t seem fair they can get a das pass to rides that are sold out on genie plus.