We went and did it about 7 years ago. They had the fast passes where everyone got 3 to start and then you could grab more throughout the day. I planned almost everything out and it worked great. Awesome trip.

DH and I went back and did DHS a couple years ago. Very meh experience in comparison. I did not like the stress of hating to try to grab the LL passes first thing and then being on my phone to plan / replan everything as passes came up during the day on the fly. I think disappointment would have been likely if this was our one and done given how the system is now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded.

We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you spend the extra money, you don’t wait in a lot of lines. That’s the point.

We spent the extra money and there were still lines for the monorail, for the fireworks (no lightning lanes for that but I guess we could have spent more there and then you get a reserved spot), for everything. It left me feeling like a giant sucker at the end of the day with the constant paying to skip the line. The system of getting spots on rides had us always on our phones trying to make an efficient plan and that’s just not desireable to me.
Honestly if I went again I would really spend money and do the VIP tour and really get around the lines and planning.

I went to WDW five times last year and didn't wait in lines more than 20 minutes but perhaps a few times. Plenty of times I hit the parks in the evenings and can easily knock our four rides in an hour. I purchased a pass for Guardians but that's it.

I do spend a lot of time on the app, [b]finding dining reservations and special event reservations. But I generally don't have a problem avoiding most lines for rides. I also go enough that I don't care if I skip a ride when its busy.

The reliance on the app is my problem. I’m simply not a fan of that setup. But I’ll go to other crowded expensive places. We go skiing every year. It’s just a matter of personal preference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded. We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you are miserable why do you keep going back? I go back but I enjoy it. When I dislike somewhere, I don’t return. And no it’s not more expensive than other stuff for teens. Teens don’t want to go to Dutch Wonderland or the Zoo or the playground.

Man Disney people get really wound up and defensive!
I’ve been twice. Enough to know I don’t enjoy it but wanted to give my kids that experience.
Museums in DC are free/far lower cost. As are national parks. It is indeed very expensive. Just like skiing is expensive. If it’s worth it to you - then great - but to say it’s not expensive is crazy.

Well we ski and go to sporting events and concerts and plays so it feels normal to us. National Parks are cheap to enter, but the airfare and lodging aren’t cheap. Good lodging books a year in advance and the good guided tours are pricey and book up quickly. That feels about the same to me too. When we went to Europe we spent a ton on timed admission tickets to places, audio guides/guided tours, walking/bike tours, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded.

We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you spend the extra money, you don’t wait in a lot of lines. That’s the point.

We spent the extra money and there were still lines for the monorail, for the fireworks (no lightning lanes for that but I guess we could have spent more there and then you get a reserved spot), for everything. It left me feeling like a giant sucker at the end of the day with the constant paying to skip the line. The system of getting spots on rides had us always on our phones trying to make an efficient plan and that’s just not desireable to me.
Honestly if I went again I would really spend money and do the VIP tour and really get around the lines and planning.

I went to WDW five times last year and didn't wait in lines more than 20 minutes but perhaps a few times. Plenty of times I hit the parks in the evenings and can easily knock our four rides in an hour. I purchased a pass for Guardians but that's it.

I do spend a lot of time on the app, finding dining reservations and special event reservations. But I generally don't have a problem avoiding most lines for rides. I also go enough that I don't care if I skip a ride when its busy.

You made five separate trips to Disney, or in one vacation, you went five times? If it’s the former, I assume you live in Florida?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded.

We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you spend the extra money, you don’t wait in a lot of lines. That’s the point.

We spent the extra money and there were still lines for the monorail, for the fireworks (no lightning lanes for that but I guess we could have spent more there and then you get a reserved spot), for everything. It left me feeling like a giant sucker at the end of the day with the constant paying to skip the line. The system of getting spots on rides had us always on our phones trying to make an efficient plan and that’s just not desireable to me.
Honestly if I went again I would really spend money and do the VIP tour and really get around the lines and planning.

I went to WDW five times last year and didn't wait in lines more than 20 minutes but perhaps a few times. Plenty of times I hit the parks in the evenings and can easily knock our four rides in an hour. I purchased a pass for Guardians but that's it.

I do spend a lot of time on the app, finding dining reservations and special event reservations. But I generally don't have a problem avoiding most lines for rides. I also go enough that I don't care if I skip a ride when it’s busy.

I do believe that it would be helpful to go often. We did feel like we’re only going once and need to pack in all the experiences for our kids. Going more frequently would change my mindset but of course that isn’t reasonable for most people. Do you live in Florida?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do most people just wander around Europe without a plan or advance tickets to see the Louvre or Eiffel Tower? Everything is crowded these days, so we plan ahead.

Going to Paris for my first time this year. I’m skipping the Louvre. I know Louvre is probably amazing, but no thanks/ to crowded for me. Will skip Eiffel Tower too. I can see it fine from the sidewalk.

Try Le Petit Palais art museum. It's free. The building is beautiful. I was alone there with the Rembrandts. Then head up the hill to Montmartre to take in the free view.

Thanks for the tips!

Some say I’m crazy for skipping the Louvre. While I’m sure it’s amazing, I don’t do well with crowds. In Florence, we went to Uffizi Gallery, which is also a world-class art museum, and it was just too crowded for me to enjoy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded. We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you are miserable why do you keep going back? I go back but I enjoy it. When I dislike somewhere, I don’t return. And no it’s not more expensive than other stuff for teens. Teens don’t want to go to Dutch Wonderland or the Zoo or the playground.

Man Disney people get really wound up and defensive!
I’ve been twice. Enough to know I don’t enjoy it but wanted to give my kids that experience.
Museums in DC are free/far lower cost. As are national parks. It is indeed very expensive. Just like skiing is expensive. If it’s worth it to you - then great - but to say it’s not expensive is crazy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded.

We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you spend the extra money, you don’t wait in a lot of lines. That’s the point.

We spent the extra money and there were still lines for the monorail, for the fireworks (no lightning lanes for that but I guess we could have spent more there and then you get a reserved spot), for everything. It left me feeling like a giant sucker at the end of the day with the constant paying to skip the line. The system of getting spots on rides had us always on our phones trying to make an efficient plan and that’s just not desireable to me.
Honestly if I went again I would really spend money and do the VIP tour and really get around the lines and planning.

I went to WDW five times last year and didn't wait in lines more than 20 minutes but perhaps a few times. Plenty of times I hit the parks in the evenings and can easily knock our four rides in an hour. I purchased a pass for Guardians but that's it.

I do spend a lot of time on the app, finding dining reservations and special event reservations. But I generally don't have a problem avoiding most lines for rides. I also go enough that I don't care if I skip a ride when its busy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do most people just wander around Europe without a plan or advance tickets to see the Louvre or Eiffel Tower? Everything is crowded these days, so we plan ahead.

Going to Paris for my first time this year. I’m skipping the Louvre. I know Louvre is probably amazing, but no thanks/ to crowded for me. Will skip Eiffel Tower too. I can see it fine from the sidewalk.

Try Le Petit Palais art museum. It's free. The building is beautiful. I was alone there with the Rembrandts. Then head up the hill to Montmartre to take in the free view.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded. We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you are miserable why do you keep going back? I go back but I enjoy it. When I dislike somewhere, I don’t return. And no it’s not more expensive than other stuff for teens. Teens don’t want to go to Dutch Wonderland or the Zoo or the playground.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go with my DS, he was into Legoland so we did that in California and Florida, and also did Universal Studios.
I went as a kid, and have little memory of it, except that we had a lot of ride tickets left over and my mom was upset at my dad because it was wasted $.

I also visited in my mid 20s, a group of us just decided to go, with little planning. I don’t remember much of that visit either - it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t amazing. I didn’t leave disapppointed.

I don’t really understand the mystique of Disney. I travel internationally for work, and my DS often accompanied me. It’s hard to see how Disney World could ever top these experiences.

Now it has to top those experiences instead of merely not being disappointing? It's another type of trip. There are different types.

Np I think it is pretty normal to compare experiences. It’s all relative.

But you can’t really tell beach people that mountain trips are the best. It’s totally subjective. But there’s a wide gulf between a top experience and disappointing. Ski trips sure do suck when there’s no show. And walking around a new city during an arctic blast sucks too. And if it rains the whole time in Italy then that’s disappointing too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded.

We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you spend the extra money, you don’t wait in a lot of lines. That’s the point.

We spent the extra money and there were still lines for the monorail, for the fireworks (no lightning lanes for that but I guess we could have spent more there and then you get a reserved spot), for everything. It left me feeling like a giant sucker at the end of the day with the constant paying to skip the line. The system of getting spots on rides had us always on our phones trying to make an efficient plan and that’s just not desireable to me.
Honestly if I went again I would really spend money and do the VIP tour and really get around the lines and planning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go with my DS, he was into Legoland so we did that in California and Florida, and also did Universal Studios.
I went as a kid, and have little memory of it, except that we had a lot of ride tickets left over and my mom was upset at my dad because it was wasted $.

I also visited in my mid 20s, a group of us just decided to go, with little planning. I don’t remember much of that visit either - it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t amazing. I didn’t leave disapppointed.

I don’t really understand the mystique of Disney. I travel internationally for work, and my DS often accompanied me. It’s hard to see how Disney World could ever top these experiences.

Now it has to top those experiences instead of merely not being disappointing? It's another type of trip. There are different types.

Np I think it is pretty normal to compare experiences. It’s all relative.

Anonymous wrote:Do most people just wander around Europe without a plan or advance tickets to see the Louvre or Eiffel Tower? Everything is crowded these days, so we plan ahead.

Going to Paris for my first time this year. I’m skipping the Louvre. I know Louvre is probably amazing, but no thanks/ to crowded for me. Will skip Eiffel Tower too. I can see it fine from the sidewalk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go without expectations, willing to spend $$$ and are very flexible. We’re disappointed every single time. Mostly because it’s too packed in the streets and the lines are too long. Everything else is nice, but we just don’t like being human sardines. We always go middle of the week in the low season.

+1
I’m admittedly not a Disney person, but I just don’t understand spending that much money to wait in so many lines and be packed in like sardines. Even fireworks were made way less enjoyable because it was so dang crowded.

We’ve been disappointed every time we went. And I strongly disagree that it’s not more expensive than other activities.
My kids had more fun at Dutch Wonderland when they were little. I truly don’t understand taking young kids unless it’s the nostalgia of it all. I agree there are some cool rides for older kids/adults that you won’t find elsewhere.

If you spend the extra money, you don’t wait in a lot of lines. That’s the point.

But you still have to deal with the crowds even if you use Lightening Pass for everything to skip lines. Plus paying to skip lines costs money, as do extra experiences to escape the crowds. I think for some people, that sense of having beaten the system or escaping the hoi poloi is enough to make it feel "worth it." For me it just makes me feel like a sucker. And it's still hot! And the food is only so-so even at the "best" restaurants.

I think it's worth doing once to give kids the memory/experience (and would aim for 7-10, maybe older for some kids depending on disposition, not younger because they won't really remember it) but it's not an amazing experience. I also think it's fine to skip it altogether. I have friends who took their kid to Disney Paris during a vacation and they found it much more manageable -- less crowded, shorter lines, less expensive, and very doable in one day without needing to stay "on site" or make a whole week of it. That sounds like a good solution to give your kids a Disney experience without having to do Orlando.