Anonymous wrote:

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.

Or at least be equivalent? I guess it isn’t for me, and my DS didn’t care either.
It doesn’t seem worth the hassle at all.

We did a couple weeks in Europe last summer and it was way more hassle. Disney is easy. I still like going other places too. I like variety. But for us Disney is an easy vacation and we all know what to expect because we’ve been enough times.

+1 we do Disney/universal and other places too. The theme parks are less work, but my kid is older and pretty relaxed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to Disney 20 years ago before kids. We had Park Hopper passes and reservations at one character meal and Victorian & Albert's. We pretty much just wandered around and had fun. Meanwhile my friend with kids had a travel agent with a packed written agenda, which sounded like torture to me.

Now it seems like the only way to go is even more complicated than the travel agent's agenda with various tricks and constraints. Can you go without a carefully curated plan? Have you been disappointed, whether with or without a detailed plan?

Yes, Disney World is awful. Long lines. Heat. Expensive. Kids don't remember anything. Melt downs after meltdowns. And I can't even imagine going there without kids. Why would I ever?

A little prudence when planning could have avoided most of this, but your kids don't remember anything? Maybe they blocked it out because you failed to plan for their needs.

My BIL lives in Orlando, so we took the kids there a lot over the years. We would just wing it at the parks, given that it was more of a diversion during a family visit than it was a destination vacation for us. Winging it became harder and harder to do over the years, and eventually my kids weren't as into it and we could do other things. We did enjoy our visits there when DCs were little, and while I have zero interest in it as an adult on my own, it can be a wonderful family vacation with a little planning ahead.

We did Disney World three times when our kids were younger. Had an amazing time on each visit, but DW is not for the faint of heart and not relaxing. You are spending a ton of money and it’s worth every penny, but you are risking disappointment if you don’t plan it out carefully. We got to the parks before opening and had just about every ride, meal, and character greeting already set in our mind. It But we left shortly after lunch - by then the crowds were so big you couldn’t walk around easily. That’s when we headed back to the hotel for naps or pool time and rested up for the next day. Much different than going to a beach resort or on a cruise, where everything is taken care of and you can just relax. I personally enjoy the latter far more, but would not trade our Disney trip memories for anything.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Or at least be equivalent? I guess it isn’t for me, and my DS didn’t care either.
It doesn’t seem worth the hassle at all.

Does your son prefer stroopwaffels in a park instead by chance?

He’d eat them, in a park or anywhere else. But what’s the reference?

I leave glad we've done it but mostly glad the day is over.

I think people are disappointed when they stretch the budget too much or buy into the hype that they need to do all the things or it wasn’t a successful trip. Pick a couple of priorities each day and plan for rest and pool time. Don’t go on popular school breaks. Don’t discount the shows - they can be some of the best experiences, as can some of the lower demand rides and characters. The older stuff is pretty amazing when you think about it.

People will be disappointed if they go in with too many expectations. We used to go for a couple of days every year when we visited the in-laws and also did a 2 longer trips when DS was little. We knew we wouldn't get to do all the rides, would have to wait in lines, wouldn't see all the characters (which thankfully DS never cared about), and the food would be over priced. And every time we've been, we've had a great time.

The only park I've ever been disappointed at was Epic. We apparently did not do our research well enough on what to expect.

Do we prefer to spend our money on different travel? Yes and we often do. If it wasn't for the fact that in laws are 2 hrs away, we probably would have only done the 2 longer trips. If our budget only allowed for Disney and no other trips, I would not choose Disney. I do think it's easy to set yourself up for disappointment or feel that it's not worth the money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The Louvre is huge and empty as long as you stay away from the Mona Lisa

But you can’t just show up and buy tickets same day reliably. It requires planning ahead which is what people who say they don’t like Disney apparently can’t do because it’s stressful.

I’m actually a planner but with Disney you can’t get all the reservations ahead of time. You have to set a timer for the morning of. I’d actually prefer to do it all far in advance.

Tells us planner what timer you need right now for the morning of?

Well when we went a couple years ago it was Guardians of the Galaxy. Lightning passes were sold out so we were doing some virtual cue at 7 am.
It’s probably whatever the hot new ride is now.

It’s been over for a year now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The Louvre is huge and empty as long as you stay away from the Mona Lisa

But you can’t just show up and buy tickets same day reliably. It requires planning ahead which is what people who say they don’t like Disney apparently can’t do because it’s stressful.

I’m actually a planner but with Disney you can’t get all the reservations ahead of time. You have to set a timer for the morning of. I’d actually prefer to do it all far in advance.

Tells us planner what timer you need right now for the morning of?

Well when we went a couple years ago it was Guardians of the Galaxy. Lightning passes were sold out so we were doing some virtual cue at 7 am.
It’s probably whatever the hot new ride is now.

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.

Or at least be equivalent? I guess it isn’t for me, and my DS didn’t care either.
It doesn’t seem worth the hassle at all.

Does your son prefer stroopwaffels in a park instead by chance?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It never fails that in every Disney thread someone shows up to say “but Europe though…..” as if it’s an original vacation. I’ve seen the Coliseum several times. Pretty sure it will be there for a few more decades too. It’s not going anywhere.

Fascinating. Make sure you tell Goofy next time you go for a character meal with him.

Like clockwork, here you are. Utterly predictable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It never fails that in every Disney thread someone shows up to say “but Europe though…..” as if it’s an original vacation. I’ve seen the Coliseum several times. Pretty sure it will be there for a few more decades too. It’s not going anywhere.

Fascinating. Make sure you tell Goofy next time you go for a character meal with him.

DP here. Is that an attempt at an insult?

Anonymous wrote:It never fails that in every Disney thread someone shows up to say “but Europe though…..” as if it’s an original vacation. I’ve seen the Coliseum several times. Pretty sure it will be there for a few more decades too. It’s not going anywhere.

Fascinating. Make sure you tell Goofy next time you go for a character meal with him.

I feel like nowadays almost any vacation needs a plan. We’re in the Keyes and all the snorkel and kayak etc opportunities were all booked up well in advance. When we went to Rome most things needed to be booked in advance. Same with London. Sure you can wander around and shop but if you want to do the things the place is famous for, you need to plan.

There are ways to do disney more low key. One way is to buy tickets for one of the limited ticketed events like tj parties. That works better if your kids can stay up late as those are usually afternoon to closing. Another way to is get 3 advanced tickets for your too 3 items, get there at opening todo 1-2 more and then just figure you’ll spend the rest of the day wandering, eating, enjoying where the day takes you and you might stand in a line or two. I bring some snacks and maybe something like madlibs in my backpack, or games on phone like headsuo in case you stand in a line or two. Really, most places you stand in lines nowadays. You stand in lines to get in the shuttle bus at Yosemite or to get through security at the Vatican or whatever. The earth is now very crowded and do th last few decades vacations have been cheap (compared to what they were in say the 1970/ when it was wicked expensive to go anywhere). Maybe with gas prices skyrocketing, crowds will decrease?