My husband was so disappointed with the tremendous crowds during a "slow time" and the constant price increases last Dec., that he never wants to go back. I still love it and hope to change his mind. There is nothing like WDW.
you guys must not be divers or surfers, if you were there is no such thing as boring in the south pacific
This exactly , Disney was a way of capturing the adventures of the world in one spot that average folks who were not globe trotters could afford to visit and get a sense of what was "out there" or at least what Disney films showed as being "out there" . International travel is still expensive but it has never been more accessible to those who are less adventurous and a trip to WDW for a week rivals the price of an international experience. As a kid WDW visits made me want to see all of the real world and made me feel excited to go see a real castle or experience what it was really like to see under the ocean. It 100% drove my desire as an adult to spend as much of my time as I can seeing every place and doing everything I possible can. And for that WDW has earned my affection.
. I could certainly have visited many of the real places that MK and Epcot simulate.
lol we are neither. two NYC folks. It probably wasn't our best choice for a vacation destination, as we went when we were in our early 30's, just finishing up grad school and ready to party.
Absolutley cruises are a big source of competition to Disney. Cruises are a great way to travel for peope who don't like unfamiliar things or taking risks as well as for groups with varied mobility or interests which is also a huge part of the appeal of WDW
Get your diving certifications and go back
Also NY is actually a decent pace for surfing no time like the present !
and we have more flexibility with vacations.
What does BRIC stand for?
I just got back from florida on Sunday. I spend 2 weeks in the state. The first week I travelled for work, the second week was a vacation spent between Naples where we visited some cool areas and beaches. (clam pass is one of the coolest beaches ever) And the last few days were about 15 minutes from WDW. I didn't set one foot in the theme parks and could not be happier how the trip went. We have been planning on moving to FL for years though and next year looks like it may happen. The one thing that changed was that we never thought we would consider anywhere that close to the parks but we really liked the area we were in and the parks might be a nice bonus on occasion but they are the last thing we are concerned with when picking a place to live down there. I will not be going back until star wars opens and the opening hype has died down, so not likely for at least a few years.
In order to book a lodge in popular Nat’l Parks, you have had to book years for quite some time if you want to go in the summer (even some campgrounds have lotteries)! Yellowstone has been this way for YEARS! Glacier, Yosemite, Grand Canyan are all extremely difficult places to find lodging within the park during the summer months unless you plan early. It’s unrealistic to expect to find lodging at these beautiful parks if one is looking in May for a summer stay. Even booking lodging OUTSIDE the parks is sometimes very difficult and $$$But here's the thing I don't understand, and I have not visited places I would call "exotic" but everywhere else is getting just as crowded.
I've mentioned before on other places because my late husband was European (Portugal) we spent summers in some places manly Paris and Lisbon. I use to be able to go to the Louve, the effiel tower during the spring and fall and have the places darn near to myself. really, we would go to the museums and be able to sit in front on a picture for hours without ever having to say "excuse" me. Same thing with London. London is a zoo now in the summers, my family and I were considering going in May but the royal wedding canceled that. I'm not dealing with that mess.
Next up for me is national parks. I've never been to one, which I think is insane. I want to go to Yellowstone. now that's a bit cheaper but I called a couple of the lodges in the park and all of them said I had to book YEARS, yes years in advance and said they were pack during the nice weather.
We did the RC Oasis of the seas in June of 2016 and while not concert crowded, it was sold out and plenty of people where turned away from the different shows.
lol don't even get me started on my hometown of NYC or where I live now in Philly. That stupid Eagles parade darn near drove me crazy.
I'm actually going to start trying winter vacations. I'm lucky that my kids are now semi-adults.
my next trip to the world is this coming April. I'm going with some gal pals, and we are taking advantage of Fp. don't think the crowds will be a huge factor in our enjoyment as we don't stand in lines for rides anyway. we are more of the "soak in the atmosphere" type of ladies. we did sign up for the wild Africa Trek which sounds like fun. other than that we are planning to lounge around the pool.
In order to book a lodge in popular Nat’l Parks, you have had to book years for quite some time if you want to go in the summer (even some campgrounds have lotteries)! Yellowstone has been this way for YEARS! Glacier, Yosemite, Grand Canyan are all extremely difficult places to find lodging within the park during the summer months unless you plan early. It’s unrealistic to expect to find lodging at these beautiful parks if one is looking in May for a summer stay. Even booking lodging OUTSIDE the parks is sometimes very difficult and $$$
But I think that crowds are not the root of peoples problems. The fact that Disneys answer to crowds is take things away and jack up prices to thin out the crowds is the problem. You need attractions in 3 of your 4 parks and thats pushing over crowding in the magic kingdom. All most of us "complainers" want is that Disney justifies its price hikes with added attractions and experiences. Not, lets see what we can cut and still raise prices because, hey, we can. Of course its their right to raise as much as they want, as long as people will pay it. But it's also my right to not agree with it and not go. Mission accomplished Disney.
absolutely and the current signs are promising.
As I posted earlier I think the ever increasing population and world wide more people have disposable income; they can vacation at DIsney world and elsewhere. Years past it was rare to see people from other countries at WDW now it is common. The problem Disney has -- they have not kept pace with this fact and crowds are the new norm (why should they people still keep going and paying the prices) every where not just WDW.
Well with the lack of attractions at the studios, when star wars opens, it will be 4 days by itself with how many people are going to go. Lol
