5 Things to Skip at Disney World

Chef Mickey

Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
My apologies if this was already posted, but may I just say LOL!!!!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-things-skip-disney-world-130600015.html

Summary:
1) Skip the food. (WOW, great advice I guess it's ALL bad?) Bring your own food in is her suggestion
2) Limit memorabilia (What a concept)
3) Skip the $17 parking
4) Take your own Poncho (Really, 1 of the 5 is saving $10 on a Poncho and having to carry it around)?
5) Skip Park Hopper

I won't address all of them, but she says to skip Park Hopper and the food is "cafeteria quality."

You can tell this woman has been one time and now considers herself qualified to write an article telling people what they should avoid. In the article, she says the food is "too expensive"

Quote:
"I really wanted to like the food at all the theme parks, even the pricier ones at the World Showcase at Epcot, but the food was on par with hospital cafeteria food. Now the worst part of it all was the price. For three adults and two kids, our average bill was $70."

Not only is calling World Showcase food cafeteria food ridiculous, she's lying that she tried them if she's saying $70 for 3 kids and 2 adults. Just 2 adults would cost $70, maybe too much for her, but worth it for me and proof she's not talking about Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, Biergarten, Via Napoli, Chefs De France, etc.

She admits she's a newbie in regards to the Park Hopper claim:
"For a newbie, there's so much to look at each park that you probably won't use the park hopper option. Also, with kids, the rain and the humidity, you'll probably want to call it a day after going to one park -- I know we did!"

It just pains me to read articles such as these with so little research and so little knowledge. Skipping Park Hopper would not be the end of the word if you know what you're getting into, but it's imperative for people

Her twitter is @SusanYooLee.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Those suggestions are appropriate for some families (e.g., people on a budget who need to scrimp and pinch wherever they can), but not necessarily for the reasons the author apparently stated (e.g., bring your own food to save money, but not because all you can find at WDW is cafeteria food, because that's just not true).

To my mind, it's pretentious for anyone to propose to tell others how Disney World "should be done." The number of ways to enjoy it, and the number of ways to prioritize your vacation spending or define your "must-dos" at WDW, are as limitless and varied as the families who visit. That's why the more expert members on this forum routinely pepper their advice with phrases like, "my family likes to," or "in our case," or "your mileage may vary," because they understand that few pieces of advice are going to apply to everyone. Unfortunately, the writers of travel blogs and articles prefer to sound like there is just one "right" or best way to do things -- their way -- and this particular writer clearly didn't do her homework.

(EDIT: Since the point of the article was ways to save money, the author would have done well to discuss things like traveling during lower-cost pricing seasons -- many people aren't even aware that there is such a thing -- staying off-property vs. on, taking your own camera instead of purchasing MemoryMaker, etc.).
 
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grim-grinning_toast

grim-grinning_toast

Well-Known Member
I never understood how people could speak poorly about Disney's food. Sure, it feels a little bit like a cafeteria when you're anxiously searching for a seat and clinging onto your tray - but it doesn't TASTE like a cafeteria! She's clearly never been to Seasons. (aka the best quick service right next to Harbor House~~)

I can understand skipping the park hopper if you have small children or you've never been there before, but to make it seem like the park hopper in general is just a HUGE mistake is wrong. My favorite days are Hollywood Studios/Animal Kingdom days, and any day that I can top off with Epcot is a good one.

I agree with bringing your own poncho, I always include that on my "to-do" for newbies. But I also include the meal plan because the food is delicious so this lady can go sit down now.
 
PhilharMagician

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
Not very goods tips from what I see.

Food certainly is not all like cafeteria food. Some is, but it sounds like her group were not very diverse eaters. She also talks about bringing water to save money which is good, but heavy to carry enough water for an entire hot day in FL. Water is free if you ask in the CS kiosk and restaurants that offer fountain beverages. I do think bringing in snacks can save money and cut back on those misc churro, Mickey bar and turkey leg purchase.

Memorabilia is all about something to bring you back to that memory. You don't need to buy everything in the resort, just something to bring the memories of that trip back. You don't have to spend anything. I look at a picture I took during a trip and it bring back more memories than anything I have ever bought.

Hopper for a newbie is probably overkill and confusing. I can see it more valuable for the seasoned WDWer

Skip the parking? Well, I guess that depends on which hotel you stay at or if you stay in a rental house. I imagine (since I have not stayed off property) that the shuttle busses are somewhat infrequent. I would better budget the trip to include the parking or better yet is if you fly to Orlando like she did then Stay @ a WDW value resort hotel and forget about the cost of the rental and parking all together.

Ponchos? We have used the Walmart and dollar store ones and they are so thin which is why they're only $1.00 and then they rip so easily. We could get 1 - 2 days out of ours before they ripped so we bought the Disney ones and have used them for years. We would get 2 - 3 years out of them before they would rip. Also the raincoat option doesn't work so well. I tried that once for myself and found myself wet. The raincoat goes just below the waist and my legs always got wet and when sitting for an outdoors theater show like LMA my shorts were drenched. A poncho can be pulled over your knees and keep you legs dry.
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
grim-grinning_toast said:
I never understood how people could speak poorly about Disney's food. Sure, it feels a little bit like a cafeteria when you're anxiously searching for a seat and clinging onto your tray - but it doesn't TASTE like a cafeteria! She's clearly never been to Seasons. (aka the best quick service right next to Harbor House~~)
Click to expand...
Flame Tree or GTFO

Chicken and ribs, no slaw, double beans.
 
ariel90

ariel90

Active Member
  1. Skipping the food is going to take a lot of dedication. More than likely a lodging option with cooking space, proper scheduling, or some place off property.
  2. Eh I can see that. It is the most flexible part of the budget in my opinion.
  3. Well skip the parking if possible. I mean driving on property seems like a pain between the possibility of getting lost and spending money on gas.
  4. Agree bring your own ponchos they are a pain to me.
  5. Skipping the park hopper depends on who we are talking about. I saw three parks in 1.5 days but at the same time I'm a pretty seasoned WDWer.
Moral of the story is do not live your life blindly based on internet lists.
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
ariel90 said:
I mean driving on property seems like a pain between the possibility of getting lost and spending money on gas.
Click to expand...
Walt Disney World is probably the most clearly signed place on Earth. It's just about impossible to get lost. Also, if a tank of gas is a financial dealbreaker, it might be wise to skip the trip entirely.

Which is really the only tip that needs to be said. If you can't afford to visit Walt Disney World, don't visit Walt Disney World.
 
Flippin'Flounder

Flippin'Flounder

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
Walt Disney World is probably the most clearly signed place on Earth. It's just about impossible to get lost. Also, if a tank of gas is a financial dealbreaker, it might be wise to skip the trip entirely.

Which is really the only tip that needs to be said. If you can't afford to visit Walt Disney World, don't visit Walt Disney World.
Click to expand...
Oh you'd be surprised. There is no way to turn around before DAK, we once ended up at all 3 parks except the one we wanted to go to
 
Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
Chef Mickey said:
Summary:
1) Skip the food. (WOW, great advice I guess it's ALL bad?) Bring your own food in is her suggestion
2) Limit memorabilia (What a concept)
3) Skip the $17 parking
4) Take your own Poncho (Really, 1 of the 5 is saving $10 on a Poncho and having to carry it around)?
5) Skip Park Hopper
Click to expand...

The Sense this article needs...
giphy.gif
 
SeanWM48

SeanWM48

Well-Known Member
pre-packing meals sounds smart but carrying around a bag isn't the most practical. i found it worth the extra money spent on food instead of wearing my stuffed backpack for 8 hours in the heat to save bucks on quick services. and the comment calling epcot sit-downs "hospital food" is borderline blasphemy. get outta here with that.

if you were to follow this woman's advice you'd have a bag filled with water, meals, and ponchos. who's the lucky member of your group to wear that thing all day?

she has a point about the hopper. i certainly didn't need it during my first or second time visiting. if you want to get the full experience of each park you probably need a full day per, at least. "hopping" is exhausting unless you want to hit a few key rides and then get moving. in those cases it works.

the ponchos are overpiced. but it's like that everywhere. i'm sure if you go to a football game or something you're going to overspend on a team poncho instead of bringing your own.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Whyyyyyyy do these people think they can go to Disney once and be instant authorities and have enough knowledge to write an article of tips for others to read??? :banghead: Usually they come out knocking Disney about things they know nothing about and most of their bullet points are far fetched. Then these articles get picked up by other major media/ publications and they get more validity. Oh well.... less guests going gets me on the rides quicker.
 

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