Are there people who go to Disney and then not like it?

[wdwmomof3]

My inlaws went a couple of years ago on Christmas day and they hated it because of the crowds. They said they will never go back.

I have met a few people recently who went and they said that they didn't like it and neither did the kids. This is two different families. Both liked seaworld though.:hammer: They said that they just like going on a cruise better.

 

[MarkTwain]

I have friends (in college, granted) who say WDW is boring because they hardly have any thrill rides. :shrug: One even went as far to say Epcot was a terrible park until they opened Test Track and Mission:Space.

Blasphemy, I know... but different strokes for different folks.

 

[sueuk]

My friend and 3 kids went with her husbands family - she hated it, but I think it was the whole 2 week hol and not just WDW (a family thing I think!)

 

[Disney05]

One guy I work with went down last year with his grandson. When he came back he said "why would I want to go back, been there done that". Another guy I work with went down during spring break. He said it was hot and crowded and will never go back. What I say is: For those who get it, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation will do. :shrug:

 

[dkrause]

My cousin is one of those people. He went with his previous wife to the Magic Kingdom and hated it. He said it was the most stupid and boring place he has ever been and will not return. He just had a baby boy last November and he said he has no intention of taking him ever. I guess I will have to take him when he gets older.

 

[pixiesteno]

A friend of mine and her family went for one day to the MK in August before the days of fast pass. It was also before the days of organized character interaction. What interaction was scheduled was impacted by the heat so disappointed kids. Oh, they never pre-planned any of it, no research or viewing of a park map before stepping on property -- yeah, they hate it. :hammer:

 

[Susan Savia]

The big thing that i have noticed is that a majority of the people that dislike it after they go do not stay on the premises. This really kills the magic especially when you have to worry about separate transportation such as cabs. Also you have to really research the food. There is some great eating.....in fact my favorite all time restaurant is located here......but there is a TON of pig slop....i mean a TON

We stay offsite and prefer it that way and there is no magic lost because of that. We have been annual pass holders since forever. We have our own car to come and go and don't really miss anything except maybe the high prices of their rooms. Whether one stays onsite or off has little bearing on the parks. For anyone going to WDW, planning is the key word; where and when to go, how to get there, what shows, where to eat, etc.

 

[tink68]

Yes I have met some who went once and say they will never go again. I have also met some who say going to a place with a bunch of screaming kids is not their idea of a vacation. :shrug:
I think these people have problems. :lol: j/k

 

[Tar Heel]

My brother hated it forever, but I think it is just because he is super lazy and hated all the walking. As soon as my parents would let him he would stay with friends whenever we would vacation at wdw. He went back for the first time in 15 years last year and had a great time

 

[kimmychad]

I would think the people that have tried it and get tired of it would outnumber the people that didn't like it outright. I'm tired of it for now and have decided to try other vacations.

 

[wm49rs]

I've met people who have gone and hated it for any number of reasons: crowds, expense, lack of roller coasters, just poor overall experiences. Then again, I've met people who have complained about exploring Paris, watching La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera, or visiting the Gettysburg National Battlefied. Some people have a desire to make complaining an Olympic event, I suppose....

But I'm also wondering why we're having so many of these discussions here recently. I'm not upset with the OP, but in the past few days alone we've had this thread, someone upset with the timing of WDW refurbs and construction, and a couple of others whose origins fall into the same realm. I have nothing against people sharing their opinions, and I'll be the first to call TDO out on some idiotic decision, but there seems to be a real trend towards the negative recently....:shrug:

 

[Victoria]

There have to be, or the parks would be crowded beyond belief daily. Be glad everybody doesn't share the same passions. :lol:

Exactly! I'm not offended by people who don't like WDW. It just means there will be more room for me!

One guy I work with went down last year with his grandson. When he came back he said "why would I want to go back, been there done that". Another guy I work with went down during spring break. He said it was hot and crowded and will never go back. What I say is: For those who get it, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation will do. :shrug:

Amen. I don't bother trying to convince people who 'dont get it' to see the error of their ways. Nothing I can say will make them see the truth. They may agree with me eventually. They might even give Disney another shot, but most likely they are going to keep on hating it. I for one, prefer visiting a place in which the haters just stay home (or go to Six Flags :lookaroun).

 

[WDW Vacationer]

I have a friend who went with their family and did not like it. They really don't have a reason,it just didn't do it for them.:shrug:

 

[George]

I know a lot of people who like Disney, a lot who like Uni better, and a lot who dislike the whole Orlando theme park scene. No harm in any of it. I know I'm a theme park dork and I'm comfortable with that.

 

[kashmir]

They are on this board, not gonna name any names but its a majority(aka LOUD minority) that is. Its funny that we have so many hatters on a WDW fansite.

Would that be MAD hatters?

 

[Skylinecar1982]

I have known a couple people who go to just MK and think that they did Disney. I think everyone who goes to Disney for the first time or even just after a really long time then they need a guide. Disneyworld is really overwhelming for people. I have some friends that claimed they did Disney. One of them had not been there since the early 90's and the other went about 3 years prior. The one that just went 3 years prior claimed that they were not that impressed with Disney and preferred Universal. Well wouldn't you know about 4 hours into our first day at Epcot and she was a die hard Disney Fan.

 

[WDW John]

Yup

A woman I work with went to WDW a few years ago with her husband and two young (at the time I'm guessing 6-8 years old) boys. When she returned I asked how her vacation was. She said it was the worst vacation ever and couldn't understand why a family would go there. When I asked why she replied "there is nothing for kids to do there". Seriously.

However, after I talked to a friend of hers I found out that her kids wanted to stay in the pool at the hotel and she just let them. They actually went into the parks one day on a 5 day vacation and she was annoyed that she had spent all that money for her kids to go to the pool.

I guess it's all in how you work your vacation that ultimately decides if you will enjoy it or not.

 

[papamouse1]

There has been some good descriptions so far of the ones we've encountered over the years, but let me summarize...

1) Some folks go to Disney expecting an amusement park, and it isn't. We always try to describe it to friends as an "amazement" park. Fun, colorful, but not necessarily "white knuckle".

2) Some just don't realize that any trip to WDW needs planning. You don't have to schedule every second, but there is simply TOO MUCH to do it all in a normal 5 day type trip. Plus, they go in the summer (convenient) or Christmas ("we heard it's beautiful") and it ruins their view of WDW. I don't blame them, my wife and kids will have to tie me up and drag me if they want to ever go in the summer again... No Way!

3) One more reason I run into which really wasn't mentioned, but seems to be included in every one who wants to argue angainst going to WDW is money! "the food's ridiculous, those tickets are outrageous, it's way too much money to stay onsite, so we got a nice Motel 6 20 miles down the road".... Face it, some people want to a Disney vacation on Yellowstone Park budget and that just isn't going to happen. No slam on Yellowstone BTW, just a point of reference.

As much as we enjoyed our very first "low budget" trip to DLC, we didn't love the whole Disney experience nearly as much as we do now. The more we do it, the more we learn, the more you great people on this forum share your "wisdom", the more amazing the Disney Magic get. If we could just get the ones who hated it to let us help them plan one, maybe they would all convert!

 

[EPCOTPluto]

2) Some just don't realize that any trip to WDW needs planning. You don't have to schedule every second, but there is simply TOO MUCH to do it all in a normal 5 day type trip. Plus, they go in the summer (convenient) or Christmas ("we heard it's beautiful") and it ruins their view of WDW. I don't blame them, my wife and kids will have to tie me up and drag me if they want to ever go in the summer again... No Way!

YES. One of my friends went to WDW, only to dislike the MK. Why? Apparently, the crowds and lines were too much, and she only was able to do two rides. When I asked when she went, she replied July 4th. :brick:

 

[wdwwdeagle]

One of the funniest "I hate WDW" moments I know of:

We are friends with a family who travels to WDW annually because the wife and two kids love it. Dad, on the other hand, would much rather be golfing or at the beach, so he gets dragged around the parks for a week every year.

On their most recent trip, after a seven hour drive, they are approaching the welcome sign on World Drive, wife and kids are cheering, so excited (you know how it is) and the wife says, "See, honey, it even says 'Where Dreams Come True' right on the sign."

His response? Totally deadpan, under his breath: "I've been coming to this d*mn place for years and my dreams still haven't come true."

The beginning of a beautiful family vacation!
Still cracks me up.