Trip Report "BOAT!" "Boat?" "BOAT!" A November Trip Report

Hello, my fellow Disney nuts. Welcome to another Bee trip report. If you're here for a pixie-goggled traipse through the Happiest Place on Earth...this ain't that. While there were a lot of things we really enjoyed on this trip, there were also plenty of annoying and disappointing things, and I want to get that out there so that if you only read trip reports where everyone is smiling all the time and nothing goes wrong, you can take the chicken exit right now and there will be no hard feelings. But if you're here for the whole package ranging from DRAMMA to delight to disappointment...stick around!

Who:
Me, M, and my brother Jay
Where: WDW Dolphin
When: November 22-27 in Disney, November 27-30 visiting M's family in north Florida

A little background: This trip was supposed to be November 23-29, with four nights at Disney and two nights with M's parents. But Southwest has ceased all operations to Newark Airport, and we had already booked all our holiday travel to/from Newark, so we had to change ALL of our flights to different airports. This was suuuuuuper annoying, but we made the best of it by extending our vacation an extra day on each end.

We also originally (after we changed our flights) planned to spend the first night at a Disney value resort since we would be arriving so late and to take advantage of DME, but I had a lot of Marriott points so we ended up saving $400+ to just stay all five nights at the Dolphin using points for some of the nights.
 
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bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Final Thoughts
  • Obviously there were a lot of disappointments on this trip. Several meals that were just not as good as they used to be, Epcot Forever, all the Epcot construction, etc.
  • Staying at the Dolphin reminded us why we love the Swan so much. These are all little things, but the room and bathroom layout are better at the Swan and the beds are larger and more comfortable at the Swan. The sizes of the two hotels play a role as well. The Swan just feels more cozy and upscale, while the Dolphin feels huge and chaotic. We also prefer the in-room toiletries at the Swan. I'm sure we will stay at the Dolphin again, but if the room rate is the same or similar we will always pick the Swan.
  • The International Gateway no longer feels like a fun little secret with the addition of the Skyliner. It used to be a giant perk of staying in the Crescent Lake area, but now it's so busy and chaotic (there's that word again) that it adds to the stress of the vacation and not the relaxation.
  • Flying in and out of LaGuardia when we live in New Jersey SUCKS. It's way more expensive and time-consuming to get to/from LGA and it seems that our LGA flights are delayed more often. We are sadly going to have to find another airline because even though we love Southwest, the inconvenience and expense of getting to LGA now outweighs all the good things we love about SWA.
  • After visiting both Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, all the shortcomings and lack of care at WDW have become more and more obvious. We can no longer ignore the decline in quality of service, park maintenance and cleaning, attractions, etc., while the prices keep increasing with little to no value added to the experience. It's hard to say what the proverbial last straw was, but the giant increase in AP price last year surely didn't help. This is almost certainly the last time we will buy APs, and after these passes expire we don't see ourselves visiting the parks very often anymore. So many of the things that used to make our vacations fun have either closed, ended, changed, or increased so much in price that they're not worth it anymore.
  • All that said, we still had a nice time for most of the trip and I wouldn't call this a "bad trip." We returned to WDW in December/January to celebrate the New Year, and overall that trip went much better.
Thanks to everyone who read and commented. Sorry to end this report in a negative way, but like I said the next TR I write will be much more positive!
 

Back!Elbow!Shoulders!

Omnia mutantur, nihil interit
Premium Member
Thanks for the TR.

I totally get your point on not being able to ignore the experience decreases/price increases.

I think having multiple trips close together makes it more apparent. On the bright side I think close multiple trips takes a lot of pressure off of having to fit everything during infrequent trips.
 

Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
I too, find some trips to WDW turn out different than expected. I guess many factors come into place.

Happy to hear that the New Year trip went a lot better. 😊
Thank you for sharing your trip and observations!
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Final Thoughts
  • Obviously there were a lot of disappointments on this trip. Several meals that were just not as good as they used to be, Epcot Forever, all the Epcot construction, etc.
  • Staying at the Dolphin reminded us why we love the Swan so much. These are all little things, but the room and bathroom layout are better at the Swan and the beds are larger and more comfortable at the Swan. The sizes of the two hotels play a role as well. The Swan just feels more cozy and upscale, while the Dolphin feels huge and chaotic. We also prefer the in-room toiletries at the Swan. I'm sure we will stay at the Dolphin again, but if the room rate is the same or similar we will always pick the Swan.
  • The International Gateway no longer feels like a fun little secret with the addition of the Skyliner. It used to be a giant perk of staying in the Crescent Lake area, but now it's so busy and chaotic (there's that word again) that it adds to the stress of the vacation and not the relaxation.
  • Flying in and out of LaGuardia when we live in New Jersey SUCKS. It's way more expensive and time-consuming to get to/from LGA and it seems that our LGA flights are delayed more often. We are sadly going to have to find another airline because even though we love Southwest, the inconvenience and expense of getting to LGA now outweighs all the good things we love about SWA.
  • After visiting both Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, all the shortcomings and lack of care at WDW have become more and more obvious. We can no longer ignore the decline in quality of service, park maintenance and cleaning, attractions, etc., while the prices keep increasing with little to no value added to the experience. It's hard to say what the proverbial last straw was, but the giant increase in AP price last year surely didn't help. This is almost certainly the last time we will buy APs, and after these passes expire we don't see ourselves visiting the parks very often anymore. So many of the things that used to make our vacations fun have either closed, ended, changed, or increased so much in price that they're not worth it anymore.
  • All that said, we still had a nice time for most of the trip and I wouldn't call this a "bad trip." We returned to WDW in December/January to celebrate the New Year, and overall that trip went much better.
Thanks to everyone who read and commented. Sorry to end this report in a negative way, but like I said the next TR I write will be much more positive!

The Swan has always been my preference of the two hotels, for all the same reasons you shared.

The discreet IG is a thing of the past. (I somehow knew it was too good to be true, and wouldn't last.)

LGA is massive and just really needs a complete overhaul. Many airports really haven't kept up with the increased number of travelers. Most airports were built years ago, without much additional expansion room.

Luckily, I've only been to WDW, so I don't have the comparison in parks (especially the newer overseas ones) like you do. I can well understand how you'd see differences, and sometimes it's really hard to ignore certain things.

As for the AP price increase, that's discouraging. I've never had an AP (only go about once a year, or even just every few years to WDW), so I've only complained about the yearly gate increases. :cautious:

Well, the less satisfactory details you shared, still did not put any major damper on your otherwise fun trip at least! As usual, you had a great TR. :)
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yuck, no. I don‘t like sweet casseroles.
Same! I don't even like super sweet desserts, so I really don't want my savory dishes to be sweet!

Thanks for the TR.

I totally get your point on not being able to ignore the experience decreases/price increases.

I think having multiple trips close together makes it more apparent. On the bright side I think close multiple trips takes a lot of pressure off of having to fit everything during infrequent trips.
I definitely like not feeling the pressure to do everything every time. Since M and I both grew up in Florida and have made frequent trips over the last 10-ish years, we see even more the decline over time.

UCrane😂😂😂
I am STILL laughing!!!!

Thanks for the TR.
:hilarious:

I too, find some trips to WDW turn out different than expected. I guess many factors come into place.

Happy to hear that the New Year trip went a lot better. 😊
Thank you for sharing your trip and observations!
Thank you for reading!

The Swan has always been my preference of the two hotels, for all the same reasons you shared.

The discreet IG is a thing of the past. (I somehow knew it was too good to be true, and wouldn't last.)

LGA is massive and just really needs a complete overhaul. Many airports really haven't kept up with the increased number of travelers. Most airports were built years ago, without much additional expansion room.

Luckily, I've only been to WDW, so I don't have the comparison in parks (especially the newer overseas ones) like you do. I can well understand how you'd see differences, and sometimes it's really hard to ignore certain things.

As for the AP price increase, that's discouraging. I've never had an AP (only go about once a year, or even just every few years to WDW), so I've only complained about the yearly gate increases. :cautious:

Well, the less satisfactory details you shared, still did not put any major damper on your otherwise fun trip at least! As usual, you had a great TR. :)
The gate ticket increases are insane too! I can't imagine trying to bring a family of four on a week-long trip!

I always enjoy your trip reports. The forums won’t be the same without them, so for purely selfish reasons I hope you continue to find ways to get to WDW frequently. Maybe @Tuvalu could adopt you? A joint trip would make for some fun trip reports!
Don't worry, there will probably be one more trip before our APs expire in August. We just haven't figured out what dates we can go yet! And just because I won't be visiting WDW as frequently, doesn't mean I won't visit other Disney parks...
 

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