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[DfromATX]

I know people who will skip Epcot and/or Animal Kingdom if they have younger children.

I've also heard people who say they're "going to Disney" and just do MK.

I have an aunt who took her great grand daughter "to Disney." Upon their return and after asking how the trip was and finding out they hardly did anything, I learned they went to MK for a day and a half. That's it.

 

[jaklgreen]

Obviously WE all know one needs to research and plan a WDW trip to the Nth degree...

But the average person has NO idea. Why would they? It's a theme park, right? "This is where we stay - this is where we play. Done!"

This has nothing to do with going to WDW. A person should research ANYWHERE they go, especially spending that kind of time and money. I don't leave for a trip unless I know exactly where I am going and what I will do there. I plan my routes in unfamiliar cities and even go to google maps and street view it so that it is familiar to me. I would never just pick up and go to different city/state without knowing anything about it.

 

[jaklgreen]

I have an aunt who took her great grand daughter "to Disney." Upon their return and after asking how the trip was and finding out they hardly did anything, I learned they went to MK for a day and a half. That's it.

That is where the non-planning comes in. I think a good chunk of people assume that WDW is like their local Six Flags. They have no idea of the grand scope of WDW. You would think that how bombarded we are with WDW commercials that people would be clued in on how much there is to do there. There is no excuse for a person not to do their due diligence when travelling.

 

[DfromATX]

i wonder why some people keep visiting with some of the negativity on forums.
maybe because they dont feel confident in real life? to look tough on the internet? or to look more intellectual.
some posters on here are just simply bored.

its the most magical place in the world. why focus on negatives.

good post joe, thumbs up

I agree! There is a lot of negativity on this forum. I have gone to Disney a few times since joining this group and I have found that I have to remove myself for a while before any upcoming trips because I don't want to be "brought down" about the place I love. It really gets old after a while. Now I'm seeing a lot of unfamiliar names and wondering where the old regulars went. Things change, of course, but we always have a wonderful time when we go.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Last year, I had an annual pass. I also booked a package trip, so I couldn't use the package ticket. It expired. When I bought it, I was told I'd be able to use it in 2019, (pay the difference) or use the price I paid to buy a 2019 AP. Last month, I spent two hours waiting and finally talking to a CM in GS, who didn't know how to do either.

Now I know WDw ,so maybe I'm not eh best person to answer for like everyone's reason for why they don't research all the tings you list, but here's a few thoughts on the subject:

Where I live, most folks just don't have that much free time. Many folks can't plan vacations six months out because they have to request vacation, or they don't know the date of their kids' tournament games. So when they get a few days, they have to make a quick decision.

I just talked to a friend yesterday who is caring for her elderly dad. Gosh, did she give me an earful about all his medical appointments, and how the home health aides often just don't show up, and she keeps missing her kids' activities. She can't even find two hours to get her hair done.

I helped her plan a trip to WDW a few years back, as it happens. She said she can't imagine finding time to go back now.

Consider yourself very lucky if you have time and the mental capacity to go, let alone research all the details.

But here's the thing and I've been in both situations, when i was a caregiver for my deceased dad, Disney was off the table. You're friend is absolutely correct,
Caregiving can be all consuming but again that's not Disney's fault ( I know you didnt say that) Once again it's an "entitlement " issue. Why would someone who has to do things "last minute" expect to go to disney and then get mad when it operates EXACTLY as it has. Some vacations require planning. It's really that simple. Now i don't think planning a vacation is hard but that's me.
I had a kid in travel soccer, guess what you make the decision that because it eats up soo much time that expensive vacations are on hold.
People try to fit a square peg in a round hole. If they want to take a cruise or a trip to Europe and you wait to the last minute, guess what stuff is going to be booked up and you'll pay a premium.
You seriously are telling me you would roll up into say Washington DC and not have any clue about museums, monuments or places to eat?? Really?
Now me, it's not only disney, I'm going to Greece this year, no I'm not going to get on the plane and arrive in Athens without knowing SOMETHING!!

 

[Trackmaster]

Alas, I have learned quite a bit from my WDW experiences.
It isn't just school that impacts September, it is also hurricane season, folks who don't like/fear hot weather, and even some of us that have experienced some of the other downsides of September. I've gone to WDW in September quite a few times. It isn't actually my favorite month: the parks close too early, too often afternoon storms disrupt our plans in significant ways: no pool, no EE, no shuttle boat.

I've also gone to Orlando over major vacation weeks quite a few times. I don't expect BTMRR to be empty at 11am, but well, there's always ways to zig when the crowd zags, even over major holidays. Funny thing, even on major holiday weeks, the QS places are nearly empty at 11:30am!

I get your point. IMO, it is dumb to eat out at a fancy place today (Valentine's day). The same exact food will cost half as much tomorrow, and the service will be much better. Just as many folks get - IMO- oddly hung up on the idea of eating lunch at exactly noon. So WDW has taught me much about how to zig, no matter where I go. It has also taught me the value of how to avoid peak afternoon crowds, how to find a bargain in low season, how to eat cheap, etc.

What I have learned is never turn your brain off. Do not mindlessly follow the herd. Always be aware of your surroundings.

I probably travel differently than most people. For me, travel is just a way of life. I look at my weekends and my PTO that I get at work, and I make sure that I'm traveling on all of my PTO, and I get in quick weekend trips, where I fly out from work Friday evening, and get in Sunday night, or Monday morning and Uber into work. I almost exclusively use Airbnb or stay with friends/family, and I study Google Flights, and will largely base trips based on when cheap flights are. I'd never dream of "saving up" and splurging on a vacation. If I blow a bunch of money on one extravagant vacation, how am I going to afford to take a bunch of other trips?

I live in Tampa, so going to WDW is just a day thing for me, usually just 3-4 hour visits at most. I went one time as a kid, and my family stayed on site. I went to Disney with an ex when I lived up north before I moved here -- stayed at a $35 a night hotel one mile from Animal Kingdom that was awesome and didn't feel like I was missing anything. In fact -- the one time I may choose a hotel over Airbnb is Orlando because of how cheap they are, its hard for Airbnb to even beat those prices. Unless you really value those Extra Magic Hours and the 60 day FP+, I think its really hard to justify staying on site unless you just have a ton of money and it doesn't matter to you. As I've said in other threads, its more cost effective to just buy up the After Dark tickets to get line free rides instead of overpaying on lodging for it.

For me, I live so close, I can just choose not to go if I'm looking at my sources and waits are 5/10 or higher. I'm also guaranteed 3 FP+ a day, so even if its a awful, I still get three rides in without much of a line, and can get on out of there quickly.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

This has nothing to do with going to WDW. A person should research ANYWHERE they go, especially spending that kind of time and money. I don't leave for a trip unless I know exactly where I am going and what I will do there. I plan my routes in unfamiliar cities and even go to google maps and street view it so that it is familiar to me. I would never just pick up and go to different city/state without knowing anything about it.

I don't disagree with you. Personally, I research too - but stop well short of an actual itinerary.

Without a plan, you often have happy accidents in finding something off the beaten path - that beats what everybody else is checking out because everyone around them told them to. I've had this exact experience in countless cities and countries. Most recently in Tuscany. Sure, noted the cities and what's there... But totally winged it. Had a BLAST.

 

[Trackmaster]

I don't disagree with you. Personally, I research too - but stop well short of an actual itinerary.

Without a plan, you often have happy accidents in finding something off the beaten path - that beats what everybody else is checking out because everyone around them told them to. I've had this exact experience in countless cities and countries. Most recently in Tuscany. Sure, noted the cities and what's there... But totally winged it. Had a BLAST.

"Happy accidents" like waiting 7 hours for Flight of Passage, 1 hour for Small World, and waiting in line for two hours for a basket of chicken fingers.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

"Happy accidents" like waiting 7 hours for Flight of Passage, 1 hour for Small World, and waiting in line for two hours for a basket of chicken fingers.

I'm talking about out in the real world.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

This has nothing to do with going to WDW. A person should research ANYWHERE they go, especially spending that kind of time and money. I don't leave for a trip unless I know exactly where I am going and what I will do there. I plan my routes in unfamiliar cities and even go to google maps and street view it so that it is familiar to me. I would never just pick up and go to different city/state without knowing anything about it.

YOU do this, that doesn't mean everyone else has to vacation the same way you do.

Sometimes, when the weather is nice, I take little day trips with no planning at all. I just pick a direction and start driving. I stop when I feel like it, and go exploring. Discovery is fun!

More or less, every city has an obvious downtown. Almost every city has signs and ads that are designed to be, more or less, idiot-proof. If all else fails, every single highway exit has signage listing dining and lodging near that exit. It really isn't hard to find food. (and just to be clear, I usually avoid the big fast food chains.)

Now I wouldn't attempt to travel to every remote corner of the globe without some prep, but the USA is pretty safe. (To leave the USA, you need a passport, plus a little minor prep is smart: notify your cc company, have a means of transportation, + turn off your phone/get an international plan.)

Tourist areas tend to be VERY well marked. They WANT to be found.

I wouldn't travel to every remote corner of the plant without prep, but I think it is kind of boring to research every detail of a place before I go. I travel to discover and to open my mind. I've never understood the idea of watching ride videos before going on new WDW rides. To me, that completely spoils the surprise.

Alas, a highway trip is nothing compared to the thousands of folks who came to America with less than $100 plus little more than the clothes on their back and the dream of a better life.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

. Why would someone who has to do things "last minute" expect to go to disney and then get mad when it operates EXACTLY as it has.

If they want to take a cruise or a trip to Europe and you wait to the last minute, guess what stuff is going to be booked up and you'll pay a premium.
You seriously are telling me you would roll up into say Washington DC and not have any clue about museums, monuments or places to eat?? Really?

Ah, so here's where we differ, you are assuming the last minute traveler gets mad. I never said that.

I've been to Europe several times and didn't go crazy reading up on every detail or pre-booking everything. Now, to be fair, my most recent trip was to a city I'd visited before, so I kind of new the layout a little.

I did buy a guide book, but mostly used it just for the maps, to get a rough idea of how to cluster our daily excursions, but we also spent plenty of time just roaming too. Most evenings, we just took the metro to explore different neighborhoods. We even met some locals who showed us all around a local park. It was great fun!

I wouldn't say we paid a "premium" at all. We stuck to a rough daily budget that was WAY less than an average day at WDW. Our food budget was about 1/2 of the cost of the WDW DDP, and our daily attraction budget was less than we spend on WDW tickets. We had no trouble doing any sightseeing at all: museums, cathedrals, shopping, parks, monuments, etc.

Yes, I have gone into Washington, DC (Plus Chicago, and NYC) without doing major planning. It is quite easy. Now, I'm an American. so I have some background knowledge about all major US cities: the Smithsonian Museums/major monuments are clustered on/near the National Mall and are free, Manhattan is an island, Chicago has a river running through it, Austin has a big music festival, and St. Louis has a very big arch.

Visiting museums and parks is easy. Sure, I often check entrance fees, but not always. If it isn't in my budget, I don't do it. I don't get mad, I do something else.

It is amazingly easy to find food in every major US city. I usually just look for a place that is in my budget, reasonably well populated (but less than an hour's wait). There's also no shortage of shopping in any US city either!

Truly , if nothing else, it is fun to spend a day shopping and eating in any major city. You don't need to plan to find iconic foods: NYC bagels, Chicago style pizza, or the local take on BBQ pretty much any place in the southern US.

Local folks are also often very friendly, and happy to share their favorite places. My goodness, locals are often exceptionally proud of the places they call home. As soon as they hear you are a visitor, they'll often quickly give you tips on where to go and how to save money and such. They LOVE helping guests feel welcome.

To me, that's part of what makes travel so special.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

"Happy accidents" like waiting 7 hours for Flight of Passage, 1 hour for Small World, and waiting in line for two hours for a basket of chicken fingers.

I know WDW far too well, but I've gone to other amusement parks without a plan. As I said earlier , WDW has taught me much about touring any location. If the theme park/museum/etc advertises a coaster/exhibit well that's probably going to get the longest line.

Seriously, only an idiot would get in a seven hour line for FoP, or a two hour line for chicken fingers.

When is there EVER a two hour line for chicken fingers? I've been to WDW many times over major holidays and never had to wait two hours at any quick serve.

[Now don't get me started on all the times we had an ADR, arrived early - and STILL waited an hour plus just to be seated! 'Cause THAT has happened to me QUITE a few times at WDW!]

[And let's not forget all the times I've had a FP for an attraction, and STILL waited over 30minutes, 'cause that also happens too often.]

But if I see a long line at any QS, I walk - oh say - 2 minutes in any direction- and voila! There's ANOTHER place to get food at WDW, actually there's more likely 2-3 options. Bonus: chances are high one of them will have chicken fingers!

Seriously though, if a first time visitor hasn't done any research, then they really aren't going to know about FoP: not enough to 'miss' it. they will probably go and see all the things that don't' have long lines. If you've never been to AK, you can spend a great deal of time looking at animals, snacking, listening to live performers, etc.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

A little over year ago I went to the Açores with admittedly little research other than familiarizing myself with the islands, culture, most popular attractions, etc. Woke up each day thinking it'd be nice to hit this or that. Real casual. One of the most most fun vacations in a long time - discovering things on-the-fly... Had the best filet mignon I've ever eaten in my life at a local's favorite restaurant. Went URBEXing in an abandoned five-star hotel and took panoramas from the roof of the dormant volcano/crater surrounding the whole place, up in the clouds. Not a single bad time was had. Research is good - letting it dictate your experience is not.

 

[jaklgreen]

YOU do this, that doesn't mean everyone else has to vacation the same way you do.

Sometimes, when the weather is nice, I take little day trips with no planning at all. I just pick a direction and start driving. I stop when I feel like it, and go exploring. Discovery is fun!

More or less, every city has an obvious downtown. Almost every city has signs and ads that are designed to be, more or less, idiot-proof. If all else fails, every single highway exit has signage listing dining and lodging near that exit. It really isn't hard to find food. (and just to be clear, I usually avoid the big fast food chains.)

Now I wouldn't attempt to travel to every remote corner of the globe without some prep, but the USA is pretty safe. (To leave the USA, you need a passport, plus a little minor prep is smart: notify your cc company, have a means of transportation, + turn off your phone/get an international plan.)

Tourist areas tend to be VERY well marked. They WANT to be found.

I wouldn't travel to every remote corner of the plant without prep, but I think it is kind of boring to research every detail of a place before I go. I travel to discover and to open my mind. I've never understood the idea of watching ride videos before going on new WDW rides. To me, that completely spoils the surprise.

Alas, a highway trip is nothing compared to the thousands of folks who came to America with less than $100 plus little more than the clothes on their back and the dream of a better life.

What you are talking about is a completely different thing. Going on a day trip(or short trip) with the intent to just "see what you find" is totally different then planning a lengthy stay and paying thousands of dollars. If you are taking your family vacation, packing up the kids, and flying halfway across the country, you sure as heck better have looked into where you are going.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Ah, so here's where we differ, you are assuming the last minute traveler gets mad. I never said that.

I've been to Europe several times and didn't go crazy reading up on every detail or pre-booking everything. Now, to be fair, my most recent trip was to a city I'd visited before, so I kind of new the layout a little.

I did buy a guide book, but mostly used it just for the maps, to get a rough idea of how to cluster our daily excursions, but we also spent plenty of time just roaming too. Most evenings, we just took the metro to explore different neighborhoods. We even met some locals who showed us all around a local park. It was great fun!

I wouldn't say we paid a "premium" at all. We stuck to a rough daily budget that was WAY less than an average day at WDW. Our food budget was about 1/2 of the cost of the WDW DDP, and our daily attraction budget was less than we spend on WDW tickets. We had no trouble doing any sightseeing at all: museums, cathedrals, shopping, parks, monuments, etc.

Yes, I have gone into Washington, DC (Plus Chicago, and NYC) without doing major planning. It is quite easy. Now, I'm an American. so I have some background knowledge about all major US cities: the Smithsonian Museums/major monuments are clustered on/near the National Mall and are free, Manhattan is an island, Chicago has a river running through it, Austin has a big music festival, and St. Louis has a very big arch.

Visiting museums and parks is easy. Sure, I often check entrance fees, but not always. If it isn't in my budget, I don't do it. I don't get mad, I do something else.

It is amazingly easy to find food in every major US city. I usually just look for a place that is in my budget, reasonably well populated (but less than an hour's wait). There's also no shortage of shopping in any US city either!

Truly , if nothing else, it is fun to spend a day shopping and eating in any major city. You don't need to plan to find iconic foods: NYC bagels, Chicago style pizza, or the local take on BBQ pretty much any place in the southern US.

Local folks are also often very friendly, and happy to share their favorite places. My goodness, locals are often exceptionally proud of the places they call home. As soon as they hear you are a visitor, they'll often quickly give you tips on where to go and how to save money and such. They LOVE helping guests feel welcome.

To me, that's part of what makes travel so special.

My bad, I meant last minute vacationers to Disney. and they do get mad. I see them all the time, I saw one women in Tony's town square start cursing at the poor cm because they couldn't walk up and get seating I see the families almost every trip screaming at their kids because they can't figure out which way is up.

now what you are talking about is totally different. shopping in a major city usually doesn't entail spending thousands of dollars and 3 kids. Yes, it is easy to go on the fly when you're by yourself (i'm assuming that's the scenario being played out), but even in DC, if you have plans to visit the new AA museum and you don't have tickets which currently run 6 months out, you are not getting in.

again we're talking two different scenarios. NYC has over 22000 places to eat, WDW has only about 95 full service restaurants (according to touringplans).

Most families when they go to wdw want to do a little more than simply "meander" and "stroll".

 

[Trackmaster]

I know WDW far too well, but I've gone to other amusement parks without a plan. As I said earlier , WDW has taught me much about touring any location. If the theme park/museum/etc advertises a coaster/exhibit well that's probably going to get the longest line.

Seriously, only an idiot would get in a seven hour line for FoP, or a two hour line for chicken fingers.

When is there EVER a two hour line for chicken fingers? I've been to WDW many times over major holidays and never had to wait two hours at any quick serve.

[Now don't get me started on all the times we had an ADR, arrived early - and STILL waited an hour plus just to be seated! 'Cause THAT has happened to me QUITE a few times at WDW!]

[And let's not forget all the times I've had a FP for an attraction, and STILL waited over 30minutes, 'cause that also happens too often.]

But if I see a long line at any QS, I walk - oh say - 2 minutes in any direction- and voila! There's ANOTHER place to get food at WDW, actually there's more likely 2-3 options. Bonus: chances are high one of them will have chicken fingers!

Seriously though, if a first time visitor hasn't done any research, then they really aren't going to know about FoP: not enough to 'miss' it. they will probably go and see all the things that don't' have long lines. If you've never been to AK, you can spend a great deal of time looking at animals, snacking, listening to live performers, etc.

Disney certainly DOES still get 7 hour lines for FoP, and DOES have two hour lines for food, so some people DO wait for them clearly. One time I went to MK around the holiday season, missed by first FP+ due to traffic, saw that the entire make was swamped -- lines for EVERY ride including Small World and CoP, and huge lines for any food. I was starving, so I just left without riding anything, and got food off-site. A luxury of having an AP. But granted, I should have known better than to go during the holidays and to miss a FP+.

Point being - you can absolutely find out of control lines at Disney and even lines for concessions can be an issue.

It was funny that at that time, I was assuming that the restaurants were like normal restaurants, where you could walk into the bar, and fight for service. Usually when I travel I always go straight for the bar if I'm by myself or one other person. This was a foreign concept for the hosts at Disney, and they explained that you needed reservations to even get in -- they didn't explain that you pretty much needed to book months ahead of time. I can understand why Disney doesn't allow you to go to the bar for quick service -- the lines would be out the door, and they don't want a bunch of drunkards in a kid's park.

 

[aliceismad]

So Disney sent us a little brochure for our upcoming trip and it mentions a few things to do at eat park, the resort, etc. It also mentions ADRs and gives dates for when I can get FPs, when to do my online check in, etc.

Interestingly, we got this for our stay at BLT (rented DVC points). But we’re doing a split stay (because BLT wasn’t available the whole time.) We did not get one of these brochures for our stay at Port Orleans, which starts the split stay.

It got me wondering how many of these Disney sends out, and did we get one for the BLT portion only because it’s a deluxe or because it’s rented points? With all the talk about planning (or lack thereof) here, it got me to thinking about how much Disney spends (or doesn’t) to educate/prepare guests.

 

[Hcalvert]

My brother was in danger of falling into the "naive first time visitor" category. He kept asking me if the tickets included Harry Potter, Medieval Times, etc. The last time he visited was in 1990 (he was about 8), so he didn't even know about DAK. His mind was completely blown about all the things he had to think about before the trip. Finally, I gave in/up and told him that my family would go too and I would plan it all for them too-including dining reservations and FPs. I made a Google Doc with all the information on it and shared it with him. He told me that it was the easiest vacation to plan ever. Good thing, I enjoy the planning. Also, I get do princess stuff too since I only have sons and my brother has 2 boys and 2 girls.

 

[Hcalvert]

Depending on where you're working, there's also a very strong chance that you're getting a skewed perspective based on the guests that are talking to you. Oftentimes the majority of guests that seek out a cast member are ones that are lost, confused, unhappy, or have a complaint. The ones that are happy and enjoying themselves often aren't going to stop because they are on the way to the next fun thing.

I found that attractions cast members and guest relations were the ones that seemed to think everyone was unhappy, because those were the guests that they talked to the most. They might be matched by those dealing with guests in quick service foods because of how many of them are "hangry" and just want to eat.

Merchandise and custodial would be a mixed view, again because of when they were talking to guests and what they were doing.

However, when you talk to the ones in entertainment, it's often a very different view- most for them are having a great time.

as photopass I saw far more happy guests enjoying their time than unhappy guests, which were a very small, but vocal, minority.

I kind of see what the other person is saying. In the past, I used to have a lot of pleasant conversations with other people in line. However, the last few trips it seemed everyone kept to themselves/parties and there was no chit chat hardly at all. I am somewhat introverted, but had no problem speaking to others who are pleasant--that is how we met the Sawyers with their 8 kids in line for Kali River Rapids in 2009 (still keep in touch), and I have met up with teacher friends who were visiting the same time as us. Also, I have seen CMs looked completely mystified when my family would say thank you or please to them during a meal or merchandise transaction. I cannot help but wonder the verbal abuse they must go through more often than before in the past.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

If you are taking your family vacation, packing up the kids, and flying halfway across the country, you sure as heck better have looked into where you are going.

Um, okay. I accept you don't want to hear that it is possible to travel without making elaborate plans.