Do you know someone who didn't enjoy their disney trip??

[sweetpee_1993]

What gets me is how we all know you have to do your homework, study, plan, etc. etc. and think others that don't know to do all that are silly. Well, what other destinations take this level of planning and work before the trip just to cross the threshold into pleasant??? This is where I feel bad for people. This is where I think Disney is missing the point. People want to vacation, not work their butts off. People want to sleep in & relax when escaping the rat race. Why does a vacation require so much work? I used to revel in the crazy planning but at some point I grew tired of working so hard both before and during vacation. I feel so terrible for first timers not in the know, who unsuspectingly fall for the fairy tale in the commercials not knowing they'd need a degree in Disney travel planning to attain those images of bliss. It's too much!

 

[luv]

So just to be clear: As fans we get upset if friends, co-workers, etc insult or mock us over our Disney obsession, and question why we like to go so often.
Yet we mock others, call them "grouches", or claim they "just don't do it right" if they don't enjoy Disney as much as we do.

I don't think people who take a vacation without doing a bunch of planning are stupid. I know plenty of bright people who do that.

I also don't think there is anything wrong with not liking the parks. God knows there are PLENTY of things I know little to nothing about. I don't even know who played in the Super Bowl, much less what happened...and I was in the room while it was on. Not everyone likes everything. It's cool.

Now, people who do like Disney, but don't love CoP - Off with their heads!!!

 

[Neph-Neph]

My mom complains every time we go that she's "never going back to Disney World again!" but every time I say I'm planning another trip she manages her way into the plans. I think she secretly really loves the parks and not-so-secretly hates the crowds. Disney World is one of the few places that I'm willing to put up with extremely crowded situations!

 

[Gorjus]

Sweetpee is right. For some, they want to relax on vacation. WDW is as far from relaxing as you can get. And y'all quit encouraging people who didn't like it to try it again. Do you feel it is validating your obsession? If they don't come back, less crowds for those of us who enjoy it.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

While we all know that some of these people could probably enjoy a WDW trip if planned properly, there are some other factors I've been thinking about...

Ultimately, the way Disney markets WDW, many people are duped into thinking that the vacay just kind of builds itself. i.e. just pick your dates, hotel, and tickets and VOILA- instant WDW vacation. i.e. the planning is not marketed or perceived to be a big deal until you're stuck in a busy park with no ADRs and no concept of FPs, touring plans, etc. On the flip side, I think these same people would plan like crazy for a couple of weeks in Europe or trekking around a major national park as most people grasp without any prompting that grand scale trips like this demand intense planning. i.e. there's no perceived safety net, so they need to account for anything and everything. There is a secondary aspect to this too...many of these people are doubly bothered when their WDW trip is a mess b/c they don't feel they should have to plan to the millionth degree for something as seemingly commonplace as a trip to WDW. i.e. more out of the ordinary trips are what should demand excessive planning.

The other issue- some people really just find they prefer to vacation in other destinations. There's no harm in that. I mean, some people have done it all correctly and still aren't WDW fans. So, maybe they prefer sitting on a beach, going on a cruise, hiking through the wilderness, etc.- that's perfectly fine too.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

Yep. They complained about the overpriced Pirate room which she said was also dirty. But her husband was horrified at the cost of everything. She said her son would've had just as much fun staying at the hotel and playing at the pool. But the big thing for them was the cost. Of everything. She said they will never go back again.

I truly think if you are that concerned about how much things cost on vacation then WDW is not for you. I might balk at some things as souvenirs but for the most part I don't think/worry about money while there. Plus, I've seen prices of stuff at other tourist spots and, quite frankly, some things at Disney are actually better priced!

 

[Britt]

I absolutely LOVE what @sweetpee_1993 said. Seriously, I agree in every way. When we go, we plan our ADR's and what park we want to go to in regards to those ADR locations. Other then that, I dont plan a thing.

OP - This last trip was REALLY tough and I actually decided I would never go back. However, I realized it was my company (we went with my FIL) that was so frustrating and not the actual trip itself : )

 

[Mikester71]

Four trips with no ADR's and going to the parks late AND during Canadian Spring Break (which coincidentally is this week), which is one of THE busiest times of the year to go down, and yet my family and I are all hooked on WDW for life now. In other words, people can still have those variables come into play on their vacation and still have a good time and want to go back.

I did know a guy who took his family down there after my friend (same guy who talked up WDW to me for years before we went) told him how much fun it was, only to return from the trip the least bit impressed. My buddy was beside himself trying to figure out why he didn't like the place.

 

[erasure fan1]

What gets me is how we all know you have to do your homework, study, plan, etc. etc. and think others that don't know to do all that are silly. Well, what other destinations take this level of planning and work before the trip just to cross the threshold into pleasant??? This is where I feel bad for people. This is where I think Disney is missing the point. People want to vacation, not work their butts off. People want to sleep in & relax when escaping the rat race. Why does a vacation require so much work? I used to revel in the crazy planning but at some point I grew tired of working so hard both before and during vacation. I feel so terrible for first timers not in the know, who unsuspectingly fall for the fairy tale in the commercials not knowing they'd need a degree in Disney travel planning to attain those images of bliss. It's too much!

Great post, I agree with everything. Disney does make it tough and it seems that everything they do just adds to the craziness. I can only imagine going for the first time now. Luckily I have been going since the late 70s and had plenty of time to acclimate to the changes. I have had a few people come back and just say "meh, it was ok." The majority of the complaints come from poor planning. But I do understand that not everyone wants to be so "plan centric". I know I am kind of sick of planning meals 6 months out, crosschecking that with what parks we want to go to.... and the list goes on. Luckily we have been so much that we can plan on the run and still make things work as long as we have a few ADRs.

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

1) 2 weeks is way too long for a first timer.
2) You should at least have a basic idea of what you're getting yourself into. Read up alittle
3) WDW is not for everyone.
4) Sometimes the people you choose to travel with can effect your vacation more than the destination.

The first time I visted WDW in 1979 I was 20. A freind and I bought 2 day passes. I walked away not getting what the big deal was. Went back in '81 with freinds. I returned in '84 by my self and had a great time. EPCOT Center was new to me. Being alone alowed me to explore on my own terms.

 

[George]

What gets me is how we all know you have to do your homework, study, plan, etc. etc. and think others that don't know to do all that are silly. Well, what other destinations take this level of planning and work before the trip just to cross the threshold into pleasant??? This is where I feel bad for people. This is where I think Disney is missing the point. People want to vacation, not work their butts off. People want to sleep in & relax when escaping the rat race. Why does a vacation require so much work? I used to revel in the crazy planning but at some point I grew tired of working so hard both before and during vacation. I feel so terrible for first timers not in the know, who unsuspectingly fall for the fairy tale in the commercials not knowing they'd need a degree in Disney travel planning to attain those images of bliss. It's too much!

Love this. There are a couple of other threads where I wanted to say something along these lines, but was too busy/lazy. My favorite way to make dining reservations on property was this -

You did it whilst you were in EPCOT and maybe, just maybe, had an idea of what you wanted to eat that night. I've known several people who have not made 180 day ADRs and wrongfully assumed that it would be like everywhere else on the planet and a reservation would be obtainable at a fair cross section of eateries the day of....You're really going to suffer on a Disney trip if you're planning on eating there, purchase the dining plan, and make that mistake. I also think it is the ONLY vacation where the expectation is that you do tons of research before the trip. My wife and I honeymooned in Europe for 17 days without doing anything but booking rooms and buying Eurorail passes in advance. Imagine my dismay when I didn't have a Louvre fast pass and had to wait until 4:30 pm to enter. :lookaroun

 

[Doug Means]

What gets me is how we all know you have to do your homework, study, plan, etc. etc. and think others that don't know to do all that are silly. Well, what other destinations take this level of planning and work before the trip just to cross the threshold into pleasant??? This is where I feel bad for people. This is where I think Disney is missing the point. People want to vacation, not work their butts off. People want to sleep in & relax when escaping the rat race. Why does a vacation require so much work? I used to revel in the crazy planning but at some point I grew tired of working so hard both before and during vacation. I feel so terrible for first timers not in the know, who unsuspectingly fall for the fairy tale in the commercials not knowing they'd need a degree in Disney travel planning to attain those images of bliss. It's too much!

I do the same amopunt of work no matter what my week long vacation. the difference is alot of the time when i don't go to disney i really can't make the advance resevations that i can at disney and end up waititng to dine for long time periods. i like to read ahead of time about things to do and activities. i feel homework needs to d=be done about any vacation. friends i know that don't do disney but do the beach every year or maybe vagas, do the same thing every year just like us and disney. they go where they are comfortable and can relax. my planning at disney is very low now because i feel like i know what to do and how far in advance to make things happen when i am there. it is very little work at this point for me. everyone has their first trip anywhere. hopefully the first one is a great one.

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

Love this. There are a couple of other threads where I wanted to say something along these lines, but was too busy/lazy. My favorite way to make dining reservations on property was this -

You did it whilst you were in EPCOT and maybe, just maybe, had an idea of what you wanted to eat that night. I've known several people who have not made 180 day ADRs and wrongfully assumed that it would be like everywhere else on the planet and a reservation would be obtainable at a fair cross section of eateries the day of....You're really going to suffer on a Disney trip if you're planning on eating there, purchase the dining plan, and make that mistake. I also think it is the ONLY vacation where the expectation is that you do tons of research before the trip. My wife and I honeymooned in Europe for 17 days without doing anything but booking rooms and buying Eurorail passes in advance. Imagine my dismay when I didn't have a Louvre fast pass and had to wait until 4:30 pm to enter. :lookaroun

Until Disney started the dinning plans we NEVER made ADR's We would make them the day of or just walkin. We never had issues. With the DDP in place I don't dare let the 180 window pass with out ADR's DDP has effected the resturants and menus in a very negative way.

 

[Spikerdink]

I have never taken a vacation - anywhere from Disney to London - without doing research and some planning. Before I set out, I want to have an idea of 'must sees', great local cuisine, things that are overhyped and how best to maximize my time. To me, it just makes more sense than to pop in at an airport and head to the hotel and thing, 'well, let me decide what I should do next.'

In my experience people on vacation fall into two categories. The first category is one that 99.9% of us here fit into. As soon as we know we have a vacation, we plan, we revise, we plan, we post on WDWMagic for advice, we revise again, we plan more, we worry about the changes, we revise and then we plan again. When we get to our destination, we can operate under our guidelines and have a pretty good idea what we want to do and how best to enjoy our vacation.

The other category is people who don't want to plan, who want to shut off all manner of scheduling and roll the dice to see which way to go.

Neither category is a 'bad' category - it just matches your personality type. It's unfair for those of us in one category to look askance at the other and say they are doing it wrong.

I have a friend who took a party of 9 to WDW a few summers ago. Before she left, she had exactly zero ADRs. She had no plan for what the group was going to do on any given day. This would have sent shock waves through my system and I would have started to twitch. They had a great trip, although afterward she told me that it was tough finding a place to eat!

Disney has created the planning DVD to give an idea to people of all the things available to them. What they don't say is all the planning you need to do to enjoy everything that is crammed onto that DVD. I had a friend email me yesterday after watching the DVD. He is coming to WDW with me for 3 days during Food and Wine. He gave me a few rides and attractions he wanted to do but the reality is we can't get everything done in 2 1/2 days especially when the parks are closing before 10. I asked him for the list so I can get an idea of what is important to him so we can do as much as possible while he is there and not waste time figuring what to do next.

There are a bunch of people who don't like Disney and never will. It may be they dislike the commercialism of the parks. It may be they don't care to look at the level of detail and the immersion into each park and ride that is before them. They may hate people. They may hate kids. They may hate Brazilians. They may be looking for anything possible to tell people they 'hated' Disney just because they want to. Who knows? I have friends who love to go out to New York City on the weekend and go bar hopping. They tell me how much fun it is, and everything I am missing. In my mind, I think, 'I'd rather eat cold, chunky vomit than go to bars in the city.' But it's not my thing. Just like Disney isn't everyone's.

 

[Britt]

1) 2 weeks is way too long for a first timer.
2) You should at least have a basic idea of what you're getting yourself into. Read up alittle
3) WDW is not for everyone.
4) Sometimes the people you choose to travel with can effect your vacation more than the destination.

The first time I visted WDW in 1979 I was 20. A freind and I bought 2 day passes. I walked away not getting what the big deal was. Went back in '81 with freinds. I returned in '84 by my self and had a great time. EPCOT Center was new to me. Being alone alowed me to explore on my own terms.

I totally agree. 2 weeks is way too long. And I can't imagine spending 2 weeks somewhere and not reading up on it.

For me, after 4 days at the park, Im craving home, my bed, and my privacy. Im not a fan of crowds at ALL, so it's surprising I enjoy WDW so much. HAHA

 

[scoobygirl39541]

I figured that like most are saying here, anyone who did not enjoy it just did not do it 'right' - they had a bad plan or no plan, went at the wrong time of year, etc., but I proved myself wrong. I took a girl I was dating for what I thought would be a fantastic trip - during the Food & Wine Festival, dinners at Cali. Grill, Jiko, the Festival Signature Dinner at Citricos (the one for 10 people in the Chef's Domain with the winemaker there with us - incredible food, etc.). I made sure to let her help control the pace of our days, took time out to enjoy the ambiance where appropriate, let her select attractions, etc.. She's from France, and had never been to any Disney park before, so I was convinced this would be an excellent introduction. We even did the French Regional Lunch at the former Bistro de Paris where she got to speak French with other natives for hours, we drank a wide variety of great French wine, and she admitted that even the bread seemed very authentic.

At the conclusion of the trip, having had a great time myself, I was sure that I would have a Disney convert, but no! She made it clear that she would not want to return, and that I should not book future Disney trips, since she thought it was a waste of time and money. Naturally, that was a relationship that could not last (I even went to France with her for a couple weeks and had a great trip, thinking that after I did 'her' trip she would reconsider and let me take her back to Disney, but her attitude about it did not change.)

wow, lucky girl!! You need to teach my boyfriend a thing or two!!

 

[kasey1988]

What gets me is how we all know you have to do your homework, study, plan, etc. etc. and think others that don't know to do all that are silly. Well, what other destinations take this level of planning and work before the trip just to cross the threshold into pleasant??? This is where I feel bad for people. This is where I think Disney is missing the point. People want to vacation, not work their butts off. People want to sleep in & relax when escaping the rat race. Why does a vacation require so much work? I used to revel in the crazy planning but at some point I grew tired of working so hard both before and during vacation. I feel so terrible for first timers not in the know, who unsuspectingly fall for the fairy tale in the commercials not knowing they'd need a degree in Disney travel planning to attain those images of bliss. It's too much!

I couldn't agree with you more. I've been speaking with my dad daily ( who is currently I'm wdw wit his other half and my half brother aged 6), all of whom are barley enjoying the disney vacation experience. They arrived Sunday ( a day late since their Saturday flight was cancelled), so they missed a full day and half by the time they arrived.. They booked only 5 ADRs (missed one due to flight cancelation), so they have only used 4 out of 7 credits.. They are complaining about the crowds, only rode 4 rides in the magic kingdom and seen the firworks as they were walking out of the park... But did dedicate 1.5 days to mk..but only a half day at AK (this morning and complained that everything had over an hour wait) and supper at Epcot with one ride (Ellen's ride).. They did sea world and his other half made them spend a day and an evening at the outlet mall.. Needless to say I don't think they will be returning to disney anytime soon.. I sent him info, dining recommendations etc. he does say he understands how Marc and I had such a great time because it would be easier to adhear to reservations , I guess I'll have a chance to experience it when I have kids and see how the experience is diffrent with your own kids, I mean I have traveled with other people and a 5y/o, and we were still able to see and do and experience the magic.. But we also didn't focus on outlet mall shopping... I just feel bad for those who spend the money and travel all that way and don't enjoy their trip

 

[DfromATX]

I remember for our first trip we didn't know what to expect either but we still had a fantastic time. I guess it's my nature to do some research (no matter where I go), so I knew enough to get on their website and make my ADR's and that's where I discovered other things (and I am still learning new things!) In retrospect, we now know we missed a lot on our first trip, but we still had a great time. I think some people just aren't Disney people just like with any vacation. For example, the Grand Canyon or fishing ... b o r i n g... but I don't dare tell my brother that!

 

[DfromATX]

I have known many people that visited WDW and absolutely hated it and for varied reasons. Heck, my mother absolutely despised every moment we spent there and probably regretted the first trip we ever took when it first opened because I was hooked from them on. She despised the commercialism and even way back then felt like it was a rip-off. My Dad was not much better and I can remember him taking a survey at the TTC during park closing many years ago. He was asked, "what was your favorite ride today?" His response was that he had not been on it yet. Since it was after midnight (yes, that was back in the days when it was a regular thing for the MK to be open to 1 AM nightly during the summer,) the CM look perplexed and asked him what he meant. He told her that his favorite ride at WDW was the tram ride back to the car because he knew that meant he would not have to come back for another year.

But I have had friends, family and patients that absolutely are miserable. Some just can't handle the cost of things and don't like the feeling of a white gloved hand reaching into their back pockets to grab handfulls of cash. Other hate the crowds and standing in line and don't consider any experience there worth any type of wait. Most now seem to hate the hectic pace and imperative needs for advance planning. I always tell people that a successful trip to WDW requires advance planning on par with that with which the Allies planned the invasion of Normandy and for some that just stinks. Some people do like to just relax and not have their days planned out from sunrise to the wee hours of the morning having to worry about parades and ADR's, FP, EMH and the like. Given that this is only to get worse with the new MM+ and FP+, I have given up on those folks and actually am starting to see where they are coming from to a degree.

Yep, you pretty much summed it up. I know a couple of people (my brother and a coworker come to mind) who I know will never love Disney like we do. It IS expensive, crowded, and hectic, some people can't take that. You just gotta respect their decision. As others have said, Disney is not for everyone.

 

[zero creativity]

My sister. When we went for the first time I was about 12 and she was about 15. She whined and complained the whole time. Fast forward to years later and we both have kids. My family goes every 2 years and loves it(wish we could go more) my sister has taken her kids once on more of a "we have to go to disney trip." She went for one day while passing through and paid for a park hopper. She kept telling the kids that they would have more fun at the pool or the beach and have never been back since.