Just got back ... a few thoughts.

[disneymom08]

We just got back from our 7 day 6 night stay at Disney, my parents, my brother, his girlfriend, my husband and I and our 3 1/2 y/o daughter. We did the MYW package with the dining plan and park hopper tickets and stayed at the Grand Floridian. I have to start out by saying this was the best vacation I have ever taken and my husband who basically said he 'just didn't get it' when we were planning the trip was ready to schedule us for the bounceback deal that was offered before we checked out. We didn't take the offer as tempting as it was because basically who can afford to do Disney every 6 months? Anyway like everything life even the best things are not perfect so I thought I would share some experiences.

1) As much as I loved staying at the GF and the hotel itself with all the restaurants and shops, the rooms are not all that great. We booked adjoining rooms which by Disney standards means next to one another not what I thought which meant with a door connecting them. No those are connecting rooms. They were able to switch our rooms and retain the lagoon view upgrade but the view was not as good but worth the sacrifice. However the room they switched us to had a broken toilet. Every time you flushed it water came out of the bottom. It took 3 calls to the front desck to get someone out and then he said oh I can't fix this we need to call a plumber. No kidding! Two days later it was fixed for 1 day but then broke again but it wasn't worth the hassle so we just threw extra towels on the floor.

2) Can't say enough good things about the DDP. I felt like we really ate great and got our money's worth. My parents kept saying this is the best food we've ever eaten at Disney. I'm sure it was a better deal with the tip included but we still made out.

3) Pal Mickey - cute but I wouldn't shell out the $65 again. We thought we would get 'inside' tips - character sightings and short wait times - not so much. We would pass right by characters and he wouldn't say a thing.

4) Refillable mugs - way worth it. We got our mugs the first say $12 each. Coffee in the morning with a fill up of soda on the way to the park. A refill after nap time and one on the way in from the evening. Averaging 3-4 drinks a day for six days - a good deal.

5) The last night we were there was the Pirate and Princess party which we were not interested in going to so I didn't pay much attention to it. I had no idea this meant that the park closes early to everyone who didn't pay extra. I was so mad that Disney would close a park early and jip everyone who paid for the full day out of 2 hours. Which may not seem like a lot but my little girl got in the habit of taking 3 hour naps while we were there and we couldn't make it back in time to do anything after her nap with it closing at 7:00. So because it was our last day like complete suckers we shelled out the $250 for five out of the seven of us to go becasue my daughter had to ride rides one last time before we left. It was fun but I am a bit sore that we shelled out that much.

And my last and final note...

6) No Mickey! We never saw Mickey; not once even at the P&P party. A whole week and no Mickey. What gives?

Anyhow 7 days 6 nights, good food, no Mickey, a leaky toilet, $65 for a plain old talking doll and $250 extra for our last night of riding it's a Small World - It was still the BEST VACATION EVER. Disney see ya next year!

 

[mrerk]

hello..just thought i would share this video i took of the room we were upgraded to at the grand floridian a few weeks ago...it was incredible and i thought the resort was just lovely and i would recomend it to anyone...i know we were lucky to be upgraded to concierge level so this room might be different to normal ones..but having stayed at 4 resorts on this trip, the grand floridian came out on top for every detail...just my opinion..oh and if you listen you can hear the train tooting its horn from magic kingdom..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-S8alb1mGw

Very nice. It looks like you had one of the "honeymoon suites" with the jacuzzi tub. We spent one night in one of those rooms before being bumped up to one of the turret suites. Glad to see the resort is still as beautiful as I remember it.

 

[KingStefan]

Wow. I think it's incredible the amount of opinion this has stirred up.

Listen, I'm not trying to "blame" anything on "Disney". All I'm saying is that I believe that there is a customer satisfaction issue here that needs to be addressed.

And I know that I haven't proposed a solution. That's because I don't have one. This is a tough nut to crack. If I had a solution, I'd probably be an executive for some marketing department somewhere, but I'm not because that is not my forte.

And I admit that I don't know of the magnitude of the problem. But Disney prides themselves on having as close to 100% customer satisfaction as possible, so if I've heard about the problem (and witnessed it personally) then it's something that deserves addressing.

And contrary to what most people seem to think, I'm not saying that WDW should publicize this more emphatically. In fact, that may even make the problem worse.

What I am saying is that some people are being disappointed, and if this is supposed to be in principle the happiest place on earth, then disappointment means some attention is needed by WDW to this issue, because it is going against those principles.

Hey, I've been disappointed a lot at WDW. But every single time it was set right. There were a few times that it was even my fault, and I've apologiized, and haven't asked for anything. But it was always insisted (with a few exceptions) that some sort of recovery was coming my way. This is why I keep going back. And I want to see WDW flourish in the future. So I want to see every dissatisfaction addressed the way mine have been. That's what the magic is all about. If they lose that, they just have a bunch of rides and hotels and gift shops and restaurants and a big castle. And you can't make money with those things without the magic.

 

[disneymom08]

I have to agree. Especially with the internet now, there is absolutely no excuse for not knowing what the park hours are for each park each day. It only takes a few minutes to look things up and make plans accordingly. You have no one to blame but yourself if you don't bother to invest the time. I can't imagine spending that much money without doing a little research. If that makes me a Disney snob, then so be it.

Ouch...Just for the record I did quite a bit of planning. I used the Unofficial Guide as my bible. I researched resorts, proximities to parks, shuttle ride times, all the hoop-la about the new dining plan changes, participating restaurants, menus, children's menus, shows and rides that were too scary for little ones, touring plans and itineraries. This leads to my situation. I had touring plans customized for each day; each had a park summary stating park hours 9 – 9 for MK; Friday was going to be a free-for-all - no itinerary. To continue someone else's analogy - if you had gone to Wal-Mart Sunday night, Monday night and Wednesday night and you decided to go back Friday night would you call to check the hours? Well, I didn’t. Yes the event was publicized at the entrance to the MK and the Gf with a giant picture of pirate Mickey and the listing of the party dates but no mention that the park would be closing early to accommodate it. I guess I am defending my situation because I won't say I feel beat up on more like chastised. Although I did say I was mad at Disney because I had to spend the extra money I didn't rage against Disney. You can call me an idiot or whatever an OP stands for because I'm not sure or you can take it for what it's worth - just what I said - notice to others who didn't know if there is a P&P Party MK will be closing 2 hours early.

 

[NadieMasK2]

OP = original poster. Not derogatory in any way.

 

[KingStefan]

Ouch...Just for the record I did quite a bit of planning. I used the Unofficial Guide as my bible. I researched resorts, proximities to parks, shuttle ride times, all the hoop-la about the new dining plan changes, participating restaurants, menus, children's menus, shows and rides that were too scary for little ones, touring plans and itineraries. This leads to my situation. I had touring plans customized for each day; each had a park summary stating park hours 9 – 9 for MK; Friday was going to be a free-for-all - no itinerary. To continue someone else's analogy - if you had gone to Wal-Mart Sunday night, Monday night and Wednesday night and you decided to go back Friday night would you call to check the hours? Well, I didn’t. Yes the event was publicized at the entrance to the MK and the Gf with a giant picture of pirate Mickey and the listing of the party dates but no mention that the park would be closing early to accommodate it. I guess I am defending my situation because I won't say I feel beat up on more like chastised. Although I did say I was mad at Disney because I had to spend the extra money I didn't rage against Disney. You can call me an idiot or whatever an OP stands for because I'm not sure or you can take it for what it's worth - just what I said - notice to others who didn't know if there is a P&P Party MK will be closing 2 hours early.

IMO, you are quite justly a bit angry. It's easy to miss the detail that you did if you are not a big fan like many here. It's easy to forget that sometimes.

However, don't take offense at being called an OP. It just means Original Poster, meaning that you started this thread!

So, in conclusion, please don't take offense. Some people don't realize that everyone is not the same, and what is common sense to some is not to others. I'm sure that they don't mean to offend you when they say things like it's your own fault, and it's just common sense to check park hours. I'm sure that if they thought about it they wouldn't be so rude.

Glad your trip was an overall success, though; that's part of the magic that things can go haywire, and still it is a magical time!

 

[Monty]

Disnetmom08, please don't feel offended or in any way put down. You raised some valid concerns and generated some very interesting discussion. As has been explained "OP" just means original poster, we use a lot of odd abbreviations and some can be less than intuitive.

You did some amazing planning and are to be commended, a lot of people do much less and are much more disappointed. Some of the comments that may have felt they were chastising were [I hope] more intended to point you [and others] in the right direction for future trips. The Guides are fantastic resources, but will often advise confirming things like park hours and EMH schedules on-line on Disney's own pages to catch any changes. For Disney, there is a balancing act of how much and how widely they advertise that the parks are closing earlier on certain days and not appearing to be constantly telling people when not to visit...

I hope you take the commentary as just that, comments - not criticism. We're all Disney fans trying to improve each others' experiences and your post gave us some opportunities to do so. :animwink:

 

[Disneykidder]

OK, I know I am new here, but I thought the purpose of this web site was to share experiences and help others along the way by sharing our common interest...WDW. It is not to make others feel like the size of a pea for not knowing, understanding or for their opinions. Some people on here have very negative feelings and feel as if they are better than others. Someone who has been to Disney 2 times vs. someone who has been 10...the difference is the amount of trips....not the character of who they are. Maybe I am just Switzerland but I think it awful of some people on here to make others, like our OP, feel hurt. I have also, at times, felt discouraged by being on this site. Sometime I will say things before anyone else does. Then someone else who has been around longer says the exact same thing and everyone agrees with them and ignores my post before that. Just think of everyone on here as an equal and we'll be fine. Every voice counts.

Not everyone is the same and most will do things differently. I am a planner...some rather go with the flow. My husband thinks I plan too much. Well, that's how I am. I'd rather overplan than under...but THAT'S just ME. Let's just be nice and take everyones feelings into consideration when posting. Sometimes we also don't mean to come across as being snotty, but it does. Think of your wording before you type.

Now, this is just my opinions here.

 

[NewfieFan]

Disnetmom08, please don't feel offended or in any way put down. You raised some valid concerns and generated some very interesting discussion. As has been explained "OP" just means original poster, we use a lot of odd abbreviations and some can be less than intuitive.

You did some amazing planning and are to be commended, a lot of people do much less and are much more disappointed. Some of the comments that may have felt they were chastising were [I hope] more intended to point you [and others] in the right direction for future trips. The Guides are fantastic resources, but will often advise confirming things like park hours and EMH schedules on-line on Disney's own pages to catch any changes. For Disney, there is a balancing act of how much and how widely they advertise that the parks are closing earlier on certain days and not appearing to be constantly telling people when not to visit...

I hope you take the commentary as just that, comments - not criticism. We're all Disney fans trying to improve each others' experiences and your post gave us some opportunities to do so. :animwink:

Good post Monty!

Just friendly discussion, that is all!:wave:

 

[jennc2001]

OK, I know I am new here, but I thought the purpose of this web site was to share experiences and help others along the way by sharing our common interest...WDW. It is not to make others feel like the size of a pea for not knowing, understanding or for their opinions. Some people on here have very negative feelings and feel as if they are better than others. Someone who has been to Disney 2 times vs. someone who has been 10...the difference is the amount of trips....not the character of who they are. Maybe I am just Switzerland but I think it awful of some people on here to make others, like our OP, feel hurt. I have also, at times, felt discouraged by being on this site. Sometime I will say things before anyone else does. Then someone else who has been around longer says the exact same thing and everyone agrees with them and ignores my post before that. Just think of everyone on here as an equal and we'll be fine. Every voice counts.

Not everyone is the same and most will do things differently. I am a planner...some rather go with the flow. My husband thinks I plan too much. Well, that's how I am. I'd rather overplan than under...but THAT'S just ME. Let's just be nice and take everyones feelings into consideration when posting. Sometimes we also don't mean to come across as being snotty, but it does. Think of your wording before you type.

Now, this is just my opinions here.

i totally agree with you.....and the same thing has happened to me before and made me feel the same way. oh well....i guess we're not in the "cool group" of WDWmagic! LOL

 

[yankspy]

Anyhow 7 days 6 nights, good food, no Mickey, a leaky toilet, $65 for a plain old talking doll and $250 extra for our last night of riding it's a Small World - It was still the BEST VACATION EVER. Disney see ya next year![/quote]
That's the spirit. With all of those mishaps, you still had a great time. That is what matters.

We are in the process of planning our next trip after this year (how crazy is that ), which will be in 4 years when we will be celebrating my husbands 50th birthday and if the Lord blesses them with good health, celebrating his parent's 50th anniversary. We discussed going to the Grand Floridian, because we have all that outside it looks so beautiful. So I started looking on an alternate site (sorry!) for photos and I have to say I thought they were ugly! I know the victorian era was flowery, but honestly that is too much flower power for this girl, especially for the price! Has anyone heard if they are on the list for a rehab in the next 4 years? If not, we may consider an alternate hotel instead.

You really should consider GF. It is a great place. But then again, they all are.

I agree completly. Having expeinced the GF, along with othe "Deluxe" resort. I preffer the atmosphere and setting of the Poly or AKL, compared to the GF....it just seems a bit stuffy to me.l

It is kind of difficult for a place to be stuffy that sells plastic refillable mugs. I never quite get the stuffy comments. I always see kids running around and people in shorts, etc.. I guess, "to each their own".

oh my...I don't even know what to say!!! Please tell me you were dressed like an ice cream vendor from the 1940's (which is what i thought all the GF staff looked like)

The only thing I wonder is what sheltered little world does the caucasian woman who spoke to you come from...now THAT's a Small world I do not want to visit. :brick::brick::brick::brick:

Perhaps you should not be so quick to judge the woman since none of us has any idea what she was thinking. It could have been a simple mistake. Remember, intolerance is a two-way street.

Don't let anyone bully you about this. There are plenty of people that think the hard-ticket nights are a bit sleezy for a variety of reasons, including me.

Don't get me wrong - I understand why they have them. And I've been to P&P, and enjoyed it, and thought it was worth the extra money (that was before the price increase). They're obviously viewed by the public as being worth the price judging by the attendance, although I'm sure there are some who go just to get the extra park time, and feel at least mildly that it was extortion.

And they are a good money maker for WDW, which eventually helps us all as fans, as we want the parks to be successful so that they can continue to invest back into them.

But they don't do a good job about announcing the details to the ordinary visitor, like yourself. I presume that they don't want to make a big deal about advertising that the general public is getting fewer park hours for the same price. On those nights of the hard-ticket event, MK used to be open until at least 8, sometimes 9 or maybe even later. I think that WDW wants to strike a balance between getting the word out to increase attendance at the event, but not advertising the negative aspect of it too much to the ordinary guest. The result: people are going to continue to be uninformed and disappointed. It's not quite dishonesty and desception, but it approaches that fine line.

Peole who say "if you just did your planning properly, it wouldn't have been a problem" are being Disney snobs. Whether or not you think the hard-ticket events are a rip off, there is a problem here of publicity, and it needs to be fixed at the risk of WDW's reputation.

By the way, there's a whole thread discussing this at http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=305380.

As far as the parties, each person plans differently and so the parties are a hassle for some, for others not. For instance, I was there in March and I got caught off guard on my last day with a P&P. Did I plan, no. Why, because I have been there over sixty times and there is not much to plan. I simply left and ended my trip with another viewing of illuminattions, not to bad. Besides, I will be back soon. That was my situation. Others go only once every few years and so this might have a big impact on them. Others may have kids who will be very upset if they have to leave early. Others really enjoy those parties. My point is, with questions like this you have to consider all the different points of view and that everyone is coming at the issue from a varying perspective. Personally, I am not crazy about all of the parties. Do I feel ripped off? No. That is why I have a hopper. That is my perspective and I realize that it may be different from yours. What are you going to do.:wave:

 

[lebeau]

It can be hard with everything else there is to do to fit meeting Mickey into your schedule. And if you read an earlier post by the OP, they seemed to just have incredibly bad luck running into him! Oh, well, there's always next time!

I agree with others that have posted that the best way to see Mickey without a hassle is at character dining! No long lines, and he comes to visit your table! Chef Mickey's at the CR, Donanld's Safari Breakfast at the Tusker House in Harambe in Africa in AK, Garden Grill in the Land Pavillion at EP, and Mickey's Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness (doesn't visit tables at the BBQ - you have to wait on line at the dinner show breaks - but the lines are much shorter than in the parks).

Somebody mentioned 'Ohana before, but I don't think Mickey appears there anymore. You can ask at dining reservations to be sure.

Mickey was at O'Hana last year. It was Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto.

We also so him at the Toontown Fair. Obviously, you have to make the trip out there to see him. But he's there pretty much all day. And the lines to see him are non-existent early and late in the day.

He's in all the parades. Maybe the OP isn't counting seeing him in shows.

I just happened to be walking through Animal Kingdom when a boatload of characters passed. Mickey was leading the charge.

Yeah, we made an effort to see Mickey at character dining and the Toontown Fair, but I still bumped into several times by accident. And we were barely even in the parks that trip.

I don't know. If I don't get in line for Space Mountain, I don't call it "bad luck" when I don't ride Space Mountain.

 

[lebeau]

Sorry, I meant no offense. But the fact is that most people who visit WDW do only a minimum amount of planning. Lots of people get taken by surprise by the early closing for special events. And to put ourselves above them somehow because we plan ahead more just isn't right IMO. Just because some people do less planning that we do, and they get caught by surprise and we don't doesn't give us the right to say we're better than they are, and that it's their own fault.

The fact that so many people get caught by surprise is an indication that (1) the average guest doesn't plan as much as some other people, and (2) there is an inherent problem in the system that, if it remains unfixed, will damage the good reputation of WDW for providing a high level of customer service.

Quoted for truth!

I totally agree with this. I see this attitude way too often on Disney forums. Most people don't know that Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom are not the same things. We can't expect the average tourist to know all the ins and outs of this (overly) complex system.

 

[Thessair]

I fail to see how simply looking at a schedule is overly complex. :shrug:

 

[lebeau]

I fail to see how simply looking at a schedule is overly complex. :shrug:

Looking at a schedule isn't overly complex. But you have to know to look. For the majority of people, it would never occur to them that the park would close early for a hard-ticket event. So they don't know to look.

When I say that the system is overly complex, I'm talking about the whole structure of what a WDW vacation is these days. The amount of info a casual tourist is expected to assimilate is overwhelming. Just look at how thick the Unofficial Guide is!

I can't tell you how many people I know who went to Disney and were upset about something as simple as Fast Pass. (They couldn't understand why Disney was letting all these people cut in line.) Or dining reservations. (They didn't know to make their reservations two months in advance so they couldn't get a sitdown meal without a tremendously long wait.)

Yeah, if they'd have done more research, these problems could have been easily avoided. But they never anticipated these sorts of things could occur, so they didn't know to research them in the first place.

To the average person, WDW is an amusement park. They've been to amusement parks before with no need to plan out every detail months in advance. So, it never occurs to them WDW should be any different. A lot of these people are very unpleasantly surprised by long lines, unforseen expenses and misses opportunities.

Is it Disney's fault? I think to some extent it is. There's no need for some of these compexities in a WDW vacation. The parks ran just fine before the advent of hard ticket events, Fastpasses and priority seating.

 

[sissa216]

I was thinking, wouldn't a fairly easy approach to remedy this (for onsite guests, at least) be to send out the intended park hours in the mail to guests for their stay? Along with an ad for the parties or other special events for that time period (with the dislaimer that these are approximate hours, can change at any time, etc etc)
Or is that too easy? :lol:


Also, as far as the customer service issue goes, I think this would be equal to a guest coming down, and being upset to find out their favorite attraction is closed for refurbishment. Disney makes just as much effort to announce closings as they do park hours, and the number of people who become angry and create a guest service situation are probably very similar, if not greater, than those who are caught off-guard about the parties.

It is the same planning/lack of planning, and 'communication' issue.

Yet does Disney do anything to compensate for this "customer service" situation? Should they ? (imo, no)
Some claim that having the other parks open is not enough, as it is not the Magic Kingdom. Just as the rest of the attractions are not the same as the one which is temporarily closed, possibly for their entire trip.

I know Disney has a standard to uphold, and is known for their excessive customer service (I've recently had the company go above and beyond for an issue myself, of which I only wanted to make them aware and did not feel entitled for any 'compensation'), but to what extent?

Like I said, simply including park hours, parties, etc along with an invoice or itinerary would probably work :shrug:

I don't know. If I don't get in line for Space Mountain, I don't call it "bad luck" when I don't ride Space Mountain.

:ROFLOL:

 

[KingStefan]

Looking at a schedule isn't overly complex. But you have to know to look. For the majority of people, it would never occur to them that the park would close early for a hard-ticket event. So they don't know to look.

When I say that the system is overly complex, I'm talking about the whole structure of what a WDW vacation is these days. The amount of info a casual tourist is expected to assimilate is overwhelming. Just look at how thick the Unofficial Guide is!

I can't tell you how many people I know who went to Disney and were upset about something as simple as Fast Pass. (They couldn't understand why Disney was letting all these people cut in line.) Or dining reservations. (They didn't know to make their reservations two months in advance so they couldn't get a sitdown meal without a tremendously long wait.)

Yeah, if they'd have done more research, these problems could have been easily avoided. But they never anticipated these sorts of things could occur, so they didn't know to research them in the first place.

To the average person, WDW is an amusement park. They've been to amusement parks before with no need to plan out every detail months in advance. So, it never occurs to them WDW should be any different. A lot of these people are very unpleasantly surprised by long lines, unforseen expenses and misses opportunities.

Is it Disney's fault? I think to some extent it is. There's no need for some of these compexities in a WDW vacation. The parks ran just fine before the advent of hard ticket events, Fastpasses and priority seating.

I agree with nearly all of your post here. Even someone like the OP who did significant preparation can easily overlook several details. And the average tourist who hasn't been told that at least some miminal preparation is really necessary for a decent time can be totally lost.

However, I disagree that the parks ran just fine before the advent of the stuff you say. When I was there during the A-E ticket days, and there were tremendously long lines, it was hard to get a sit-down meal (maybe not as hard as peak times now or during free dining - but still difficult), and there were all sorts of other problems.

True, there weren't the hard-ticket events, but as I've said before, I think these are a great idea.

No, things are better now, and they are serving many more guests than before. It's just a bit more mind-blowing, as there is so much more to plan for.

 

[lebeau]

I agree with nearly all of your post here. Even someone like the OP who did significant preparation can easily overlook several details. And the average tourist who hasn't been told that at least some miminal preparation is really necessary for a decent time can be totally lost.

However, I disagree that the parks ran just fine before the advent of the stuff you say. When I was there during the A-E ticket days, and there were tremendously long lines, it was hard to get a sit-down meal (maybe not as hard as peak times now or during free dining - but still difficult), and there were all sorts of other problems.

True, there weren't the hard-ticket events, but as I've said before, I think these are a great idea.

No, things are better now, and they are serving many more guests than before. It's just a bit more mind-blowing, as there is so much more to plan for.

I can't say I rember back as far as the ticket book days. But my memories of the pre-FP days are that things were better then than they are now.

For example, FP creates longer lines for peopler who don't know how to use it. It doesn't create capacity out of thin air. The only reason anyone gets to wait in a shorter line is because someone else had to wait in a longer line.

Sure, the lines were naturally longer than the FP lines are today. But they moved at a brisk pace. And they were shorter than the stand-by lines are today.

I never had a problem getting a sit down meal in the old days. Maybe I was just lucky. I do know for a fact that restaurants weren't booked up months ahead of time. That alone makes it better in my book.

As for hard tickets, you used to get longer hours, parades and fireworks with the price of admission. Now, Disney is charging a premium for something that used to be included in the price of admission.

I think the overall guest experience could be greatly improved by getting rid of FP, ADRs and hard ticket sales. Sure, we Disney fans who know how to work the system would stop reaping the benefits. But the casual tourist would be better off by far.

 

[mrerk]

I can't say I rember back as far as the ticket book days. But my memories of the pre-FP days are that things were better then than they are now.

For example, FP creates longer lines for peopler who don't know how to use it. It doesn't create capacity out of thin air. The only reason anyone gets to wait in a shorter line is because someone else had to wait in a longer line.

Sure, the lines were naturally longer than the FP lines are today. But they moved at a brisk pace. And they were shorter than the stand-by lines are today.

I never had a problem getting a sit down meal in the old days. Maybe I was just lucky. I do know for a fact that restaurants weren't booked up months ahead of time. That alone makes it better in my book.

As for hard tickets, you used to get longer hours, parades and fireworks with the price of admission. Now, Disney is charging a premium for something that used to be included in the price of admission.

I think the overall guest experience could be greatly improved by getting rid of FP, ADRs and hard ticket sales. Sure, we Disney fans who know how to work the system would stop reaping the benefits. But the casual tourist would be better off by far.

You only got longer hours during very limited periods. The MK closed at 7PM the majority of the year. The nighttime parades and fireworks did not become near nightly events until about 10 years ago, around the time of the 25th anniversary. You used to have to go during the summer or a holiday period if you wanted to see FitS, and the MSEP was even more limited.