"Priced Out" of DHS

[Gabe1]

I don't get the hate for MGM and AK . We can spend several days of our vacation at each of these parks.Admitedly we only go once every two years

I've been going to the Studio's since the year it opened...as respectfully as I can ask, what do you do in the Studios to fill your time for 2 days? In the heydays I could understand but now, I can't.

AK I am guessing you enjoy strolling? Again not being mean, just cannot wrap my brain around what fills 2 days of touring AK. I opened this park its first year, it was a 1/2 day then even with its boat river ride. They have added very little since then. What do you do that takes 2 days in the park?

 

[Figments Friend]

DHS is my least fave Park.
Since the actual production aspects ceased operation several years ago the place has lost quite a bit of it*s appeal with me.
The final nail was the closing on the Florida Animation studio.
That was a depressing couple of weeks...leading up to that.
Really felt sorry for all those animators.


The DHS of the past was cool.
A actual REAL working studio...with a lot of character.
I can understand the need to change due to the times and how Guests needs change, but it seems a bit disjointed and lacking in some areas.

Today, it is basically a Disney IP Park...marketing whatever the latest film, tv show, or CGI animated property is.
Yes, all Disney Theme Parks can be seen as like this on some level, but today the message seems more obvious and blanant in it*s presentation, exspecially at DHS.
No hiding it behind a clever show or attraction..just outright, straightforward marketing.

Add into that the removal of the things that used to be unique to DHS (shops and shows )and it adds up to a Park i want to spend little time in.


I only visit when i have a Park Hopper added onto whatever ticket media i happen to be using on that particular visit. I would not pay a full days ticket to go through the gates at DHS.
No way.
I HAVE done this for DAK...believe it or not...but the circumstances were unusual.

MK and EPCOT are my two faves, and spend most of my time there. Actually, i *live* at EPCOT...so...

A typical block of days i spend to visit the Parks usually goes like this :
DAK is a day visit, with EPCOT being the evening destination.
DHS is also usually a quick 2 or 3 hour visit in the morning/early afternoon, and then i hop the launch to EPCOT for the late afternoon/evening.
MK is always a full day/evening experience...as is EPCOT.

EPCOT is *home*....always will be.

 

[Disneykidder]

We love DHS. We spend a couple of days there each trip and hop there in between. It is lots of fun. AK is just a day for us. We do what we like, walk around a bit and that's it. It also closes early so that might be why, too. That's the night we will go to DTD, chill at the resort or hop back to the MK or wherever there is EMH.

 

[3WaltFans]

I don't get the hate for MGM and AK . We can spend several days of our vacation at each of these parks.Admitedly we only go once every two years

I agree with you 100% - Actually DHS and AK are our two favorite parks. I love all four, but DHS is our favorite.

 

[awoogala]

Star Tours came to DL first, but at this point "what came first" doesn't change the fact that a number of the attractions are the same or similar elsewhere, which limits the appeal of DHS if you've been to the other Disney parks.

Has not worn off completely for us yet, but we don't go to other Disney parks ..
I love my Muppets, the kids still (to my chagrin) love the toy story, and I adore ToT. The 10 year old still loves RnR (I could take it or leave it), and I still love the Movie ride (though it could use a LOT of maintenance/overhaul)..but it's always been a half day park for us.

 

[jkl2000]

Amazed at how often I read posts where people seem to dislike all 4 parks yet continue to go to WDW. Why go?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Amazed at how often I read posts where people seem to dislike all 4 parks yet continue to go to WDW. Why go?

I like three of them, but now feel one is overpriced. I go because I still like the other two.

 

[Victor Kelly]

I feel the same way about AK, half day at best for us. Then we hop to another park. We believe in hopping so matter if a park is half or full day we still get our money's worth.

 

[bgraham34]

For me both AK and the Studios are half day parks. Currently I don't do any of the shows except for Bugs Life, but that is not always every trip either. You can also consider Epcot a Half day park if you were to skip the World Showcase. Magic Kingdom truly is the only full day park if you consider all the attractions it has. Hopefully either Carsland or Star Wars land will come to the studios and and with Avatar going to AK Those parks will be considered full day parks again.

Personally I think Epcot still needs another attraction or two but I would like to see them at World Showcase.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

I've been going to the Studio's since the year it opened...as respectfully as I can ask, what do you do in the Studios to fill your time for 2 days? In the heydays I could understand but now, I can't.

AK I am guessing you enjoy strolling? Again not being mean, just cannot wrap my brain around what fills 2 days of touring AK. I opened this park its first year, it was a 1/2 day then even with its boat river ride. They have added very little since then. What do you do that takes 2 days in the park?

TSMMM,RnRC,GMR,ST2,BaTB,AI,BT,VLMM,AoA,IJSS, plus the parades and shopping ... If you can do all this in half a day then more respect to you

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

For us its a different set of rules. With the 7 day ticket the same price as a 14 day its harder to save money for those visiting that arent theme park commandos. my friend hopes to visit next year and only intended to visit two or three days thing is the hopper tickets for three days dont save him much at all. so now he says forget it hell get the Orlando ticket and just go 1 day to the F&W.

 

[RoyWalley]

TSMMM,RnRC,GMR,ST2,BaTB,AI,BT,VLMM,AoA,IJSS, plus the parades and shopping ... If you can do all this in half a day then more respect to you

Exactly - excellent post.

 

[danpam1024]

I could ride ToT, RnR and TSMM all day long- not to mention Star tours, GMR, and even the Backlot. I love the shows- LMA, Indy, Beauty and the Beast and most of all Fantasmic! And don't forget One Man's Dream and the animation tour DS wants to work with animals, so we can spend 2 whole days at DAK and not be bored. We also like to take out time and go slow- take it all in.

Now- I wholeheartedly agree with all you said- the prices are pricing the middle class out- if not completely out, trips have gone from annual to every few years. We used to be AP for MANY more years then I can count, but we let them lapse a couple of years ago- not only are they INSANELY expensive, but the "event" of going has turned me off. Even though we can "afford it", the Deluxe hotels are in NO WAY deluxe- I could care less about "location, location, location". Once we stayed on property at UOR, we haven't payed those ridiculous Disney prices again! Loew's Hotels are truly luxurious, and UNI offers phenomenal discounts for AP- not to mention the passes themselves are a much better value (not subject to price increase on flex pay-awesome). And talk about location- I wish I was there right now!

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

I could ride ToT, RnR and TSMM all day long- not to mention Star tours, GMR, and even the Backlot. I love the shows- LMA, Indy, Beauty and the Beast and most of all Fantasmic! And don't forget One Man's Dream and the animation tour DS wants to work with animals, so we can spend 2 whole days at DAK and not be bored. We also like to take out time and go slow- take it all in.

Now- I wholeheartedly agree with all you said- the prices are pricing the middle class out- if not completely out, trips have gone from annual to every few years. We used to be AP for MANY more years then I can count, but we let them lapse a couple of years ago- not only are they INSANELY expensive, but the "event" of going has turned me off. Even though we can "afford it", the Deluxe hotels are in NO WAY deluxe- I could care less about "location, location, location". Once we stayed on property at UOR, we haven't payed those ridiculous Disney prices again! Loew's Hotels are truly luxurious, and UNI offers phenomenal discounts for AP- not to mention the passes themselves are a much better value (not subject to price increase on flex pay-awesome). And talk about location- I wish I was there right now!

Thanks i forgot LMA and Fantasmic

 

[cynic710]

I don't get the hate for MGM and AK . We can spend several days of our vacation at each of these parks.Admitedly we only go once every two years

Yeah I hear that, I find it very easy to spend a day at both parks. I enjoy the attractions (and wouldnt mind a few more) and the sights of both places. We too go every 3 years and really enjoy giving each park a full day. To this day and all my trips to the world I have yet to buy a park hopper ticket.

 

[bgraham34]

Yeah I hear that, I find it very easy to spend a day at both parks. I enjoy the attractions (and wouldnt mind a few more) and the sights of both places. We too go every 3 years and really enjoy giving each park a full day. To this day and all my trips to the world I have yet to buy a park hopper ticket.

That's the thing for those people who go yearly or even mulitple times a year it is a half day park and not everyone wants to do the shows. I have not even done the backlot tour into probably 10 plus years. That's not the attraction it once was.

Animal Kingdom I am not really into going to see all the animals, while I love the Safari that is enough for me. I will see a show once and maybe I will see it again 5 plus years later or so.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Thanks i forgot LMA and Fantasmic

And you forgot the Muppets too! Whatever one's opinion of them, who would deny the pre-show and show itself deliver a few good chuckles?

See, DHS has even more to do than we fans can sum up! I'll leave out Sparrow and the HISTK playground.

To the list of attractions can be added that DHS has some of WDW's better shops, eateries, and places to stroll. Personally, I'm not tired of walking down the Streets of America and getting a burger at the Sci-Fi. Beats fighting the clogged crowds and thematic mess of current Adventureland with its spinner in the middle of the plaza but no eatery in the tranquil, exotic but closed AL Veranda restaurant. I think the problems of DHS are greatly exaggarated when compared to the other three parks, all with their own, often more pressing weaknesses.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

And you forgot the Muppets too! Whatever one's opinion of them, who would deny the pre-show and show itself deliver a few good chuckles?

See, DHS has even more to do than we fans can sum up! I'll leave out Sparrow and the HISTK playground.

To the list of attractions can be added that DHS has some of WDW's better shops, eateries, and places to stroll. Personally, I'm not tired of walking down the Streets of America and getting a burger at the Sci-Fi. Beats fighting the clogged crowds and thematic mess of spinner-Adventureland and its closed AL Veranda restaurant. I think the problems of DHS are greatly exaggarated when compared to the other three parks, all with their own, often more pressing weaknesses.

What she said !!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

A boat is commonly a female. Fans of steamtrains and steamboats are commonly not.

 

[jkl2000]

TSMMM,RnRC,GMR,ST2,BaTB,AI,BT,VLMM,AoA,IJSS, plus the parades and shopping ... If you can do all this in half a day then more respect to you

And there's more that isn't even in this list that some people might not do if they don't have kids, or might not do more than once: Disney Junior, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, The Magic of Disney Animation, Jedi Training Academy, The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, Muppet Vision 3D, and Fantasmic.

Plus probably eating a meal or two.

I think when most people say DHS or AK is a half-day park, they mean the number of attractions they want to re-experience each visit only add up to a half-day -- a completely subjective statement.

I'll be visiting both parks for the first time soon, with kids, and I'm pretty sure there's more than a day's worth of stuff we want to experience at each of these parks.