Some Post-Trip Thoughts

We just came back from a Walt Disney World vacation, our first one in several years, and I thought I'd share some quick thoughts. Not sure if anyone will be interested, but here goes.

1. Much to my astonishment and surprise after reading threads here, WDW was not a burned out, barren wasteland devoid of anything of value. In fact, we found it as "magical" as ever. We had a great time, the cast was pretty much uniformly awesome, we loved the Halloween Party. And, yes, I still think it's worth it for the price. I don't care what anyone else says, WDW is still awesome.

2. This was our first time ever staying off property. And our last. The resort we stayed at, Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek, was awesome. We were within the Disney gates. And you could see the fireworks at Epcot and Magic Kingdom from our balcony. But it just wasn't the same. I know many people here prefer staying off property or think that the Disney resorts are ridiculously overpriced, but for us, on property is where we want to be. As good as this trip was, a piece of it was missing because we were not at a Disney resort. (Also, I have discovered that I loathe driving to the parks and dealing with parking!) It will be on property from here on out.

3. We went MagicBand-less for the first time as well, using Magic Mobile and the My Disney Experience app for everything. It worked fine and I have no major complaints, but I prefer MagicBands. I think we'll go back to that next time. I also would just rather not be on my phone so much.

4. As I mentioned in the Halloween Party thread, the Halloween Party was awesome as always. It was a sell-out, as all the dates so far have been. But we had no problems finding a good spot for the parade and most of the rides we wanted to do were walk-ons. Treats were good and the cast was fantastic. Definitely a fan of the parties. We may try to do the Christmas party next year, which we have yet to do.

5. Lighting Lane worked well for us. Yes, I could dunk on Disney for charging for something that used to be free, but I think it was well worth it for the price.

6. I remain wholeheartedly not a fan of I-4 and driving in the Orlando area in general.

 

[JIMINYCR]

1. Never take the negative comments on here too seriously. There are just plain Dis haters who cant help but trash every aspect of a Dis trip. Nothing is as bad as they want you to believe. Sure Dis has some problems theyve caused themselves and can be faulted for. And the increased pricing is a huge controversy, but everything has increased in cost and budgets have to be planned accordingly. CM's that are pleasant and accommodating have always been a big reason we enjoy ourselves. We agree wholly that Dis still holds up in value, entertainment and magic which keeps us coming back.
2. Weve never wanted to stay off site for that reason. We stay on property to complete the whole Dis feel. Despite the cost difference we would rather wait it out and budget and save for an on site stay.
3. Havent tried going bandless but DS is a total tecchie and I'd assume he would prefer to do it without. When Im with him I defer to him and his tech expertise.
4. Been to multiple MNSSHP events and returning this Oct. with DS who has never been. IMHO it far exceeds the Christmas event but do I enjoy both. It is worth the price and if you get the chance by all means do it. Christmas at Disney is fantastic due to the seasonal joy you feel.
5. It is a must in most cases now and you have to build that aspect into trips budgets.
6. We have driven the horrible I-4 many trips ( the earlier construction phase that was sooo bad made it unbearable) and
hate that part of our drive. Once we hit the resort my keys go in the room safe and we go Uber. My van sits in place until check out day.

 

[StantonZ]

6. I remain wholeheartedly not a fan of I-4 and driving in the Orlando area in general.

Another bonus of staying "on property".
However, now that we live in Orlando...I've learned to embrace the horror. At least they are actively working to widen I-4 all along the corridor we take to get to the parks (including Universal).

 

[Chi84]

Isn’t it a total joy to be able to have a great time at Disney as it currently exists?

It never gets old for us; now we get to experience it along with our grandchildren. I feel sorry for people who dwell on the negatives and blow them all out of proportion.