Some thoughts about my Disney vacation that ended yesterday

[Tom]

$9 dollars for a burger and fries is still cheaper than what you pay at a baseball game. A hot dog is now $6 and a coke is $5 at Turner Field in Atlanta.

You can't get popcorn and a drink at the movie theater for less than $10. I'd take a burger and fries, or even chicken fingers and fries for the same price.

That doesn't mean they're charging too much, because they are. Movie theaters do it because they don't make anything on the movies, so the concessions subsidize the flicks. Disney is just fattening their wallet through their captive audience.

I'd like Disney to initiate a new law - Any guest is free to grab the camera of another guest if they are taking flash pictures on dark rides, and smash it on the ground.

Agreed!

$9 for burger and fries? That is what I pay at 5 Guys... granted 5 Guys is a much better meal... but there are plenty of places out there that overcharge for food.

I would agree that 5 Guys offers a better burger, but I hate their fries. I actually like WDW's fries. But you make a valid point, that beyond McD's and Taco Bell, it's hard to walk out of a "fast food" establishment for less than $9.

Yep, it just a simple fact that pretty much any place that has a captive customer is going to jack up the price on food. Heck, it is the same way at a lot of airports when they know you have no other options.

Fortunately, Indiana passed a law years ago that forced airport vendors to charge "street prices". Not sure if it still applies, but the airport food prices here aren't terrible. Just ask Tom Bricker, who eats at the airport McD's every time they fly out of here :lol:

 

[CP_alum08]

It always baffles me the amount of people that eat at Rainforest cafe at Disney. With all the other great dining choices on property why would you opt going to a chain restaurant? and why would you expect it to be any better than any other rainforest cafe?

It's a pretty well known fact that dining has gone down hill with the huge influx of free dining. Disney food is still a heck of a lot better than any other theme park food and a lot of the TS restaurants are better than what you find in major cities.

 

[DDEPILLO]

Tour groups are the worst. We went in July 2010 and the place was over run by brazil tour groups. That being said I still loved every moment. As for food, it's cheaper than the food at a Patriots game.

GO PATRIOTS :wave:

 

[Goofnut1980]

I'd like Disney to initiate a new law - Any guest is free to grab the camera of another guest if they are taking flash pictures on dark rides, and smash it on the ground.[/QUOTE

This is my thoughts exactly!!! I am a Gemini.. So after she was told once, I would have snapped and actually done that to the camera. Smiling the whole time so it wouldn't look like I was being violent! :ROFLOL: Then saying "thank you for not taking pictures"... turn back to the screen and enjoy the rest of the ride.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Rainforest Cafe isn't even a Disney restaurant. I don't know if there's any near you, but I wouldn't bother going to one while at WDW, I would just go to my local mall if I wanted it. And like others have said, the prices for food at other places are a lot worse. Granted, WDW is still expensive, its a vacation destination that should be expected. I mean, a bottle of water at the movies (near me anyways) costs $4.75, that makes the $2.50 Disney charges sound cheap.

 

[tinkerbell_S]

And this may sound evil but...

We were on Soarin and a lady to our right was taking billions of flash pictures. The cast member, 2 or 3 times, kept interrupting the sound to announce "No photography on the ride please". The lady continued to take pictures. At the end of the ride, the cast member came over and told her and her family to wait and began talking to them as many other people came over to loudly complain about how their ride experience had been ruined. I didn't stay to see the final outcome but I imagined the whole family being escorted from the park striking a blow for justice and against the rude populations of the world! My wife said "I haven't seen you smile so big this entire trip"

You do not sound evil - It drives me nuts when people take pictures on rides. It's my #1 Disney pet peeve. That, and people who talk and yell during the ToT preshow.

Why do you need a picture inside of a ride?! Just experience it! Plus they tell you not to take pictures! BAH! Makes me mad... lol

 

[EvilQueen-T]

taking the pics on a ride like sorin i agree is rude. we were there in january (19-22) and ran into the million tour groups there as well. other than the general crowding and the packed group pushing you put up with the worst for us was a group of maybe 40 chanting at the top of their lungs in the parking lot at 230 AM at all star music one night. took forever for the resort to get them to break it up. makes the non-disney-like side of me want to repay the favor at something like 6am :fork:

 

[drp4video]

I haven't experienced the tour groups too much, but the cheerleaders..ugh!

And I just spent $19.00 for two pieces of pizza and two waters for two people at a hockey game. I thought that was way pricier than WDW. $9 for a burger and fries is normal and a little on the less expensive side where I live. I do think the quality of food at TS restaurants has gone down at WDW. Glad you had a good time.

 

[Magical.Animal]

I spent a long weekend in the world and just came home Monday. My MAJAOR gripe with the tour groups was when I saw an entire group of them (50-75) getting into the SINGLE RIDER line at the rockin roller coaster, and then they proceeded to chant and clap while in the line. I truly was a single rider all weekend, so this really irked me! I also got a little snippy with people who were cutting to 'get up with their family' in the SINGLE RIDER line... I refused to let them pass and told them if they wanted to be with their families then they should have gotten in standby, or better yet-got in line together as a group/waited for everyone before getting in line! It's like people use the line as a way to avoid really waiting, which only adds to the waits of the true single riders

 

[Guppy_121]

In my limited experience,
The food, I think the prices have gone up, to make the dining packages more appealing. I can remember when it first started and calculating, dining without the package, and the savings was not what it is now. Add to that, I think because of this, with almost everyone on the dining plan, you get the unfortunate, high volume, lower quality effect. Not sure why that is, but definitely sure that the pricing has risen, and the quality ( I'll add, at most places within WDW ) has gone down. Think back, you'll see it coincides with the introduction of the dining plan, especially the FREE dining plans.

As for the "Tour groups" ( I did not add the Brazilian part, simply cause I think this would apply to any group ). They are annoying. But people in a group are almost always annoying to anyone outside of the group. Plus add to the fact that it is human nature to be bolder/more abrasive, when you are in a group. I think people get into the mind set of, what are you gonna do? There are so many of us. - type mentality. It is what it is, if you can, when you can, avoid them. There's one good thing about these groups, you can see them coming.

That lady @ soaring , unfortunately , is no longer the exception. I'm sure if you were anywhere else besides in WDW, someone, if not yourself, would not have tolerated it. :fork: Again, it is what it is. Society as a whole has taken a giant step down, when it come to manners and respect for others. The only thing we can do counter this is, NOT do as they do, to set the example.

Glad you still found a way to have a good time. Gives me hope, as I am due to go in May, and every time I come to this site, all I read about is: - this is bad, - this is no good, - that was awful... ect...

I say we should all try to make it better, by being better ourselves.
I know, I know.. play the "canned movie of the week we learn a valued lesson" music now. :ROFLOL:

 

[HopLow]

The only thing I am going to comment on is the food. Many people have been complaining that the food quality has gone down hill over the years, and I believe that to be true as well. Its the pricing in the Buffets that I think have gotten out of hand. As far as the pricing of QS I actually dont think 9 bucks for a burger and fry are not that terrible. Plenty of places are that price were I live, and I am not even talking about a sit down restaurant. The quality is better than McDonalds and you are paying more for that.

I totally agree with you on the pricing and then I looked at where you're from, and I realized why! Prices are definitely subjective to where you live. I didn't think they were as high as they could have been, but we also live in one of the most expensive states in the country. Actually, my friend and I were both surprised at how reasonable the alcoholic drinks were at our nice TS dinners, because they were the same price we would have paid if we were at a restaurant in NJ.

As far as the Brazilian tour groups, yes, it seems like they take over the parks. I heard Portuguese more than I heard English, it seemed, but as soon as we saw a group heading toward a ride, we veered off to another direction to avoid them. It's unfortunate.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

By the way, I know it is really stupid of me to think this way, but I hate the flag leader of the tour groups. It is so bad, he is just a guy or girl earning a buck. For some reason I felt like telling them off, and it makes no sense. I laugh at my own stupidity.

No, no...do tell them off and no, don't feel guilty about it.

Tour Group leaders are people who make money by taking away the enjoyment and time and place of people to sell it to others.

 

[notslim99]

And this may sound evil but...

We were on Soarin and a lady to our right was taking billions of flash pictures. The cast member, 2 or 3 times, kept interrupting the sound to announce "No photography on the ride please". The lady continued to take pictures. At the end of the ride, the cast member came over and told her and her family to wait and began talking to them as many other people came over to loudly complain about how their ride experience had been ruined. I didn't stay to see the final outcome but I imagined the whole family being escorted from the park striking a blow for justice and against the rude populations of the world! My wife said "I haven't seen you smile so big this entire trip"

Anyway, thanks for letting me blow off some steam. Again, Overall we had a great trip and had many cast members who made our vacation special.

Did you ask the CM for a fast pass to Soarin? Quite often, if you have been inconvenienced by another guest like that, a CM is authorized to give you a Fast Pass to that ride. Here's to a better trip next time. :cheers:

 

[zulemara]

The funny thing about all this, from a CM perspective, is that I have NO shame in yelling/being rude to those who deserve it when I am not working and not in costume. I had someone take flash pictures in the madam Leota room on HM on my birthday, then proceed to take flash pictures in every scene after. She got a good yelling at the end of that ride!

And when ppl don't go all the way down, you better believe I'm yelling at them to follow directions. I carefully wait and choose my row while all the others go in first. I'm not gonna let some idiot who doesn't wanna follow directions get prime seats that easily!

One time on CoP someone was talking on their cell all the way through pre-show and the CM's announcements. Finally when the intro started, I yelled "GET OFF YOUR PHONE" Again, no shame.

Remember, when CMs are working, we can only say so much, and only a certain way. If you're a guest and someone does something rude, obnoxious, or isn't following the rules, feel free to police others! You can say what we can't!

I've called the pilot to stop a full ferryboat worth of people because guests wouldn't get off the stairs for docking, then make an announcement that we don't dock till the stairs are clear. bbboooyyyy do people get angry at the people who wouldn't follow directions!


Yes, food=over priced for what you get, especially QS

Tour groups - used to be a "season" now it's all year round and only going to get worse unfortunately. With so many of them, you can hardly even plan your vacation away from them because there always seems to be one wherever you are.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

It was probably MinnieMouse0830

Why would you just randomly assume that whoever did it was the person above? Considering you weren't there.... Just wondering because it's Kind of stupid to say something like that.

 

[wdwmomof3]

the picture thing really bothers me too! we have been on pirates so many times with the CM coming on saying no flash pictures, and what happens? they keep taking them. really takes away from the experience. i understand the excitement, but where are the manners? as far as the tour groups, lets just say i too have stories as so many here do, but i will NEVER let them ruin my trip. ive seen many non tour group kids be just a rude!

Me too! We had someone on PoC ride who was taking flash pictures and they came across the intercom twice. The first time they said "no flash photography", then after a few more snap shots they came back on and said " I said NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY" People clapped their hands! !:ROFLOL:

As far as tour groups go, I have never been when this was going on. I have seen a few small ones, but never groups of more than 20 or so. I think it would bother me too if I was going to ride something with a fast pass only to have a huge group go in ahead of us. If I saw that I would probably return at a later time and move on to something else.

Talking about the food and prices of buffets, it's unreal how much they charge for that. We have paid OOP, paid for the dining plan, and we have gone on free dining twice. I will only eat at the buffets if we get free dining in the future. They are way over rated. I think they are fun, but come on, that is expensive.

As for the counter service meals. I may be the only one here who thinks that the prices are really not that bad for what you get. There are some meals that are even big enough to split, and some that are not. I cant tell you how much food we threw away last time but it was a lot, so you are getting value for your money in most cases. If you ask me, I think Disney has made improvements with the counter service meals, while they have let the table service meals slip. :lookaroun

 

[dreamfinder]

Tour groups from Brazil are going to be the rule for a while, not the exception. Their economy is doing good, they have money to burn. The same thing happens to Americans and Europeans. When your economy is good, and you have money, you go on trips and vacations. They just happen to be having a good economy while most of the other parts of the world are kinda meh right now. Eventually it will balance out and maybe the Canadians will be the ones traveling everywhere.
Beyond that, it doesn't give them the right to be chanting and cutting and the other things that they are known for. Tell a CM, tell guest services. They do have the ability to do something if enough people complain about a particular person or group.

 

[phllymouse]

No, no...do tell them off and no, don't feel guilty about it.

Tour Group leaders are people who make money by taking away the enjoyment and time and place of people to sell it to others.

I wish I could agree with you, and this is coming from some one who had a bad experience with the tour groups.
They really are, people who are paid to help a group of people have a good time.

I know I get caught up in getting the most out of my trip, getting from ride to ride, show to show, QS to table service with my family. In reality, tour leaders are doing the same with just a huge family.
If I had an answer for the tour group problems, groups over a certain number...Disney should allocate them to a certain park each day. That park is posted for all to see. If you do not want to deal with them, than do not go to that park. If you do not mind going to a tour group park then deal with them. This may work. Sort of like the Touring plans website when they mark parks that are good and parks to avoid that day under the crowd calendar.

However it would be Disney having to do two things. Let the groups know this is the new rule, large size groups must go to a certain park. 2nd, they have to post those parks on the website so the public know which park is a tour group park.

 

[phllymouse]

The funny thing about all this, from a CM perspective, is that I have NO shame in yelling/being rude to those who deserve it when I am not working and not in costume. I had someone take flash pictures in the madam Leota room on HM on my birthday, then proceed to take flash pictures in every scene after. She got a good yelling at the end of that ride!

And when ppl don't go all the way down, you better believe I'm yelling at them to follow directions. I carefully wait and choose my row while all the others go in first. I'm not gonna let some idiot who doesn't wanna follow directions get prime seats that easily!

One time on CoP someone was talking on their cell all the way through pre-show and the CM's announcements. Finally when the intro started, I yelled "GET OFF YOUR PHONE" Again, no shame.

Remember, when CMs are working, we can only say so much, and only a certain way. If you're a guest and someone does something rude, obnoxious, or isn't following the rules, feel free to police others! You can say what we can't!

I've called the pilot to stop a full ferryboat worth of people because guests wouldn't get off the stairs for docking, then make an announcement that we don't dock till the stairs are clear. bbboooyyyy do people get angry at the people who wouldn't follow directions!


Yes, food=over priced for what you get, especially QS

Tour groups - used to be a "season" now it's all year round and only going to get worse unfortunately. With so many of them, you can hardly even plan your vacation away from them because there always seems to be one wherever you are.

Just a couple of things. Save your breath. People who talk on cell phones and use flash in those situations do not care about others. So yelling at them will not help, they do not care about you and what you think. That is who they are, that is the makup of who they are. It is sad.
The prices of the food does not bother me because it is what I expect. The food is pretty much the same price as food at ball games or concerts. It is what it is. Disney and other resorts or events all fall in to the same line for food prices.

 

[baymenxpac]

Just because other venues charge higher prices doesn't mean that $9 for a burger and fries isn't too high. And maybe you wouldn't have to pay that much at ball games if the players weren't making 10 million dollars a year.

professional athletes don't make millions of dollars a year because of high concession prices. they make that much because their talent enables ownership and their respective leagues to sign multi-million to multi-billion dollar TV deals (depending on the league, market, etc.). as a result, they are compensated based on being the primary draw to multi-billion dollar revenue streams. if they weren't paid that much, owners would make all the money. and when you have owners making all the money and not compensating players fairly, that's how you get the 1919 chicago black sox scandal.

as far as the OP's complaints, it's unfortunate that you had that experience on soarin'. it can really make you feel helpless when that happens. as far as the food, it's my favorite part of disney, and i don't find it to be particularly overpriced.