They just never listen...

[docdebbi]

I've been there- isn't it more or less for little kids?

yes up to about the age of 9 or so
hence the reason i could guess where she meant from the description, a unique place just for little guys. very quaint and old fashioned

 

[Allym146]

What a colossal waste of time and money! These people baffle me. I have a couple friends who went and didn't plan well, but they admitted it and said they'd try again sometime and ask for help/plan better. I wouldn't be able to engage with the dummy's in the experiences shared!

 

[morningstar]

Two possibilities. One, your co-worker just likes to have a vacation where he doesn't make any effort. To some people, that's what a vacation is for. Making an effort is what you do at work. Any idiot knows that walking around three parks is not the most efficient way to "see what they have", but maybe he just cared more about doing whatever he felt like in the moment than being efficient.

Two, maybe like most people, he just has horribly bland tastes. His interests on vacation are shopping, eating, and swimming. He was up for giving a couple rides a try if it wasn't a lot of trouble, but it seems like he quickly got tired of that and fell back to his standards. I don't really understand why people go on vacation to do those kinds of things. There are stores, restaurants, and swimming pools closer to home. But oh well. If people don't know how to have fun, I'm not sure how you can teach them.

 

[morningstar]

Someone had told them that if they wanted to ride the "other" visible rides like BTMR or even the Riverboat, there was an additional charge, they believed them and didn't want to pay extra.

...

She said that was it... no more WDW and that next year they were going to take a cruise. I left before that happened but I suspect that they stood on the dock and watched the ship leave and then went home and complained about how bored they were.

They don't like paying extra, but they want to go on a cruise? Well, I guess that's understandable given how little research they do for their vacation.

 

[Runmyhorse]

In all fairness I can see why someone might not have a good time in disney. I Mean yeah they should take people advice, but sometimes people don't really feel like planning things out like disney wants you to do. It's very hot and crowded and lots of people are rude when there. Disney sometimes isn't someone's cup of tea sometimes and that's okay too. There has been times I have wanted to just get out of Disney and just go home it was that bad, but I normally stay for the kids and end up having a good time. So it is possible to have a good time.

 

[dontknow]

I come at this from a slightly different angle....

I've never been to anything Disney other than a Disney store and the Frozen movie. We are heading there for the first time in early July. It's not the ideal time of year, but it's really the only time of year our jobs will accommodate. So it's either go or not go.

This being said, with a little planning effort, even for someone who's never been, it's almost impossible to not want to plan things out ahead of time. There's so much to do and see that not taking advantage of the FastPass and Dining Reservations is almost unfathomable.

Between combing the various places on the web and reading a couple "seeing WDW" books, it's actually a not-to-difficult trip to plan assuming your make the reservations the day you're window of opportunity opens up. This was were the payoff was for the hours spent up-front researching. We've currently have all of the FP's and dining reservations books along with the spoil our kid rotten at the BBB. Included in each day is coming back mid-day for a respite.

I've planned a ton of trips much larger than WDW and not a fraction of the resources were made available as it is for WDW. Not that this is a no-brainer, because it's not. However, if there is a next time, the learning curve will not be as much as it was this go around.

I can say that this sort of thing may not be for everyone. If I didn't have a child who was interested, I probably wouldn't be going either. I'm going into it assuming I will indeed have fun and will get most enjoyment from seeing my child soak it all in. I'd much rather spend my time in a National Park.

Heck when we were at the Grand Canyon we saw numerous people spend only a couple hours there and were ready to leave. We spent 10 days there and still couldn't get enough of it. It all depends on personality types and what you find to be enjoyable.

I sure as heck wouldn't be spending this type of cash just to swim at a resort and shop.

 

[Kuzcotopia]

My sister-in-law and her family are a lot like that. They sleep in until 10 every day, and then get to the parks around 12, right when it's starting to get the hottest and most crowded.

They exhaust themselves in long lines until they can't stand it anymore. Then they leave, to have dinner at the hotel food court.

We get to rope drop, take fat afternoon break, and then go back in late afternoon. On any given day, we may not spend any more time in the parks than they do, and we are more well rested, more unstressed, and having a much better time.

A little time management goes so far. . . And it's actually more relaxing. But they just can't do it. I dunno. . .

 

[scoobygirl39541]

Two possibilities. One, your co-worker just likes to have a vacation where he doesn't make any effort. To some people, that's what a vacation is for. Making an effort is what you do at work. Any idiot knows that walking around three parks is not the most efficient way to "see what they have", but maybe he just cared more about doing whatever he felt like in the moment than being efficient.

Two, maybe like most people, he just has horribly bland tastes. His interests on vacation are shopping, eating, and swimming. He was up for giving a couple rides a try if it wasn't a lot of trouble, but it seems like he quickly got tired of that and fell back to his standards. I don't really understand why people go on vacation to do those kinds of things. There are stores, restaurants, and swimming pools closer to home. But oh well. If people don't know how to have fun, I'm not sure how you can teach them.

I think you hit the nail on the head perfectly here.

 

[JillC LI]

My sister-in law and her family went to the world six months before we did & started planning around the same time. We have the same family dynamic (two young kids) and were both going in an off season and both staying at value resorts. But man did we have different experiences! It drove me nuts because she is usually an uber control freak and I'm usually more laid back. All I wanted to do was talk vacation planning with her and compare itineraries but she just kept saying, "Nahh, We are just going to wing it" shudder.... No ADR's; no idea what FP's were; no plan of which park to go on which day...

When she saw our pictures she was amazed by how many characters we got to meet - she had no idea about character meals. They barely used their dining plan and when they did - they didn't make the most of it. Didn't go on half the rides they could've because they weren't sure if they'd be too scary for the little ones. Didn't know about rider swap so went on no E-tickets. AND completely skipped Epcot because it's "an adult park"

My sister went to WDW a few years ago and didn't want my suggestions. She spent a bit of time in the MK and otherwise hung out at the resort with her family. She DID know what was available in the Parks because of all the trips we had taken, and she consciously chose not to pursue it. OK, I suppose, at least she made an informed decision. But she is going again this October, and now her kids are 8, 5, and 1, and NOW she wants big sis's advice how to maximize their fun! I am more than happy to help and hope they follow my advice.

I can say that this sort of thing may not be for everyone. If I didn't have a child who was interested, I probably wouldn't be going either. I'm going into it assuming I will indeed have fun and will get most enjoyment from seeing my child soak it all in. I'd much rather spend my time in a National Park.

Heck when we were at the Grand Canyon we saw numerous people spend only a couple hours there and were ready to leave. We spent 10 days there and still couldn't get enough of it. It all depends on personality types and what you find to be enjoyable.

I sure as heck wouldn't be spending this type of cash just to swim at a resort and shop.

We took our first family trip to Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, and Grand Canyon National Parks last summer, and we will never forget it. Breathtaking. Totally different kind of trip than a Disney trip, but we still love our Dsney trips! Beware, you may get hooked We alternate Disney trip years with non-Disney trip years now.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

My sister-in-law and her family are a lot like that. They sleep in until 10 every day, and then get to the parks around 12, right when it's starting to get the hottest and most crowded.

I have to say, we're guilty of that. We never see the parks until noon or later But that's because we're out way past midnight the night before haha

 

[Kuzcotopia]

I'm looking forward to my DD5 becoming a DDx, where x equals the age she can stay up that late!



Even so, I've become addicted to the afternoon break myself. . . Everything feels so much easier!

 

[BoarderPhreak]

Sounds like you did the best you could - for a bunch of slackers.

 

[cw1982]

I have to say, we're guilty of that. We never see the parks until noon or later But that's because we're out way past midnight the night before haha

This is exactly what we plan to do in June, but like you said, it's because we plan to enjoy some late hours. MK is open until 3 am including EMH our first night, then HS is open until midnight the next day (also EMH)... and then we have a night at DTD and two nights of relaxing by the pool after dinner planned, so we will likely never be in the parks before 10:30 or 11 am (noon at best the day after we stay at MK all night!).

Then again, this is (hopefully) our last kid-free trip, so I am willing to bet that the next time we come to WDW our plans will probably fit the "hit rope drop, play until lunch, take a nap and come back later" routine. Since it's just us two adults, no need to plan around kids and their sleep schedules

 

[cheezbat]

What you aren't understanding (and neither is Disney) is that MANY people are like this and don't want to plan out everything. I HATE planning things in advance, but with current WDW that's the only way to fit everything in.

Some people love the atmosphere and like to walk around. Some love shopping. Some love the rides. Some love the meet and greets with the characters. Some people would rather relax at their resort. Everyone is different.

 

[Marijil]

I helped my coworker plan a trip to Disney. Gave him all the resources. A book, list of attractions that need FP+, a chart with all his dining options (plus how to make reservations, best character dining etc.), gave him a schedule with all the park hours including EMH, and a schedule of all the parades, fireworks, and shows.

Well he just got back today. I was so excited to hear what he had to say.... He said "it was ok". That's it? I asked what he did, he said the first day they walked around MK, AK, and DHS just to see what they have. What??? He's only there for 4 days... Mega waste of time. He said it got too hot walking around all those parks, so they just went shopping in DD. Again, what??? I asked if he rode anything that day, he said no.

The next day he went to MK for the full day, I asked about pirates and HM, he had no idea what I was talking about. He said he rode the train, BTMR, SM, saw the parade and fireworks, and ate at the crystal palace. That was it.

Next day they went to epcot, stayed an hour, got bored and went back to the hotel to swim. That's it for day 3.

Next they went to DHS for the day. Didn't get the TSM FP+ like I suggested, nor did they get the fantasmic dining package, nor did they even see fantasmic! instead his wife shopped and they rode the ToT and the great movie ride. That's it.

Last day was AK. They rode the KS and the train. I asked about dinosaur and EE.... He said they didn't get to those rides. -_- but they did love the rainforest cafe.

So overall he liked the experience but found the rides boring with very little to do -_- They barely made any ADR like I recommended and found it difficult to get them the day of... Hmmm.

However, he had nothing but great things to say about the service, the CMs, and how they take care of everything for you.

Ive been there so frustrating colossal waste of time and money