Things people complain about at WDW, but don't bother you at all

[AEfx]

NEMO - I think it's one of the best of the similar dark rides at WDW. It's fun, cute, and to be honest - I'd prefer to ride it than the one in DL even though that actually goes underwater.

STITCH - I don't need to see him everywhere, but the attraction itself isn't as bad as people say and I do enjoy it. I went to a preview, came on here and wrote a lengthy bit about what I'd change, and when it went live they fixed 90% of the problems I saw. It may not be for you, it may not be as cool as Alien Encounter, but it's still pretty fun and a decent way to beat the heat.

DINING PLAN - Don't even go there...LOL. You'd think it killed little puppies on Christmas morning in front of orphans while spitting blood on a crucifix, listening to some people 'round these parts.

FASTPASS - People either complain because they don't understand it, or that they simply refuse on principle. You don't have to schedule anything - they let you in anytime after the start time on your ticket. You don't have to be there in a window, even though they would like you to. This may not be advertised, but it's unwritten policy that if it's past the time, you are let in. There are definitely rides that don't need it, but most of the time it works great.

FOOD PRICES - I guess it depends on where you come from, because the price of a meal at WDW is comparable to what I'd pay at home. A fast food burger/fries/drink, about $6 at McDonalds/BK, $8 from a lunch truck stand. About what you pay at WDW. And have you looked at any other business like this - such a sports stadium, airport, etc.? Insane prices at those places. Same with sit-down dining. I don't know any place around me that you can get a sit-down meal for less than $25 a person, unless you are going to a diner or something. The real expense is having to eat out every meal, but that's expected on vacation.

 

[DisDadWoz]

Most have been said already but I have to say:

Disney Dining in General-ADR's, counter service, etc. Would I like it to "improve"? Sure, but it doesn't bother me.

The "Hat"-It's there and probably not going away.

Speedway-My kids LOVE this ride and that is why I love it.

DVC-We have it and it works for us.

There is always going to be debate on likes and dislikes especially when it comes to a place with millions of visitors who have an opinion on it.

 

[NYwdwfan]

I thought of another one...I enjoy Imagination. Yes - it used to be better. Much better. But my five year old doesn't know that - he just loves it now. And his excitement over the ride, complete with belting out "I-MAG-IN-A-TION, I-MAG-IN-A-TION" as we're walking towards the ride, while people laugh their buts off, makes me love it too.

 

[stargrl33]

Disney transportation: As someone who has to drive everywhere in my normal day to day life, I love that on vacation, I don't have to. And maybe I've been really lucky but I've never had to wait that long for a bus at Disney.

Meet and Greets: I don't go to them, but it keeps the little kids and their families occupied and out of my way!:ROFLOL:

 

[NewfieFan]

Ooooh, this is a good thread idea...

Duffy ~ I don't get the hate? Sure he's a marketing ploy but what isn't at Disney!?! He's cute (both the character and the plush bear) and he's not that out of place at Epcot (his back story was made to fit into World Showcase). How can you hate a teddy bear anyway!?!

Pooh's Playful Spot ~ well, this one is gone now but I never understood all the complaints about this one either. The only reason it got so much attention was b/c of the piece of land it sat on! Everyone viewed it as a "replacement" for our beloved 20K and no one could see past that! It was a kids play place for crying out loud! It was actually themed quite nicely and the place was beautiful at night with the little lights! I'm glad they took the time to move the big tree over to the Pooh queue.

The Hat ~ I don't hate it, sorry! The pin shop underneath is kind of lame but I don't hate the hat as an icon!

Gran Fiesta Tour ~ My whole family enjoys this ride multiple times on a trip!

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I saw so many great answers I'm chiming in again.
I love the Laugh Floor, making ADRs 180 days in advance, Fastpass, DDP, resort guest transportation, the Grand Fiesta Tour, park hopper, staying on property, extra magic hours, Disney food, and old refillable mugs.

 

[NYwdwfan]

Pooh's Playful Spot ~ well, this one is gone now but I never understood all the complaints about this one either. The only reason it got so much attention was b/c of the piece of land it sat on! Everyone viewed it as a "replacement" for our beloved 20K and no one could see past that! It was a kids play place for crying out loud! It was actually themed quite nicely and the place was beautiful at night with the little lights! I'm glad they took the time to move the big tree over to the Pooh queue.

While the play area was a good way for kids to blow off steam, I just couldn't get over that I was standing on the spot where they, in my mind, paved paradise and put up a playground. There would be stages of grief while standing there watching my kids play. Anger, sadness, disbelief, etc. I'm hoping the Little Mermaid ride will finally bring closure to the whole nightmare.

And yes, I do realize how irrational and dramatic that paragraph sounds. Sadly it still doesn't capture the emotion of it all.

 

[disneylemons]

Disney Transportation - since I'm the 'driver' of the family I love not having to drive.. whether its a bus, boat or monorail - I love it all. Especially at night when everything is slowing down. Best boat ride is at night to WL and they show the "bear face" in the Lodge windows.

Disney Food - we are foodies at this house and always find plenty of great dishes and restaurants at DW. Not to mention drinks.

Monsters Inc - LOVE it!

Value - last year was the first time I had stayed in one and was pleasantly surprised - we were at the one with the Dalmations - super cute! Never seen that at a Super 8..

Food prices - the last time my husband and I went to a Cardinal baseball game I told him I never wanted to hear another word about DW food prices! When you go somewhere for entertainment.. you have to pay..

Fast Pass - many times they have saved the day!

 

[tonganprince]

Based on the other thread, Fantasmic.

 

[phllymouse]

People complain on the board about the hat at the Hollywood Studios.

I mean....really? It looks ok. Has a connection to Disney and film.

A hat bothers you at the happiest place on earth?

 

[Mansion Butler]

People complain on the board about the hat at the Hollywood Studios.

I mean....really? It looks ok. Has a connection to Disney and film.

A hat bothers you at the happiest place on earth?

Yes, because I remember how beautiful that entrance was before it. It was more than "ok."

 

[Katnthemouse]

Yes, because I remember how beautiful that entrance was before it. It was more than "ok."

What was it before?

Back on topic - What does not bother me is the refillable mugs. I have not brought mine back but I feel if you are at Disney you are spending a small fortune anyway....let them have soda. :slurp:

 

[wolf359]

What was it before?

The uninterrupted view straight down Hollywood Boulevard all the way to the Chinese Theater.

I have to say that of the few things that DO bother me about Walt Disney World, this might be at the top of the list.

But even still, I can see why the BigAssHat might not bother some, and it might not even bother me quite as much as it does if it completely blocked the view of the theater. But it doesn't, and every time I see either someone's random snapshot or an official publicity photo of the hat and I see the top of the Chinese Theater peeking out from behind it slaps me in the face with how poorly thought out the hat is, and how much more satisfying the view was before.

 

[billybastion]

The uninterrupted view straight down Hollywood Boulevard all the way to the Chinese Theater.

I have to say that of the few things that DO bother me about Walt Disney World, this might be at the top of the list.

But even still, I can see why the BigAssHat might not bother some, and it might not even bother me quite as much as it does if it completely blocked the view of the theater. But it doesn't, and every time I see either someone's random snapshot or an official publicity photo of the hat and I see the top of the Chinese Theater peeking out from behind it slaps me in the face with how poorly thought out the hat is, and how much more satisfying the view was before.

The funny thing, to me, about the hat argument that you (and generally everyone) make here is, what, exactly, is Disney about the Mann's Chinese Theater?

Generally everyone on this board screams when old Disney stuff or Disney associated stuff gets pulled from the parks, or when non-classic Disney stuff gets put in the parks (Pixar in MK, etc.) but here, when an iconic symbol of Disney's past is created and erected to serve as park icon...everyone gets upset?

If anything you should be mad they stopped using the mouse tower as the DHS icon.

 

[wolf359]

The funny thing, to me, about the hat argument that you (and generally everyone) make here is, what, exactly, is Disney about the Mann's Chinese Theater?

Generally everyone on this board screams when old Disney stuff or Disney associated stuff gets pulled from the parks, or when non-classic Disney stuff gets put in the parks (Pixar in MK, etc.) but here, when an iconic symbol of Disney's past is created and erected to serve as park icon...everyone gets upset?

If anything you should be mad they stopped using the mouse tower as the DHS icon.

All of the Disney parks are filled with things that aren't 100% Disney's original creations, going back to opening day of Disneyland. In fact the list of "borrowed" iconic sights, from the sailing ship Columbia, to Sleeping Beauty Castle, to the Matterhorn far outnumber the truly original items.

It is how those real world things are adapted and arranged as part of a themed land that makes them just as strongly identified with Disney as in their original form. Walt Disney understood that the best way to make a fantasy more real and believable was to ground it in the trappings of real life, just "plus" it to the point of being hyper-real and strip away the non-essential. That was what makes something Disney, not with the original creation, but in how creative something can be re-used to tell a specific story or create a sense of place.

The Imagineers of the 1980s understood that, and used that same design style to create Disney-MGM Studios. Everything on Hollywood Boulevard is borrowed from real-life locations around Hollywood, and re-arranged to create that "Hollywood that never was, and always will be" mentioned on the dedication plaque. And in a park dedicated to the magic of the movies, what a great idea to use for an icon; the single most famous and recognizable movie theater in the world? That happens to be IN Hollywood. And was built at the beginning of the era Disney was trying to evoke with the park.

The Chinese Theater is "Disney" because it is Disney that chose to use it in the way they did, in the place they did, as a representation of the grand, larger-than-life movie culture of Hollywood's Golden Age.

It is just as Disney as Tom Sawyer, New Orleans, and Winnie the Pooh not because of who created them, but how they were used to tell a particular story by Disney.

As I mentioned in my previous post, it isn't just THE HAT, but that it was added a very long time after the fact, and it literally and figuratively gets in the way of the story and the sense of place better set up by the original design of Hollywood Boulevard, with the theater as the "castle."

Imagine if the "Partners" statue had been 200' tall and mostly blocked the view of Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty Castle. You'd be hard pressed to argue anything could be more "Disney" than the one-two punch of Walt Disney AND Mickey Mouse, but that doesn't mean they should be used in a way that changes/ruins the original intended view down Main Street.

That is why I don't think the Hat is a good idea.

 

[MKCP 1985]

people who don't move all the way down to the end of the row on a slow day (and the cast members announce (move about two thirds of the way down)

flash photography

people rejoining their party after getting out of the line for some reason

fast passes

 

[billybastion]

The Chinese Theater is "Disney" because it is Disney that chose to use it in the way they did, in the place they did, as a representation of the grand, larger-than-life movie culture of Hollywood's Golden Age.

It is just as Disney as Tom Sawyer, New Orleans, and Winnie the Pooh not because of who created them, but how they were used to tell a particular story by Disney.

But didn't Disney also choose to use the Hat in the way that they did, in the place that they did? Isn't it also Disney that chose to use the Hat to tell a particular story?

 

[wolf359]

But didn't Disney also choose to use the Hat in the way that they did, in the place that they did? Isn't it also Disney that chose to use the Hat to tell a particular story?

I don't agree, but this really isn't the thread for continuing this discussion. I've contributed enough thread drift already.

 

[Mansion Butler]

The funny thing, to me, about the hat argument that you (and generally everyone) make here is, what, exactly, is Disney about the Mann's Chinese Theater?

What, exactly, is Disney about a geodesic sphere or a giant tree with animal shapes in the bark?

Nothing, but they look gorgeous and set the tone of the park perfectly.

If anything you should be mad they stopped using the mouse tower as the DHS icon.

Why should people be more concerned about what's used as an icon instead of how the park works visually?

But didn't Disney also choose to use the Hat in the way that they did, in the place that they did? Isn't it also Disney that chose to use the Hat to tell a particular story?

Yeah, sure they used the hat the same way, he didn't say otherwise. No one also claimed that something has to be "specifically Disney" to be a great park weenie.

What story does the hat tell at the end of Hollywood Boulevard?

 

[WDW_Emily]

flash photography

I said this is past threads too. It doesn't bother me one bit, not even on dark rides.

(maybe its because I use flash too):lookaroun