Unpopular WDW Opinions

Hockey89

Well-Known Member
Scorching hot take- nobody should waste money and effort taking any child under the age of six to the parks.

Between the crying, strollers, cost, the need to pack half a CVS into bags/backpacks, the crying, the lack of rides that age will enjoy, shrieking as if a banshee has possessed the kid, the crying, wanting a toy from every gift shop, instant meltdown as soon as any show starts, safety/health issues, the crying, 50% chance of them being terrified of all characters, complete lack of ability to deal with long/ hot days at the parks, and did I mention the crying?

I saw a kid today with an ice cream in one hand, tablet with Paw Patrol playing in another, just entering the park, and he was screaming as if his parents had just given little Craxxden a tetanus shot, told him Santa wasn’t real, and taken his toy away. At that point I’m pretty sure I’d just be like “You know what? The kid is just not ready for this. Let’s just try again in 2 years”

I don’t want to single out moms for this, but I think 80% of it seems to be Facebook obsessed moms (& the occasional dad) wanting to go just to post pics of little Payzleigh with Mickey, by the castle, etc, but neglect to show all of the exhausting obstacles before and after to get to that one Instagram moment.
This is a million times correct....
 

kong1802

Well-Known Member
1) Illuminations is boring
2) Dole Whips are just OK
3) Flame Tree BBQ - what am I missing? Just run of the mill BBQ
4) I like the Speedway
5) Soarin is boring
6) Frozen sing along is a waste of time
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
Scorching hot take- nobody should waste money and effort taking any child under the age of six to the parks.

Between the crying, strollers, cost, the need to pack half a CVS into bags/backpacks, the crying, the lack of rides that age will enjoy, shrieking as if a banshee has possessed the kid, the crying, wanting a toy from every gift shop, instant meltdown as soon as any show starts, safety/health issues, the crying, 50% chance of them being terrified of all characters, complete lack of ability to deal with long/ hot days at the parks, and did I mention the crying?

I saw a kid today with an ice cream in one hand, tablet with Paw Patrol playing in another, just entering the park, and he was screaming as if his parents had just given little Craxxden a tetanus shot, told him Santa wasn’t real, and taken his toy away. At that point I’m pretty sure I’d just be like “You know what? The kid is just not ready for this. Let’s just try again in 2 years”



Similarly unpopular opinion: Adults coming to Disney World and complaining about the amount/actions of little kids is just as ridiculous as attending an NFL game and complaining about the drinking and crowd noise. You are attending a family theme park based on fairytale princesses and cartoon characters, of course there's going to be kids everywhere. And when there are kids everywhere, some of them are going to be behaving badly.

Kids aged 4-6, old enough to remember the trip and enjoy the majority of attractions, while being young enough to believe they're meeting THE Mickey Mouse/Cinderella/Rapunzel etc., are the perfect age IMO to take to Disney. Watching them experience the magic is one of the main reasons Disney Parks have thrived over the past 60+ years. Yes there are bigger thrill rides for older kids/adults, restaurants, food & wine, etc, but Disney's target audience are families with kids, especially those young enough to be 'all in' on the Disney magic.

I don’t want to single out moms for this, but I think 80% of it seems to be Facebook obsessed moms (& the occasional dad) wanting to go just to post pics of little Payzleigh with Mickey, by the castle, etc, but neglect to show all of the exhausting obstacles before and after to get to that one Instagram moment.

Clearly you don't have children. Life with kids is an exhausting obstacle. Getting them ready for school in the morning, picking them up, going to activities, keeping them clothed, fed, sheltered and not biting/fighting/licking their siblings. I have 3 kids and I look forward to work as a tropical vacation at times in comparison to the circus at home. Disney is a place to escape all of that, watch your kids fully enjoy the magic and meet their favorite characters in real life. Yes it's waking up early and dragging them all over the place and dealing with tantrums, but most parents have to deal with that on a daily basis, so dealing with it at Disney isn't a big deal.
 
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Hockey89

Well-Known Member
Similarly unpopular opinion: Adults coming to Disney World and complaining about the amount/actions of little kids is just as ridiculous as attending an NFL game and complaining about the drinking and crowd noise. You are attending a family theme park based on fairytale princesses and cartoon characters, of course there's going to be kids everywhere. And when there are kids everywhere, some of them are going to be behaving badly.

Kids aged 4-6, old enough to remember the trip and enjoy the majority of attractions, while being young enough to believe they're meeting THE Mickey Mouse/Cinderella/Rapunzel etc., are the perfect age IMO to take to Disney. Watching them experience the magic is one of the main reasons Disney Parks have thrived over the past 60+ years. Yes there are bigger thrill rides for older kids/adults, restaurants, food & wine, etc, but Disney's target audience are families with kids, especially those young enough to be 'all in' on the Disney magic.



Clearly you don't have children. Life with kids is an exhausting obstacle. Getting them ready for school in the morning, picking them up, going to activities, keeping them clothed, fed, sheltered and not biting/fighting/licking their siblings. I have 3 kids and I look forward to work as a tropical vacation at times in comparison to the circus at home. Disney is a place to escape all of that, watch your kids fully enjoy the magic and meet their favorite characters in real life. Yes it's waking up early and dragging them all over the place and dealing with tantrums, but most parents have to deal with that on a daily basis, so dealing with it at Disney isn't a big deal.
And you knew the sensitive guy would come out. The you don't have kid deal... I do and the poster was 10000% correct.
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
And you knew the sensitive guy would come out. The you don't have kid deal... I do and the poster was 10000% correct.

Haha, I wouldn’t say sensitive, I don’t care what people think of when my 2 yr old throws a tantrum because we’re not buying her whatever princess dream castle she sees in the gift shop. I just find it odd when adults with no kids complain about kids behavior at a family theme park.

Also glad to see other hockey fans on here, despite the fact my Rangers are currently unwatchable.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Haha, I wouldn’t say sensitive, I don’t care what people think of when my 2 yr old throws a tantrum because we’re not buying her whatever princess dream castle she sees in the gift shop. I just find it odd when adults with no kids complain about kids behavior at a family theme park.

Also glad to see other hockey fans on here, despite the fact my Rangers are currently unwatchable.
Yesterday, I stopped into the Disney Store in the mall to ask a question about something. As I was walking in someone that was apparently a distressed Father was with his three relatively young children. One was probably about 1 year old in a back carrier. I don't know if it was a he or a she, but, she/he was just wide eyed looking at all the bright colors. Another looked to be about 6 or so, just walking quietly, in front of Dad. The third was about 4 and he was making Dad literally drag him out of the store while crazy glued to his dad's leg and screaming loud enough to drowned out a shuttle launch. Why? because... "we can't leave now, we didn't buy anything yet". To his credit, Dad just kept walking straight out the entrance, not making eye contact with anyone, focused on making a getaway. I was proud of him for not giving into the embarrassment. I hope the kid had a really long time out when they got home.
 
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Paper straw fan

Well-Known Member
Similarly unpopular opinion: Adults coming to Disney World and complaining about the amount/actions of little kids is just as ridiculous as attending an NFL game and complaining about the drinking and crowd noise. You are attending a family theme park based on fairytale princesses and cartoon characters, of course there's going to be kids everywhere. And when there are kids everywhere, some of them are going to be behaving badly.

Kids aged 4-6, old enough to remember the trip and enjoy the majority of attractions, while being young enough to believe they're meeting THE Mickey Mouse/Cinderella/Rapunzel etc., are the perfect age IMO to take to Disney. Watching them experience the magic is one of the main reasons Disney Parks have thrived over the past 60+ years. Yes there are bigger thrill rides for older kids/adults, restaurants, food & wine, etc, but Disney's target audience are families with kids, especially those young enough to be 'all in' on the Disney magic.
Clearly you don't have children. Life with kids is an exhausting obstacle. Getting them ready for school in the morning, picking them up, going to activities, keeping them clothed, fed, sheltered and not biting/fighting/licking their siblings. I have 3 kids and I look forward to work as a tropical vacation at times in comparison to the circus at home. Disney is a place to escape all of that, watch your kids fully enjoy the magic and meet their favorite characters in real life. Yes it's waking up early and dragging them all over the place and dealing with tantrums, but most parents have to deal with that on a daily basis, so dealing with it at Disney isn't a big deal.

Well trust me, I’m not going to WDW thinking “ugh, there’s KIDS here! How do they let this happen!” I’m well aware it’s as much a place for children as it is everyone else. Heck, I’ve been on the side of “people could stand to dial it down at F&W getting tanked at a family park”

That’s just about the age it seems that kids may get out of the experience what their families put into getting there- characters, rides, shows, etc. Theres going to be some who can have a great experience at 4, and there’s others who probably still aren’t ready at 8-9 (or 42).

It’s rather selfish to say “I don’t care what someone thinks when my kid melts down in public” however. It’s not like I’m going to be outraged, but when it’s right in your face, like in line for a ride, in a show, or the WDW buses and monorails (always the buses) then it kind of becomes everyone’s issue. And while I’m still not going to say anything, when i see it happening after midnight at extra magic hours or a night function, you feel like someone should have red flagged keeping the kids out that late to begin with.

Nobody’s attacking your kids in general. To me, I just think people need to ask themselves before spending thousands of dollars, and likely they already know from other outings they’ve had- are my kids able to handle even half a day at a hot, crowded, overly stimulating park without repeated meltdowns, and can they behave well enough to not detract from others experiences?

If the answer is no, then maybe said family should wait, try something else like a trip to the beach, or the local county fair.

If the answer is ‘maybe’ then perhaps see above.

If someone’s answer is “I don’t care about anyone other than myself and my family”, then I’m likely to occasionally make some remarks about these self-centered people in other threads.

For the most part at that age, kids would be just as happy to spend all day at the pool, or watch movies and play games on the iPad. I was 5 once, we could have been in Paris and I’d rather have been at a Holiday Inn with a pool slide and Pac Man in the game room.

But, honestly the “you don’t have kids”is kind of a straw man argument. I don’t, but if I did, my wife and I wouldn’t subject them, ourselves, and others, to that kind of vacation until we were absolutely certain they were ready.

But, that said, this is a “unpopular opinions” thread, so it’s not as if I expected 50 likes and a ton of “amen brother!” responses to that take.
 
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Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Well trust me, I’m not going to WDW thinking “ugh, there’s KIDS here! How do they let this happen!” I’m well aware it’s as much a place for children as it is everyone else. Heck, I’ve been on the side of “people could stand to dial it down at F&W getting tanked at a family park”

That’s just about the age it seems that kids may get out of the experience what their families put into getting there- characters, rides, shows, etc. Theres going to be some who can have a great experience at 4, and there’s others who probably still aren’t ready at 8-9 (or 42).

It’s rather selfish to say “I don’t care what someone thinks when my kid melts down in public” however. It’s not like I’m going to be outraged, but when it’s right in your face, like in line for a ride, in a show, or the WDW buses and monorails (always the buses) then it kind of becomes everyone’s issue. And while I’m still not going to say anything, when i see it happening after midnight at extra magic hours or a night function, you feel like someone should have red flagged keeping the kids out that late to begin with.

Nobody’s attacking your kids in general. To me, I just think people need to ask themselves before spending thousands of dollars, and likely they already know from other outings they’ve had- are my kids able to handle even half a day at a hot, crowded, overly stimulating park without repeated meltdowns, and can they behave well enough to not detract from others experiences?

If the answer is no, then maybe said family should wait, try something else like a trip to the beach, or the local county fair.

If the answer is ‘maybe’ then perhaps see above.

If someone’s answer is “I don’t care about anyone other than myself and my family”, then I’m likely to occasionally make some remarks about these self-centered people in other threads.

For the most part at that age, kids would be just as happy to spend all day at the pool, or watch movies and play games on the iPad. I was 5 once, we could have been in Paris and I’d rather have been at a Holiday Inn with a pool slide and Pac Man in the game room.

But, honestly the “you don’t have kids”is kind of a straw man argument. I don’t, but if I did, my wife and I wouldn’t subject them, ourselves, and others, to that kind of vacation until we were absolutely certain they were ready.

But, that said, this is a “unpopular opinions” thread, so it’s not as if I expected 50 likes and a ton of “amen brother!” responses to that take.
I know I am not supposed to agree in a "unpopular opinions" thread, but, that is the very reason that we never went until the youngest was almost 7. At that age we still got a small degree of whining, and they really did get more out of being in the pool then the park. There was, however, absolutely no infringing on the enjoyment of others. Don't get me wrong, they did have a great time in the parks, but, by mid-afternoon if you gave them three choices... be given $1000.00, stay in the park or head for the hotel pool, I can tell you that the pool would have won 100% of the time.
 

Paper straw fan

Well-Known Member
Well that’s part of why I say half-day. They can go at it from 8-1 or so and then it’s pool time!

My sis and her fam would at times when the kids were younger just go for a weekend (we’re all in state) and just do a Pop/AoA resort and just do lots of resort/non-park activities for 2 days. People probably feel the need to do non stop parks when they go to WDW, but shoot, you pay a lot for the resorts too, may as well use their amenities while you’re there
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
Well trust me, I’m not going to WDW thinking “ugh, there’s KIDS here! How do they let this happen!” I’m well aware it’s as much a place for children as it is everyone else. Heck, I’ve been on the side of “people could stand to dial it down at F&W getting tanked at a family park”

That’s just about the age it seems that kids may get out of the experience what their families put into getting there- characters, rides, shows, etc. Theres going to be some who can have a great experience at 4, and there’s others who probably still aren’t ready at 8-9 (or 42).

It’s rather selfish to say “I don’t care what someone thinks when my kid melts down in public” however. It’s not like I’m going to be outraged, but when it’s right in your face, like in line for a ride, in a show, or the WDW buses and monorails (always the buses) then it kind of becomes everyone’s issue. And while I’m still not going to say anything, when i see it happening after midnight at extra magic hours or a night function, you feel like someone should have red flagged keeping the kids out that late to begin with.

Nobody’s attacking your kids in general. To me, I just think people need to ask themselves before spending thousands of dollars, and likely they already know from other outings they’ve had- are my kids able to handle even half a day at a hot, crowded, overly stimulating park without repeated meltdowns, and can they behave well enough to not detract from others experiences?

If the answer is no, then maybe said family should wait, try something else like a trip to the beach, or the local county fair.

If the answer is ‘maybe’ then perhaps see above.

If someone’s answer is “I don’t care about anyone other than myself and my family”, then I’m likely to occasionally make some remarks about these self-centered people in other threads.

For the most part at that age, kids would be just as happy to spend all day at the pool, or watch movies and play games on the iPad. I was 5 once, we could have been in Paris and I’d rather have been at a Holiday Inn with a pool slide and Pac Man in the game room.

But, honestly the “you don’t have kids”is kind of a straw man argument. I don’t, but if I did, my wife and I wouldn’t subject them, ourselves, and others, to that kind of vacation until we were absolutely certain they were ready.

But, that said, this is a “unpopular opinions” thread, so it’s not as if I expected 50 likes and a ton of “amen brother!” responses to that take.

Right, it wasn’t really directed at you, more so the many other posts where childless adults couldn’t believe fairly normal behavior out of a child at the parks. Any obviously if a small kid is having a complete meltdown the parents should try to move the kid out of the situation to calm them down.

I more so was commenting on the part where you were talking about only posting a picture of the kid infront of the castle and omitting all the frustration/exhaustion that went into that moment. I mean if I posted pictures of every meltdown/fight/drawing with marker on the walls/god knows what else we went through between the ‘nice’ pictures I post of the kids on social media, I don’t think anyone would want kids, or atleast 3 of them.

Obviously you’re right, some kids can’t handle it, some adults can’t even handle it. But it can be worth it for little kids with proper planning and knowing your kids limits, especially if they’ve been before. I’m going with a 5,4,&2 year old in March. The oldest one can read the park map and knows where all his favorites are and the 4yr old has memorized what princesses we’re meeting and when. And well the 2yr old likes Mickey, but she’s free so she’s coming along for the ride. I’ve done my planning so there’s no long waits and plenty of breaks.

I can see where parents bringing their little kids without any planning or reasearch and running them into the ground would be a complete disaster.
 

Paper straw fan

Well-Known Member
I guess I see families who are just pushing the whole group the entire day, either to experience everything possible or to get all the photo ops to satisfy Facebook/ Instagram mom, to the detriment of everyone. And agreed, you aren’t going to post pics of the kids tantrum or “another 45 minutes in line for Frozen! #killme”. But I guess maybe the whole myth perpetrated on social media by some people makes the “magical experience”many people expect when they go simply impossible.

And I get it- the window of time to take your kids to WDW and have a memorable experience seems large, but they’ll be grown and gone before you know it. If it were me, I’d probably take the kids a year or so early myself, but I’d just prefer to be as sure as possible that our time and $$ were fairly well spent. When I see things like in my original post (kid melting down within 2 minutes of park entry) or I see dads at the resort practically mainlining alcohol & cigarettes at the end of the day, I guess it makes me think people should really consider if the kids are ready. And sometimes when the answer is clearly “no” then those tend to be the people I vent about on related threads about the family barricading the FP entrance because they don’t understand it, or generally inconveniencing everyone in their path the entire day, when the kids would have been much happier at the resort pool.
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
I guess I see families who are just pushing the whole group the entire day, either to experience everything possible or to get all the photo ops to satisfy Facebook/ Instagram mom, to the detriment of everyone. And agreed, you aren’t going to post pics of the kids tantrum or “another 45 minutes in line for Frozen! #killme”. But I guess maybe the whole myth perpetrated on social media by some people makes the “magical experience”many people expect when they go simply impossible.

And I get it- the window of time to take your kids to WDW and have a memorable experience seems large, but they’ll be grown and gone before you know it. If it were me, I’d probably take the kids a year or so early myself, but I’d just prefer to be as sure as possible that our time and $$ were fairly well spent. When I see things like in my original post (kid melting down within 2 minutes of park entry) or I see dads at the resort practically mainlining alcohol & cigarettes at the end of the day, I guess it makes me think people should really consider if the kids are ready. And sometimes when the answer is clearly “no” then those tend to be the people I vent about on related threads about the family barricading the FP entrance because they don’t understand it, or generally inconveniencing everyone in their path the entire day, when the kids would have been much happier at the resort pool.

If/when you do have a kid, I highly suggest going as close to, without going over, their 3rd birthday as possible for a first trip. Assuming they're not afraid of characters and have no problem napping in strollers, it's a great time. Plus they're completely free (especially when you hit as many character meals as possible).
 

Trackmaster

Well-Known Member
My problem with taking little kiddies that are "too young" is that its just way too much money to spend on infant or very early childhood entertainment. Yeah, you get two year olds in for free, but you're spending full freight on everyone else and the hotels. Really, you could probably take a kid who is six or younger to a state fair, spend $60 for everyone, and the kid will be happy. No need to spend $20,000 on something that a kid that young wouldn't enjoy more than something very basic.

I think as the kids get older they can start to appreciate more complex concepts, and enjoy more refined entertainment that costs more. But otherwise, you're just throwing good money after bad. Now, if you're a 1%er family making $600K a year -- sure, spend whatever you want because it won't really affect your family's budget. If you're making a lot less than that, maybe save that $20K and put it towards your mortgage payment, college fund, or your retirement fund.
 

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