What is this nonsense?!

[fractal]

different strokes - To me WDW is still the best place to spend time and have fun with my family.

I do have an issue with the 2nd article especially after pricing alternative vacations, $4,000 for a family of 4 including airfare, lodging, meals, and constant entertainment is not outrageous. She talks about "simply" going to a beach. Any good beach on the East Coast in summer will run you $250-400 a night accommodations depending where you want to go. Then there are still travel expenses, meals to be purchased and unless you are going to spend every second on the beach, other entertainment to be paid for - plus there is no "Magic Mountain".

 

[mf1972]

well, there's 2 less people I have to worry about going to WDW. couple million more to go.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

The first article is genius. I am happy that the public at large is picking up on what we, closer followers of all things WDW, have been saying for years. WDW is now overcrowded, touring it takes too much planning and sucks out all life and spontaneity, it is too focused on little girls to the point of alienating the other 95% of the world, it is a-cultured - as Disney has always been, but now without the redeeming qualities of old, and the audience it attracts is, shall we say, so-so.

Brilliant.

Edit: the author also understands that Tangled is a much better movie than Frozen. The man obviously knows his Disney.
http://thefederalist.com/2014/05/16/fact-tangled-is-a-far-better-movie-than-frozen/

 

[epcotisbest]

I bet you think it's okay to stay off property, too, you philistine.

Actually, we go twice a year, one trip offsite, one trip on property. I suppose that makes us half wrong all the time, or all wrong half the time. No other way to look at it.

 

[epcotisbest]

Or, all right half the time, half right all the time...oh, now I have a headache.

 

[rsoxguy]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and nobody should ever be bound to the approval of others in order to express their opinions. I think that the "Wild Kingdom" mistake is funny, but hey, there I go with a personal opinion.

 

[Lucky]

It can get boring just hearing from Disney veterans all the time. I think it's interesting to hear about the opinions and experiences of first-timers, and to hear others' reasoning for not going at all.

 

[LAKid53]

I must find the Magic Mountain on our next trip. That is something I've somehow managed to miss on our previous 20+ trips.

I get that not everyone wants to go to WDW or is turned off after their first visit. That said, if you are going to write an article complaining how expensive Disney is, at least get the facts correct. I sure hope no one at TWDC reads her article and thinks, "hey, we could CHARGE for fast pass access?!" [like Uni does].

I too, think the first article was sarcasm, with valid points. The 2nd was just a complaint fest.

 

[Nick Wilde]

FTFY

Sadly.

 

[Tom P.]

I'll keep my thoughts simple:

The first author was writing very tongue-in-cheek, made a couple of good points, and I laughed out loud multiple times reading it.

The second author is a condescending twit.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Well, these people are kind of really bias. I week in Ocean City, NJ can be a few grand, so would I rather go there or WDW (easy answer, WDW)? I don't judge people for either choice. I'll never understand the argument against Disney being commercialized and all that nonsense. Of course it is. I very well know Merida is just a person playing the role, but who cares, it's still cool. If you plan your day correctly, it's not too hard to get on most of the lines when the wait is a little shorter (though, with kids it may be more difficult). And if you don't get eating reservations, well, that's your fault.

The first guy's article is worse, mainly because you can clearly tell he has zero interest at all in anything Disney (complaining he is well versed in all things Frozen and Tangled) and both writers basically said they never wanted to or never will go to WDW, so with that sort of attitude there's no point going. Now, if he said something like, I wish the food was better at this place, that would be valid, as there are some places that could use an improvement in that department, but he never really offered any constructive criticism.

But again, to each their own, I really don't care where people spend their money to go on vacation, which is why I find it rather annoying when people find the need to insult people who do enjoy WDW (though, if I were to judge, I'd follow the words of my sister, "don't trust anyone who doesn't like Disney or dogs").

 

[Goofyernmost]

The first was a bit tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek and I think he made a good point about making restaurant reservations six months out. The second was just a touch judgmental when she mentioned someone's values about spending a tidy sum of cash to go to WDW. What is to say that the family spending that type of money at WDW this summer, isn't going to spend that type of money on a European vacation the following summer?

Overall, I feel like they made good points, even if there were some technical errors.

I'll keep my thoughts simple:

The first author was writing very tongue-in-cheek, made a couple of good points, and I laughed out loud multiple times reading it.

The second author is a condescending twit.

OK, here's my take on this... I know you all want to hear it. (or in this case, read it).
The first article was such an obvious humor article that it makes me wonder how people that claim to have such a "fun" outlook on life are so lacking in the humor gene. He actually made a very funny observation on the things that humans do for entertainment and his sarcasm was spot on in many items. The only fault I could find with it was the mistake about wild kingdom, but, what one of us hasn't attached our own names to places and things that are incorrect like Haunted House and the big golf ball or the BAH. It was also a humorous way of telling anyone that is going to stay on site to make dining reservations or they will be doing just what he said, carting around a bunch of hungry, grouchy kids trying to find a meal. I would recommend that article to anyone contemplating visiting WDW for the first time.

The second one... well what can I say. She was expressing her opinion no matter how much it made her sound like a snobbish condescending twit (and it did) Never been there but this is all that is wrong with the world and the idiots that inhabit it. Although she did attempt to put humor in it, she failed massively due to the incorrect information and just general lack of an real knowledge of the subject. It would be like me explaining how brain surgery is performed. There isn't a single part of that article, other then the fact that her kids would like to go there, that has any resemblance to actuality. Even mentioning that Harry Potter "is technically Universal and not Disney" was a thing that wasn't necessary or even true. It's not technically Universal it is absolutely Universal and you couldn't find old Harry in Disney no matter how much you paid to get in. There is also the assumption on both authors that in order to enjoy Disney one has to pay the long price of staying on site when so many other options are available if money is the concern.

But, for everyone else, please make an attempt to see the humor in the first one, because it is really right on and very funny. It's to bad to see that effort tossed out with the garbage because we don't understand that.

 

[jaklgreen]

The second article lady sounds like she is bitter that she can not afford to go to WDW. So she decides to bash it instead.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I think something that turns a lot of people off is that Disney costs can be very upfront, and it's hard to do things piecemeal (or, at least, it won't save you money that way). You can't save money by going to the "lesser" parks. Your admission price really doesn't drop until you start buying your admission days in bulk; not everyone wants to spend that much time at WDW. It's very common on these boards to dismiss the one-day ticket price because "nobody pays that", but a three-day ticket is still over $97 per day after tax. Even a four-day ticket is over $80 per day. That being said, if you see a Broadway show or a major league sporting event or go whale watching... those costs add up very quickly as well.

If you're looking to save money, it's an awfully big assumption for the one author to automatically include airfare in your trip. You can drive to WDW from most anywhere in the Eastern US. It's something my family has done; we spend our time driving instead of our money flying. We're giving Mickey $4300 for our trip in November, but that includes almost two weeks at Pop, theme park tickets for four (+ baby), and free dining. That's a heck of a deal for the amount of entertainment presented, IMO.

Edit: I just looked at the e-mail from the travel agent.... $3,482.58 for 13 nights at Pop, 10-day park hoppers for two adults and two kids, and free dining? Seems a little low even for what you get...

 

[pajammies]

I think something that turns a lot of people off is that Disney costs can be very upfront, and it's hard to do things piecemeal (or, at least, it won't save you money that way). You can't save money by going to the "lesser" parks. Your admission price really doesn't drop until you start buying your admission days in bulk; not everyone wants to spend that much time at WDW. It's very common on these boards to dismiss the one-day ticket price because "nobody pays that", but a three-day ticket is still over $97 per day after tax. Even a four-day ticket is over $80 per day. That being said, if you see a Broadway show or a major league sporting event or go whale watching... those costs add up very quickly as well.

If you're looking to save money, it's an awfully big assumption for the one author to automatically include airfare in your trip. You can drive to WDW from most anywhere in the Eastern US. It's something my family has done; we spend our time driving instead of our money flying. We're giving Mickey $4300 for our trip in November, but that includes almost two weeks at Pop, theme park tickets for four (+ baby), and free dining. That's a heck of a deal for the amount of entertainment presented, IMO.

Edit: I just looked at the e-mail from the travel agent.... $3,482.58 for 13 nights at Pop, 10-day park hoppers for two adults and two kids, and free dining? Seems a little low even for what you get...

Say what? That is such a good price you got me wondering how my trip for me and my "adult" daughter in November for 6 nights, with hoppers, at Pop and free dining is costing so much! $1600 What am I missing here?

 

[Matt_Black]

"Oh, you spend that much money and you have to get reservations in advance to eat?" Really. I've used this comparison before, but say you want a swanky Manhattan vacation complete with dinner at a five-star restaurant and good seats at a Broadway show. If you think you can just show up and get those once you get to the Big Apple, well, that's just adorable.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Say what? That is such a good price you got me wondering how my trip for me and my "adult" daughter in November for 6 nights, with hoppers, at Pop and free dining is costing so much! $1600 What am I missing here?

The price of the room stays the same for our extra people (except the length, obviously). The price of tickets doesn't change much from 6-day to 10-day. So basically the difference between our trips is having the room for longer and buying tickets for two extra people.

Our trip is roughly $1,784 on tickets ($446 pp), about $130 per night at Pop. Your trip would be around $830 ($415 pp) on tickets, $128 per night at Pop if the trip were exactly $1,600. We're "buying in bulk" by fitting four to a room and buying longer tickets, and you are slightly less so.

 

[copcarguyp71]

The second article sounded like the rantings of someone who is in love with their own voice and was just so poorly informed that "journalistic integrity" went right out the window.

The first one on the other hand I actually enjoyed and it struck a chord with me on several points that I happened to agree with. While the pixie dust addicts may not like it this is an accurate account from another end of the spectrum. Best quotable in there was "Disney cafeterias are places strewn with broken dreams and future divorces."....that made me !

 

[Lucky]

http://wildkingdom.com

By the way I'm sure this is where "Wild Kingdom" came from. In the days before cable TV everyone knew this program and its host Marlin Perkins. Animal Kingdom today doesn't have anything like the name recognition this TV show once had. Johnny Carson used to joke about it on The Tonight Show.

 

[Boardwalker]

I wish more negative articles were published! Maybe it would help with the crowds!