What Kind of experience do you expect when you go to Disney

[JourneysEnd]

1. I expect the parks to be crowded
2. I expect the lines to be long
3. I expect the rides to break down occasionally
4. I expect to have a great time

I'm never disappointed!

 

[blueboxdoctor]

• I expect the parks and resorts to be clean.
• The Cast Members also have to be friendly, and they pretty much always are (and in some cases I've seen them go beyond the role of a standard Cast Member and really give someone an unforgettable day).
• I want everything to look new or kept up with. Unfortunately, Hollywood Studios felt kind of empty the past few trips, but now with two new areas coming, I'm very excited. EPCOT on the other hand, well, parts of Future World feel empty/abandoned, and sort of depressing.
• Thanks to the updates at WDW I now expect characters to be interactive/actually talk with the guests (so far Merida, Peter Pan, Gaston, and Jack Sparrow have been the best at this).
• Good customer service across all of WDW (sort of ties in with the Cast Members expectations)
• For things such as special events (after hours parties and things like that) as well as normal shows and events to be handled with a controlled order over what guests are supposed to do/where to go. Of course guests will mess this up, but for the most part, the majority of people will follow the rules.
• For the food to be good. This may be an odd one, but I went to a restaurant to eat in France in EPCOT and the food was awful (not because it was French, it just wasn't done well). I also laugh at the small portions given at the Mexican restaurant. And from buffets and the like, I'm not expecting 5 star dining, but as long as it is done well I'm good. And by now I have the standout places I go to and the ones I go do for tradition, so I'm pretty set in my ways there.

Something I did not expect happened several trips ago. We are eating at the buffet in Hollywood Studios, my dad gets his soda delivered, takes a sip, realizes it's not what he ordered, so he told the waiter it is regular instead of diet. The waiter politely takes it away, no big deal, then we watch him give it to a person a few tables down, who proceeds to drink from it. That was unexpected, though very entertaining to watch.

Overall I'd say I have had very good experiences at WDW. There are little things here and there that have annoyed me throughout the years, but as a whole, nothing has stopped me from coming back (well, I am still aggravated that the Liberty Tree Tavern is fully booked and I cannot get in this year).

 

[TXDisney]

Depends what age group of kids you're bringing or if just traveling as adults. The key is to plan enough to be organized, but not overly planned to where you can't just go with the flow of the day. WDW is a place you should always have a magical time at. You can't let things that are out of your control dictate your trip. For instance you can't go to wdw over Christmas and get mad at the long lines. You knew that before you went it's a crowded time

 

[jloucks]

Something I did not expect happened several trips ago. We are eating at the buffet in Hollywood Studios, my dad gets his soda delivered, takes a sip, realizes it's not what he ordered, so he told the waiter it is regular instead of diet. The waiter politely takes it away, no big deal, then we watch him give it to a person a few tables down, who proceeds to drink from it. That was unexpected, though very entertaining to watch.

Ewww! I'd have been a little more disconcerted. ...wondering whose facehole my straw/spoon/napkin had visited recently.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Ewww! I'd have been a little more disconcerted. ...wondering whose facehole my straw/spoon/napkin had visited recently.

Yeah, I was trying to ignore that part. We were all amazed it actually happened, especially since I'd assume the standards are high there for the workers, and if anything goes wrong like that they can easily be replaced.

 

[POLY LOVER]

• I expect the parks and resorts to be clean.
• The Cast Members also have to be friendly, and they pretty much always are (and in some cases I've seen them go beyond the role of a standard Cast Member and really give someone an unforgettable day).
• I want everything to look new or kept up with. Unfortunately, Hollywood Studios felt kind of empty the past few trips, but now with two new areas coming, I'm very excited. EPCOT on the other hand, well, parts of Future World feel empty/abandoned, and sort of depressing.
• Thanks to the updates at WDW I now expect characters to be interactive/actually talk with the guests (so far Merida, Peter Pan, Gaston, and Jack Sparrow have been the best at this).
• Good customer service across all of WDW (sort of ties in with the Cast Members expectations)
• For things such as special events (after hours parties and things like that) as well as normal shows and events to be handled with a controlled order over what guests are supposed to do/where to go. Of course guests will mess this up, but for the most part, the majority of people will follow the rules.
• For the food to be good. This may be an odd one, but I went to a restaurant to eat in France in EPCOT and the food was awful (not because it was French, it just wasn't done well). I also laugh at the small portions given at the Mexican restaurant. And from buffets and the like, I'm not expecting 5 star dining, but as long as it is done well I'm good. And by now I have the standout places I go to and the ones I go do for tradition, so I'm pretty set in my ways there.

Something I did not expect happened several trips ago. We are eating at the buffet in Hollywood Studios, my dad gets his soda delivered, takes a sip, realizes it's not what he ordered, so he told the waiter it is regular instead of diet. The waiter politely takes it away, no big deal, then we watch him give it to a person a few tables down, who proceeds to drink from it. That was unexpected, though very entertaining to watch.

Overall I'd say I have had very good experiences at WDW. There are little things here and there that have annoyed me throughout the years, but as a whole, nothing has stopped me from coming back (well, I am still aggravated that the Liberty Tree Tavern is fully booked and I cannot get in this year).

you have got to throw a flag on that one. 15 yards unsportsman like conduct.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I expect to experience something special that I cannot experience elsewhere. This would include elaborate and unique attractions such as Haunted Mansion or Spaceship Earth. Disney delivers in this department for the most part (the odd minimally themed attraction being the exception).

I wish they'd bring back or do something like the Adventure's Club (which I only went to once) because it really felt like something you'd only see at Disney. Downtown Disney really didn't interest me last time.

I expect the overall experience to be the same or better. Generally I expect to see something new on any given trip. As mentioned above, it's disappointing to see shuttered attractions at Epcot, but overall Disney is adding new experiences with good frequency at the moment. Avatar and Star Wars in a 3-4 year period is huge.

 

[French Quarter]

I expect to get what I pay for - which is a clean hotel room in a tastefully decorated resort with the appropriate amenities for that class of hotel, friendly staff, tasty, fresh and hot food, access to well-maintained and safe theme parks.

Does Disney meet my expectations? Actually they go BEYOND my expectations, each and every time. There is such attention to detail there and the CMs go above and beyond to make me feel special. And it's because they exceed my expectations that I continue to go back.

What I don't understand is why the people who complain go back time and again. If Disney is not meeting your expectations, try another vacation destination. After all, that's what it is - a vacation spot - not actually paradise. (It just feels like paradise a lot of the time.)

 

[DW Aficionado]

Exhaustion, sore back, one or two arguments from being overtired, complaining bout the new Fastpass system. Overall, a great vacation !!!

 

[Phonedave]

A little back story. When I first went to WDW as an adult in 1999, I thought the prices were very high, and quite frankly had no interest in going. However, within 2 or 3 hours of arrival, I was a convert. I paid a premium price, by WDW was a premium experience. Cast members were friendly to a fault, the grounds were immaculate, the attention to detail and theming was outstanding, issues did happen, but when thy did they were addressed promptly and with a smile. WDW was a premium price, but it was a premium experience.

This is still what I expect from WDW, however I don't see it happening all of the time. I am a big fan of WDW, and I still enjoy going. Part of that however is due to remembering those first trips. I truly think that if I were to go to WDW for the first time in 2015, I would think "oh, that was nice, but overrated and over priced".

-dave

 

[bethymouse]

The greatest amusement park experience on Earth. Nothing more, nothing less. I expect it to put other theme parks to shame with how much better it is.

Amusement Park?

 

[bethymouse]

I expect "perfection". No seriously. I expect to have "the time of my life".

 

[danyoung56]

i'm most interested if there is a different expectation between first time visitors and the veterans of Disney?

I really believe that a lot of people have a problem with this. That first trip is so freakin' magical, and they expect every visit to sustain that same level. As people become more experienced, they start to see some imperfections, and they lament that Disney has taken a huge downturn. It's my theory that most of the time there isn't really a problem with Disney - it's a problem of people holding their current vacations up against the impossible high standard of their first visit.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

I have an AP and go around 50 times a year. When I go with my family (wife and 2 year old daughter), we expect to have a magical time each and every time. Are there days that are more crowded than others? Yes. Are there times where we want to ride a specific attraction and it's down? Yes. But we choose to have a good time inspite of those issues.

In my opinion, Disney is what you make of it. If you choose to let yourself get upset over little things, or long lines...then you're going to have a bad time, regardless if you're at Disney or Busch Gardens or Sea World, etc. Disney is not perfect. It never was and never will be. If you expect to go there and have a perfect vacation where nothing goes wrong...then you're looking at it all wrong. We love going to Disney and being in such a great atmosphere. CMs are generally always nice, hotels have more than enough to do and are always in good shape. I expect Disney to make me happy everytime I walk through the front gate.

 

[POLY LOVER]

I really believe that a lot of people have a problem with this. That first trip is so freakin' magical, and they expect every visit to sustain that same level. As people become more experienced, they start to see some imperfections, and they lament that Disney has taken a huge downturn. It's my theory that most of the time there isn't really a problem with Disney - it's a problem of people holding their current vacations up against the impossible high standard of their first visit.

its like your favorite movie after you watch it for the 100th time you start seeing flaws that you missed the first few times. I watched Halloween last night and picked up a flaw, something I had missed the first 10 times I saw this movie. The vets get maybe a bit to picky?

 

[rucifee]

When I go to Disney, I expect a seamlessly magical experience and a higher standard of excellence than I expect from any other vacation destination.
I expect cast members to be friendly (though I understand people have bad days and as long as a CM isn't unacceptably rude I wouldn't complain about it) and to acknowledge birthdays/special events. I expect a clean resort room and if there are any issues with things in my room that they be fixed promptly (broken toilet, tv not working, etc.). I expect for cast members to maintain the integrity of the "show" (my past two trips I've seen cast members walking in lands where they don't belong in costume, like a frontierland CM in tomrrowland, which to me is unacceptable. Walt made utilidors for a reason). I expect high quality attractions and experiences that make the price of admission worth it. And, most of the time, Disney meets my expectations.
For the majority of us, I don't believe we expect too much out of Disney, because the fact is that the expectations that we have (or at least that I have) come from previous experiences. And if we've already experienced it, then it means Disney is capable of meeting, if not exceeding, those expectations. I don't have such high expectations of Universal or SeaWorld, because I've never had such incredible experiences or wonderful guest service at those parks.

I agree with everything you've said here except the part about Universal and SeaWorld. I have personally had incredible experiences that in some ways far exceed experiences at Walt Disney World in recent years at all of the other non-TWDC parks. My experiences tell me that the other parks have become the high level experiences that Disney now needs to beat. I think you are right though that if we have experienced it, it becomes the minimum expectation for future experiences, personally that is where TWDC has let me down. I also understand it is just my experience, and doesn't apply to others who may have experienced better or even worse.

TWDC's advertisements are very deceiving though, you can't walk up to a CM at a resort and get an ADR for the Royal Table...

 

[POLY LOVER]

I agree with everything you've said here except the part about Universal and SeaWorld. I have personally had incredible experiences that in some ways far exceed experiences at Walt Disney World in recent years at all of the other non-TWDC parks. My experiences tell me that the other parks have become the high level experiences that Disney now needs to beat. I think you are right though that if we have experienced it, it becomes the minimum expectation for future experiences, personally that is where TWDC has let me down. I also understand it is just my experience, and doesn't apply to others who may have experienced better or even worse.

TWDC's advertisements are very deceiving though, you can't walk up to a CM at a resort and get an ADR for the Royal Table...

I agree the competition is getting stronger. Universal is a challenger now. I haven't been to the others to compare.

 

[rob0519]

The problem is that I have had to readjust my expectations which were set in 1996-2002 or so. So now I expect ever increasing prices, bigger crowds, longer lines, harder to get dinner reservations, lower quality of food, merchandise, some maintenance standards, and a wristband system that is still getting the bugs worked out isn't easy.

That being said, with my expectations downgraded, Disney meets my expectations and in many ways exceed them. Most of the cast members still exceed my expectations both at the resorts and the parks.

Nowhere else is there a destination that provides so many resorts, four parks, two water parks, nightly fireworks, restaurants, shopping and countless more amenities. For those reasons, we keep going back, keeping in mind, we're not the same as we were 20 years ago, so it's unrealistic to expect WDW to be the same as it was 20 years ago.

While we enjoy Universal and Sea World, I don't see either in the same league as the total immersion one gets at WDW. Universal may be challenging Disney in a number of ways, but we don't get the same feeling there as we do at Disney.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

While we enjoy Universal and Sea World, I don't see either in the same league as the total immersion one gets at WDW. Universal may be challenging Disney in a number of ways, but we don't get the same feeling there as we do at Disney.

I couldn't agree more with this. When we get to Disney, even if it's just for a day, I feel like I've escaped reality.

 

[whitney37354]

I expect my room to be clean, staff to be friendly, MBs & FPs to work, transportation to be timely, rides & attractions to be in working order.

In three trips, we've only had one issue: it took two trips to the front desk to get our cc linked to our KTTW. It's embarrassing: 1. to have to borrow $5 from a fellow traveler to get a bottle of water (we always try to carry $20 with us now); 2. to have a line backed up behind you because you are using a combination of cash, gift cards, & cc to purchase merchandise, when the plan was to swipe the KTTW there & pay off the balance at the resort later that day. ( we had learned our lesson & had the cash & cc with us, at least)

I go into everything in life with low expectations so that I am pleasantly surprised when things turn out better!