What to avoid/not worth the price?

[ebjjst]

My sister and I (both mid-50s) are going to Walt Disney World at the end of September, and are planning what activities, dinner shows, tours, etc., to spend our extra money on. (First trip to Disney; everything seems so expensive!) I'm sure everyone has suggestions on what to do, but does anyone have advice on what to avoid? Something that ended up not worth the money that was spent?

 

[ShookieJones]

Being that..

Your two ladies in your mid 50s I won't bother telling you to stay away from Disney Quest as I'm guessing a giant arcade won't interest.

I don't know much about the dinner shows but there are plenty of folks here that have seen them and it looks like they can tell you plenty.

About the Park Hopper - When I say it's a MUST it's for one particular reason:
Dining.
If you're planning on doing sit down restaurants at the parks then you don't want to be tied down to the Park that you're eating at that night. Considering that some of the best sit downs in all are WDW are at Epcot that means if you want to enjoy those meals you'll be stuck in that park all day.

If you're an eat to live and not an a live to eat type and you can't eat at any table service place around then maybe you can consider saving the extra dough and skip the park hopper.

 

[SAV]

I'm on the non-hopper side of the fence. To our family, it isn't money well spent. We can easily spend a full day in each of the parks without hopping. And on the days where AK closes earlier, you can use that time to do DTD or just to chill and recharge at the resort. It isn't worth the extra $$ x 4 for us.

Each park has dining options available, so in my opinion if you plan it out there is no need to leave a park to eat at another one.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a magical trip.

 

[MickeyPeace]

Definately do The Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show

It's excellent. I do it every visit.

 

[Disneydogs]

I won't tell you what to avoid because I don't want to take something away that you may enjoy that I may have not. Here are just some little things that I like and try to do everytime I go (9th trip coming this Halloween).:sohappy:

There are good and bad on both sides of the fence. I prefer the hopper because of freedom of movement. Our group sometimes splits up so it works out great. If you can get into Le Cellier in the Canadian Pavilion it's well worth it. I saw that someone had a bad experience at Sci-Fi but we loved it. Had a great time with the staff getting involved with our group. Watch the fireworks at MK from behind the castle, pretty neat view. You have gotten some great ideas from some experienced Disney people on this post, just be kids and have some fun. Oh yeah, the tea cups, gotta spin them good and hard.:hurl:

Have a Great Trip. :wave:

 

[docnabox]

All the above is good advice. We're APs, so we park hop a lot. There isn't anything really BAD at WDW, it's all worth it.

So there IS one thing to avoid at all costs - "Going Cheap". By this, I mean a "vacation" designed to save money at all costs. Folks? That's not a vacation - it's an excersize in pre-planned disapointment. When you DO go - go large. You don't have to reserve the entire Grand Floridian, or eat at V&As every night for a week.... but please, don't cut back to the point that you feel like an observer instead of a participant...

Excellent advice! I tell my friends and family all the time that when you go to WDW, expect it to be expensive. Don't penny pinch if you can avoid it and try not to let the cost get to you. Do the things you want and enjoy the experience without focusing too much on the cost or you risk jeopardizing the fun of it all.

Now, one of my new found luxuries that I recommend to anyone going to Typhoon Lagoon for a whole day is the Beachcomber shack. We usually just go for an afternoon but planned a whole day to relax there last time. LOVED IT! It was worth it to have your own reserved space. Quiet, relaxed, a space to put your stuff and an attendant to go get your food when you were hungry.

 

[TDTink]

I actually did the Key to the Kindom Tour and loved it! I probably would not recomend it someone who has not been to the park a few times but there are so many different tours offered at all the parks there may be one that sparks your interest!

 

[mp2bill]

Hmm, well is there anything you're particularly interested in doing?

For dinner shows, if you two are into really fun, corny humor, I definitely suggest the Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness. It's a hoot

Hoop Dee Doo Revue is great. I also have done the Spirit of Aloha show and I was not impressed. I know a lot of people like it, but it was not for me, especially considering how much it costs (I think it was $70 a person last year).

Also, as far as tours go, I've done the Backstage Safari at the Animal Kingdom, which was...OK. I thought it was going to be a lot of backstage, insider information, but it was literally just a tour of the animals, backstage. The coolest part was being able to see the new baby rhino that was there and touching the thich, bumpy hide of the mother rhino. Oh, also...we got a VIP tour of Kilimanjaro Safari, which did talk about insider stuff. If looking for insider info, Wild by Design might be the tour for you (which I don't think was available when I last went). Hope this helps!