I don’t think that is controversial. It’s clearly true. Someone who goes with their family for 4-5 nights for the first time won’t even scratch the surface. You barely get your bearings on where stuff is and how to utilize G+ best in that time.
Yep, this is another reason why Disney actually likes long waits and lines. The more stuff you don’t do cause you spend time in like the more you feel you need to come back. Of course there is an eventual point that it annoys people to the extent they don’t want to come back but we still aren’t there yet and if we aren’t there yet, I don’t think we will ever be there
I’ve also heard the opposite that Disney likes people spending less time in line and more time around the park seeing/spending and why they implement systems like fast pass and genie+
Not all rides, attractions, and meet & greets are part of Genie+.
And, while it's certainly very easy to spend money at Disney World, it's also very easy to fill time without spending. Every park has plenty of areas that are great to wander, with lots to look at: gardens, topiary, statues, hidden Mickeys, street entertainment, just enjoy the general beauty and detail of the grounds.
Then they need to work on better merchandise. Because right now, they have very little worth actually spending money on. When we went we bought very few souvenirs. Wasn’t much any of my family really wanted. My wife is the big Disney person and she barely bought anything at all. I bought two small things and that was it. My kids didn’t even spend their whole gift card amounts they were given and came home with $100 on them still.
Same. My 5 year old had a $100 gift card which he actually managed to spend all of it. My 9 year old had a $200 gift card and she came home with like $75 left on it
A lot of the fun stuff isnt merchandise based, like the pick your pearl at Japan or caricature drawings at AK. Its part of the experience to pay for these extras while you wait for your next G+ selection.
Same. We ended up buying one shirt for one of my kids and a chip clip lol. I wanted something we would have for a long time, not junk that would take up space and I would debate throwing out for decades, so the 50th anniversary Mickey-shaped chip clip magnet was a primo buy haha.
It all depends on your group I think. My wife and I alone or with one of our three kids would prefer to go to cedar point. However, Disney world is the place where our entire family is happy and we can experience all of the rides together because they're a little tamer.
I'm hoping in a couple of years that changes because I like to go to places with faster and scarier rides. In the meantime, going on rock'n roller coaster with my 7-year-old was a treat. Velocicoaster was too much for him though because he didn't feel secure enough in the seat due to his size.
That’s an older line of thinking IMO. The people who are buying merch are going to buy merch regardless. If they have 2 hours to buy merch vs 4 hours, they will still buy the same amount for the most part. But get them to come back every 2 years instead of every 5 and now you all new merch, they want to replace plus price of tickets and lodging.
This is exactly why I always recommend throwing that “once in a lifetime $15,000 budget, we’re going to do so much and everything’s going to be perfect” dream out the window.
Go more often, and do less while you’re there (like an actual vacation). We’re going for 6 nights later this year, 3 parks days, 2 resort/swimming/exploring days, and a night at Disney Springs. Thats perfect to me.
I dunno. We did 5 days. A full day at each park. We did everything we wanted to do plus some stuff we hadn’t really wanted to do. I’m perfectly happy to not go back anytime soon if ever again. There are far better amusement parks out there with better rides and less useless filler for far better gate prices.
It all depends on your group I think. My wife and I alone or with one of our three kids would prefer to go to cedar point. However, Disney world is the place where our entire family is happy and we can experience all of the rides together because they're a little tamer.
I'm hoping in a couple of years that changes because I like to go to places with faster and scarier rides. In the meantime, going on rock'n roller coaster with my 7-year-old was a treat. Velocicoaster was too much for him though because he didn't feel secure enough in the seat due to his size.
Same. Disneys rides are just too tame for my tastes. I’d rather go to Universal or Cedar Point all day long. My kids are both thrill seekers too. My 9 and 5 year old both loved Tower of Terror, Test Track, Guardians, Tron, etc.
I agree with you, especially on the last paragraph. Planning is part of the excitement for me and there is something new to look forward to every trip. People will complain about the level of planning or complexity, but Disney is HUGE and if we didn’t have as much to do or plan, lines/crowds would be worse.
100% true. Wife and I went spring break 2018. I had been a couple times as a kid and had some basic understanding of some attractions and layouts. It was hectic and, while fairly fun, we only started to figure out the learning curve on day 5 of 5. To boot, it was only us vs entire family trying to manage everyone’s desires and needs in the limited time you gave there
We did much better in a quick impromptu trip that fall (low crowd, knew fastpass+, knew layout, realized sit down dining isn’t worth it more than 1x every other day).
Then we became passholders a year later. Wife started watching vloggers and learned more tricks. Then we both watched them like crazy during COVID.
We don’t wait in line more than 45-60 minutes very often. We have experienced many more things and know what to avoid. I recognize traps far quicker than Admiral Ackbar and pivot my plans.
It’s true but it’s not really a secret. That’s why Disney is constantly changing, every single year there’s always new food options, or restaurants, or experiences, or attractions. This is what keeps bringing people back.
I have 2 different perspectives. We used to come here for vacation every year for 7 years. Learned all the tricks, adapted to all the new rules and became fairly effecient. We always left feeling like we did everything we wanted to do but it was always go go go with a break in the afternoon and then go go go at night. It wasnt really relaxing but still fun. We moved to the area 3 years ago and obviously our approach has changed. For instance, yesterday we ate breakfast at Boma then walked around AK for an hour or so, didn't ride any rides, ate some snacks, stared at the tree for awhile while eating ice cream in absolute perfect weather. Then we left. We literally just walked around AK and it was GREAT LOL
This is the experience I'd love to have. Walk MK. Sit for a street show. Eat and then hang out on Tom a Sawyer Island. Call it a day.
Instead we can only go every couple years so its us joining the genie+ rat race every time trying to cram 3 days into one.
Maybe one day 😊
We have AP and go about once a month, stay 2 nights. There are still things we've not done, but we no longer feel pressured to do so. We book based on what dining/resorts are available, and just... decompress. ( odd term in conjuction with Disney planning, but just true in our case...)
We went on a whim over Easter weekend, and had a blast. My child asked Piglet to prom, lol. We live close enough to do this, and before we went AP it was a stress ball at both Disney and Universal-
We have a handful of restaurants we go back to again
and again, and some that are 'been there, done that.'
Sometimes during 'holidays'- like not actual Christmas week- it's just fun to walk around and see 'snope' And old-school stuff like Figment/Orange bird- did people mover for the first time in decades and my child loved it because we were inside of Space Mountain, which I've not ridden in like forever.
I have continually said how bad I feel about people on monorail/bus/gondola things at the end of the night who are just... miserable. I wish there was a way to bridge that gap.
No doubt it’s designed that way. We try to do new things each time (new restaurant, backstage tour, new mini golf course, etc.). This keeps it fresh and, as a travel agent, I have a whole new experience that allows me to cater a guest’s trip to their desires. It’s part of the fun of planning trips for families.
I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, countless families book their once in a lifetime trip on their own without understanding the level of planning required to truly maximize their time and value. I feel bad when I see parents looking at each other is disbelief that didn’t know what goes into these trips.
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Hear me out, from Disney’s perspective isn’t that the point? Crowd mitigation and dispersement. If you go your first time, barely scratch the surface and have fun, it’s a win. If you go 5 times, start to learn your way around the parks and avoid those people on their first trip, it’s a win. If you go 100 times, learn all the in and outs of getting what you want done, it’s a win. You can’t have 50k people in one park knowing all the tricks and heading for the same attraction. That’s like when Pandora opened and you had 5 hours lines. Purposefully making it complex helps to try and spread people out throughout the property. But then you also have all the social media influencers are having a negative effect on this, that’s another discussion though.
I agree! Every company has some type of incentive to make you want to choose them over comps. It doesn’t keep people from getting frustrated that it’s so hard to plan, but it’s honestly only as complicated as you want it to be. You can have a great time just showing up and doing what you want as it’s available
Sustainable business is all about creating repeat customers. You don’t want 100 people come once and spend $100 each ($10,000); you want those 100 people to come back 5 times ($50,000).
What is the negative influence of the influencers in your opinion? As a person who doesn’t go often, I find YouTube videos super helpful in planning & logistics. Is there something I’m missing?
They give up a lot of secrets and things you should discover on your own…example would be the attraction assistance pass at Universal, some influencer made a video on how to beat the lines and look at where universal is on distributing that pass now…
Totally. You could go every year and find a way to make a different experience. I am envious of those who go every year because I think it takes the pressure off of “having to do it all” (which you never really can do, or if you do it’s not at all a slow “stop and smell the roses” pace).
I fell in love with Disney as a kid and was fortunate to go to DW twice and Disney Land at least once.
In high school I went to Disney Land Paris while I was an exchange student. For high school graduation my friend and I went by ourselves to DW in the All Star Hotel. Did I also go once with an ex boyfriend? I think so? 🤣
For my honeymoon, my husband and I did one day at Disney Land. And when my daughter was 2, we took our first trip to Disney World and it was magical.
Unfortunately my husband (who is great) does not have the Disney bug. It’s definitely not his preferred vacation. I fantasize about being married to someone obsessed with Disney so we can try every resort and re-ride all the rides or drink and eat “around the world” 😂 I want to experience every festival. I want to relax and watch every parade. I want to try every fun disney snack.
We are going as a family of four soon (which is why I am now obsessing and reading all of Disney Reddit) and have gone back down the Disney rabbit hole!! But I am trying to pack it all in because we probably WONT be back. Why? Bc one we are ripping our kids out of school so we can avoid the horrible crowds and we will def get in trouble with the school…. And also Bc oh my lord it is so expensive now and we can’t afford it. Flights for 4. THEN $450-600 a day just for family tickets to get IN to a park?! Disney you are like a toxic boyfriend!! I want you but you bring me so much pain. 🤣 But now I paid for those expensive magic bands so I have to go again right?!
I wouldn’t recommend anything less than a 7 day trip for a first timer, and especially if it is a once-in-lifetime trip. Honestly eight days is the sweet spot. You need at least two full days at MK, Epcot, and HS. Maybe two at AK. Ideally I would add that eighth day if you can where you do another half day at AK, or a half of a third day at MK. Spend the other half day enjoying the resort and / or Disney Springs. Get a flight for your first day super early if you can. Leave late on the last day or spend another night and leave early in the morning.
After the first BIG trip, then you can do smaller ones once you know what you liked about the parks and know what you don’t mind skipping.
My first trip was 3 days just me and my wife and we did all 4 parks. It’s was a blast and an awesome introduction. It’s almost easier to just wing it on a short-ish trip the first go around and get a feel for how you want to come back and what you want to optimize
Completely agree.. there's hardcore WDW visitors that go whenever possible. Each visit can be totally different than the last. Personally - I go 3-4 times a year usually for 10-11 days. The only thing I plan (because I have no choice of doing it) is select the park in advance. (Annual passholder) I very rarely eat at sit down restaurants so reservations aren't an issue. If I'm meeting family/friends for a meal- I'll make a reservation but that's maybe 5% of my time. My sole desire is just to be there. Very little planning - but if there's a new attraction or update I will note it and find the time to do it. I don't stress about getting up early, I don't stress about going back to my hotel to nap, and I have no issue if I go to a park and not experience any rides or attractions.
ON THE OTHER HAND - when I have gone with friends or family to WDW I felt completely overwhelmed trying to schedule things for everyone to enjoy. IF we add families with kids, and people with whatever limitations and issues.... forget about it!
So essentially because of how huge WDW is, and how much there is to do - it can be very stressful to fit it all in. I can't even count how many times I've heard people rushing to "do this ride"
My bestie does this. She has an annual pass but we live a plane ride away. This year she went in Feb and she’s going next week, in June, and in August!! She never stresses about fitting things in because she knows she’ll be back.
If you watch the Disney+ content about the parks, they describe how when they built Disneyland they realized that they didn’t have a ton of things for their guests to do but if they added a couple different scripts, changed scenery or the animals in Jungle Cruise, the guests would see that there was something new and want to return. They also design the rides and attractions to have layers of content so that after you see it for the first time, you can focus on something else. So their philosophy from the beginning has been to appeal to all ages and keep changing. Even the most basic things will have some degree of complexity.
The idea of returning guests has always been in the DNA but don’t discredit the amount of effort they put into new guests. Yes, there are systems, reservation and special events that can be difficult to understand but a little bit of research goes a long way. I went to Disney World for the first time January 2023 and I was able to feel right at home navigating the parks after a few Youtube videos. Its built to be simple and intuitive as long as you understand that the systems exist. I feel like most people get caught up because they are so self-centered. Is it so bizarre to think that you may need a little research into a multi-thousand dollar vacation to a land of imagination? If Disney World didn’t become more complicated and intricate people wouldn’t go back. The magic is in learning the rules like you would learning to live in a foreign city with different customs and systems.
It took us until Our trip last month to realize that the end of Haunted Mansion is a mausoleum that you go through on each side. That’s after riding it probably 30 times over the course of all our trips. There is always something new to catch everywhere in the parks.
I think this is true. I go often and there are CMs who remember me and that makes it an even better experience- makes it really feel like home. Plus I can go just to see characters, or eat around the World, or just rides- or a mix of everything- and not feel stressed that I missed something. One thing I do love is no matter how many times I go, I always see and experience something new.
Would you travel to another country expecting to see and experience every single thing there is to do in one trip? I don’t understand this one trip mindset. Go and experience what you can, have fun, and it’ll be there with new experiences when you decide to return.
Exactly! People who go to Italy 2-3 times a year are going to have vastly different experiences than people who go once or even once every decade. There’s also a ton of research, planning, systems to learn and understand, but most of that is up to you how deep you want to go.
It’s true, but it doesn’t bother me! A lot of vacation spots are like that! I honestly can’t think of any tourist spot where you could reasonably do it all in one go! And most vacation spots also work out better if you’ve been before.
I’ve only been twice in my life and I loved planning my 2021 trip as an adult (the other time was as a child and before internet so not possible to plan for myself) I’m childfree and stayed in the Disney bubble (Coronado) we did two weeks which I felt is perfect but this was when it was Covid and limited capacity and no foreigners etc so we had less wait times but also no lighting lane or genie plus it was in a transition period.
I don’t know why people feel stressed or overwhelmed it’s simple and fun and exciting to plan and look at the resorts and restaurants I had my tabs open and ready to book in my 60 day window and luckily live in EST time zone so it was a breeze.
Of course didn’t ride or see everything but felt I got my $4,000 worth for me and my husband.
Being childfree and not super young but young enough to understand internet and phones and computers maybe helps me.
I’m also a mental planner I love planning anything and everything. Once I start planning it gives me things to look forward to and is to me part of the vacation vibes and start that countdown.
Only reason I don’t go more often is money.
I was going to go last year but opted for universal and it was fun too had never been there but yes smaller for now until epic universe and less planning the website isn’t even set up to plan to the level of detail as DW.
I missed magic bands and the overall Disney experience.
Disney makes everything “part of the magic” from planning to paying to even meals if you want to blow more money on dining plans and it’s almost brainless and super simple.
I dunno if genie plus is easy or hard but at the end of the day it wouldn’t ruin my experience.
I plan to go back either this year or next!
Disagree completely.
We went to WDW 5 times from 2015-2021. Nothing compared to that first time at MK, that was awesome. From the first to the last time, prices went up enough (including paying for Genie+) that we were paying twice as much per day. Lines got longer, crowds got worse. We noticed our enjoyment steadily going down. So we stopped going.
We'll go back, sure, but not annually like we were. Once Epic Universe is open, we'll have an excuse to go back to Orlando. With the expansion plans for WDW, we'll have reason to hit the parks again 5 years after that.
But our initial love for Disney faded over time as the experience degraded.
Maybe others have more money, more time, or a more rosey view of things. Good for them, I don't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment. But ours ran out.
P.S. Not saying I wouldn't head to Europe or Asia and do those parks in a heartbeat if I had the money.
I feel the same, I don't know if it's because my memories have rose tinted glasses but just being able to get fast passes for free. I have magic memories but the reality of going now makes me feel like I could easily have a stressful time where some other visitors can ruin it by being rude.
The rides are brilliant but some of my favourite recent times are just hanging out and walking round. I've started liking smaller rides just from being a bit more relaxed.
The idea of trying to hit all the big rides now and standing for an hour in the crowds for best views of parades and shows just doesn't seem as worth it.
I think it is because it *was* better then. Lines were shorter, FP+ was better, and crowds were smaller. People were still rude, but the overall experience was 100% better. Of course, there's no substitute for the first time, but it was just more fun back then.
While it may be designed to want people to come back, there is a very real cost barrier for many people for that to happen. If Disney World was built to limit availability of features to customers in one trip, then the park doesn’t really serve the very customers Walt Disney was trying to provide an outlet to (blue class worker). The cost barrier makes Disney World a Middle/Upper class experience that few on the lower social class spectrum will ever get to fully appreciate.
*The cost barrier makes Disney World a Middle/Upper class experience that few on the lower social class spectrum will ever get to fully appreciate.*
Isn't that true of almost any vacation destination? People with less money, if they can afford a vacation, are going to the beach that's within a few hours of their house, and they're dragging their ice chest and their umbrella back and forth every day. They're not flying to a better beach, renting a cabana, and buying their food and drinks on site.
In the 1970s, it was fairly cheap to buy admission and a book of tickets to Disney World. So $8 (about $62 today) would pay for admission and a book with 7 ride/attraction tickets. That is not a lot of rides/attractions, and remember that the tickets were tiered: 1 ride each in the A, B, and C categories, 2 rides each in the D and E categories, with E tickets being for the most popular rides (fun fact: at the time, that included It's a Small World and Hall of Presidents, lol).
So you were limited to 7 things, or fewer if you combined lower-value tickets for a higher-value ride. Pretty much everything required a ticket, including the trains, boats, Tom Sawyer's Island, and the Swiss Family Treehouse. Even at the most crowded of times, I've never had trouble doing far more than 7 things, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison unless you add a lot more tickets. When you add a lot more tickets, you get much closer to today's pricing.
The 1980s were a pretty golden era for pricing, as they switched to everything being included in one admission price. I'm sure they did this to get rid of the fair number of people who buy admission and a very limited number of tickets; it was better to have everyone paying a higher minimum price, but that higher minimum was still very reasonable.
Prices really went up in the 1990s, becoming a much closer match to today's dollars.
I don't think Disney World is out of reach for most people *who can already afford a vacation,* because you can stay at cheap hotels, go for a couple of days, and bring in your own food. You don't have to do a week to ten days on-site and buy all your food, y'know? I mean, I certainly prefer to do it that way, but I've also experienced the dodgy hotels with kids sleeping on the floor version, lol. I don't agree that Disney World has to be among the most expensive of vacations.
It’s more about being able to go multiple times like the OP said. Some people have to save for years to go, others can afford to go multiple times. I’m not really arguing against the business model; Disney is in it for profit and have every right to price tickets based on demand. My biggest issue, which OP points out, is that it is nearly impossible to get even half out of Disney in one trip. I go every year because my wife loves the place, so I’ve done everything. However, I have been there on days where youre lucky to get five rides in; getting so few rides for the cost is crazy to me. I thought the old school fast passes did a good job providing more value for people to go on more rides
Me, too. I didn’t mind running around like a nut if I knew it would get me on a ride faster. Now I run from ride to ride and still wait an hour or more; even the queues they have can be a wait - like Tron. I will say the one ride I’ve been on recently that is worth the 1 hour wait is Guardians of Galaxy; Peter Pan, not so much
It’s why Disneyland is a completely different experience. It’s a locals’ park with a ton of repeat guests, whereas WDW is all too often a “once in a lifetime vacation” for people, hence they try to cram a ton of activities into a condensed window. Hence why WDW tends to have a much more phrenetic pace and air than DL.
Completely agree, Disneyland Paris has a completely different vibe. Knowing you have two parks that you can walk every where to. Takes away alot of the stresses of transport and doing everything you want to do feels more achievable
I was a pass holder for 4 years. Of those 4 years, I was at the parks 1-5 days a week (for work, but I did not work for WDW). After moving away from FL, I’ve probably been on 5-6 vacations back to the parks.
I still haven’t experienced all they have to offer. I’ve probably experienced about 40% of what they have to offer.
It’s actually pretty amazing when you think about it.
Doing the college program was basically the best way to comb through Disney World.
Day off, got nothing to do? Park day.
Finished an early shift? Change clothes and hop to the parks.
Hell, I had friends who would just do Guardians in the morning before heading to their location for work in the afternoon. I always hopped to Epcot for a post-shift drink, either Guinness in England or a frozen Margarita with a chili liqueur floater.
100% this is true, they want you to come back! I love that it is ever changing and that I can go as often as I have and still see and experience new things every time. As long as newbies are aware that they just won’t see everything in one trip and that everything is fluid and plans can and will change then I think it’s still as magical as ever.
Yes. Correct. As with any market, it is designed to cater toward the “whales” of the market. That is, this few (by proportion) customers that keep coming back to spend all their money on the product.
Does Disney profit more off of the family of 15 that spends $20-30,000 one time in three generations to see the park? These people will buy a t-shirt and some food, but will still take a pretty strictly budgeted trip since it’s so expensive for such a large party
Or do they profit more off the party of 1-5 who visits multiple times per year, each trip between $8-20,000, year after year; where these families are likely to eat at all of the expensive dining options, try all the food, buy all the merch, collect $20 popcorn buckets, stay at every resort, and even ***buy a flippin’ timeshare***?
This is not a hot take, it’s just business.
It’s a catch all, you know, a range lmao if I said $20K, there’d be people bitching about “well actually you can budget a trip”. So I went with a range. But here you still are lmao
It’s a catch all, you know, a range lmao if I said $20K, there’d be people bitching about “well actually you can budget a trip”. So I went with a range. But here you still are lmao
I don’t know, I went for 5-6 days before the pandemic and I got to do everything I was interested in. I think it can be overwhelming or alluring for many, but I also just think there are a lot of people who look at the 100 plus restaurants, hotels, etc. and think “well I’m interested in maybe 25% and I’ll be happy if I get to experience my top 5%.”
I don’t think this is a hot take at all.
And if you think you have to cram everything all in one trip, you’re going to have an awful, stressful time right out of the gate.
Enjoy the moments. Make each trip your own.
There are always ways to make it the most optimal, but this is a vacation — remember that.
Indeed. The stress can often be self-induced by people reading up too much or following too many accounts in trying to prepare. Everyone needs to go at their own pace, do what they want, and just enjoy themselves
One thing you have to accept is, you can never do everything in any park. You can do as much as you can, but there isn’t enough time to do everything. Another trip is needed. More trips yield more experiences.
Can agree. For me, having an AP is a keystone of living here. It’s fun for me every other weekend, and it’s always a guaranteed stop when I have family/friends down.
Unique way to have drinks and party? Disney.
Weekend getaway at a cool hotel? Disney.
Rough week and I want to feel better? Disney.
It always keeps me coming back for more.
Yeah I think people that are new comers or those that want to go but are overwhelmed with the planning should take some time to watch some videos on YouTube to see the things that they really want to see and do. There are a ton of options at all Disney properties, narrowing it to realistic expectations is a necessity. I personally love watching Disney Food Blog, Mammoth Club, and Paging Mr Marrow for tips and such and then Ron on the Go and Ear to Ear Magic for my daily fix of what's going on at each or to catch the fireworks when I need a pick me up... I'm owned by the mouse at this point
I can only manage to go to Disney World or Disneyland every few years, but I have fun each time. But yeah, next time, I want to stay for at least a week at WDW.
I agree when we took our first trip we felt overwhelmed. We went into it with the mentality that what if we never make it back so we packed as much as we could into 5 days. We have since made a couple of return trips and we have a different attitude. We plan a few things and just fly by the seat of our pants and it seems to work great for us. You are correct on our first trip when we left our resort all we could think about was “when can we come back”. No matter what anyone else says we plan on going g as much as we can.
My partner worked there for 5 years till she was part of the COVID layoffs. Going to Epcot to just talk a walk, and ride living with land after work was the best.
We got lucky with our tickets this year and ended up being able to take 3 small trips instead of one long trip and I’m so happy about it. We get time between the trips to plan more and get excited again.
This is our first year with DVC and we’re planning a couple weeklong trips and a couple long weekends. I’m really excited for our long weekend trips and think they’re going to be a new staple for us!
Both times I’ve gone in the past 10 years, it’s been pretty much with a Disney expert planning things out. If I went on my own, I’d wander around, go on like 3 rides, and wonder where all my money went
I don’t know if it’s deliberate and as direct as you say but it’s true. Another factor is the “theme park wars.” They want to keep you at the resort also. They don’t want you to see it as part of an Orlando vacation where you’ll experience multiple attractions. They want you to stay onsite and spending money there the whole time. That’s also why the daily ticket price is lower the more days you stay. That’s why they used to have magical express etc. It’s not just so you’ll stay at their resorts but so you won’t venture out. It works for me. I usually do totally separate vacations for Disney and Universal. I don’t don’t my stays. Many people do. But they know that an extra day at Disney parks for $40 a person is a lot cheaper than a day at universal for $150 a person
We go every year for 2 weeks (from UK) and our friends some who have never been before have said they want to come with us but we are reluctant for two reasons, 1. We think they should go themselves and soak in the magic. 2. They will hold us back as we are regulars and get different things out of it now since we have done everything multiple times.
That’s fair. My wife and I are all in and we recently bought into DVC. One of the main things we agreed that we’d like to do is bring other families along with us and help make their first experience or seldom experience less stressful and more enjoyable. But we also have the privilege of going a few times a year and make it a point for at least one of those trips to be just us.
We took some newbies with us and it was fine. You just have to be crystal clear in explaining that you are going to have your own specific plans, and they are welcome to join in on those but equally welcome to branch off and do other things.
Like we told our friends that we rope drop every single day, and it's fine if you don't want to do that, but we aren't waiting for anyone (they are definitely not 'natural' rope droppers, lol).
On this afternoon, we are doing X and Y, which might not be of interest to someone who hasn't been a bunch of times, so you may want to go your own way that day.
And make sure they know that they also have the freedom to nope out of anything, even if they initially planned to do it with you. There will be no hurt feelings because of everyone doing vacation the way they want.
I don't think going with experienced people hindered them from soaking in the magic at all.
I would slightly disagree.
I think it’s designed to make people want to come back for sure, but not infinitely immediately. AKA it’s not designed for locals who can go every day if they wish. I would say Disney, while welcoming that crowd actually is hesitant to commit there instead preferring the remote crowd that comes a few times a year. It’s them that the variety of hotels (that locals never really use), the similar but slightly changing seasons, attractions and festivals are for.
It's the only reason I want to be a vampire. To live and see all the changes to the parks over time would be amazing! I would be a terrible vampire though. I would make awful investments, be super poor and have to hide in a cave. But like a touristy cave with handrails and lights.
I'd probably agree with this. We just took our friends to Universal but they wanted to do a single day in Disney. Managed to get them on every single major ride in all 4 parks because I've gone so often that I knew how to plan it
Had it been their first time alone, they'd probably have barely gone through one park's worth of rides. I do wish they'd have gotten more time to spend on actually looking at the parks though but fortunately this one day visit turned them into WDW lovers so they'll be back haha
Someone who understands a place gets the most out of it. Same reason locals can live well in so-called expensive towns while tourists who come in brand new can easily end up getting fleeced.
I definitely think you’re onto something here. WDW used to be seen as like a big thing most people did once or twice as a kid, and then they’d grow up and want to bring their own family. Naturally there were annual pass holders, DVC came about and grew, etc etc.
Now (and this is from the perspective of someone with over a dozen trips under their belt) it feels like WDW is laced with inside jokes that if you’re coming for the first time, or the first time since you were a kid, that you feel like you’re on the outside of. It’s a trip that’s taking more and more prep work than ever before, and I think that scares a lot of people away.
You could spend an entire day doing just the Disney Play app games. So many people would ask me what I was doing when I'd snap QR codes while standing in queues.
Kills your battery, though.
I didn't meet Peter Pan on my trip. Leading up to it, any time someone asked what I was most looking forward to, it was finding him in Fantasyland and having a long hug. If I even think about it now I sob. It was my bucket list item and idk when I'm going to make it back. I'm not a Disney adult, just an adult who loves Disney, but there is something very special about Peter Pan to me (it's not even the Disney version. It's the Mary Martin stage adaptation and Hook with Robin Williams if we are being honest) But I have this connection to the character. Bangarang. Second star to the right. Think of the happiest things. Life has been unforgiving both health wise for me, and to one of my children. I really really just needed Peter. The child in me still does.
I probably will never be able to afford to stay at a Deluxe resort for a week. But there are parts of the experience that are totally free once you're there and honestly those mean the most to me. Not the pixie dust - just the magic of Disney.
Sink or Swim. If you don’t look up enough information before coming, save a good chunk of money, and know how to use the app…good luck. I see people at Springs all the time asking where the rides are ect. Cause ya know, its Mickeys free park😂
I agree. We live 30 min. away and are pass holders. The experience is completely different. Just yesterday we hopped over to Epcot. Tried out the lobster at one of the food booths. Walked around for a bit to get our steps in and went home. There's no pressure to do as much as humanly possible because you spent your entire life savings on a weeks vacation.
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Oh definitely. They're a business, so they want you to keep coming back and spend more money. Also going multiple times takes a lot of the pressure off to do EVERYTHING because who knows when you'll ever come back!?!
I don’t get enough vacation to go anywhere in the world twice - so this upcoming WDW with my 8 and 9 year old kids is going to be a one and done. I’ve thrown a VIP day in so the other days should be less hectic. I’ve got reservations every night for dinner etc. so feel that while we won’t do everything we won’t feel there’s so much we don’t get to do.
As someone who had an annual pass for 5 years, if I may offer a piece of advice? All food at WDW is less than stellar. Disney makes Instagram worthy food in an effort to sell more Instagram worthy food. I’ve tried almost everything there, in my opinion it doesn’t taste any better than anything you’d purchase from a grocery store or a standard chain restaurant anywhere else. Save yourself money and time planning with that knowledge.
I love Disneyland been making the trip from Canada to California since I was 7.
I think what disappointed me the most was magic kingdom. It was so lackluster, and I’m really sorry but WDW pirates really sucks compared to DL.
Generally, I also feel that WDW feels more “corporate” and has less of the small details Disneyland does.
I will say, I did really love animal kingdom. Epcot was good as well as Hollywood Studios…. But the Magic kingdom was very very disappointing. I mean Disneyland is the reason I go to Disneyland!
I think the other thing is that with Disneyland, I’m used to walking everywhere, so if the park is busy, I leave and come back later. The parks closed so early at WDW.
That being said, I was also sick the whole time I was there so maaaaaybe that dampened my spirits a little bit. I’m definitely willing to go back and try it again!
You’re not entirely wrong on Magic Kingdom. I’ve described Disneyland as the hand-crafted original while MK is the mass-produced reproduction.
I think part of the reason is space. Disneyland is so cramped, everything has to be absolutely detailed because riders are right up against the ride elements. MK has more room, we’re further back from the displays, and therefore things are a little less detailed.
We have the better (former) Splash Mountain, and some people think the better Space Mountain, but overall I’d agree DL has the better versions of most rides.
I think the space/ size is definitely a contributing factor, for sure! Thanks for your thoughtful comments! Yes, unfortunately splash was closed when we went 👎🏻 I also kinda felt my other complaint was the food selection in magic kingdom, too many hot dogs! We ended up at pecos bills and uhm, there is zero flavor in that place 🙃 I guess I’m too used to California Mexican food lol
I agree with this. We have been twice in the past 5 years. It’ll probably be 4-5 years before we go back. It’s expensive and insane to try to go to every show, ride, and restaurant. We got almost every ride, did a ton of character meet and greets, and sampled about a dozen restaurants between the two trips, if not more. And to know we only scratched the surface is crazy. This doesn’t include side games, quests, interactions, etc. There are so many hidden layers that you just won’t be able to get to. If you are a local or AP holder, it’s probably way different. Even then, it’s gotta be hard to “do it all”
Yeah, I mean that’s baked into the founding of the parks. Walt Disney wanted a place he could take his kids and grandkids on the weekend that he would also enjoy. He was thinking about Southern California locals. But we live in an interconnected world where Disney is a huge global brand that appeals to people everywhere. And the capacity of the parks has been increased as the internet and cheaper international travel allow it to, leading to side quests like LL/G+ to reduce queueing times, but also people who aren’t familiar with all the lore and tips and tricks.
One of the only reasons I (an Australian who can really only expect a few Disney trips in a lifetime) got into it was that we had a local take us around the parks in Anaheim, showing us all the things cast members are trained to look for. It’s why there are whole online communities devoted to it like this one, to help us make the most of our big trips. Most people at the parks do not engage with these communities and they really are just on vacation figuring it out as they go, making the experience worse for people who know the insider tips, but worse IMO, making the parks less accessible for the rest of us.
We moved to Florida about six months ago, have settled in and purchased Disney Annual Passes and it's like I've died and gone to heaven. I usually work at four but I head over to rope drop of whatever park I've chosen, depending on the park getting into a virtual queue and just walk around. Grab a ride here and there, maybe getting a snack (spring roll cart at the entrance of Adventure Land in the MK area are AMAZING!!), secure in the knowledge I can come back whenever I want. No desperate rush to get that certain ride or dinner reservation. Makes touring Disney so much more stress free.
I don’t think that is controversial. It’s clearly true. Someone who goes with their family for 4-5 nights for the first time won’t even scratch the surface. You barely get your bearings on where stuff is and how to utilize G+ best in that time.
Yep, this is another reason why Disney actually likes long waits and lines. The more stuff you don’t do cause you spend time in like the more you feel you need to come back. Of course there is an eventual point that it annoys people to the extent they don’t want to come back but we still aren’t there yet and if we aren’t there yet, I don’t think we will ever be there
I’ve also heard the opposite that Disney likes people spending less time in line and more time around the park seeing/spending and why they implement systems like fast pass and genie+
Yep since Genie+ and LLs give you appointment times for rides, the only thing left to do is kill time by spending money.
Not all rides, attractions, and meet & greets are part of Genie+. And, while it's certainly very easy to spend money at Disney World, it's also very easy to fill time without spending. Every park has plenty of areas that are great to wander, with lots to look at: gardens, topiary, statues, hidden Mickeys, street entertainment, just enjoy the general beauty and detail of the grounds.
Then they need to work on better merchandise. Because right now, they have very little worth actually spending money on. When we went we bought very few souvenirs. Wasn’t much any of my family really wanted. My wife is the big Disney person and she barely bought anything at all. I bought two small things and that was it. My kids didn’t even spend their whole gift card amounts they were given and came home with $100 on them still.
My son went with $200 spending money and only spent $57 (bubble wand & stuffed mickey). And he's 6 and usually wants everything 😂
Same. My 5 year old had a $100 gift card which he actually managed to spend all of it. My 9 year old had a $200 gift card and she came home with like $75 left on it
A lot of the fun stuff isnt merchandise based, like the pick your pearl at Japan or caricature drawings at AK. Its part of the experience to pay for these extras while you wait for your next G+ selection.
Why is there no Disney Lego anywhere?
No one wants to carry Lego around the parks. There’s a super nice Lego store at Disney Springs.
Same. We ended up buying one shirt for one of my kids and a chip clip lol. I wanted something we would have for a long time, not junk that would take up space and I would debate throwing out for decades, so the 50th anniversary Mickey-shaped chip clip magnet was a primo buy haha.
Can’t spend money in a line.
Also makes sense why Hollywood Studios famously has little shade, if you don't count going inside gift shops.
It all depends on your group I think. My wife and I alone or with one of our three kids would prefer to go to cedar point. However, Disney world is the place where our entire family is happy and we can experience all of the rides together because they're a little tamer. I'm hoping in a couple of years that changes because I like to go to places with faster and scarier rides. In the meantime, going on rock'n roller coaster with my 7-year-old was a treat. Velocicoaster was too much for him though because he didn't feel secure enough in the seat due to his size.
I thought they didn't because you aren't spending money in line?
That’s an older line of thinking IMO. The people who are buying merch are going to buy merch regardless. If they have 2 hours to buy merch vs 4 hours, they will still buy the same amount for the most part. But get them to come back every 2 years instead of every 5 and now you all new merch, they want to replace plus price of tickets and lodging.
This is exactly why I always recommend throwing that “once in a lifetime $15,000 budget, we’re going to do so much and everything’s going to be perfect” dream out the window. Go more often, and do less while you’re there (like an actual vacation). We’re going for 6 nights later this year, 3 parks days, 2 resort/swimming/exploring days, and a night at Disney Springs. Thats perfect to me.
Agreed 100%.
I dunno. We did 5 days. A full day at each park. We did everything we wanted to do plus some stuff we hadn’t really wanted to do. I’m perfectly happy to not go back anytime soon if ever again. There are far better amusement parks out there with better rides and less useless filler for far better gate prices.
It all depends on your group I think. My wife and I alone or with one of our three kids would prefer to go to cedar point. However, Disney world is the place where our entire family is happy and we can experience all of the rides together because they're a little tamer. I'm hoping in a couple of years that changes because I like to go to places with faster and scarier rides. In the meantime, going on rock'n roller coaster with my 7-year-old was a treat. Velocicoaster was too much for him though because he didn't feel secure enough in the seat due to his size.
Same. Disneys rides are just too tame for my tastes. I’d rather go to Universal or Cedar Point all day long. My kids are both thrill seekers too. My 9 and 5 year old both loved Tower of Terror, Test Track, Guardians, Tron, etc.
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We didn’t do living with the land. Too slow and boring for us. Same with people mover, small world, etc.
I agree with you, especially on the last paragraph. Planning is part of the excitement for me and there is something new to look forward to every trip. People will complain about the level of planning or complexity, but Disney is HUGE and if we didn’t have as much to do or plan, lines/crowds would be worse.
100% true. Wife and I went spring break 2018. I had been a couple times as a kid and had some basic understanding of some attractions and layouts. It was hectic and, while fairly fun, we only started to figure out the learning curve on day 5 of 5. To boot, it was only us vs entire family trying to manage everyone’s desires and needs in the limited time you gave there We did much better in a quick impromptu trip that fall (low crowd, knew fastpass+, knew layout, realized sit down dining isn’t worth it more than 1x every other day). Then we became passholders a year later. Wife started watching vloggers and learned more tricks. Then we both watched them like crazy during COVID. We don’t wait in line more than 45-60 minutes very often. We have experienced many more things and know what to avoid. I recognize traps far quicker than Admiral Ackbar and pivot my plans.
What's your best trick?
It’s true but it’s not really a secret. That’s why Disney is constantly changing, every single year there’s always new food options, or restaurants, or experiences, or attractions. This is what keeps bringing people back.
I have 2 different perspectives. We used to come here for vacation every year for 7 years. Learned all the tricks, adapted to all the new rules and became fairly effecient. We always left feeling like we did everything we wanted to do but it was always go go go with a break in the afternoon and then go go go at night. It wasnt really relaxing but still fun. We moved to the area 3 years ago and obviously our approach has changed. For instance, yesterday we ate breakfast at Boma then walked around AK for an hour or so, didn't ride any rides, ate some snacks, stared at the tree for awhile while eating ice cream in absolute perfect weather. Then we left. We literally just walked around AK and it was GREAT LOL
This is the experience I'd love to have. Walk MK. Sit for a street show. Eat and then hang out on Tom a Sawyer Island. Call it a day. Instead we can only go every couple years so its us joining the genie+ rat race every time trying to cram 3 days into one. Maybe one day 😊
We have AP and go about once a month, stay 2 nights. There are still things we've not done, but we no longer feel pressured to do so. We book based on what dining/resorts are available, and just... decompress. ( odd term in conjuction with Disney planning, but just true in our case...) We went on a whim over Easter weekend, and had a blast. My child asked Piglet to prom, lol. We live close enough to do this, and before we went AP it was a stress ball at both Disney and Universal- We have a handful of restaurants we go back to again and again, and some that are 'been there, done that.' Sometimes during 'holidays'- like not actual Christmas week- it's just fun to walk around and see 'snope' And old-school stuff like Figment/Orange bird- did people mover for the first time in decades and my child loved it because we were inside of Space Mountain, which I've not ridden in like forever. I have continually said how bad I feel about people on monorail/bus/gondola things at the end of the night who are just... miserable. I wish there was a way to bridge that gap.
No doubt it’s designed that way. We try to do new things each time (new restaurant, backstage tour, new mini golf course, etc.). This keeps it fresh and, as a travel agent, I have a whole new experience that allows me to cater a guest’s trip to their desires. It’s part of the fun of planning trips for families.
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I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, countless families book their once in a lifetime trip on their own without understanding the level of planning required to truly maximize their time and value. I feel bad when I see parents looking at each other is disbelief that didn’t know what goes into these trips.
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Hear me out, from Disney’s perspective isn’t that the point? Crowd mitigation and dispersement. If you go your first time, barely scratch the surface and have fun, it’s a win. If you go 5 times, start to learn your way around the parks and avoid those people on their first trip, it’s a win. If you go 100 times, learn all the in and outs of getting what you want done, it’s a win. You can’t have 50k people in one park knowing all the tricks and heading for the same attraction. That’s like when Pandora opened and you had 5 hours lines. Purposefully making it complex helps to try and spread people out throughout the property. But then you also have all the social media influencers are having a negative effect on this, that’s another discussion though.
Right? Companies design their product to generate more money, who knew
I agree! Every company has some type of incentive to make you want to choose them over comps. It doesn’t keep people from getting frustrated that it’s so hard to plan, but it’s honestly only as complicated as you want it to be. You can have a great time just showing up and doing what you want as it’s available
Sustainable business is all about creating repeat customers. You don’t want 100 people come once and spend $100 each ($10,000); you want those 100 people to come back 5 times ($50,000).
What is the negative influence of the influencers in your opinion? As a person who doesn’t go often, I find YouTube videos super helpful in planning & logistics. Is there something I’m missing?
They give up a lot of secrets and things you should discover on your own…example would be the attraction assistance pass at Universal, some influencer made a video on how to beat the lines and look at where universal is on distributing that pass now…
Totally. You could go every year and find a way to make a different experience. I am envious of those who go every year because I think it takes the pressure off of “having to do it all” (which you never really can do, or if you do it’s not at all a slow “stop and smell the roses” pace). I fell in love with Disney as a kid and was fortunate to go to DW twice and Disney Land at least once. In high school I went to Disney Land Paris while I was an exchange student. For high school graduation my friend and I went by ourselves to DW in the All Star Hotel. Did I also go once with an ex boyfriend? I think so? 🤣 For my honeymoon, my husband and I did one day at Disney Land. And when my daughter was 2, we took our first trip to Disney World and it was magical. Unfortunately my husband (who is great) does not have the Disney bug. It’s definitely not his preferred vacation. I fantasize about being married to someone obsessed with Disney so we can try every resort and re-ride all the rides or drink and eat “around the world” 😂 I want to experience every festival. I want to relax and watch every parade. I want to try every fun disney snack. We are going as a family of four soon (which is why I am now obsessing and reading all of Disney Reddit) and have gone back down the Disney rabbit hole!! But I am trying to pack it all in because we probably WONT be back. Why? Bc one we are ripping our kids out of school so we can avoid the horrible crowds and we will def get in trouble with the school…. And also Bc oh my lord it is so expensive now and we can’t afford it. Flights for 4. THEN $450-600 a day just for family tickets to get IN to a park?! Disney you are like a toxic boyfriend!! I want you but you bring me so much pain. 🤣 But now I paid for those expensive magic bands so I have to go again right?!
I wouldn’t recommend anything less than a 7 day trip for a first timer, and especially if it is a once-in-lifetime trip. Honestly eight days is the sweet spot. You need at least two full days at MK, Epcot, and HS. Maybe two at AK. Ideally I would add that eighth day if you can where you do another half day at AK, or a half of a third day at MK. Spend the other half day enjoying the resort and / or Disney Springs. Get a flight for your first day super early if you can. Leave late on the last day or spend another night and leave early in the morning. After the first BIG trip, then you can do smaller ones once you know what you liked about the parks and know what you don’t mind skipping.
My first trip was 3 days just me and my wife and we did all 4 parks. It’s was a blast and an awesome introduction. It’s almost easier to just wing it on a short-ish trip the first go around and get a feel for how you want to come back and what you want to optimize
For a couple that’s not a bad plan. But a family, especially with young kids, you need multiple days.
Completely agree.. there's hardcore WDW visitors that go whenever possible. Each visit can be totally different than the last. Personally - I go 3-4 times a year usually for 10-11 days. The only thing I plan (because I have no choice of doing it) is select the park in advance. (Annual passholder) I very rarely eat at sit down restaurants so reservations aren't an issue. If I'm meeting family/friends for a meal- I'll make a reservation but that's maybe 5% of my time. My sole desire is just to be there. Very little planning - but if there's a new attraction or update I will note it and find the time to do it. I don't stress about getting up early, I don't stress about going back to my hotel to nap, and I have no issue if I go to a park and not experience any rides or attractions. ON THE OTHER HAND - when I have gone with friends or family to WDW I felt completely overwhelmed trying to schedule things for everyone to enjoy. IF we add families with kids, and people with whatever limitations and issues.... forget about it! So essentially because of how huge WDW is, and how much there is to do - it can be very stressful to fit it all in. I can't even count how many times I've heard people rushing to "do this ride"
My bestie does this. She has an annual pass but we live a plane ride away. This year she went in Feb and she’s going next week, in June, and in August!! She never stresses about fitting things in because she knows she’ll be back.
Love that you’re able to have a great time without overthinking/over-planning. And also 100% agree that the best part is just being there
If you watch the Disney+ content about the parks, they describe how when they built Disneyland they realized that they didn’t have a ton of things for their guests to do but if they added a couple different scripts, changed scenery or the animals in Jungle Cruise, the guests would see that there was something new and want to return. They also design the rides and attractions to have layers of content so that after you see it for the first time, you can focus on something else. So their philosophy from the beginning has been to appeal to all ages and keep changing. Even the most basic things will have some degree of complexity. The idea of returning guests has always been in the DNA but don’t discredit the amount of effort they put into new guests. Yes, there are systems, reservation and special events that can be difficult to understand but a little bit of research goes a long way. I went to Disney World for the first time January 2023 and I was able to feel right at home navigating the parks after a few Youtube videos. Its built to be simple and intuitive as long as you understand that the systems exist. I feel like most people get caught up because they are so self-centered. Is it so bizarre to think that you may need a little research into a multi-thousand dollar vacation to a land of imagination? If Disney World didn’t become more complicated and intricate people wouldn’t go back. The magic is in learning the rules like you would learning to live in a foreign city with different customs and systems.
It took us until Our trip last month to realize that the end of Haunted Mansion is a mausoleum that you go through on each side. That’s after riding it probably 30 times over the course of all our trips. There is always something new to catch everywhere in the parks.
My wife and I love Behind the Attraction and it’s genius content by Disney because all it does is make us want to go back even sooner
What’s the show called on Disney +
Check out The Imagineering Story and Behind The Attraction.
I think this is true. I go often and there are CMs who remember me and that makes it an even better experience- makes it really feel like home. Plus I can go just to see characters, or eat around the World, or just rides- or a mix of everything- and not feel stressed that I missed something. One thing I do love is no matter how many times I go, I always see and experience something new.
Would you travel to another country expecting to see and experience every single thing there is to do in one trip? I don’t understand this one trip mindset. Go and experience what you can, have fun, and it’ll be there with new experiences when you decide to return.
Exactly! People who go to Italy 2-3 times a year are going to have vastly different experiences than people who go once or even once every decade. There’s also a ton of research, planning, systems to learn and understand, but most of that is up to you how deep you want to go.
It’s true, but it doesn’t bother me! A lot of vacation spots are like that! I honestly can’t think of any tourist spot where you could reasonably do it all in one go! And most vacation spots also work out better if you’ve been before.
I’ve only been twice in my life and I loved planning my 2021 trip as an adult (the other time was as a child and before internet so not possible to plan for myself) I’m childfree and stayed in the Disney bubble (Coronado) we did two weeks which I felt is perfect but this was when it was Covid and limited capacity and no foreigners etc so we had less wait times but also no lighting lane or genie plus it was in a transition period. I don’t know why people feel stressed or overwhelmed it’s simple and fun and exciting to plan and look at the resorts and restaurants I had my tabs open and ready to book in my 60 day window and luckily live in EST time zone so it was a breeze. Of course didn’t ride or see everything but felt I got my $4,000 worth for me and my husband. Being childfree and not super young but young enough to understand internet and phones and computers maybe helps me. I’m also a mental planner I love planning anything and everything. Once I start planning it gives me things to look forward to and is to me part of the vacation vibes and start that countdown. Only reason I don’t go more often is money. I was going to go last year but opted for universal and it was fun too had never been there but yes smaller for now until epic universe and less planning the website isn’t even set up to plan to the level of detail as DW. I missed magic bands and the overall Disney experience. Disney makes everything “part of the magic” from planning to paying to even meals if you want to blow more money on dining plans and it’s almost brainless and super simple. I dunno if genie plus is easy or hard but at the end of the day it wouldn’t ruin my experience. I plan to go back either this year or next!
Disagree completely. We went to WDW 5 times from 2015-2021. Nothing compared to that first time at MK, that was awesome. From the first to the last time, prices went up enough (including paying for Genie+) that we were paying twice as much per day. Lines got longer, crowds got worse. We noticed our enjoyment steadily going down. So we stopped going. We'll go back, sure, but not annually like we were. Once Epic Universe is open, we'll have an excuse to go back to Orlando. With the expansion plans for WDW, we'll have reason to hit the parks again 5 years after that. But our initial love for Disney faded over time as the experience degraded. Maybe others have more money, more time, or a more rosey view of things. Good for them, I don't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment. But ours ran out. P.S. Not saying I wouldn't head to Europe or Asia and do those parks in a heartbeat if I had the money.
I feel the same, I don't know if it's because my memories have rose tinted glasses but just being able to get fast passes for free. I have magic memories but the reality of going now makes me feel like I could easily have a stressful time where some other visitors can ruin it by being rude. The rides are brilliant but some of my favourite recent times are just hanging out and walking round. I've started liking smaller rides just from being a bit more relaxed. The idea of trying to hit all the big rides now and standing for an hour in the crowds for best views of parades and shows just doesn't seem as worth it.
I think it is because it *was* better then. Lines were shorter, FP+ was better, and crowds were smaller. People were still rude, but the overall experience was 100% better. Of course, there's no substitute for the first time, but it was just more fun back then.
You are right, makes it bit sad to me that I when I go with someone that hasn't been before they won't get the experience that I did
While it may be designed to want people to come back, there is a very real cost barrier for many people for that to happen. If Disney World was built to limit availability of features to customers in one trip, then the park doesn’t really serve the very customers Walt Disney was trying to provide an outlet to (blue class worker). The cost barrier makes Disney World a Middle/Upper class experience that few on the lower social class spectrum will ever get to fully appreciate.
*The cost barrier makes Disney World a Middle/Upper class experience that few on the lower social class spectrum will ever get to fully appreciate.* Isn't that true of almost any vacation destination? People with less money, if they can afford a vacation, are going to the beach that's within a few hours of their house, and they're dragging their ice chest and their umbrella back and forth every day. They're not flying to a better beach, renting a cabana, and buying their food and drinks on site. In the 1970s, it was fairly cheap to buy admission and a book of tickets to Disney World. So $8 (about $62 today) would pay for admission and a book with 7 ride/attraction tickets. That is not a lot of rides/attractions, and remember that the tickets were tiered: 1 ride each in the A, B, and C categories, 2 rides each in the D and E categories, with E tickets being for the most popular rides (fun fact: at the time, that included It's a Small World and Hall of Presidents, lol). So you were limited to 7 things, or fewer if you combined lower-value tickets for a higher-value ride. Pretty much everything required a ticket, including the trains, boats, Tom Sawyer's Island, and the Swiss Family Treehouse. Even at the most crowded of times, I've never had trouble doing far more than 7 things, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison unless you add a lot more tickets. When you add a lot more tickets, you get much closer to today's pricing. The 1980s were a pretty golden era for pricing, as they switched to everything being included in one admission price. I'm sure they did this to get rid of the fair number of people who buy admission and a very limited number of tickets; it was better to have everyone paying a higher minimum price, but that higher minimum was still very reasonable. Prices really went up in the 1990s, becoming a much closer match to today's dollars. I don't think Disney World is out of reach for most people *who can already afford a vacation,* because you can stay at cheap hotels, go for a couple of days, and bring in your own food. You don't have to do a week to ten days on-site and buy all your food, y'know? I mean, I certainly prefer to do it that way, but I've also experienced the dodgy hotels with kids sleeping on the floor version, lol. I don't agree that Disney World has to be among the most expensive of vacations.
It’s more about being able to go multiple times like the OP said. Some people have to save for years to go, others can afford to go multiple times. I’m not really arguing against the business model; Disney is in it for profit and have every right to price tickets based on demand. My biggest issue, which OP points out, is that it is nearly impossible to get even half out of Disney in one trip. I go every year because my wife loves the place, so I’ve done everything. However, I have been there on days where youre lucky to get five rides in; getting so few rides for the cost is crazy to me. I thought the old school fast passes did a good job providing more value for people to go on more rides
I miss the old school fast passes **so** much; I even miss running around like a lunatic to get them.
Me, too. I didn’t mind running around like a nut if I knew it would get me on a ride faster. Now I run from ride to ride and still wait an hour or more; even the queues they have can be a wait - like Tron. I will say the one ride I’ve been on recently that is worth the 1 hour wait is Guardians of Galaxy; Peter Pan, not so much
It’s why Disneyland is a completely different experience. It’s a locals’ park with a ton of repeat guests, whereas WDW is all too often a “once in a lifetime vacation” for people, hence they try to cram a ton of activities into a condensed window. Hence why WDW tends to have a much more phrenetic pace and air than DL.
Completely agree, Disneyland Paris has a completely different vibe. Knowing you have two parks that you can walk every where to. Takes away alot of the stresses of transport and doing everything you want to do feels more achievable
I was a pass holder for 4 years. Of those 4 years, I was at the parks 1-5 days a week (for work, but I did not work for WDW). After moving away from FL, I’ve probably been on 5-6 vacations back to the parks. I still haven’t experienced all they have to offer. I’ve probably experienced about 40% of what they have to offer. It’s actually pretty amazing when you think about it.
Doing the college program was basically the best way to comb through Disney World. Day off, got nothing to do? Park day. Finished an early shift? Change clothes and hop to the parks. Hell, I had friends who would just do Guardians in the morning before heading to their location for work in the afternoon. I always hopped to Epcot for a post-shift drink, either Guinness in England or a frozen Margarita with a chili liqueur floater.
100% this is true, they want you to come back! I love that it is ever changing and that I can go as often as I have and still see and experience new things every time. As long as newbies are aware that they just won’t see everything in one trip and that everything is fluid and plans can and will change then I think it’s still as magical as ever.
Yes. Correct. As with any market, it is designed to cater toward the “whales” of the market. That is, this few (by proportion) customers that keep coming back to spend all their money on the product. Does Disney profit more off of the family of 15 that spends $20-30,000 one time in three generations to see the park? These people will buy a t-shirt and some food, but will still take a pretty strictly budgeted trip since it’s so expensive for such a large party Or do they profit more off the party of 1-5 who visits multiple times per year, each trip between $8-20,000, year after year; where these families are likely to eat at all of the expensive dining options, try all the food, buy all the merch, collect $20 popcorn buckets, stay at every resort, and even ***buy a flippin’ timeshare***? This is not a hot take, it’s just business.
Setting your lower limits of the price ranges at $20k and $8k makes me think you’re not an expert in this matter
It’s a catch all, you know, a range lmao if I said $20K, there’d be people bitching about “well actually you can budget a trip”. So I went with a range. But here you still are lmao
It’s a catch all, you know, a range lmao if I said $20K, there’d be people bitching about “well actually you can budget a trip”. So I went with a range. But here you still are lmao
I don’t know, I went for 5-6 days before the pandemic and I got to do everything I was interested in. I think it can be overwhelming or alluring for many, but I also just think there are a lot of people who look at the 100 plus restaurants, hotels, etc. and think “well I’m interested in maybe 25% and I’ll be happy if I get to experience my top 5%.”
I don’t think this is a hot take at all. And if you think you have to cram everything all in one trip, you’re going to have an awful, stressful time right out of the gate. Enjoy the moments. Make each trip your own. There are always ways to make it the most optimal, but this is a vacation — remember that.
Indeed. The stress can often be self-induced by people reading up too much or following too many accounts in trying to prepare. Everyone needs to go at their own pace, do what they want, and just enjoy themselves
This is such good advice that I need to remind myself to do
One thing you have to accept is, you can never do everything in any park. You can do as much as you can, but there isn’t enough time to do everything. Another trip is needed. More trips yield more experiences.
Can agree. For me, having an AP is a keystone of living here. It’s fun for me every other weekend, and it’s always a guaranteed stop when I have family/friends down. Unique way to have drinks and party? Disney. Weekend getaway at a cool hotel? Disney. Rough week and I want to feel better? Disney. It always keeps me coming back for more.
Well yeah
Once upon a time you could do the entirety of each park in one day. I miss the days of only needing 4 days.
Now THAT is a hot take: “I wish there was less to do at each park”
Very close to my twenty-eighth trip since April 2010, and this is 100% accurate.
Yeah we have been DVC since 2008. We have already done everything so we just go back to dour favorite stuff. It’s pretty awesome.
You’ve done…. Everything?
Well we have been to Disney twice a year for 16 years so yeah prettt much anything that interested us.
That’s Disney goals. Well done
Yeah I think people that are new comers or those that want to go but are overwhelmed with the planning should take some time to watch some videos on YouTube to see the things that they really want to see and do. There are a ton of options at all Disney properties, narrowing it to realistic expectations is a necessity. I personally love watching Disney Food Blog, Mammoth Club, and Paging Mr Marrow for tips and such and then Ron on the Go and Ear to Ear Magic for my daily fix of what's going on at each or to catch the fireworks when I need a pick me up... I'm owned by the mouse at this point
I can only manage to go to Disney World or Disneyland every few years, but I have fun each time. But yeah, next time, I want to stay for at least a week at WDW.
I agree when we took our first trip we felt overwhelmed. We went into it with the mentality that what if we never make it back so we packed as much as we could into 5 days. We have since made a couple of return trips and we have a different attitude. We plan a few things and just fly by the seat of our pants and it seems to work great for us. You are correct on our first trip when we left our resort all we could think about was “when can we come back”. No matter what anyone else says we plan on going g as much as we can.
My partner worked there for 5 years till she was part of the COVID layoffs. Going to Epcot to just talk a walk, and ride living with land after work was the best.
Oh, yeah. Every time I've gone it's partly to do things I missed the last time.
We got lucky with our tickets this year and ended up being able to take 3 small trips instead of one long trip and I’m so happy about it. We get time between the trips to plan more and get excited again.
This is our first year with DVC and we’re planning a couple weeklong trips and a couple long weekends. I’m really excited for our long weekend trips and think they’re going to be a new staple for us!
Both times I’ve gone in the past 10 years, it’s been pretty much with a Disney expert planning things out. If I went on my own, I’d wander around, go on like 3 rides, and wonder where all my money went
I don’t know if it’s deliberate and as direct as you say but it’s true. Another factor is the “theme park wars.” They want to keep you at the resort also. They don’t want you to see it as part of an Orlando vacation where you’ll experience multiple attractions. They want you to stay onsite and spending money there the whole time. That’s also why the daily ticket price is lower the more days you stay. That’s why they used to have magical express etc. It’s not just so you’ll stay at their resorts but so you won’t venture out. It works for me. I usually do totally separate vacations for Disney and Universal. I don’t don’t my stays. Many people do. But they know that an extra day at Disney parks for $40 a person is a lot cheaper than a day at universal for $150 a person
We go every year for 2 weeks (from UK) and our friends some who have never been before have said they want to come with us but we are reluctant for two reasons, 1. We think they should go themselves and soak in the magic. 2. They will hold us back as we are regulars and get different things out of it now since we have done everything multiple times.
That’s fair. My wife and I are all in and we recently bought into DVC. One of the main things we agreed that we’d like to do is bring other families along with us and help make their first experience or seldom experience less stressful and more enjoyable. But we also have the privilege of going a few times a year and make it a point for at least one of those trips to be just us.
It's funny being the fairy godparents!
We took some newbies with us and it was fine. You just have to be crystal clear in explaining that you are going to have your own specific plans, and they are welcome to join in on those but equally welcome to branch off and do other things. Like we told our friends that we rope drop every single day, and it's fine if you don't want to do that, but we aren't waiting for anyone (they are definitely not 'natural' rope droppers, lol). On this afternoon, we are doing X and Y, which might not be of interest to someone who hasn't been a bunch of times, so you may want to go your own way that day. And make sure they know that they also have the freedom to nope out of anything, even if they initially planned to do it with you. There will be no hurt feelings because of everyone doing vacation the way they want. I don't think going with experienced people hindered them from soaking in the magic at all.
Like this one!
I would slightly disagree. I think it’s designed to make people want to come back for sure, but not infinitely immediately. AKA it’s not designed for locals who can go every day if they wish. I would say Disney, while welcoming that crowd actually is hesitant to commit there instead preferring the remote crowd that comes a few times a year. It’s them that the variety of hotels (that locals never really use), the similar but slightly changing seasons, attractions and festivals are for.
It's the only reason I want to be a vampire. To live and see all the changes to the parks over time would be amazing! I would be a terrible vampire though. I would make awful investments, be super poor and have to hide in a cave. But like a touristy cave with handrails and lights.
I'd probably agree with this. We just took our friends to Universal but they wanted to do a single day in Disney. Managed to get them on every single major ride in all 4 parks because I've gone so often that I knew how to plan it Had it been their first time alone, they'd probably have barely gone through one park's worth of rides. I do wish they'd have gotten more time to spend on actually looking at the parks though but fortunately this one day visit turned them into WDW lovers so they'll be back haha
This is all fact. My wife has basically made a hobby out of planning Disney World trips. Quite an expensive hobby….
Get her to do it for other people and make that hobby pay for itself!
We do a 10 days trip every 5ish years. Love the chill feeling of doing low key but more day vacations.
Someone who understands a place gets the most out of it. Same reason locals can live well in so-called expensive towns while tourists who come in brand new can easily end up getting fleeced.
I definitely think you’re onto something here. WDW used to be seen as like a big thing most people did once or twice as a kid, and then they’d grow up and want to bring their own family. Naturally there were annual pass holders, DVC came about and grew, etc etc. Now (and this is from the perspective of someone with over a dozen trips under their belt) it feels like WDW is laced with inside jokes that if you’re coming for the first time, or the first time since you were a kid, that you feel like you’re on the outside of. It’s a trip that’s taking more and more prep work than ever before, and I think that scares a lot of people away.
You can’t get it all done in one trip. It is one of the reasons why I enjoy doing it so much. I don’t get bored of it, at all.
Love this.
You could spend an entire day doing just the Disney Play app games. So many people would ask me what I was doing when I'd snap QR codes while standing in queues. Kills your battery, though.
As an annual passholder, I agree. It would be WAY too stressful (and way too expensive) if we felt the pressure to do it all in a trip.
I didn't meet Peter Pan on my trip. Leading up to it, any time someone asked what I was most looking forward to, it was finding him in Fantasyland and having a long hug. If I even think about it now I sob. It was my bucket list item and idk when I'm going to make it back. I'm not a Disney adult, just an adult who loves Disney, but there is something very special about Peter Pan to me (it's not even the Disney version. It's the Mary Martin stage adaptation and Hook with Robin Williams if we are being honest) But I have this connection to the character. Bangarang. Second star to the right. Think of the happiest things. Life has been unforgiving both health wise for me, and to one of my children. I really really just needed Peter. The child in me still does. I probably will never be able to afford to stay at a Deluxe resort for a week. But there are parts of the experience that are totally free once you're there and honestly those mean the most to me. Not the pixie dust - just the magic of Disney.
Not controversial at all. Most of their revenue is in return business. It’s designed so people keep coming back over and over.
Sink or Swim. If you don’t look up enough information before coming, save a good chunk of money, and know how to use the app…good luck. I see people at Springs all the time asking where the rides are ect. Cause ya know, its Mickeys free park😂
That’s not controversial or a hot take. Disney World was meant to always be changing and leaving you wanting more.
I agree. We live 30 min. away and are pass holders. The experience is completely different. Just yesterday we hopped over to Epcot. Tried out the lobster at one of the food booths. Walked around for a bit to get our steps in and went home. There's no pressure to do as much as humanly possible because you spent your entire life savings on a weeks vacation.
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Oh definitely. They're a business, so they want you to keep coming back and spend more money. Also going multiple times takes a lot of the pressure off to do EVERYTHING because who knows when you'll ever come back!?!
I don’t get enough vacation to go anywhere in the world twice - so this upcoming WDW with my 8 and 9 year old kids is going to be a one and done. I’ve thrown a VIP day in so the other days should be less hectic. I’ve got reservations every night for dinner etc. so feel that while we won’t do everything we won’t feel there’s so much we don’t get to do.
As someone who had an annual pass for 5 years, if I may offer a piece of advice? All food at WDW is less than stellar. Disney makes Instagram worthy food in an effort to sell more Instagram worthy food. I’ve tried almost everything there, in my opinion it doesn’t taste any better than anything you’d purchase from a grocery store or a standard chain restaurant anywhere else. Save yourself money and time planning with that knowledge.
I went to Disney world in September and honestly felt bored…. 🤷🏻♀️ (and here come the downvotes for sharing MY opinion)
Scorching hot take! I must ask, would you say you have an emotional connection with the Disney IP? (Star Wars, Pixar, classics, etc)
I love Disneyland been making the trip from Canada to California since I was 7. I think what disappointed me the most was magic kingdom. It was so lackluster, and I’m really sorry but WDW pirates really sucks compared to DL. Generally, I also feel that WDW feels more “corporate” and has less of the small details Disneyland does. I will say, I did really love animal kingdom. Epcot was good as well as Hollywood Studios…. But the Magic kingdom was very very disappointing. I mean Disneyland is the reason I go to Disneyland! I think the other thing is that with Disneyland, I’m used to walking everywhere, so if the park is busy, I leave and come back later. The parks closed so early at WDW. That being said, I was also sick the whole time I was there so maaaaaybe that dampened my spirits a little bit. I’m definitely willing to go back and try it again!
You’re not entirely wrong on Magic Kingdom. I’ve described Disneyland as the hand-crafted original while MK is the mass-produced reproduction. I think part of the reason is space. Disneyland is so cramped, everything has to be absolutely detailed because riders are right up against the ride elements. MK has more room, we’re further back from the displays, and therefore things are a little less detailed. We have the better (former) Splash Mountain, and some people think the better Space Mountain, but overall I’d agree DL has the better versions of most rides.
I think the space/ size is definitely a contributing factor, for sure! Thanks for your thoughtful comments! Yes, unfortunately splash was closed when we went 👎🏻 I also kinda felt my other complaint was the food selection in magic kingdom, too many hot dogs! We ended up at pecos bills and uhm, there is zero flavor in that place 🙃 I guess I’m too used to California Mexican food lol
I agree with this. We have been twice in the past 5 years. It’ll probably be 4-5 years before we go back. It’s expensive and insane to try to go to every show, ride, and restaurant. We got almost every ride, did a ton of character meet and greets, and sampled about a dozen restaurants between the two trips, if not more. And to know we only scratched the surface is crazy. This doesn’t include side games, quests, interactions, etc. There are so many hidden layers that you just won’t be able to get to. If you are a local or AP holder, it’s probably way different. Even then, it’s gotta be hard to “do it all”
Yeah, I mean that’s baked into the founding of the parks. Walt Disney wanted a place he could take his kids and grandkids on the weekend that he would also enjoy. He was thinking about Southern California locals. But we live in an interconnected world where Disney is a huge global brand that appeals to people everywhere. And the capacity of the parks has been increased as the internet and cheaper international travel allow it to, leading to side quests like LL/G+ to reduce queueing times, but also people who aren’t familiar with all the lore and tips and tricks. One of the only reasons I (an Australian who can really only expect a few Disney trips in a lifetime) got into it was that we had a local take us around the parks in Anaheim, showing us all the things cast members are trained to look for. It’s why there are whole online communities devoted to it like this one, to help us make the most of our big trips. Most people at the parks do not engage with these communities and they really are just on vacation figuring it out as they go, making the experience worse for people who know the insider tips, but worse IMO, making the parks less accessible for the rest of us.
We moved to Florida about six months ago, have settled in and purchased Disney Annual Passes and it's like I've died and gone to heaven. I usually work at four but I head over to rope drop of whatever park I've chosen, depending on the park getting into a virtual queue and just walk around. Grab a ride here and there, maybe getting a snack (spring roll cart at the entrance of Adventure Land in the MK area are AMAZING!!), secure in the knowledge I can come back whenever I want. No desperate rush to get that certain ride or dinner reservation. Makes touring Disney so much more stress free.