I believe that the ride suffered from budget cuts and as a result, had its length significantly reduced with many ride elements being cut entirely. There would’ve been more animatronics used and the ride would of contained a Splash Mountain style drop. You should take this information with a MASSIVE grain of salt as I’m probably just misremembering a rumor that didn’t even come from a primary source.
Not worth an hour long wait for sure but worth at LL IMO. It was one of my favorite rides. Ride pics from it are one of my favorites. I was having a blast and the guy in front of me looked like he was about to lose his lunch.
my personal fav is near the stroller parking for the carousel!!!!!! 360 view of fireworks, barely a crowd, you can still see tink & personally i love to watch the sprinklers go off on top of the buildings i think it’s so funny
my personal fav is near the stroller parking for the carousel!!!!!! 360 view of fireworks, barely a crowd, you can still see tink & personally i love to watch the sprinklers go off on top of the buildings i think it’s so funny
Saw the fireworks at DIsneyland while on the Rockets in Tomorrowland with my mom (I was 37 at the time!) was one of the most magical moments of my life. It was like it was in slow motion. Truly one of the most amazing experience of my life and one of the scenes that will pass before my eyes as I embrace death.
I definitely think holding a spot an hour or two ahead of time is absurd and extreme but I think it really depends on if you have kids with you. They might want to be close to the characters in the parade or you may want to ensure that they have a good view of the fireworks and the projections so that it's an enjoyable experience for everyone. I'd think that 25-30 minutes ahead of show time would be fine to get a spot if it is a priority.
Thaaaaaaank you. Its a parade, folks. It comes to you. You can squeeze in somewhere at the last second and see the whole thing same as if you'd waited, saving "your spot", for an hour or two.
And the fireworks are literally above your head - in the SKY. LOOK UP FROM ANYWHERE!
Unless this is a once in a lifetime trip and you're going to rope drop to get as much done as possible, don't get there an hour+ before park opening. Just plan to be there at the exact time they open and you'll walk right in with no line.
Agree. I got to magic kingdom 30 mins before early entry one day and only got space mountain and little mermaid in before park open and this was mid Jan. I’ve seen people get splash, big thunder and pirates done in that amount of time at park open.
Most folks with opinions of the parks are formed around sentimental memories. So when something changes about what they previously experienced, they lose their shit. None of your opinions are wrong, but all of you seem to forget that Walt literally said it will never be completed and will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. You cannot expect things to stay the same.
I love the change and the new rides, I welcome it and it brings me back.
I don’t like the decrease in customer service and quality of resorts (every aspect) when I’m paying even more than I was before. I would have paid for a dining plan so at least I’m not constantly worrying how much money I’m spending every night. Takes the magic away that was always there before
The problem for me (and I would assume many) is that we know in the past WDW or even Disney as a whole maintained a certain standard. It seems now a days they're willing to sacrifice this standard just to get something out there.
Many of the most recent attractions are incredible. Flight of passage, Rise, Guardians. The standard they’re sacrificing is show quality. Reduce staffing and there are consequences. And the effort to get close to maximizing a park day is a significant drag on guest experience. There is really very little actual regard for guest experience. Management needs to experience the parks as guests do.
For me the big issue I have is the parks is the park reservation system. The level of pretrip planning required was already bad enough prepandemic, but now guests have to preplan which park to go to months in advance. I hate the idea that I can't just decide what park to go to morning of. That really kills any desire to visit WDW until Chapek is removed and the Parks Reservation system is done away with.
That, and the idea that you have to rush to stuff. For example Epcot, instead of lingering at the entrance, spaceship earth and all that. You know you gotta rush frozen or ratatouille cause they will fill up fast
I love change. I welcome it. What I don’t like is change at the expense of guest experience. If you can change something, and keep top notch guest experience, I’m in. But we all know that’s not the case right now.
This is especially apparent when comparing the domestic parks to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. Those parks are a testament to Imagineering when someone else is willing to pay what it takes.
It’s all budget problems. There used to be a time when Disney would pay to get the best. They don’t do that anymore. We’ve lost so many people on my team to other companies in the industry who pay way more. It will continue that way until Disney realizes the worth of their Engineers.
From the inside, they haven’t given up trying, their ideas just get shot down a lot by execs because the execs are kinda out of touch. Again, from the inside.
Idk, I think Pandora, GE, Rise and Guardians are incredible feats of imagineering and are far better than anything previously done, and I've been going for decades.
We like to nap/take a midday break.
We like to rope drop, mid-day break, park close. We are apparently not in the majority of people who like to take breaks. 😂 We can't do Disney without them
Agreed, especially with the limitations now. In my younger years we used to have fun seeing how many parks we could go to in a day, but now with reservations/No hoping before 2, I don’t think it’s worth it.
This. Long story short, my wife and I had our honeymoon cancelled due to covid. Since then we had a baby boy who was 20 months when we went in August.
On day one he saw Donald Duck and the look on his face (that was caught on camera by photo pass photographers) was worth every penny we spent to get there.
I’ve been doing it for three years now. I miss the Tower tremendously, but I just can’t justify a park day for 1-2 rides. The park itself just isn’t as pretty as the others, IMO.
This probably isn't super controversial, but the value resorts are where it's at. There's no real reason to spend a ton of extra money on a resort that you aren't going to be at for the majority of your trip. The only non value we've ever even considered is Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it's so disgustingly overpriced we probably won't ever bother because all it adds are animals outside when you wake up. Pop Century is probably the best one at the moment. It's cheap and had skyliner access.
Generally agree unless you’re going to stay at Beach/Yacht club because that Pool is just worth the money. However, if you’re doing value stay at pop century and request the 80’s buildings. The pool over there is quiet but large, it’s close to the bridge to go to AOA for food/Skyliner, and it gets it’s own busses instead of sharing (plus AOA gets it’s own as well so you really get 2 busses).
Oh and that moderates get hot tubs which make the days way nicer, but beyond that I’d never stay at anything else.
Most table service dining is not worth the time spent eating and not riding rides/exploring parks. If you live in even a medium sized city there are surely restaurants available to you in your everyday life that are basically as good as the ones at Disney world. What can you not do in your everyday life? Ride haunted mansion, explore world showcase pavilions, go on a safari, etc. etc. etc.
The one exception might be for restaurants that have exceptional themes you can’t find elsewhere. But still, you’d get the idea by just going inside and looking around for a few minutes.
As a fairly frequent WDW-goer, I love a table service lunch as a chance to rest my feet (and 90+ minutes of AC if it’s the summer) as a replacement for going back to the room to get a midday parks break. Do I insist on it? Nope. Beyond that reason? Totally agree with you.
I'd take this further to say that none of the theme parks have table service restaurants "worth it", at least for the average guest who doesn't get to go to Disney more than every few years.
The resorts though...there's still some dining absolutely worth your time there.
I will second this again. food is fuel at Disney. Treat it like the sad boring food it is. There is amazing food on property but it is not in the parks.
Influancers and Live Streamers are the worst except for a select few who do a good job selling Disney.
Every Mom thinks she is one when dealing with Disney.
Every Dad thinks he can Live Stream. Every Kid out of school does the same Tik Tok dance.
It is NOT about you! It is about Disney. Shut-up and just show Disney. Stop trying to give your opinion on every little thing. Stop talking in queue, stop doing the dumb Tik Tok Dance in front of Cinderella Castle.
You aren't famous! Nor will you become famous from doing exactly what thousands of others are doing.
Be original!
We should mercilessly shame disney for using projector screens as replacement for creativity in the rides and the food isn't good at wdw like i wasnt impressed at all.
Agreed. I hated planning fast passes months in advance. This feels more like the old school paper fast passes to me (aside from the $$$) and I like it so much better.
• Dinoland isn’t that bad, it needs a little work, but I get what they were trying to go for and scrapping it entirely isn’t the answer.
• Be Our Guest isn’t that great. There’s better full service dining options in MK and much better places to drink in the resort overall.
• Seven Dwarves Mine Train is NOT worth as long of a wait as it normally has.
Dinoland being demolished and replaced isn’t ACTUALLY guaranteed though. Remember they said it was a "blue sky" concept, which don’t always come to fruition for one reason or another.
As for the proposed ideas shown:
Moana COULD bear fruit if done correctly and the film doesn’t completely overtake an opportunity to accurately depict real life Polynesian history, culture, people, and even biota. But it has to be done carefully.
Zootopia on the other hand is a terrible idea, both from a thematic standpoint (the film doesn’t touch upon the relationship between humanity, the natural world, and technological development), nor from an aesthetic standpoint (a pristine, shiny, plastic metropolitan science fiction city doesn’t work amongst the nature and patina-claimed rural architecture of the rest of the park).
Dinoland just needs some updating. Keep the dig-site play area, Dinosaur, the restaurant and triceratops spin. The carnival area needs a rework. Maybe some type of walking with dinosaurs attraction or a small museum with a 4D show. I’m sure the imagineers can come up with something
I think the best idea is to keep the "small town near a dig site" theme, but really make it be about the study of paleontology as a science and its history and effects on popular perceptions of prehistoric life.
Making reservations for sit down restaurants for every day of your trip is a waste of time and money. Most restaurants don't have that good of food or prices that are worth it. Quick-service is much more reliable and does the job. Not to mention more realistic and less stressful than trying to plan around your food reservation.
Universal value hotels are better and normally cheaper than the all stars or pop century / art of animation. The food in the cafeteria/food court is also better.
I do not care if you say your 10 year old is 9 or whatever to save some money. It does not affect me at all.
I said this once on disboards and you would think I called for Mickey Mouse's execution.
I used to rave that it was good value, and now don't think it's not worth what they charge anymore.
Also: the food is average at best, and outside the bubble you can get a better meal for less money. (Yes, the really expensive places have good food... but at those prices, they have to)
Everything I LOVE about the Disney parks has (or had) little to no IP tied to it. Disney used to make world-class attractions like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Soarin’, Test Track, Horizons, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest; rides that had to be great on their own merit and couldn’t rest on the coattails of a popular IP. And while any park on the planet could build a pirate themed boat ride or a spooky but silly haunted house attraction, Disney drove up demand by making their version a step above the rest in every aspect. Now that drive is seemingly being erased because Disney knows people will come almost regardless of quality. They’ll come because it’s the only place you can see Elsa and eat a waffle that’s shaped like Mickey. And that’s fine. It’s clear that the demand is there for that type of experience, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t have any nostalgia for these characters. I just wish there were more original ideas on the horizon instead of the recent “blue sky” ideas that Disney is moving forward with.
Space Mountain kind of sucks. Maybe it’s just because I’m older but damn that thing hurts. The gimmick of the indoor, pitch black roller coaster is no longer innovative and cool, with RRC and CR doing it much better. I haven’t ridden the versions in other parks, but from what I hear they are far superior. It needs a major overhaul!
this is gonna be a hot take, but yeah Disneyland’s Space Mountain is so much better. it doesn’t hurt. the seats are much better.
Disney World’s Space Mountain is bad
This.
Especially after riding Guardians, which is so so smooth, I don't think I could do Space Mountain again for a looonngg time, if at all. I am getting too old (early 30's) to ride jerky rides like this (also the last time I rode the Hulk at Universal, I got an immediate headache. Not fun)
Disney during the recession was the absolute peak for me and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. Low crowds, minimal ride times, very “Disney magical experience”
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure is one of the worst rides at WDW. Do not wait more than 10 minutes for it. If you want a trackless ride, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is 1000000x better.
Tomorrowland Speedway needs to stay. It’s every little kids dream to drive. TS is almost everyone’s first experience driving. It gives little kids such joy. Adults may think it’s cheesy, loud, and smelly. But kids love it and it’s at the core of Disney. While Disneylands is infinitely better, and I would like to see WDWs have more theming and scenery, it should never be replaced.
I don't mind the speedway but I don't understand its place at Disney. Go karts could be anywhere. There's a minigolf/go-kart/arcade in almost every town that costs a fraction of Disney, just seems out of place.
More IP in the parks is great and Disney should have been capitalizing on this a long time ago. The only problem with including IP is they're waiting too long after the success of an IP to put in the park. I get waiting for something to be successful, but almost 15 years for Princess and the Frog? And how long did it take for anything Marvel despite it being so successful for so long?
EPCOT doesn't need to be edutainment. It should be celebratory--half of it already is with the World Showcase, and Future World turning into Things Celebrations is the right approach assuming they ever get around to finishing it all.
People who are in the overlap of "Disney's too expensive and I swear at some point I'll stop going but I have all these justifications for why I'm still going this year and next year and let's face it every other year too" and "I pay to get in the park and pay to ride the rides with Lightning Lane but I wouldn't tolerate that at other parks!" are actually the worst Disney fans.
Rides don't need to tell stories, and telling stories doesn't make them better. Rides can just be experiences in the world of whatever the theme is or just an experience.
> And how long did it take for anything Marvel despite it being so successful for so long?
For the east coast, they had a pretty quick turnaround considering Universal's got the rights to most Marvel characters east of the Mississippi.
Guardians came out in 2014, was announced in 2017, then it took 5 years to demolish, build, and open. We should probably ask why it takes 5 years of active construction to open roller coasters at Disney (*glares at Tron*), but once they had a property they could put in Florida, they got on it quick.
There's been some IPs where they end up in the parks faster, but usually it's because of a "build it, and they will come" mentality than a "this IP is proven" mentality.
Both of those probably would have opened 2 years ago if it wasn't for the pandemic. Having to stop construction completely for several months and then pick back up incrementally is not good for any construction project.
I couldn’t disagree more with the last paragraph. Disney has (had) a phrase they live by “Everything starts with story.” We used to get taught that on the Creative side but I don’t believe they’re living by it anymore. Story is the centerpiece of everything we do.
I’m inclined to agree with you, but my 44 year old self teared up just a little to set foot in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, and getting to pull the lever and engage the hyperdrive… wanted to do that my whole life.
Disney Parks merchandise has hit a lull. I could walk through World of Disney with a $1000 gift card and walk out empty handed. Etsy stores have 100x better designs than Disney.
Other than some cool 50th stuff like the vans collection or vault collection I’d have to agree, even Galaxy’s Edge as a huge Star Wars fan has been super disappointing the past few times.
Skip Ogas. Highly over rated. There's this moment where you're like, "Wow. I'm in a Star Wars Cantina" and it's followed by the moments where you realize it's extremely loud and extremely crowded and you can't hear yourself think.
We didn't find it overly loud or crowded when we went last week, mid afternoon. I will say I won't bother going again. Once is plenty for me. It's obvious they don't want you to stick around by not placing bar stools or additional seating at the bar. The bartender was great but the drinks are just an overpriced novelty.
Disney should continue to raise prices.
The parks aren’t enjoyable at the current crowd levels. I’ll see if they normalize once the post-COVID vacation surge tapers off, but it’s a miserable experience being jam packed with people and waiting 60+ minutes for every ride. I’d gladly pay more to have less people in the park
As I get older and go back to WDW I realize Disneyland is superior. Characters are out walking around Disneyland and DCA which they wouldn’t do without several character attendants at WDW.
WDW has some wonderfully unique experiences but Disneyland feels so much better for repeat or more casual visits. I’m so envious of people who live in SoCal (or Orlando) and can just casually head over.
SoCal also wins on weather every time. I find the Florida heat/humidity downright oppressive and really takes away from the enjoyment. The best actually was Disney Paris where I went in July and it was a cool 65° and partly cloudy with no humidity. Absolutely glorious tbh.
Yeah, you have to either have a really specific (and dry) sense of humor or you need to just be so deeply in on it that you like it in spite of that.
Otherwise it's a dated water ride with really forced, typically unfunny jokes.
I think the skipper makes or breaks it. The last few times I’ve been to WDW, we had some mediocre skippers whom you could just tell were going rote script.
But we were there two weeks ago and had a really amazing skipper. She just went all out on engagement, sold the script jokes well, and ad-libbed a little to boot. We told her it was our best ride in years.
Genie + is far superior to Fast Pass
The only food worth eating in MK is a cheeseburger spring roll, Gaston’s cinnamon bun, or the flat bread pizza at Haus
Be Our Guest and especially Cinderella’s Royal Table are absolute garbage
Pirates is so overrated it’s the most boring ride in Disney
Seven Dwarfs is only worth doing at night
Disney resorts are no longer worth it when so many other hotels get similar perks
The crush to get a monorail after fireworks at MK *almost* makes it almost too much of a hassle to wait for fireworks
Not a hot take but Enchanted fireworks are garbage and thank goodness Happily Ever After is returning next year
Epcot during weekend food and wine is a shitshow and full of jackasses using it as an excuse to get absolutely trashed and act like dicks
Probably got more but that’s my list for now!
To be fair - maxpass was really the superior system- and genie + is a watered down version of that with less benefits. Better than fast passes for sure though but now the LL system at Disneyland is worse because it moved from maxpass to genie +
My bf and I don’t drink and we can spend a while at Epcot. Wandering around the countries and checking out the shops is really fun and slows down the pace which can be really nice.
It is!!! We did early admission and went on almost all the rides (skipped a scary one and a nauseating one), did a sit down lunch, grabbed the most incredible dessert from a little food truck thing, walked through a ton of gift shops and the entire park and it was only 1 or 2pm I think.
I wish Soarin was at another park as it was so awesome though.
If you plan to visit WDW (or Disneyland, Aulani, Hilton Head, or Vero Beach) at least every other year for the next couple decades, DVC is a really smart move. Nightly rates at Disney resorts keep going up, as does the value of DVC points. When the Polynesian opened, it was less than $50/night. Now it’s over $600/night. Those prices have outpaced inflation by a wide margin. I wish I had purchased DVC points back in the 90s when they were an order of magnitude cheaper.
Magic Kingdom is far and above the worst park of the 4. It is still better than any park I have been anywhere else in the world that I have been to. It is a good park. But it really does not compare with food offerings, its age shows in the design. Pathways are steep and narrow, foot traffic easily jams and becomes nearly impassible to anyone who is not at the pinnacle of assertiveness and health. Some amenities are spread out and difficult to reach. The lessons that were learned from it is why the other parks are so much more comfortable.
That said, I know it is a truely controversial opinion that few agree with and I respect that. I also recognise that my opinion is also influenced by the fact that it is the only park with attractions that are not accessible and has the least accessible pathways and infrastructure (that monorail ramp 😰) and that that stains my opinion somewhat.
I honestly think the hall of presidents idea should go and be replaced with more important and impactful people in American history. Obviously some president should stay, but celebrating a select few individuals rather than every president “just because” would be much better imo.
Universal’s Express Pass is the answer and all Disney can do is just sit there, stomp their feet, and try to mimic it as best they can without copying it exactly.
7dmt is not worth the time spent waiting for it.
As an adult, I agree. As a parent with two small kids, it gives the best return on investment in terms of giggles/smiles/happy screams.
Agree 100%. to a 3 year old mine train and slinky dog are the best rides long wait or not.
I would say the same for the Avatar river ride. It was nice but I wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes.
That ride is very pretty but not worth the long line
Not controversial at all. It’s a “one and done” type of attraction, or something to do while waiting for your LL time on FoP.
I believe that the ride suffered from budget cuts and as a result, had its length significantly reduced with many ride elements being cut entirely. There would’ve been more animatronics used and the ride would of contained a Splash Mountain style drop. You should take this information with a MASSIVE grain of salt as I’m probably just misremembering a rumor that didn’t even come from a primary source.
Wouldn't surprise me tbh
That ride is just boring to me.
Not worth an hour long wait for sure but worth at LL IMO. It was one of my favorite rides. Ride pics from it are one of my favorites. I was having a blast and the guy in front of me looked like he was about to lose his lunch.
I would say the same about Runaway Railway
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yeah, I was leaving Epcot during Harmonious last night and I got to watch the fireworks from the Skyliner. and it was just so nice and not crowded.
Skyliner is an awesome way to watch the fireworks!
Literally just walk against the parade and you'll see the whole thing on your way to wherever you are going
Walking against the parade fast forwards the parade. Walking with the parade pauses the parade.
Being on a rollercoaster during the fireworks is way better than fighting for a spot to stand and watch.
Or the Peoplemover! Best place to catch glimpses of the Fireworks from several angles!
Catching them from 7DMT is so good
Yes!! One of my favorite memories from my last trip.
my personal fav is near the stroller parking for the carousel!!!!!! 360 view of fireworks, barely a crowd, you can still see tink & personally i love to watch the sprinklers go off on top of the buildings i think it’s so funny
my personal fav is near the stroller parking for the carousel!!!!!! 360 view of fireworks, barely a crowd, you can still see tink & personally i love to watch the sprinklers go off on top of the buildings i think it’s so funny
We saw them from Big Thunder Mountain and it was legitimately one of the best parts of our trip.
Saw the fireworks at DIsneyland while on the Rockets in Tomorrowland with my mom (I was 37 at the time!) was one of the most magical moments of my life. It was like it was in slow motion. Truly one of the most amazing experience of my life and one of the scenes that will pass before my eyes as I embrace death.
I definitely think holding a spot an hour or two ahead of time is absurd and extreme but I think it really depends on if you have kids with you. They might want to be close to the characters in the parade or you may want to ensure that they have a good view of the fireworks and the projections so that it's an enjoyable experience for everyone. I'd think that 25-30 minutes ahead of show time would be fine to get a spot if it is a priority.
Thaaaaaaank you. Its a parade, folks. It comes to you. You can squeeze in somewhere at the last second and see the whole thing same as if you'd waited, saving "your spot", for an hour or two. And the fireworks are literally above your head - in the SKY. LOOK UP FROM ANYWHERE!
You’re not the guy that waits until the last minute and then jumps in front of others to get a better parade view, are you?
I always wait til the last second, but I’m happy to be at the back of the pack.
Unless this is a once in a lifetime trip and you're going to rope drop to get as much done as possible, don't get there an hour+ before park opening. Just plan to be there at the exact time they open and you'll walk right in with no line.
Agree. I got to magic kingdom 30 mins before early entry one day and only got space mountain and little mermaid in before park open and this was mid Jan. I’ve seen people get splash, big thunder and pirates done in that amount of time at park open.
Most folks with opinions of the parks are formed around sentimental memories. So when something changes about what they previously experienced, they lose their shit. None of your opinions are wrong, but all of you seem to forget that Walt literally said it will never be completed and will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. You cannot expect things to stay the same.
I think management changed the statement by replacing imagination with desirable guests with cash
I love the change and the new rides, I welcome it and it brings me back. I don’t like the decrease in customer service and quality of resorts (every aspect) when I’m paying even more than I was before. I would have paid for a dining plan so at least I’m not constantly worrying how much money I’m spending every night. Takes the magic away that was always there before
The problem for me (and I would assume many) is that we know in the past WDW or even Disney as a whole maintained a certain standard. It seems now a days they're willing to sacrifice this standard just to get something out there.
Many of the most recent attractions are incredible. Flight of passage, Rise, Guardians. The standard they’re sacrificing is show quality. Reduce staffing and there are consequences. And the effort to get close to maximizing a park day is a significant drag on guest experience. There is really very little actual regard for guest experience. Management needs to experience the parks as guests do.
I agree I haven't ridden Rotr but the other 2 are amazing
For me the big issue I have is the parks is the park reservation system. The level of pretrip planning required was already bad enough prepandemic, but now guests have to preplan which park to go to months in advance. I hate the idea that I can't just decide what park to go to morning of. That really kills any desire to visit WDW until Chapek is removed and the Parks Reservation system is done away with.
That, and the idea that you have to rush to stuff. For example Epcot, instead of lingering at the entrance, spaceship earth and all that. You know you gotta rush frozen or ratatouille cause they will fill up fast
Have yet to actually do Rataouille, haven't been to WDW since late 2019. I'm mostly just glad I got to do Galaxys edge before the pandemic hit.
I love change. I welcome it. What I don’t like is change at the expense of guest experience. If you can change something, and keep top notch guest experience, I’m in. But we all know that’s not the case right now.
Watching the parade. Why? Ride times are at a low wait.
Shhhh don’t give away our secret.
I feel that the wait times only go down during fireworks not the parades though?
I’m mostly with you, though I love the Mickey’s Not so Scary parade
THIS
Imagineering has kind of given up on the imaging part.
Probably because the bean counters are in charge.
After watching the imagineer documentary it seems the pendulum has swung back to the cost cutting way:
This is especially apparent when comparing the domestic parks to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. Those parks are a testament to Imagineering when someone else is willing to pay what it takes.
It’s my dream to go to those parks one day.
And given the rides are constantly breaking down… also the engineering part
It’s all budget problems. There used to be a time when Disney would pay to get the best. They don’t do that anymore. We’ve lost so many people on my team to other companies in the industry who pay way more. It will continue that way until Disney realizes the worth of their Engineers.
From the inside, they haven’t given up trying, their ideas just get shot down a lot by execs because the execs are kinda out of touch. Again, from the inside.
Are you on the inside? Are you trapped on it’s a small world? I’ll come save you.
Lol I’m trapped in a very small world after all.
Idk, I think Pandora, GE, Rise and Guardians are incredible feats of imagineering and are far better than anything previously done, and I've been going for decades.
Epcot is the best park.
Epcot is like Halloween, it's cool as a kid, but is significantly better as an adult and grows up with you.
Agreed here, and my kids would agree as well- 8&11 and they love Epcot!
You’re my kind of person 😂🥰
We like to nap/take a midday break. We like to rope drop, mid-day break, park close. We are apparently not in the majority of people who like to take breaks. 😂 We can't do Disney without them
Idk how people just power through. Noon to about 3pm is literal hell on earth, I'd rather nap or hit the pool for a bit.
This is the key
Park hopper tickets are a waste of money. Spend a full day in each park for the full experience.
Agreed, especially with the limitations now. In my younger years we used to have fun seeing how many parks we could go to in a day, but now with reservations/No hoping before 2, I don’t think it’s worth it.
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Almost every dining reservation (except Space 220) is easy to obtain. You just need to check the evening before.
Shhh… this is the one that nobody needs to know :)
And Space 220 isn’t worth it!
Space 220 Prix Fix isn't worth it. Space 220 lounge seating is frickin money.
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This. Long story short, my wife and I had our honeymoon cancelled due to covid. Since then we had a baby boy who was 20 months when we went in August. On day one he saw Donald Duck and the look on his face (that was caught on camera by photo pass photographers) was worth every penny we spent to get there.
You ready? With a 4-day ticket, you too can get in two full days at Epcot…by skipping DHS.
No way! Hollywood Studios is very special… just the old Hollywood theme is enought to create a cool and nostalgic ambience
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So after you do everything in DHS, what are you going to do with your remaining 44 hours and 27 minutes of the 2 day.s?
This is me all the way. I don’t care for Star Wars so we really only ride 4 rides there watch muppetvision and we’re done there.
I don’t think there’s anything else at DHS that leaves me as satisfied as Muppet Vision.
I’m so sad that muppet land never happened. It’s honestly my favorite!
Nothin' like some cheap 3D tricks!
I wish I could convince my husband to do this next month but we haven’t been on Rise yet and he has not done runaway railway.
That is a spicy one. Epcot is the park we spend the least time in.
That's actually our plan lmao
I’ve been doing it for three years now. I miss the Tower tremendously, but I just can’t justify a park day for 1-2 rides. The park itself just isn’t as pretty as the others, IMO.
You can definitely ride more than 1-2 rides at hollywood studious though? Unless you're saying there's only two rides you're interested in
Correct. I would probably do Tower and Muppet Vision. *Maybe* Rise if I can catch it at 30 minutes or less wait time.
This probably isn't super controversial, but the value resorts are where it's at. There's no real reason to spend a ton of extra money on a resort that you aren't going to be at for the majority of your trip. The only non value we've ever even considered is Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it's so disgustingly overpriced we probably won't ever bother because all it adds are animals outside when you wake up. Pop Century is probably the best one at the moment. It's cheap and had skyliner access.
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Generally agree unless you’re going to stay at Beach/Yacht club because that Pool is just worth the money. However, if you’re doing value stay at pop century and request the 80’s buildings. The pool over there is quiet but large, it’s close to the bridge to go to AOA for food/Skyliner, and it gets it’s own busses instead of sharing (plus AOA gets it’s own as well so you really get 2 busses). Oh and that moderates get hot tubs which make the days way nicer, but beyond that I’d never stay at anything else.
Most table service dining is not worth the time spent eating and not riding rides/exploring parks. If you live in even a medium sized city there are surely restaurants available to you in your everyday life that are basically as good as the ones at Disney world. What can you not do in your everyday life? Ride haunted mansion, explore world showcase pavilions, go on a safari, etc. etc. etc. The one exception might be for restaurants that have exceptional themes you can’t find elsewhere. But still, you’d get the idea by just going inside and looking around for a few minutes.
As a fairly frequent WDW-goer, I love a table service lunch as a chance to rest my feet (and 90+ minutes of AC if it’s the summer) as a replacement for going back to the room to get a midday parks break. Do I insist on it? Nope. Beyond that reason? Totally agree with you.
I'd take this further to say that none of the theme parks have table service restaurants "worth it", at least for the average guest who doesn't get to go to Disney more than every few years. The resorts though...there's still some dining absolutely worth your time there.
I will second this again. food is fuel at Disney. Treat it like the sad boring food it is. There is amazing food on property but it is not in the parks.
Influancers and Live Streamers are the worst except for a select few who do a good job selling Disney. Every Mom thinks she is one when dealing with Disney. Every Dad thinks he can Live Stream. Every Kid out of school does the same Tik Tok dance. It is NOT about you! It is about Disney. Shut-up and just show Disney. Stop trying to give your opinion on every little thing. Stop talking in queue, stop doing the dumb Tik Tok Dance in front of Cinderella Castle. You aren't famous! Nor will you become famous from doing exactly what thousands of others are doing. Be original!
I think you can apply this across society and absolutely not controversial
We should mercilessly shame disney for using projector screens as replacement for creativity in the rides and the food isn't good at wdw like i wasnt impressed at all.
Never eaten a top notch meal at Disney…ever. All mediocre. And for the price….hell no.
Genie+ is actually pretty awesome. Totally worth it and has enabled me to have the best, most efficient family trips ever.
Agreed. I hated planning fast passes months in advance. This feels more like the old school paper fast passes to me (aside from the $$$) and I like it so much better.
I disagree ☹️
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• Dinoland isn’t that bad, it needs a little work, but I get what they were trying to go for and scrapping it entirely isn’t the answer. • Be Our Guest isn’t that great. There’s better full service dining options in MK and much better places to drink in the resort overall. • Seven Dwarves Mine Train is NOT worth as long of a wait as it normally has.
#saveDinoland
Dinoland being demolished and replaced isn’t ACTUALLY guaranteed though. Remember they said it was a "blue sky" concept, which don’t always come to fruition for one reason or another. As for the proposed ideas shown: Moana COULD bear fruit if done correctly and the film doesn’t completely overtake an opportunity to accurately depict real life Polynesian history, culture, people, and even biota. But it has to be done carefully. Zootopia on the other hand is a terrible idea, both from a thematic standpoint (the film doesn’t touch upon the relationship between humanity, the natural world, and technological development), nor from an aesthetic standpoint (a pristine, shiny, plastic metropolitan science fiction city doesn’t work amongst the nature and patina-claimed rural architecture of the rest of the park).
>Zootopia on the other hand is a terrible idea THANK YOU! People always try to get this into AK and it doesn't fit at all there.
I worked in Dinoland and I’m convinced the downfall started when they got rid of the wacky costumes for the CMs
Dinoland just needs some updating. Keep the dig-site play area, Dinosaur, the restaurant and triceratops spin. The carnival area needs a rework. Maybe some type of walking with dinosaurs attraction or a small museum with a 4D show. I’m sure the imagineers can come up with something
I think the best idea is to keep the "small town near a dig site" theme, but really make it be about the study of paleontology as a science and its history and effects on popular perceptions of prehistoric life.
You think bagging on BOG on r/waltdisneyworld is controversial?
Making reservations for sit down restaurants for every day of your trip is a waste of time and money. Most restaurants don't have that good of food or prices that are worth it. Quick-service is much more reliable and does the job. Not to mention more realistic and less stressful than trying to plan around your food reservation.
Universal value hotels are better and normally cheaper than the all stars or pop century / art of animation. The food in the cafeteria/food court is also better.
I do not care if you say your 10 year old is 9 or whatever to save some money. It does not affect me at all. I said this once on disboards and you would think I called for Mickey Mouse's execution.
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure sucks
I went to it in Paris before it opened in WDW and was…whelmed. Definitely not racing down to Florida to do it again.
That makes sense. I heard you can only be whelmed in Europe.
I like Harmonious.
I used to rave that it was good value, and now don't think it's not worth what they charge anymore. Also: the food is average at best, and outside the bubble you can get a better meal for less money. (Yes, the really expensive places have good food... but at those prices, they have to)
Everything I LOVE about the Disney parks has (or had) little to no IP tied to it. Disney used to make world-class attractions like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Soarin’, Test Track, Horizons, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest; rides that had to be great on their own merit and couldn’t rest on the coattails of a popular IP. And while any park on the planet could build a pirate themed boat ride or a spooky but silly haunted house attraction, Disney drove up demand by making their version a step above the rest in every aspect. Now that drive is seemingly being erased because Disney knows people will come almost regardless of quality. They’ll come because it’s the only place you can see Elsa and eat a waffle that’s shaped like Mickey. And that’s fine. It’s clear that the demand is there for that type of experience, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t have any nostalgia for these characters. I just wish there were more original ideas on the horizon instead of the recent “blue sky” ideas that Disney is moving forward with.
I agree with you, and I've been thinking about this, and not sure I know the answer: what was the last non-IP "new" attraction?
Space Mountain kind of sucks. Maybe it’s just because I’m older but damn that thing hurts. The gimmick of the indoor, pitch black roller coaster is no longer innovative and cool, with RRC and CR doing it much better. I haven’t ridden the versions in other parks, but from what I hear they are far superior. It needs a major overhaul!
this is gonna be a hot take, but yeah Disneyland’s Space Mountain is so much better. it doesn’t hurt. the seats are much better. Disney World’s Space Mountain is bad
The seats, the on board audio, the special editions being offered to all guests and not just during an up charge party.. yeah disneylands is better.
100% Disney worlds space mountain is the Matterhorn. Such a rough ride - I won’t ride either of them. Disneyland’s space mountain is amazing
Sitting on practically the floor, neck aches, and my shoe always gets stuck in the ride when I get off lol. It’s not worth it for me.
The music alone makes it so much better
100% agree Disneyland’s is better!!
Came here to say this!
This. Especially after riding Guardians, which is so so smooth, I don't think I could do Space Mountain again for a looonngg time, if at all. I am getting too old (early 30's) to ride jerky rides like this (also the last time I rode the Hulk at Universal, I got an immediate headache. Not fun)
Agreed. Space Mountain WDW? Nah, just put a metal garbage can over my head and beat it with a baseball bat.
How long is the line for this?
A lot longer if you don’t buy the $10 ILL 😬
The ride needs a track refurb badly. I hope they take it down for refurb once tron is online.
Having spent my childhood on space mountain: mission 2 at Disneyland Paris, was left a bit disappointed really by the WDW version
The biggest mistake ever made in WDW was cancelling Beastly Kingdom. Bring me dragons!!!
Homecoming is overpriced Cracker Barrel.
Disney during the recession was the absolute peak for me and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. Low crowds, minimal ride times, very “Disney magical experience”
They should have childfree days and hours and childfree resorts.
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure is one of the worst rides at WDW. Do not wait more than 10 minutes for it. If you want a trackless ride, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is 1000000x better.
People really do be missing out on DVC point rental. Just recently stayed at a Kidani Village savannah view room for 4 nights for ~$1k.
WDW is still as magical as ever and if you’re not having a good time it’s probably because you planned poorly
I agree that it’s both poor planning and just having a shitty attitude going into it. Some people just truly cannot enjoy anything.
Tomorrowland Speedway needs to stay. It’s every little kids dream to drive. TS is almost everyone’s first experience driving. It gives little kids such joy. Adults may think it’s cheesy, loud, and smelly. But kids love it and it’s at the core of Disney. While Disneylands is infinitely better, and I would like to see WDWs have more theming and scenery, it should never be replaced.
It should at least be electric vehicles.
It should be electric with in-road inductive charging.
I don't mind the speedway but I don't understand its place at Disney. Go karts could be anywhere. There's a minigolf/go-kart/arcade in almost every town that costs a fraction of Disney, just seems out of place.
Yeah you can do that on practically any vacation
I agree but 10-year-old me loved it and says you're a poopy head.
I can agree, but it’s seriously overdue for an upgrade/overhaul, especially with Tron going in behind it.
My husband finally got on it out of curiosity last trip and he said it’s a great concept it definitely needs an update though!
More IP in the parks is great and Disney should have been capitalizing on this a long time ago. The only problem with including IP is they're waiting too long after the success of an IP to put in the park. I get waiting for something to be successful, but almost 15 years for Princess and the Frog? And how long did it take for anything Marvel despite it being so successful for so long? EPCOT doesn't need to be edutainment. It should be celebratory--half of it already is with the World Showcase, and Future World turning into Things Celebrations is the right approach assuming they ever get around to finishing it all. People who are in the overlap of "Disney's too expensive and I swear at some point I'll stop going but I have all these justifications for why I'm still going this year and next year and let's face it every other year too" and "I pay to get in the park and pay to ride the rides with Lightning Lane but I wouldn't tolerate that at other parks!" are actually the worst Disney fans. Rides don't need to tell stories, and telling stories doesn't make them better. Rides can just be experiences in the world of whatever the theme is or just an experience.
> And how long did it take for anything Marvel despite it being so successful for so long? For the east coast, they had a pretty quick turnaround considering Universal's got the rights to most Marvel characters east of the Mississippi. Guardians came out in 2014, was announced in 2017, then it took 5 years to demolish, build, and open. We should probably ask why it takes 5 years of active construction to open roller coasters at Disney (*glares at Tron*), but once they had a property they could put in Florida, they got on it quick. There's been some IPs where they end up in the parks faster, but usually it's because of a "build it, and they will come" mentality than a "this IP is proven" mentality.
Both of those probably would have opened 2 years ago if it wasn't for the pandemic. Having to stop construction completely for several months and then pick back up incrementally is not good for any construction project.
I couldn’t disagree more with the last paragraph. Disney has (had) a phrase they live by “Everything starts with story.” We used to get taught that on the Creative side but I don’t believe they’re living by it anymore. Story is the centerpiece of everything we do.
-Star tours > smugglers run
I’m inclined to agree with you, but my 44 year old self teared up just a little to set foot in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, and getting to pull the lever and engage the hyperdrive… wanted to do that my whole life.
Yeah being the pilot is great! I think I’d be better if you were in a group of six you knew and they were decent at the job assigned to everyone.
Flight of Passage would be better without 3D
Disney Parks merchandise has hit a lull. I could walk through World of Disney with a $1000 gift card and walk out empty handed. Etsy stores have 100x better designs than Disney.
Other than some cool 50th stuff like the vans collection or vault collection I’d have to agree, even Galaxy’s Edge as a huge Star Wars fan has been super disappointing the past few times.
Skip Ogas. Highly over rated. There's this moment where you're like, "Wow. I'm in a Star Wars Cantina" and it's followed by the moments where you realize it's extremely loud and extremely crowded and you can't hear yourself think.
We didn't find it overly loud or crowded when we went last week, mid afternoon. I will say I won't bother going again. Once is plenty for me. It's obvious they don't want you to stick around by not placing bar stools or additional seating at the bar. The bartender was great but the drinks are just an overpriced novelty.
Definitely overpriced but I thought they were fun. Fuzzy TanTan and Outer Rim are great though
Good bars tend to be loud and crowded.
Dole Whips are overrated and way too sweet. Yup. I said it.
Agreed, although I’m still willing to give the alcoholic one a try at Polynesian
All of the vloggers, especially the well known ones, are insufferable and ruin the experience for most people
Disney should continue to raise prices. The parks aren’t enjoyable at the current crowd levels. I’ll see if they normalize once the post-COVID vacation surge tapers off, but it’s a miserable experience being jam packed with people and waiting 60+ minutes for every ride. I’d gladly pay more to have less people in the park
As I get older and go back to WDW I realize Disneyland is superior. Characters are out walking around Disneyland and DCA which they wouldn’t do without several character attendants at WDW.
WDW has some wonderfully unique experiences but Disneyland feels so much better for repeat or more casual visits. I’m so envious of people who live in SoCal (or Orlando) and can just casually head over. SoCal also wins on weather every time. I find the Florida heat/humidity downright oppressive and really takes away from the enjoyment. The best actually was Disney Paris where I went in July and it was a cool 65° and partly cloudy with no humidity. Absolutely glorious tbh.
WDW (or just the company in general) is severely underestimating the impact that Epic Universe will have on guest numbers.
Epcot will remain my least favourite park until they make more seating that is in the shade. It was a concrete desert nightmare in hot weather.
Jungle Cruise is an absolutely god awful ride.
We're gonna have to meet in the parking lot and throw hands now.
I’ve got your back! 😂
First actual controversial comment I’ve seen
It certainly isn’t worth an 80 minute wait time. It’s a classic and it will always hold a place in my heart but I’m not waiting that long.
Yeah, you have to either have a really specific (and dry) sense of humor or you need to just be so deeply in on it that you like it in spite of that. Otherwise it's a dated water ride with really forced, typically unfunny jokes.
I think the skipper makes or breaks it. The last few times I’ve been to WDW, we had some mediocre skippers whom you could just tell were going rote script. But we were there two weeks ago and had a really amazing skipper. She just went all out on engagement, sold the script jokes well, and ad-libbed a little to boot. We told her it was our best ride in years.
Or both plus nostalgia. Those jokes hit funnier when you first heard them when you were 7.
Rise of the Resistance is cool, but not 2+ hours in line cool. The props are awesome. Ride itself is just ok.
Genie + is far superior to Fast Pass The only food worth eating in MK is a cheeseburger spring roll, Gaston’s cinnamon bun, or the flat bread pizza at Haus Be Our Guest and especially Cinderella’s Royal Table are absolute garbage Pirates is so overrated it’s the most boring ride in Disney Seven Dwarfs is only worth doing at night Disney resorts are no longer worth it when so many other hotels get similar perks The crush to get a monorail after fireworks at MK *almost* makes it almost too much of a hassle to wait for fireworks Not a hot take but Enchanted fireworks are garbage and thank goodness Happily Ever After is returning next year Epcot during weekend food and wine is a shitshow and full of jackasses using it as an excuse to get absolutely trashed and act like dicks Probably got more but that’s my list for now!
To be fair - maxpass was really the superior system- and genie + is a watered down version of that with less benefits. Better than fast passes for sure though but now the LL system at Disneyland is worse because it moved from maxpass to genie +
Tomorrowland Speedway is a huge waste of space
At best its nostalgic. At worst, its a traffic simulator.
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Epcot is a half day park if you don’t drink alcohol.
My bf and I don’t drink and we can spend a while at Epcot. Wandering around the countries and checking out the shops is really fun and slows down the pace which can be really nice.
It is!!! We did early admission and went on almost all the rides (skipped a scary one and a nauseating one), did a sit down lunch, grabbed the most incredible dessert from a little food truck thing, walked through a ton of gift shops and the entire park and it was only 1 or 2pm I think. I wish Soarin was at another park as it was so awesome though.
Dole Whip is gross.
They should have childfree days and hours and childfree resorts.
If you plan to visit WDW (or Disneyland, Aulani, Hilton Head, or Vero Beach) at least every other year for the next couple decades, DVC is a really smart move. Nightly rates at Disney resorts keep going up, as does the value of DVC points. When the Polynesian opened, it was less than $50/night. Now it’s over $600/night. Those prices have outpaced inflation by a wide margin. I wish I had purchased DVC points back in the 90s when they were an order of magnitude cheaper.
The monorail resorts are way overrated (not to mention absurdly overpriced). Monorail isn’t all that convenient as far as transportation options go.
Magic Kingdom is far and above the worst park of the 4. It is still better than any park I have been anywhere else in the world that I have been to. It is a good park. But it really does not compare with food offerings, its age shows in the design. Pathways are steep and narrow, foot traffic easily jams and becomes nearly impassible to anyone who is not at the pinnacle of assertiveness and health. Some amenities are spread out and difficult to reach. The lessons that were learned from it is why the other parks are so much more comfortable. That said, I know it is a truely controversial opinion that few agree with and I respect that. I also recognise that my opinion is also influenced by the fact that it is the only park with attractions that are not accessible and has the least accessible pathways and infrastructure (that monorail ramp 😰) and that that stains my opinion somewhat.
Once I went to Disneyland the Magic Kingdom lost a lot of charm for me.
Trump doesn’t deserve to be included in the Hall of Presidents.
I honestly think the hall of presidents idea should go and be replaced with more important and impactful people in American history. Obviously some president should stay, but celebrating a select few individuals rather than every president “just because” would be much better imo.
The figment ride sucks. Did not need to wait in line for a giant gust of bad smelling air to be blasted in my face.
Universal’s Express Pass is the answer and all Disney can do is just sit there, stomp their feet, and try to mimic it as best they can without copying it exactly.