Just Back (10/10 - 10/15): Hanging up my Disney Ears

[lilaclily]

Love disney world. But im worrying about crowding .

I have been a Disney nerd since the first time I visited WDW, more years than I care to say.

Even with the Fast pass, sometimes its hard to get a ride to Soaring. We went during the week with plenty of time and planned ahead.

We are now also looking into cruising. Did it last time with NCL and it was fun.

We are also looking forward to trying a Disney cruise.

 

[Jennasis]

I actually thought it was fairly uncrowded when we were there in September, and most reports of the summer were far less crowds than expected...but I get what you are saying. After our quickie trip in December we are taking a break from the mouse and doing SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens and Universal for the next two years. Disney needs time to complete some construction on things to relieve congestion and frankly to figure out what the heck the company is doing. It feels like they've lost their way a bit )particularly in the identity-less park that is Epcot).

We own DVC so that's quite a thing for us to break from. We will use our DVC points for our hotel room but spend our money outside the bubble and expand our horizons! Plus there is always Vero Beach and Hilton Head. Cruising isn't an option for us due to our jobs.

 

[cigar95]

We're definitely doing more National Parks trips now - though not ditching WDW completely, just cutting back.

@Jennasis, if you want to rent out some of those points, count me in!

 

[DisneyFive]

Hmm, by your signature you already have another WDW vacation booked?

We weren't all that thrilled after our second vacation, (back to back years) in 2011. We thought that two years in a row was just too much, and too much of the same stuff, yada yada yada.... we were dead set on a different vacation the following year. Well, after about 3 months of being back home from our vacation, we were itching to go back. Something about WDW is hard to let go of. We did finally break the trend in 2014 and did a (non Disney) cruise and the kids fell in love with that too. We've done another family cruise since then and look forward to more. Next is a Yellowstone and surrounding areas vacation

Lots of great options out there, but see how you feel in a few months.

Dan

 

[mom2rtk]

The interesting thing is that attendance has actually been down. They are working overtime to try and increase it right now.

 

[Koz]

Good luck with your future trips but please remember this one message- NEVER TRAVEL ON CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES!

 

[Darcy03231]

We decided to take a break after our disappointing 2013 trip. I'm sad to say I haven't really missed it. We've been doing a lot of other vacations - cruises, Sandals All-Inclusive resorts, Europe, and places we've wanted to see in the US and have been having a blast! We'll eventually go back once all of the construction is complete, but I doubt we'll be yearly visitors again.

 

[Darcy03231]

Good luck with your future trips but please remember this one message- NEVER TRAVEL ON CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES!

I'm just curious - why? We've had multiple trips on Carnival and never had a bad experience. In fact, we have another Carnival cruise coming up.

 

[Koz]

I'm just curious - why? We've had multiple trips on Carnival and never had a bad experience. In fact, we have another Carnival cruise coming up.

We tried it twice, and have family and friends that have cruised on multiple boats, and nobody walked away with a great experience compared to other cruise lines like Celebrity and Princess.

I do realize that alot of these cruise lines are owned by the same parent, but for us there was a huge distinction in (a) cleanliness, (b) quality of staff and (c) clientle. Please don't treat these comments as bashing anything you've done or any positive experiences you may have hopefully had.

 

[HopperFan]

Vacations are priceless!
Once a destination is longer providing you with the enjoyment that you want, completely agree that it's time to find new fun!
Cruising is a blast, enjoy!

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm just wondering why you didn't ride Soarin with your FP? What happened?

 

[NileNellie]

I can certainly see where you are coming from. Things are much different at WDW compared to years ago. We are going for an impromptu surprise birthday trip in a few weeks and while I'm excited, it's not the same excitement that I used to feel. Hopefully if you decide to come back in a few years things will be much better for you.

 

[sharadoc]

Hmm, by your signature you already have another WDW vacation booked?

We weren't all that thrilled after our second vacation, (back to back years) in 2011. We thought that two years in a row was just too much, and too much of the same stuff, yada yada yada.... we were dead set on a different vacation the following year. Well, after about 3 months of being back home from our vacation, we were itching to go back. Something about WDW is hard to let go of. We did finally break the trend in 2014 and did a (non Disney) cruise and the kids fell in love with that too. We've done another family cruise since then and look forward to more. Next is a Yellowstone and surrounding areas vacation

Lots of great options out there, but see how you feel in a few months.

Dan

I'm guessing they just got back and the counter reset. Has happened to me before.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I'm guessing they just got back and the counter reset. Has happened to me before.

@lilaclily ~ When you have time, please add the date of your trip to the title of your "Just Back" post. Thanks!

 

[KatLight]

I'm just wondering why you didn't ride Soarin with your FP? What happened?

I'm curious as well, it sounds like something went very wrong. I'm sorry your trip went so badly!

 

[TmlndSpdwy03]

We tried it twice, and have family and friends that have cruised on multiple boats, and nobody walked away with a great experience compared to other cruise lines like Celebrity and Princess.

I do realize that alot of these cruise lines are owned by the same parent, but for us there was a huge distinction in (a) cleanliness, (b) quality of staff and (c) clientle. Please don't treat these comments as bashing anything you've done or any positive experiences you may have hopefully had.

I always find it amusing when people say NEVER to travel on a certain cruise line/airline/etc. I have done 5 Disney cruises and 5 Carnival cruises. You will run into the same clientele on both. There are rude staff and cruises on EVERY cruiseline. I have no issues booking any cruiseline - I prefer to look at the ports and amenities on each individual boat and book what appeals to me the most. I have a pre-teen child who had been on multiple carriers, she did not enjoy the Princess cruise she went on - the kids club wasn't as fun and the boat didn't have as much for her to do. Surprisingly her favorite boat she has been on is the Carnival Ecstasy (and she has been on both the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy).

And I am a big fan on not repeat vacationing destinations year after year - the world is too big and so many amazing things to see and do, why always go back to Disney World. If you like Disney, try their resorts overseas. The Tokyo parks are amazing.

 

[desiree71081]

I'm just curious - why? We've had multiple trips on Carnival and never had a bad experience. In fact, we have another Carnival cruise coming up.

We had our first cruise on Carnival in Sept of 2015 and loved it. No complaints at all. We have a Tennessee Vacation planned for Thanksgiving 2017, then Disney for Mardi Gras 2018 and most likely another Carnival Cruise for 2019.

 

[rwdavis2]

This is why we only go every 4-5 years. It's time enough for new things to be added and for us to really want to go back. We did 2 WDW and DL trip over 12 months and it was too much. To many other things to see and do vs. doing the same thing year after year.

 

[Minnesota!]

I hear ya. We are venturing to...The Dark Side....

WDW...still love the hotels. Can't stand the parks

 

[AaronInWI]

First of all, it really is too bad that you didn't enjoy your most recent trip. We all know how much planning, anticipation (and not to mention money) goes into a Disney trip, and for it to not turn out how you wanted is never good to hear.

However, what struck me is that your biggest complaint was it being overcrowded. I'm not sure what Disney can do about that, short of adding a 5th gate. They're not going to limit the number of tickets they sell, or close the park when it isn't at full capacity. I can see adding more attractions to further disperse the crowds, but honestly new attractions might have the opposite effect of bringing in even more crowds. This isn't to say your complaint isn't valid, just more of a question of "what can be done to combat this issue".

But no matter, hopefully you can find a new vacation destination that will bring you as much joy as Disney had prior!