Disney World Orlando is beginning to disappoint me

[BuckeyeBama]

Different strokes - I much prefer WDW to DL.

 

[savvy?71]

We've been a yearly WDW family for the last 10 yrs. I've seen the decline in value over the last few years. I realize change is coming but it seems so late in coming to the parks, and especially maddening when prices are jacked before guests see any changes. We decided to vacation in California last summer (we're east coasters). We did DL for 4 days, San Diego for 2, and then L.A./Hollywood/Malibu for the last two days. It was absolutely awesome and worth the travel. DL is done so fantastically well. I was prepped to be disappointed (small castle, small parks, no bubble, etc...). Honestly, I never felt downtime because the sheer amount of rides and experiences. If anything we walked more because it's non-stop, whereas in WDW there was little to do in a couple parks, or we'd already seen it, or we just didn't feel like making the travel time between parks. DL's castle did not disappoint me (if anything Matterhorn did--too bumpy but wow is DL's Space Mountain smooth!) The common attractions between WDW and DL, imo, are done better at DL. Pirates and Indy alone, wow! I'd risk saying that Carsland itself (in DCA, the park that is, oh, a hop skip across way) is worth the trip. I can't stress enough how relaxing it was not to plan ahead for rides or meals! Walking into character meals & grabbing fastpasses in the morning whoohoo! I have to give WDW credit though, on accommodations. They nailed the immersion experience, not to mention the variety & ranges of hotels. It's not THAT important to me to be in a Disney 'bubble' but I definitely felt something lacking even in the DLH hotel. Very minor thing for me though. After all, my husband went to lobby for something and hung out with Goofy (no one else was around)! I could get into more specifics but that is not the point of thread. I will just say that if you are a Disney lover and one park (location) is getting disappointing for whatever reason, try another. I think hard core Disney lovers want to keep that excitement at any cost. But we don't *have* to stop loving Disney just because we branch out. Do something entirely different like a cruise (not Disney lol), or an all inclusive Caribbean trip! We do that too and the varied experiences make you appreciate every vacation for what it is. We'll head back to WDW in a couple years. But I'm looking forward to another Cali/DL trip next summer and other travels.

 

[themillersdaughter]

i'm kinda with you OP. i grew up in la, my mother would shuffle me and the babysitter off to DL for the day all the time. i did ten days in wdw in september. without a doubt we had a blast, but i think that was in large part to our planning and expectations going into the vacation. my family has been talking about a big family wdw vacation in spring, and before our september trip, i was on board. now, meh, not so much. i would much prefer to go to dl (since they are all on the west coast anyway) or just wait a few years until the investments/improvements wdw is making have really come to fruition.

 

[aprincessatlast]

We are east coasters who have been to WDW many more times than DL. I much prefer DL though and have plans to return this summer. I like WDW for the resorts and the slower pace. We always couple DL with yosemite/beach etc. With WDW it is just that (or a cruise lol) so we take in the massive size and eat in resorts, hit the water parks etc. It has just a different vacation vibe. However overall yes I much prefer DL when it comes to strictly parks and rides. However I do think it is not about comparing the 2 but enjoying 2 different Disney's.

 

[GPC0321]

When I think of visiting WDW I don't think of it as just going to theme/amusement parks. It's almost like visiting a city. I read recently that it spans 40+ square miles. For me the parks are obviously a major part of the visit, but I'm in it for the whole experience: hotel, dining, shopping, leisurely strolls, swims, and sightseeing, entertainment, and attractions.
There is something special to me about the fact that WDW is the size of a large city. That's why it feels so immersive and like such an escape from the regular world.

 

[GeneralTso]

Hang tight for a blasphemous thought---there are OTHER places in the world to vacation

For me, there is such a thing as too much Disney. Heck, I just cancelled our December Disneyland trip because we were there for Halloween last month and it was great. But I'm just fine skipping Christmas there this year. We are attending F&W in WDW next month and it will be our return after a several year break.

We love Disney, we really do. Passholders, etc. Our kids grew up on Disney. We travel a lot and see many other places. We're empty nesters now so it's much easier.

My sister once said to me "why don't you travel to REAL places and see REAL things?" Well, we do. We also love Disney! The two can co-exist.

But I get you OP, I totally do. It's okay to take the break. I mean it's not all churros and fireworks all the time.
I still LOL forever when I see people posting pics of their magical French fries, only cuz it's Disney. Ha.

 

[WIcruizer]

As others have said, WDW is a resort- that's what makes it special for me. Huge array of restaurants, lounges, golf, shopping, hotel all in addition to the theme parks. Three of the four parks are getting pretty substantial upgrades, as is Downtown (Springs.) My bet is Epcot will get a major facelift after that. I'll admit, it all seems to take too long to get completed.

I could go once or twice a year and still love it, but DH needs at least a year break in between, and preferably 3-4. But I think that's what a lot of people need, that break to make it fun and nostalgic all over again.

 

[disneynutz]

When Walt said that WDW had the blessing of size that he wished he had in Anaheim, he meant to do more things, more attractions and more magic. Unfortunately Disney executives see the blessing of size as an opportunity to pack more people in and as long as they keep coming, they have little reason to spend any of their billions in profit to improve the guest experience.

Bill

 

[ethanwa]

You came at the wrong time unfortunately.... MAJOR changes are coming to Disney World. They just aren't ready yet.

And Epcot's Future World is the next major park area to get a huge facelift.

Animal Kingdom - Avatar, Rivers of Light, Night Safari, etc
Hollywood Studios - Star Wars, Toy Story, Movie Ride facelift, renaming
Downtown Disney - Disney Springs 2x the size
Magic Kingdom - New Fantasyland, Hub, Jungle Cruise Restaurant, etc

Epcot? - Frozen and Soarin.... but trust me, Future World will be next after Hollywood Studios is done. They just put a new executive in charge of the park.

Ethan

 

[kathy884]

If you do want to do Orlando maybe SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Universal if you haven't been to these? They are definitely world class too. // I've really just been to the parks too many times too and am skipping 2015 and 2016. Doing a mini 2017 trip, but just two days: MK with Key to the Kingdom tour / Staying at downtown Disney hotel, something I've never done, and doing one day at SeaWorld. That's as long as I want to go though. Other trips instead of Disney/Orlando for us coming up are Colorado (I especially love Rocky Mountain National Park) and New York City.

I've thought about Disneyland many times, but when I look at everything it's so much longer for us to get there -- no easy direct flights and it's way more expensive too. It really looks like a fun place and I haven't been there since 1965 when I was four.

 

[sukhakuli]

Hang tight for a blasphemous thought---there are OTHER places in the world to vacation

For me, there is such a thing as too much Disney. Heck, I just cancelled our December Disneyland trip because we were there for Halloween last month and it was great. But I'm just fine skipping Christmas there this year. We are attending F&W in WDW next month and it will be our return after a several year break.

We love Disney, we really do. Passholders, etc. Our kids grew up on Disney. We travel a lot and see many other places. We're empty nesters now so it's much easier.

My sister once said to me "why don't you travel to REAL places and see REAL things?" Well, we do. We also love Disney! The two can co-exist.

But I get you OP, I totally do. It's okay to take the break. I mean it's not all churros and fireworks all the time.
I still LOL forever when I see people posting pics of their magical French fries, only cuz it's Disney. Ha.

We always vary our vacations, so our kids have been all over the country. We also took a year and a half Disneyland break, and a 4 year Disney World break. Our dissatisfaction with our last trip has nothing to do with being Disney-ed out.

 

[yooperfan]

I love all the changes that are coming down the road and can't wait to experience them. Problem is, I will probably be 90 when all is said and done!

Now calm down everyone, I know these things take time but honestly, it seems Disney draaaaaaaaaaags things out and other theme parks do things much quicker.

I agree. Disney has their own work crews and in the past it made it possible to get projects completed quickly and well made. Now it seems it takes forever to get anything done. Universal announces a new area and pops it out in no time. AK expansion is taking so long no one will remember the movie. I would rather have seen them get more rides in the parks before building up Disney Springs, which IMO amounts to a city, especially since they raised ticket prices.

 

[MrInfinity]

I do not mean to make this a disneyland vs disney world post. However, matterhorn (not as good as expedition everest), tower of terror, and a Rollercoaster similar to Aerosmith, and star tours, and bugs life, are all placed inside the 2 parks. Disney world feels like disneyland spread out. I really don't want this to be the case, because I'm running low on reasons to travel back to Orlando to see another one of disney''s parks. I will probably take a small break from Disney world to give it time to grow. Perhaps in 3 or 4 years it's younger parks might fill in a little more.

I've done both parks lots as well. And you put it well, that Disney World is like Disneyland, but spread out. That has a lot to do w the target guests. Disneyland is looking to draw locals out for a day or semi-locals for a weekend getaway. Disney World is geared toward drawing families from far away for a week at a time on vacation. To get locals to go to Disneyland they're going for lots of rides in your face. In Disney World they're going for some rides, but mixed in with providing food for your family, evening activities, and relaxing activities. Think about the dining differences. In Disneyland almost everyone eats something offsite. At Disney World, most people live entirely on the Disney system.

You mentioned the Animal Kingdom as lacking rides. We love it there, it's one of our favorite parks. Besides just in your face rides like California Adventure, this park is so relaxing. We'll spend time looking at the birds on the trails, the animals, actually doing the tasks in the Wilderness Explorer kits, and riding EE and Dinosaur for lots of thrills too. I agree with you that EE vs Matterhorn is a win for EE. The Cali parks have nothing like the Safari.

So I hope to get back to Disneyland sometime, but if we do, it'd likely be for 2 or 3 days. Not a week-long vacation. It's just different. I love both. If I went to Disneyland I wouldn't feel like it's too crowded or they need to spread it out, or call it a WDW that's just all crammed together. It's just the opposite of saying WDW is Disneyland but spread out. I think it just depends on which one you saw first. Most people I knew in Cali raved about Disneyland as if it was inherently better than Disney World, but it's what they grew up with so I can understand that.

I grew up on Disney World so I'm partial there. Something about seeing that big Epcot ball for the first time when I was little, or the Electric Water Pageant that's still there today. And Figment! And the World Showcase! On the flip side, I sure do miss having Fantasmic right there in New Orleans Square. Heck I miss New Orleans Square altogether. And the Indiana Jones ride.

 

[caroline1851]

It seems to me that Univeral adds and expands more than Disney World. We went in 2010 then again this summer. I think the only new thing was Fantasyland.......
Fortunately for us, we skipped A LOT of rides last time (EE, RRC, TOT, Space M, splash, TT, for example) so there was plenty new for us. But....I don't understand why people enjoy going frequently. Once I go, i'm good for 3-5 years for sure. Next time we go, hopefully all of this new stuff will be done. As far as Frozen in the world Showcase, that's ridiculous in my opinion.

 

[bryanb]

With Disneyland being so close to my home, I definitely appreciate WDW as a vast place for relaxation. Yes, many of the top attractions are the same. I do go on them (if the lines are short) just to enjoy that odd sensation of things being bizarrely familiar yet slightly different. I don't bother with carbon-copy rides like Soarin (which is enormously popular in Orlando, but often just a <20 minute wait at DCA) or Star Tours, so there's not much stress in checking many headliners off on my list. I spend disproportionately more time at World Showcase and Animal Kingdom, and much of that just taking in the atmosphere. On my next trip, I'll take things even slower and maybe hop around to some of the different resorts.

 

[pampam]

As a third generation Californian who grew up with DL, I disagree with the immersion experience. It may hold true for visitors who are Caucasian but it is a different experience for those who are not. I am Japanese American and these immersive events took place on my trip last month:
~ while sitting in the lounge in the GF spa, a blond, Caucasian guest begins speaking to me and my CM friend in a cartoonish-Asian sing-song voice. When I replied, "We only speak English; it's just 'bye'," her response was, "Could have fooled me!"
~ in the DHS Starbucks, a CM points and gestures to me without speaking. Yes, I speak and comprehend English - all he had to do was begin speaking and I would have analyzed his oral structures and volitional tongue movements while assessing his speech and language skills because I am a speech pathologist.
~ in the Chase Lounge, a guest begins gesturing and pointing to me because she wanted to move ahead of me in line for the soft drinks. My first thought was that she was mute or was a recovered stroke victim. No, she just assumed I didn't speak English.

In the 50+ years that we've been visiting DL and then DCA, I've never felt such pervasive racism nor been subjected to racial profiling. DLR reflects the diversity that is California. WDW, to me, does not reflect diversity. You only have to compare parade performers in MK versus parade performers in DL to see how WDW lacks in diversity and it isn't due to a shortage of ethnic performers.

My family and I will still fly to Florida a couple of times a year to visit our CM friend but it isn't because of positive experiences in the parks. For a welcoming park experience, DLR is definitely our choice.

I enjoyed your post. I don't quite understand the part I've bolded. Is the parade in DL better acted out than in WDW or is there more ethnicity in DL than WDW?

 

[Duffywannabe]

I know many people who work at Disney. Most everyone agrees it is not as magical to work there as it once was. Seems to start at the top, and goes all the way to front line employees working with the guests. The experience is just not what it once was. Things are too regimented and difficult to plan. Little magical moments still happen, but not as frequently because CM's don't care as much anymore and management wants rules and procedures instead of guest satisfaction. Not a good trend.

Make no mistake, the pricing structures announced and coming up are about crowd control as much as about profits. They want to make everyone to plan it all out so they don't have to make additions. While lots of things are in the works, it is so slow in the making, none of it will feel as exciting when it finally opens as people hope. Disney is about 3 years behind of where they should be. But they rested on their laurels and it will hurt them, so why not do things to force people to not come as often rather than work to give people what they want is what I imagine they said. It is not a good trend.

It is a serious lack of vision on Disney's part. When the company thinks just expanding current rides like Soarin and TSMM is a big improvement, it shows me how the company thinks. It will be at least 5 years before all the things we currently know bout will be done, with no plans we know of for an aging poorly Epcot, by the time they move, we will all be saying the same things.

 

[Nancyg56]

Here's my take on Disney World versus Disneyland.

If going to Disney is all about parks and attractions for you, then, in many respects, Disneyland is superior to Disney World. At Disneyland, you have as many attractions in two parks (that are right next to each other) as Disney World has in four parks (that are spread apart). And, I'd argue that the top 10-15 attractions at Disneyland are actually, on average, somewhat better than the top 10-15 at Disney World (for, example, Radiator Springs Racers, is, IMO, the best attraction at all 6 US Disney parks). Plus, Southern California has, on average, better weather than Central Florida. That being said, there's nothing at Disneyland that compares to Epcot World Showcase or Animal Kingdom. Conversely, there's nothing at Disney World that compares to Cars Land.

Parks aside, where I think Disney World beats Disneyland is in the immersive resort experience. At Disney World, if you stay on property, you enter the Disney bubble even before you leave the airport (once arriving at Magical Express). And once on Disney property, you're immersed in Disney as far as the eye can see. In contrast, at Disneyland, you're on a small island in the middle of Anaheim. In addition, Disney World has 20 themed resorts and over 60 table service restaurants. In contrast, Disneyland has only three hotels and about a dozen table service restaurants. While I'd argue that the quality of the resort and restaurant offerings is just as good, if not better, at Disneyland than Disney World, the variety doesn't even come close.

In short, we enjoy the Disneyland parks just as much, if not more, than the Disney World parks. Be we enjoy the entire vacation experience more at Disney World.

I have only had the opportunity to visit DLR one time, and I must say I was enchanted. This was the Disney that I had dreamed of visiting when I was a child watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" every Sunday night. It It seemed to be so much more compact and pristine, and I have to say that crossing from one park to the next was really a treat, as was walking from our motel to DTD. FOr such a little space, the attractions seemed to be so much more immersive to me. Anyway it sure is different.

I do think that the two resorts are diffeent and that they were meant to be. Yes many attractions are repetitive, but I believe they should be given that most folks tend to visit their "home" resort and expect teh headliners. But they do attract different guests and offer different experiences. I think that for so ling WDW has concentrated on building resorts an has been caught behind with updating the parks and attractions, so for now WDW is experienceing growing pains. First time visitors may or may not notice that the shine is off of the apple in some areas, but long tim fols see that more clearly. Some are disallusioned and others see a change for the good. Time will tell I think.

I have only been to DL twice, the thing I noticed most. At DL I felt more in touch with Walt Disney special touches he made at DL. I still love going to WDW but I think things could be greatly improved. I think Disney company has some great improvements coming, but may be at least 5 years before you really see big improvements.I own at Old Key West , first DVC resort. So we visit 5 or 6 times a year for 4 day stays. Probably 10-12 day visits since we are only about 1 hour from WDW. So you need no flame suit to protect yourself from this Moderator. Danny

I did as well, but I wonder if it was because as a little girl I wanted so much to go, but never was able to. This was the Disney I had seen on TV.

As a third generation Californian who grew up with DL, I disagree with the immersion experience. It may hold true for visitors who are Caucasian but it is a different experience for those who are not. I am Japanese American and these immersive events took place on my trip last month:
~ while sitting in the lounge in the GF spa, a blond, Caucasian guest begins speaking to me and my CM friend in a cartoonish-Asian sing-song voice. When I replied, "We only speak English; it's just 'bye'," her response was, "Could have fooled me!"
~ in the DHS Starbucks, a CM points and gestures to me without speaking. Yes, I speak and comprehend English - all he had to do was begin speaking and I would have analyzed his oral structures and volitional tongue movements while assessing his speech and language skills because I am a speech pathologist.
~ in the Chase Lounge, a guest begins gesturing and pointing to me because she wanted to move ahead of me in line for the soft drinks. My first thought was that she was mute or was a recovered stroke victim. No, she just assumed I didn't speak English.

In the 50+ years that we've been visiting DL and then DCA, I've never felt such pervasive racism nor been subjected to racial profiling. DLR reflects the diversity that is California. WDW, to me, does not reflect diversity. You only have to compare parade performers in MK versus parade performers in DL to see how WDW lacks in diversity and it isn't due to a shortage of ethnic performers.

My family and I will still fly to Florida a couple of times a year to visit our CM friend but it isn't because of positive experiences in the parks. For a welcoming park experience, DLR is definitely our choice.

I really cannot say anything, this is just....well I am speechless. I am so sorry that you experienced this treatment, and not just once. That is even more appalling for me.

 

[larryz]

OP, a lot of people share your concerns and agree with your observations. To those that don't, I suggest a quick 3-day trip to DL resort. Stay on-site and enjoy.

You'll look at WDW a bit differently afterwards... I guarantee it...

 

[larryz]

~ while sitting in the lounge in the GF spa, a blond, Caucasian guest begins speaking to me and my CM friend in a cartoonish-Asian sing-song voice. When I replied, "We only speak English; it's just 'bye'," her response was, "Could have fooled me!"
~ in the DHS Starbucks, a CM points and gestures to me without speaking. Yes, I speak and comprehend English - all he had to do was begin speaking and I would have analyzed his oral structures and volitional tongue movements while assessing his speech and language skills because I am a speech pathologist.
~ in the Chase Lounge, a guest begins gesturing and pointing to me because she wanted to move ahead of me in line for the soft drinks. My first thought was that she was mute or was a recovered stroke victim. No, she just assumed I didn't speak English.

In the 50+ years that we've been visiting DL and then DCA, I've never felt such pervasive racism nor been subjected to racial profiling. DLR reflects the diversity that is California. WDW, to me, does not reflect diversity. You only have to compare parade performers in MK versus parade performers in DL to see how WDW lacks in diversity and it isn't due to a shortage of ethnic performers.

Well, there are rude people everywhere you go. Sorry you have to endure it. I ran into the reverse in Germany -- people (especially little old ladies) would walk up to me speaking German. I had to explain that sorry, despite my Germanic surname, I don't speak German. I'd usually get a part sympathetic, part shaming head shake in response.

BTW, I've always wanted to know: do speech pathologists study dead languages? And if so, who killed Latin?