No Magic, No Fun, Never Again

[zippehsmom]

I'm sorry you didn'thave a magical trip. I think that going during the most busiest times you have to be equipped with a good arsenal of Disney Knowledge. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent researching Disney (mostly because I just love doing it). Wherever we vacation I always spend a good amount of time researching, whether it's to Disney or other destinations.

However, I can honestly say that with every trip I take it gets better and better. My last trip I discovered Tour Guide Mike and we had a awesome time (even though we were there right after the 4th of July). I hope that you give Disney another chance and maybe go during a slower time period. I' ve never been fortunate enough to go during he slow season because I'm a teacher, so I just research and research to make sure we get the best bang for my buck.

I would also be curious to know what time you arrived at the parks and what time that other family arrived at the park. A lot of people think that getting there at 9 or 10 is early, and it really isn't. We are always at the MK entrance 15-20 minutes prior to the park opening, not pulling into the parking lot or getting on the monorail. I mean we are waiting by the turnstyles ready to enter.

My best advice for meeting the characters is doing a character meal. I figure we gotta eat anyways, so we've never waited in line to meet a character (only once to meet Mickey, but that was as soon as Toon Town opened).

I'm glad that you at least had a great time at Universal. I had a wonderful time a Universal when we went.

Have a happy new Year

zippehsmom

 

[Magic_Fan_Bruce]

It’s true, Christmas week is by far the busiest days of the year at WDW (the only exception is the Forth of July). I don’t like it either and we never go during that time. However, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has the slowest days of the year, nice weather and Christmas decorations and entertainment.

I’m unclear if the guests would prefer lowering the capacity and risk not getting in or not. It would be interesting to know the ratio of complaints WDW gets of guest not being able to get into the MK, to the number of complaints about too many people in the MK on Christmas week.

The only real way Disney could help decrease the number of people trying to get into the parks would be to make it a less desirable place to visit or greatly increase the ticket prices; both would make the parks less crowded and increase profits. But I think the folks that run Disney know, in general, the more people to show up at the parks the better.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I'm so sorry you didn't have a magical time. May I make a suggestion if you try and give Disney another chance? Stay on-site so you can take advantage of extra magical hour especially at MK. We go in July, which is a busy time (not as busy as Christmas) and go to EMH at MK and don't encounter any waits for rides such as Dumbo, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear etc. Toontown doesn't open until 10:00 - we go right there and get in line to see whichever character the kids want to see that day. We also make PS's so they can spend time with their special characters, - Cinderella's Gala Feast, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, CRT, etc.

Get your fast passes as early in the day as possible. I would definitely suggest going a different time of year (maybe summer) when parks stay open late, and you can enjoy going back to your on-site hotel for a swim/rest break. Hope you'll give it another try. Definitely ask questions on the DIS boards - these people are the most knowledgeable around and are glad to share their experiences good and bad.

 

[3Mousketeers]

Sorry to hear the OP had a negative experience. We've been in early October and found amazing weather and minimal crowds; July (what were we thinking?!?!?!) and April school vacation (great weather but tough crowds). Now we're trying early February 2005 (got a great AP rate!). I planned detailed itineraries for my last 2 trips & it really paid off. Now I have 3 kids & I'm not sure how much planning I should or need to do for early Feb. This very tired Mom of 3 in need of a magical Disney trip (staying at WL) would love any advice you experts have (i.e. who is tour guide mike (sorry!!!))!!

 

[dizneefamily5]

I am so sorry to hear that you had a bad time. We went last year from the 17th to the 31st and we will NEVER again go after Christmas. I have posted several times to others who have asked if they should go at this time - NO!!. I have 3 dd's 8,9,2 and they were miserable from Christmas day forward. I totally agree with you. I don't know what Disney sould do to make it better, but it really doesn't matter. We won't do that again. WE are DVC members who go 2x a year so "knowledge" is not the answer. Maybe our expectations were too high. Anyway, please try Disney again. We still make 2 yearly visits, usually, late August and Spring. It is not usually like that, I promise! I hope the kids remember the trip fondly!

 

[leighmidd]

It's horrible you had such an awful time. We were just there with my family and my husbands family from the 16th-26th and we had the most amazing time. The wait times were a bit longer than our usual trips in May but the cool weather made up for the extra 5 to 10 minutes we had to wait. We utilized our fastpasses and did not miss a thing! In fact, I think we did everything 4 times!! We tried Universal once and really disliked it, the magic just isn't there for us. Next time try the couple of weeks before Christmas and stay a bit longer, you will enjoy yourself with the right planning. I'm already in Disney depression!

 

[zippehsmom]

3Mouskteers Tour Guide Mike is a disney vacation planning site. Mike is an actual person who owns and operates a VIP tour company. The cost to join is I believe $21.95 (there are discounts available, but I can't remember what site to access it from). This is a small fee for the services that he provides. I view this fee as just the price of another guide book.

I have found his information invaluable along with all the information on the DIS as well as All Ears and mousesavers. I think with these four sites (The DIS, Tour Guide Mike, Mousesavers and All Ears) I have everything I need to plan the best vacations.

zippehsmom

 

[Doctor P]

Sorry you had a bad time, but I don't see anything that was Disney's fault. I'm curious as to where you stayed. Did you perhaps stay off-site? That might explain some difference in what we have experienced. The holidays can be VERY crowded. If you aren't patient, don't want to plan way ahead, are not flexible, and don't want to prioritize the things you do, you will simply not have a good time during the Christmas holidays. There are plenty of things to do that are not very crowded during the holidays, but it takes planning, compromise, and a lot of long days. We are willing to do that, but I understand that many people are not.

 

[zurgswife]

Sorry to hear you had a miserable time....we were there last year from the 20th until Jan 2 and it was magic...Yes it was very very very crowded and we expected and planned accordingly.....We did do early entry and found it worked nicely especially at the MK....we never came away from a day without accomplishing what we wanted...but our lists were definately shorter then when we travel at other times...

Other amusement parks are just as horrible as you described...we went to six flags and spent $150 on admission and that was with a 50% discount, they only had 5-6 rides open for the first 2 hrs...at which time the lines were well over 2hrs long....we lasted 3hrs and left....so, I chalked it up to not my ballywig......

May be you can find a time that you would enjoy more...I hope so...cause disney is wonderful...

 

[WDWBetsy]

While I'm sorry that you had a horrible time with the crowds at WDW. After reading your previous postings - it's clear that at least one DISer warned you about the crowded conditions during Christmas week. Not to mention all the other websites indicating that this is one of the busiest times.

I plan our trips 11 months to a year in advance and adjust our dates based on discounts, crowds, etc. I buy a PassPorter, buy a subscription to Tour Guide Mike's site, read newsgroups daily, put details into spreadsheets, and do as much research as possible to know what to expect. Yes, I'm pretty anal about our vacations. Yet - we have a good time even if things are hectic or if things go wrong (the DH passed out and cracked his head on the tub in our suite after running on the treadmill and not cooling off!).

I have been to Universal Studios twice and while it was fun, it just lacked the magic that the DH and I love about WDW. We just went on a cruise and while it was relaxing, I couldn't wait to plan a WDW trip for next year. Clearly, there is something that draws me to that magical place.

Again, I'm sorry this happened to you, but perhaps your expectations were unrealistic. It sounds like other families were there at the same time as you and had a fun time even with crowds. It's not Disney's fault that everyone wants to experience the magic.

 

[dzneelvr]

Please, don't give up on WDW quite yet. If at all possible, plan a trip during an off season like January or February (no around a shcool holiday).
Our family did it's first 4 in these "slow" times and got acclimated to everything. Now we do summer, which is another busy time but we know exactly what we're doing so it's perfect.
WDW is a Lovely family vacation, but I am sure it can resemble an overcrowded shopping mall during Christmas time. I don't think I will ever be tempted to go at that time of year even though I love WDW.

Give it another go. It can be relaxed and create so many many happy family memories.

 

[meandtheguys2]

You know, if you choose to vacation elsewhere that is just fine and dandy. Disney isn't for everyone, esp. on the holidays. You would not catch me there on Christmas for anything. Sorry you were so miserable.

 

[WDWLVR]

We spent one day at Disney (12/28) after our 10 day cruise. Started with Epcot as we were staying at Beach Club. The park was crowded but not too crazy. When we got off the monorail at T & T the lines for both the monorail and ferry boat were crazy. Instead of waiting for them we walked over to the Poly and took the motor launch from there with one other family. Our one objective was Stitch and we waiting 75 minutes for that. Headed back to the Poly and then back to Epcot.

We were finally able to get into our room and then out to the DVC Merry Member Mixer. Then back into Epcot for dinner at Coral Reef and then to the Candlelight Processional. We would have loved to gone back and seen the lights of winter and stay for Illuminations but the crowds were crazy. We were able to see the fireworks from our room.

I don't think I will ever go back to WDW during this time frame, the crowds were just too much for me. We knew this coming in and we're glad we were able to do what we did.

I don't see how any of this is Disney's fault. We've always heard that between Christmas and New Years is one of the busiest times. If it hadn't been for the cruise we would not have visited at this time.

To the OP, I'm sorry you had such a poor experience, but I think you've gotten some great advice. Find other times to take the families to Disney and I think you will find the magic there.

 

[Lewski709]

Sorry you had a bad time, but I don't see anything that was Disney's fault. I'm curious as to where you stayed. Did you perhaps stay off-site? That might explain some difference in what we have experienced. The holidays can be VERY crowded. If you aren't patient, don't want to plan way ahead, are not flexible, and don't want to prioritize the things you do, you will simply not have a good time during the Christmas holidays. There are plenty of things to do that are not very crowded during the holidays, but it takes planning, compromise, and a lot of long days. We are willing to do that, but I understand that many people are not.

Well put.
While I do admit, we did not take advantage of the EE on any of our days, we were flexible and left between 2 and 6 and went back each night to enjoy the extended hours. We found a lot of people cleared out by 8pm.

 

[Jeanny]

I was there Christmas week and thought it was MORE crowded Thanksgiving Weekend than Christmas... but, I was still able to see the parades without having people constantly step on me. I was able to see a lot of shows even though it was raining a lot of the time.

Crowded? Yes. Will I go back? You betcha!!! If you go in with the "I can bend, I can change" attitude, you're fine. If you don't like standing in line, don't go at Thanksgiving or Christmas!

 

[disneymom3]

I can only imagine how disappointing this was for you. I am sure you were just dreaming of how exciting it would be, the stars in the kids' eyes, the family together time, etc, and that is not what you got. The Disney commercials are not the Disney reality without one heck of a lot of planning. And you have to be really good from what I can see to make it happen during the holidays. With all due respect 30 hours of planning is not going to cut it. We are talking about a $2500+ investment here.That family that couldn't get in to the parks for two days--they obviously weren't arriving before opening were they? If they had gotten up and out the door early, their vacation would have been much more successful. We always stay offsite so I don't think onsite is an automatic fix, but not going at the busiest time of the year would definitely help.

In your research, did you come across the idea that you should get a priority seating for character meals 90 days in advance? Then your three year old would have seen Mickey for sure. That is the only way my kids see the characters because DH and I refuse to stand in line to greet them.

I can understand your reluctance to ever return, but if you do think about it, plan for a year (I am not kiddding) and go in early Dec, Jan or early Feb. That's my advice.

And again, I am sooo sorry that your trip was a disappointment to you.

 

[Beanie]

Haven't been to Universal lately, have you? There is the magic of characters, themed rides and themed queues, friendly employees, clean park and bathrooms, Grinchmas and Macy's parade, fireworks, and great fun. There are thrill rides for teens and the magic of Suess landing and Whoville for the kids, innovative rides like Spiderman and Mummy and the 3-D Shrek which is better done than Philharmagic.

Yep, my kind of "Magic."

I couldn't agree more!! Universal wins hands down as far as "magic" goes!

Sorry you had a bad time at Disney, but glad that Universal made up for it! I love Universal and personally would rather spend all my time there then Disney!

 

[Guads6]

Your description is about what I thought Disney would be like during Christmas. Only a special breed of people can do Christmas week. I'm not one of them and I'm guessing you are not either.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

We were at WDW from the 23rd to the 29th and I'm inclined to agree with the OP as far as Magic Kingdom was concerned. We did have PS at Chef Mickey's for breakfast (on a different day than the one we visited MK on) and we had ps for lunch. We planned for 6 months and we were on my ds's wish trip so we didn't have to wait in line for any rides and I STILL will never go there on Christmas again. We actually visited MK on the 27th. I was terrified I would lose my children so I had my two older kids holding on to either me or one of our two strollers the entire time we were there. When dh stopped to pick up our baby's bottle a cm said "you have to keep moving, you can't stop here" (we were on a sidewalk). Most of the cm's we encountered were rude, at Tarzan Rocks at Animal Kingdom a cm told the audience "I still see seats open, you all need to move to the center of the row NOW." But Animal Kingdom was the best part of our Disney experience as the crowds were very manageable. While watching Spectromagic sitting on a curb (we sat down an hour ahead of time so we could sit) a crowd of people were pushing my baby's stroller into me and someone actually tipped it sideways trying to squeeze between it and the one next to it to touch one of the characters, luckily I had already taken the baby out when I saw how bad it was getting. We did expect the crowds so we waited until the 27th to go, but it was still awful (we expected it, but since we couldn't plan the trip we figured it would be the best day to do MK). It's funny, this year it would've been better to go on Christmas day because it poured down rain, our waitress at the Plaza restaraunt said they were slow the 26th, too, so much for my planning! When we left the park for the day the kids said "Hey, we didn't get any autographs today." We had been to WDW before and we will still go back, but when planning it ourselves if we want to do it as a Christmas present we'll give Disney gifts at Christmas for a January trip.

I was much more impressed with Universal as were my children. They had alot more fun and the cm's were much more friendly. When we stopped under an overpass (?) type area to put on ponchos and check out a map a cm actually stopped to say hi, asked if he could help us, explained child swap and directed us to the popular children's attractions. Each cm we encountered at least said Hi.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Haven't been to Universal lately, have you? There is the magic of characters, themed rides and themed queues, friendly employees, clean park and bathrooms, Grinchmas and Macy's parade, fireworks, and great fun. There are thrill rides for teens and the magic of Suess landing and Whoville for the kids, innovative rides like Spiderman and Mummy and the 3-D Shrek which is better done than Philharmagic.

Yep, my kind of "Magic."

Universal is fun and kewl, and Shrek 3D is good, but it doesn't compare to Philharmagic .