Taking a break from some of the parks until new attractions?

[connie1042]

Only doing MK and Epcot on short 2 day trip in Oct. Too much construction for us.

 

[Astridia]

Well, it probably won't be quite as exciting as it sounds. We had to finalize some furniture and decorations for a townhouse we purchased a few months ago and had to finalize a contract with a management company who will monitor our townhouse for us while we're not there. I'd say about a week of those 2 were spent specifically on the property issues as opposed to actually "vacation fun". We did go to the east coast and spent time at the Canaveral Seashore and had a blast there. We spent some time on International Drive and had a lot of fun checking all that out because we'd never ventured over there yet. We did a lot of just slowing down and looking at the resorts we visited and the other areas we visited as well. It's just the two of us now and we've slowed down a bit so a slower and more relaxed couple of weeks was perfect and just what we needed.

We did play some putt-putt golf at Fantasia Gardens but, aside from the resorts we visited and ate at, that was the extent of our Disney exposure.

I also think the pressure to go, go, go is reduced now that you have a townhouse and you know you will return frequently. Congratulations on your new home, that's great.

 

[agavegirl1]

Is Pandora 2018? Ugh.

I think it is 2017 during summer, not a time I visit WDW. Also, BTW, love your posts in general ArwenMarie.

 

[Planogirl]

Well, it probably won't be quite as exciting as it sounds. We had to finalize some furniture and decorations for a townhouse we purchased a few months ago and had to finalize a contract with a management company who will monitor our townhouse for us while we're not there. I'd say about a week of those 2 were spent specifically on the property issues as opposed to actually "vacation fun". We did go to the east coast and spent time at the Canaveral Seashore and had a blast there. We spent some time on International Drive and had a lot of fun checking all that out because we'd never ventured over there yet. We did a lot of just slowing down and looking at the resorts we visited and the other areas we visited as well. It's just the two of us now and we've slowed down a bit so a slower and more relaxed couple of weeks was perfect and just what we needed.

We did play some putt-putt golf at Fantasia Gardens but, aside from the resorts we visited and ate at, that was the extent of our Disney exposure.

Isn't amazing how much there is to do in the area? We enjoy exploring new places almost as much as visiting themeparks.

 

[Megsmachine]

Seems that people are either saying things have to be updated/they need to add new attractions OR no one can stand seeing all the construction walls. We can't have it both ways.

 

[mrzrich]

Seems that people are either saying things have to be updated/they need to add new attractions OR no one can stand seeing all the construction walls. We can't have it both ways.

Have you been lately? There is construction EVERYWHERE. I don't mind construction in one or 2 parks, but why are they doing all of this at once? Even DTD Could have been done in stages. Instead we have this:

 

[Astridia]

Have you been lately? There is construction EVERYWHERE. I don't mind construction in one or 2 parks, but why are they doing all of this at once? Even DTD Could have been done in stages

Problem is, every construction project is taking forever. There's a lot construction at Universal too. But here's the difference: at WDW most of the construction sites look abandoned, no one is working. At Universal, the construction sites are humming with activity.

 

[mrzrich]

It is a wonder how Universal gets their projects banged out quickly, and Disney seems to take forever. Disney is it's own municipality with its own zoning board, etc. You'd think things would get done faster.

Come on, the Avatar project was announced in 2011.

 

[mrzrich]

I just checked Avatar was announced September 2011.

Diagon Alley was announced 2 months later in December 2011

 

[Astridia]

I just checked Avatar was announced September 2011.

Diagon Alley was announced 2 months later in December 2011

So Diagon Alley was announced in Sept 2011 and it was completed in July 2014. I know people say that Disney announces projects much sooner than Universal, but if you compare construction time time frames Disney moves at a snail's pace.

 

[lauradis]

When we go to fla and have the time we don't skip any of the parks.

But when we have other vacation plans, but have the time to stop in Orlando for just a day or two days we only go to the magic kingdom.

 

[lauradis]

I've been an AP holder for more than 10 years visiting at least 4 times a year.

Just got home yesterday with a heavy heart and a decision that it's time for a break. My goal is to wait until 2017, not sure if my will is strong enough to hold
Out that long.

Besides the construction (IN EVERY PARK AND DTD), the food was pretty awful and more expensive than ever. For the first time ever, I experienced dirty bathrooms. On several occasions I encountered Cast Members fraternizing with each other rather than engaging guests.

It just wasn't the Disney that I fell in love with.

We did this sometime ago. We only go about every 2/3 years now. It's ok. You should be able to voice any opinion on here. It's better and I try not to get stuck up in the Disney sucks drama.

I wish you good luck on your withdrawals suffering.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

We never skip a park, but we have APs. If I had one park per day tickets at this point I would skip AK. The only thing I really enjoy there that I would miss is Kilimanjaro Safari and one attraction is not worth a ticket. However, I still really enjoy DHS, so much so that we went there twice our last trip. Granted neither time was a full day but probably 3/4 of a day both times so 1.5 days total. Most of the attractions they have closed there I didn't like/ride anyway.

 

[Lyricallie]

I'm excited for my next trip and won't be missing anything simply because we are coming from so far, also my boyfriend hasn't been since he was about 10 so I'm excited about showing him things. However I am worried about the amount of construction everywhere. Hopefully things will start appearing May 2016!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We never skip a park, but we have APs. If I had one park per day tickets at this point I would skip AK. The only thing I really enjoy there that I would miss is Kilimanjaro Safari and one attraction is not worth a ticket. However, I still really enjoy DHS, so much so that we went there twice our last trip. Granted neither time was a full day but probably 3/4 of a day both times so 1.5 days total. Most of the attractions they have closed there I didn't like/ride anyway.

I could see how having APs would change the whole equation. Not that the AP is free, but it kind of feels free once you start using it. Plus the hopper capability.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think you just gotta lower your expectations a little bit.

Disney has a lot more customers in 2015 than they had even just three or four years ago. More people + same amount of attractions = longer lines. Sure we got New Fantasyland, but I don't think the added capacity is even close to the increased MK attendance figures.

Just keep your expectations low until the next recession when attendance drops again and the lines shorten a bit.

Of course Disney has a lot more customers than they did just a few years ago. They have entire departments dedicated to getting even more customers. They run promotions, including the prime time commercials I saw on TV just last night. People get bonuses based on them getting more customers.

Yet when it came time to spend big dollars in the parks, they chose a ride rationing system over more attractions. Even enough attractions to just keep even with attendance growth would have been nice.

 

[ELSA711]

We've been going regularly for about 15 years and last year in October 2014 was our best trip. We loved the addition to FP+ because we don't like getting to the parks at RD just to ride TSMM, 7DMT, KS, EE or any popular ride. We are happy with our 3 must haves for each park on each day.
There was a ton of construction at AK, lots of nothing to do at DHS but MK and Epcot were not under construction 'yet' when we were there so maybe I'm expecting to much for our fall trip. Will MK still be under heavy construction in the fall?

 

[Cee]

We probably won't skip any but will only do the things we enjoy and beat a hasty retreat!

 

[loves to dive]

We won't be skipping any of the parks, but like others we have park hoppers (I have an AP, kids have military hoppers) so there is no pressure to try to spend a whole day in any one park. We are in the minority and don't really spend a lot of time at MK, we love Epcot. The rides aren't really the draw for us and the construction isn't a problem either. I'll agree HS needs an overhaul, but I still love just wandering around and looking at things there. Couldn't imagine not going to AK and seeing the animals. I go at least once a year and DS and DIL go at least every other year, but that's only because he was stationed at Great Lakes. They are back in Georgia now so I can see that changing. It will be interesting to see how we do in our upcoming May trip since DS isn't able to walk long distances and refuses to use a wheel chair, I can see us spending more time at the resorts and less time at the parks.

 

[jbish]

We wouldn't skip any of the parks for several reasons. I don't actively dislike any of the park attractions that I can think of; I may not LOVE some of them, but I'd rather be at WDW than doing most other things. I would hate to travel so far and skip any of the parks. (Note that we always get park hoppers, so we aren't ever married to spending an entire day at any one park.)

My immediate family and I had been going to WDW approximately yearly up until a couple years ago (we've skipped a couple years because we had so much going on - new baby, moving across country...). So besides never having been able to do "everything" there is available to do on WDW property (or even just in the parks), several things are new since we were last at WDW (notably BOG, 7DMT, and A&E). There are several other things that we've never gotten around to (such as Jedi Training Academy), or that we've only done or seen once (Animation Academy, Flights of Wonder, LMA, Indiana Jones, TSMM,...). There are also many more things outside the parks that we've never done (Typhoon Lagoon, mini golf, either of the dinner shows,...).

Especially for those of us with small children, each trip is different because the kids are physically and mentally able to do more and more each trip. DD is petite for her age, and she is finally tall enough to ride most of the 'thrill' rides at WDW (this will also be DS's first ever trip to WDW). Even if DH and and I have experienced something a hundred times, each time we ride or see something with one of our kids for the first time, seeing it through their eyes makes it like a whole new experience.

This is us, too. While I have been to WDW enough to have seen favorite rides come and go and to know the difference between the WDW of today vs. 10 or 20 years ago, going with my kids has made it a completely new experience for us. We are going in November this year - it will have been 2 years between trips. My kids are bigger, so their experience will be different than the last one. While I'm disappointed in the lack of rides at Epcot (my sentimental favorite) and HS, I can't justify skipping any of the parks. As I plan this trip, I find that I'm filling up the days with other activities - mini golf, campfire/movie night, and exploring AKL after dinner. I also want to have the kids try Agent P at Epcot, Wilderness Explorers at AK, and Animation Academy at HS - all things we have never done because the boys were too little last time. As the kids get bigger each passing year, I look forward to doing more later nights at the parks or adding water parks to our trips.

I think it helps that our trips have been spaced out by 18-24 months - enough time to make us want to do all of our favorites again and sprinkling in something new each time. Also, for the first time, we are driving and plan on eating in our DVC villa/packing lunches - the quality of the food has not been great and I hate spending that amount of money on average food. Sure, it's no fun cooking on vacation - but the money saved will make me feel a lot better.

This does not mean that I'm okay with how they've let Epcot dwindle into a shell of its former self. Nor am I happy to be spending one of my park days at a half-HS. But I'll fill the other half of the day with new experiences that I know my kids will love. In the end, I think our family will still have a great vacation filled with (hopefully) great memories for my kids. But I expect Disney to make good on these "coming attractions" so that there will always be something new for us in the coming years.