Am I The Only One With SIMPLE Expectations?

[Lucky'sMom]

This is a great thread, and I agree 100% I have a friend who returned recently from going to watch her son's marching band perform at WDW. Her family's attitude toward Disney is totally "been there, done that" and she tells me about all the things they don't go on/visit because they just wouldn't appeal to her family. She told me after this band trip something like, "for being the 'happiest place on earth' I sure didn't see alot of happy people. Kids were grumpy and crying everywhere...etc". I can't imagine letting other people's reactions to things influence how I feel about my vacation. To quote my favorite WDW trip-planner, Tour Guide Mike..."pity them, don't BE them!" Well said.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think it is easy to simply say, "I had a great trip!"

I think it can be hard to describe problems and their resolution in a concise way, especially if you made mutiple efforts to resolve the situation.

While some folks certainly have inflated expectations, I think others get misunderstood when they try to relate real life difficulties they encountered.

Here's a simple example, you go to resort knowing there's no pool slide, but then it isn't until you're there that you react to the situation. You're child looks up and you and says, "Where's the slide?" So you come to the DIS and try to explain how that decreased your enjoyment.

It's hard to relate that sort of thing in a post.

 

[kaybird]

MANY Many many Kudos to the OP for this thread. Most of mine die because I am such a Pollyanna, and come to these boards for the Disney Magic. I agree with an earlier post that message boards, and I will add reality shows have made us as a people quick to criticize. Don't understand the posts needing to "Vent" about some slight real or imagined. It make real problems harder to resolve with the constant "good is never good enough" attitude that covers resorts, dining and even new and refurbished rides. It is no wonder that people who have this attitude take their children and have a bad or stressful time.

I am blessed with a family who loves our WDW trips, kids are now grown but we continue wonderful family vacations, and tell people the great times we have.

 

[sjaakie]

Here's a simple example, you go to resort knowing there's no pool slide, but then it isn't until you're there that you react to the situation. You're child looks up and you and says, "Where's the slide?" So you come to the DIS and try to explain how that decreased your enjoyment.

It's hard to relate that sort of thing in a post.

I'm so sorry but that's no reason to complain. If you knew there was no slide you either book another resort or except what you booked in total freedom.

 

[iamthedog]

No, I have pretty simple expectations too. I want to have fun

 

[3amigos]

Great post! You are so right on!

 

[danceintherain]

Great post!
I got a little lost in the convoluted mess that fills these boards sometimes. I think that might be why I've changed my mind so often, but at this point I've decided that I'm going to plan a bunch of things that I've never done before (stay on-site, eat at a bunch of restaurants) and be ok with it. The reason why I chose Disney for my honeymoon is because I KNEW that it would be less stressful for me than anywhere else.
I spent last semester in Prague and if you want to complain about inadequate service and transportation then you should live there for a while. But that experience turned out just fine, and I can't imagine the experience at Disney to be any worse. On our way home my boyfriend got "eaten" by a bus, and fell down an escalator. I decided at that point that I would never travel with that much luggage ever again.
At some point while reading all the stuff about how much it sucks to rely on Disney bus transportation, I remembered that experience and realized that as long as we do not get "eaten" by a bus while at Disney, it will be magical. That's when I decided to change my deluxe resort back to AKL, which is where we wanted to stay originally, even though I'll have to rely on buses the whole time.

Point #2 that made me realize that people like to complain a lot is that the last time I was at Disney was over New Year's. The absolute busiest time of the year. There were massive amounts of people EVERYWHERE! However, I don't remember having to wait in line that much... and when I did wait in line I enjoyed it. Disney has by far the most entertaining queuing areas ever. (I was actually upset when we got to practically walk on to the Kali River Rapids, because I like looking at all the stuff) We might not have gotten to ride on every ride in the park, but that was ok. It was fun. My favorite part of the trip was New Year's Eve. We were in the Magic Kingdom, and exhausted. My mom and I rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority around and around and around and around (No line!) and just relaxed. It gave us a place to sit with our feet up away from the loudness of the New Year's Eve bashes. It was very enjoyable.
My second favorite part of the trip was in EPCOT. We were on a search for Funnel Cakes. We went to Germany thinking Pennsylvania Dutch, but the CM we asked didn't even know what a funnel cake was. We eventually found them in America, and my mom bought one for the CM. The look on his face when he saw it was priceless.
The best way to feel the magic is to find it and share it yourself, instead of waiting with a million people for someone to give it to you.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

I always have a magical trip when I visit Walt Disney World, my most recent being the most magical ever...on May 14 I was honoured to be a group leader for Dreams Take Flight. An organization run by Air Canada Employees and retirees. This is one magical day for underprivledge and children with various medical conditions to go to The Magic Kingdom and experience childhood without any worries. We left Toronto at around 7:15 a.m. arrived at The Magic Kindom and spent an unforgetable day. It ended with Wishes and a flight back to Toronto! There were almost 300 children at the Magic Kingdom that day. It was a first trip for each and every one of them and quite possibly the only trip for many of them.

It was the most amazing day I have ever spent at the Magic Kingdom and one that will be remembered by myself and hopefully the children for ever.

There is Magic at Walt Disney World and you don't have to look to far to find it. Usually it starts inside yourself.

 

[SereneOne]

I think it is easy to simply say, "I had a great trip!"

I think it can be hard to describe problems and their resolution in a concise way, especially if you made mutiple efforts to resolve the situation.

While some folks certainly have inflated expectations, I think others get misunderstood when they try to relate real life difficulties they encountered.

Here's a simple example, you go to resort knowing there's no pool slide, but then it isn't until you're there that you react to the situation. You're child looks up and you and says, "Where's the slide?" So you come to the DIS and try to explain how that decreased your enjoyment.

It's hard to relate that sort of thing in a post.

But to say that that one incident or a couple of other small ones, ruined the whole trip is just ridiculous. You chalk it up to a lesson learned and next vacation you get a hotel with a slide.

When I think of how other people live around the world, I am thankful to live in America and I consider it a dream come true every time I have the opportunity to go to Disney World.

And there are legitimate complaints at times, however, many of the ones posted here are just ludicrous. Look for the good and you will find it, look for the bad and you will find that too.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

No, you are not the only one who feels this way. DH and I have averaged 6-8 weekends per year at WDW for the last 6 years and we always have a FABULOUS time. It's an incredibly magical place. I especially don't understand folks who find fault with virtually everything about the experience....my experience is magical EVERY time. That's why Disney gets so much of our money, from annual passes to resort rooms to the Disney Dining Experience.

 

[BillyFeat]

Great Thread! People do expect too much from their Disney vacation at times. Anyone that reads the initial post, and adheres to that philosophy, will enjoy their vacation. Sometimes people take their "life is a business" attitude to Orlando and are disappointed when all of the "extras" they read about do not occur on their trip.

 

[dananbethany]

There is Magic at Walt Disney World and you don't have to look to far to find it. Usually it starts inside yourself.

:whistles:

Tag Fairy...oh, Tag Fairy...

 

[lmillercrew]

I just found this post and totally agree with OP. It's ridiculous when people say that their vacation was "ruined" because they didn't get a towel animal! Whatever
If that ruins a vacation, I'd hate to see something really go wrong.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I totally agree with the OP!!!

 

[Poppinsme]

Thank you.

I work in a very busy children's hospital and see horrors daily.
To come to WDW and get away from my high stress job is fabulous. I only see the good because I have to work with so much heartache. And at WDW there is so much GOOD. My expectations are also simple and we have never had a bad trip.

Thanks again OP.

 

[mmiller711]

What a great thread!!! I agree 100%! I have been to disney over 30 times and I have had some things that "weren't quite right" however to say the whole vacation was ruined, nope. When you figure that my vacations lasted from 2 days when there was just 1 park to 13 days on some vacations that's alot of nights with excellent service!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

It just dawned on me that so much of our "experience"--wherever we go--is really an extension of our personality and how we approach life on an everyday basis. My DH and I are very easy-going and laid back, we solve our own problems, we don't even CARE about the small stuff, and we laugh and make jokes about everything.

If the pool is ice cold, if an employee is a grump, if we get cut-off by a motorized maniac, if the buses are running slow, yahda..yahda..yahda......we are more likely to make a joke out of it and put it out of our mind than to have it fester(sp?) and grow into something that puts a permanant mark on our vacation experience.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

Many years ago, before I ever stayed on property and got completely addicted to Disney magic, I had one simple philosophy about hotels.

Hotel rooms had to be clean, bug free, in a safe area, and air conditioned.​

I never understood why people wanted much more than that. Afterall, most of the time, if you are staying in a hotel room when traveling on vacation, the hotel is not your destination, some entertaining area is the focus of the trip and the hotel is just a place to collapse at the end of the day.

After staying on Disney property 7 times now, with stays at all levels of service, I can say that I do not expect much more than I did before. I am always pleased with my hotel stays at WDW. This is not to say that every room is perfect. This is not to say that I always get towel animals. This is not to say that I have not encountered CM's that were busy and less than 100% magical. But, with the level of service that we get from staying onsite, it's still head and shoulders above what we experience just about anywhere else, plus all of those onsite benefits just make it the best thing going for us.

If I didn't like the service that I was getting, I would be renting a house that was pet friendly offsite and saving a bunch of money on the "room" and the dog boarding fees that we pay everytime we travel down there. But, I do like our experiences, so the dogs stay here and we go there, which speaks a lot to the ability of pixie dust to overcome "Doggie Mommy Guilt"!

 

[TarzansKat]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. It truly warms my heart to see so many people who make their own experiences instead of relying on someone else to make the experience for them. Sure, we would all love to feel the magic from every person we encounter at Disney, but by the true nature of people and the melting pot that chooses to vacation/work there, it's just not possible.

I think it's so important to be grateful for what you have and what you're able to do. To each their own, and thanks to the OP for starting this great thread! I initially got into the DIS on some of the other boards, and when I moseyed on over to the resort board, I was surprised at how many negative reviews were given. I guess we're more happy go lucky unless there are real serious issues, of which we've had very few. I since have stopped reading the negative reviews, and am pleased to see something that relishes in the positive for once.

I know everyone will have their negative experiences, but I don't need to make myself worried over whether or not my stay is going to be "perfect" because of it. I vacationed at Disney many, many times before I even discovered the boards and knew there was something "wrong." That being said, once I chose to focus on what was truly beneficial to us as a family, I was able to enjoy the wonderful advice that can be had on the DIS, which even for a seasoned vet like me, is a true eye-opener.

So thank you to everyone who contributes something of value to the boards in the spirit of helping others enjoy their vacations to Disney better. Whether it be negative or positive, it certainly has helped someone, and that's what this is really all about.

Just my two cents.

 

[suzimar57]

we keep the expectation bar low ourselves...

a clean room, free of bugs, roaches and rodents - we're happy.

don't need any towel animals, fake greetings or upgrades.

just change the towels, wipe down the toilet and don't steal our crap.

and for that, i'll leave you $5 in an envelope.