Anyone feel like a good chuckle...

[catne]

in all the times I've mentioned Disney vacations to people, I've only ever come across one other family that plans like we do (with ADR's, staying on site & and following a touring plan with attending rope-drop, correct order to do the rides/maximise attractions, etc.) They're the only ones who think it's a good idea to go again...cuz they know how much fun it really is.

Coincidentally, most of the rest of the people I talk to went to WDW with no advance planning, and no knowledge of the parks size & scope. And they went during the absolute most crowded time of the year--4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. They all have a been-there-done that-never-again attitude because they spent 12 hours in the park and got on 3 rides (spending 2+ hours in line for each of those 3 rides), spent 30 min. waiting to get in restsrooms several times, spent 1-2 hours in counter service lines for lunch & dinner (after wasting 1+ hours trying to find availability on table service.) So of course they hated it. And all of them "of course we slept in-we were on vacation! We got to the park in time for lunch."

Course, none of them would ever take my advice. And I suppose it's just as well...if they all did, there would be no ADR's available, touring plans wouldn't work...

 

[yesmylove]

We have had several friends go down for their first time and we have given them advice, some take it and make notes and are glad for the advice, others don't and come back and complain about things that have gone wrong because they should have listened. We have been many times and are still finding out things that we never new before and have learned alot from this web site.
I like the one where one of our friends took a limo ($100.00 return) which was better than taking the ME because they got to the All Stars, unpacked, and were in the pool before the bus that they should have taken arrived at the resort. I guess she thought that there was only one bus and the one she saw was the one they should have been on.

 

[bjscheel]

Heck, I now plan every trip like it was a Disney trip. Las Vegas, Hawaii, Alaska - every trip has each day planned out, reservations made accordingly... and my DH truly appreciates how smoothly our vacations go!

We just got back from Colorado Springs area yesterday. I have to say I wasn't as much into planning the trip as I am for WDW, but I got an itinerary printed up with two places to visit each day, confirmation # for rental car, train times, maps etc. He said "So you've got us running around all the time with no time to relax" and "When we went on our honeymoon I just got the plane and the hotel lined up and we did whatever we wanted."

Well, I assured him that having two items planned per day was going to be fine and we didn't want to stare at the walls anyway. I think he would agree now that it was nice knowing where we were going, how to get there, and that we weren't doing backtracking or extra driving. Better than picking up the brochures in the lobby and saying "I don't know, where do you want to go?"

However, I feel a bit on edge because I have only made one ADR for our November 15-22 trip to WDW and of course we are PAST 180 DAYS! I just can't decide! And need to find time to call. What is Disney Dining's hours? Couldn't find it last night.

 

[asmit4]

in all the times I've mentioned Disney vacations to people, I've only ever come across one other family that plans like we do (with ADR's, staying on site & and following a touring plan with attending rope-drop, correct order to do the rides/maximise attractions, etc.) They're the only ones who think it's a good idea to go again...cuz they know how much fun it really is.

Coincidentally, most of the rest of the people I talk to went to WDW with no advance planning, and no knowledge of the parks size & scope. And they went during the absolute most crowded time of the year--4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. They all have a been-there-done that-never-again attitude because they spent 12 hours in the park and got on 3 rides (spending 2+ hours in line for each of those 3 rides), spent 30 min. waiting to get in restsrooms several times, spent 1-2 hours in counter service lines for lunch & dinner (after wasting 1+ hours trying to find availability on table service.) So of course they hated it. And all of them "of course we slept in-we were on vacation! We got to the park in time for lunch."

Course, none of them would ever take my advice. And I suppose it's just as well...if they all did, there would be no ADR's available, touring plans wouldn't work...

We get this too- of course these 'non planners' often HATE DW. They come back and complain about the long lines, lack of places to eat, stressful, it's too hot...blah blah blah....makes more room for the rest of us who know how the system works!

I think it would be neat if our city had a class- like a 1.5 hour class given by people in the "DW know". Our city has a booklet twice a year with classes in it. A DW class would be great. Allthough- who knows who would come. - As others have said DW is JUST another themepark right?!

 

[toystorymom]

I can't count the number of times a family has come back from Disney and told us "it was okay". Just okay?! How is that possible? Exactly for the reasons stated above. No planning with something the size of Disney, especially in the blazing hot summer, can spell disaster.

 

[crisi]

We went to Vegas with a plan, dinner reservations, show tickets, etc. We went to SF with the kids and had to book Alcatraz six weeks out. There aren't a lot of tourist destinations you can go to and just "wing it" and manage to do the popular things - particularly if you want decent seats to a Cirque show in Vegas.

But I was in Orlando last week and did eat at Artist's Point and Flying Fish - Artist's Point by calling the day of and Flying Fish by walking in (solo) and sitting down at the bar.

When people tell me they are going to WDW I always just say "make some dinner plans, many Disney sit down restaurants DO book completely."

 

[MelanieC]

oh I hope they take your advice and save some money as well as make ADR's - its the difference between eating good food and not haveing any good choices.

 

[ktdaiwik]

I have to admit ,when we booked our Disney World trip for this December I had no idea.Unfortunately the Travel Agent has no idea either so I have had to find things out for myself.We are taking FIL with us who went 15 yrs ago so he does not get why I am planning everything.Hubby thinks I am crazy but is letting me plan what I have to....All I can say if the boys had their way and the travel agent had only spoken to them we would have had the DXDp but had no where to eat since the travel agent did not tell us anything about booking ahead,she told us nothing about the parks etc etc.Thank goodness for the DIS forums and books!

 

[PrincessBride07]

Last year I picked up the 2007 Birnabaums Disney Dining Guide. It only lists one restaurant that you must make an ADR for, and on the 180th day. It was CRT. Most of the other restaurants it said the reservations were recommended. A few, mainly the signiture restaurants, said reservations strongly recommended. Oh yeah, Le Cellier was not strongly recommended. Maybe some of the "clueless" people are trying to do research by getting guides, but still don't have the most accurate information. Granted that was 2007 guide, and I have not read the 2008 guide.

 

[drag n' fly]

There are those of us who spend our hard earned money on a vacation and plan to make sure we are getting our monies worth. We usually come back tired but happy we made those adr's and re-read our guides. Then there are those who spend a lot of money on a vacation and hope the good lord will take care of the rest. Those are usually the people who say taking a Disney vacation is hell and we are never going back!

Honestly their is no excuse for a bad Disney vacation unless it is circumstances beyond your control. The WDW website warns you to make adr's. There are hundreds of books and websites to help you plan and there is no secret to getting them. They are everywhere and many are free like the DIS you just have to look for them. Anyone who has taken a trip more than once in their life ANYWHERE knows that good planning makes the trip more smooth

 

[cinnderly]

When I booked our very first trip for last year I had no clue. I did a lot of searching on google, mainly just to see what our resort was going to be like. And of course came across this lovely board, and that's when I first heard about "free dining". I wasn't sure if I should even believe it, but I called on the day everyone was posting about. I was not looking forward to planning my days around where we were eating. I was not looking forward to planning any of it at all, it just seemed a bit crazy to me. But anyway, I got the free dining added and went ahead with a plan & adr's, the whole jazz... Thank god I found this place! And for this next trip I absolutely couldn't wait to plan everything again!

In summary -- I came here as an anti-planner and ended up converted! And now I can't imagine it any other way.

(By the way -- when I tell people we are eating at Disney for free and did last year as well, they look at me like I am totally full of it.)

 

[Finally08]

Before the internet came to be, I can see how anyone wouldn't know better. I remember going as a teen, and I didn't even know there WERE sit down places to eat. And I thought the character thing was a scam because they were nowhere to be found (we didn't know about character meals, or tents to meet them). Really, do most people buy books when they are going on a trip somewhere? We just bought road maps.

I just thought it was an amusement park like Six Flags but on a larger scale - I had no clue.
I went again in my 20s with my sister in '03. This was the first time I heard about the DDP because she had it for herself (they were with a dance group). I thought the food they got was crazy - so much, and so much wasted! And again I didn't know about sit down restaurants - we just ate at whatever hamburger place we could find when we got hungry.

It wasn't until the last couple years when I started thinking about a family trip there that I learned about these things, and this Dis boards. It's amazing all there is to do there, but I do feel terrible for anyone going that doesn't know these things are out there. Even the average guest who visits the WDW site and sees all the possibility has no clue how hard it is to actually set these things up. And both our trips (last and upcoming) have been last minute, so having everything planned to a "T" doesn't happen. We just booked for a trip the first week of Sept...so I am taking what I can get!

 

[ZoZo]

To be fair, how would the general public know that they need to make reservations for restaurants so far in advance? 180 days in advance for some restaurants? That would seem crazy to many people. I would never do that if I went on vacation anywhere else. I still remember the days (just a few years after Epcot first opened) when you went to Epcot and used their phones (just inside the gate) to make your dining reservations for that day. That would be unheard of today!

I think it's something you figure out after you've gone to WDW once, and have been shut out of an opportunity to eat at a nice restaurant. I think sometimes we forget that not everyone is as tuned into WDW as we are on the DIS -- for me, the DIS is a fun way to plan a vacation (for me, part of the fun of a vacation is the planning!). But most "regular" folks out there have no idea they should plan ahead for things like this.

 

[noahdove]

I am a planner, but I must say, that I didn't know diddly squat when it came to planning this trip to Disney and I have been 5 other times....well, now that all of you helpful people have guided me thru this trip, I will be ever so grateful We must get others aware of these awesome boards..

 

[Davey-D-99]

To continue with my OP...
I did tell the couple that we were in the same boat last summer, planning to embark on our first WDW vacation. We knew nothing of the scope of WDW...
-------------------------------------------------

However, the difference is, I was determined to learn all I could before I booked anything. Sure, I found it quite overwhelming at first, then I found the DIS, asked some questions and read tons of posts... and suddenly I was obssessed.
If we were going to spend thousands on this trip, there would be no excuse for not being prepared.

It turns out we could not have asked for a better vacation than the one we just enjoyed...everything went smooth and according to plan...and I thank the DIS for that.
I will remember one night in particular for probably as long as I live...We had a fantastic dinner at LTT
(My review here if interested...http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1848400
after dinner we rode BTMRR, HM, my kids rode the Carousel twice, we found a great spot for Spectro and Wishes and then my DD fell asleep in my arms on the walk back to bus stop, after thanking me for the greatest night of her life!!!! That was worth every penny we spent...It couldn't have been more magical.

----------------------------------------------------
I was frustrated talking to them, because just like everyone has said, I have a feeling they will end up hating WDW...Heat, crowds, lines, no ADR's...
not prepared for what they were embarking on. I told them it was not like other vacations, it's not the kind of place to just "wing it"

I can remember being at Coral Reef and people were walking up at 6:15 asking if they could just get a seat...The same at Le Cellier...the host was constantly saying..."sorry we have been booked for quite some time"
I felt sorry for their tired, hungry kids, not them...no excuse IMHO!!

 

[dlstc]

I made some converts by pointing out this simple fact:

The average daily attendance in the Magic Kingdom is 45,000 people.

Total number of sit down restaurants: 5.

'Nuff said.

Diana

 

[Haley]

To be fair, how would the general public know that they need to make reservations for restaurants so far in advance?

Umm... they could take 5 minutes to open a Disney guidebook, or go to disneyworld.com or google "disney world" !! It's not some hidden secret!


I don't feel bad for people who plunk down a couple grand and then do no research on their destination whatsoever. Some people learn the hard way I guess.

 

[RMulieri]

To continue with my OP...
I did tell the couple that we were in the same boat last summer, planning to embark on our first WDW vacation. We knew nothing of the scope of WDW...
-------------------------------------------------

However, the difference is, I was determined to learn all I could before I booked anything. Sure, I found it quite overwhelming at first, then I found the DIS, asked some questions and read tons of posts... and suddenly I was obssessed.
If we were going to spend thousands on this trip, there would be no excuse for not being prepared.

It turns out we could not have asked for a better vacation than the one we just enjoyed...everything went smooth and according to plan...and I thank the DIS for that.
I will remember one night in particular for probably as long as I live...We had a fantastic dinner at LTT
(My review here if interested...http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1848400
after dinner we rode BTMRR, HM, my kids rode the Carousel twice, we found a great spot for Spectro and Wishes and then my DD fell asleep in my arms on the walk back to bus stop, after thanking me for the greatest night of her life!!!! That was worth every penny we spent...It couldn't have been more magical.

----------------------------------------------------
I was frustrated talking to them, because just like everyone has said, I have a feeling they will end up hating WDW...Heat, crowds, lines, no ADR's...
not prepared for what they were embarking on. I told them it was not like other vacations, it's not the kind of place to just "wing it"

I can remember being at Coral Reef and people were walking up at 6:15 asking if they could just get a seat...The same at Le Cellier...the host was constantly saying..."sorry we have been booked for quite some time"
I felt sorry for their tired, hungry kids, not them...no excuse IMHO!!

Agree with you 100%...A cheap disney trip still cost over $1000. these days.If you would research a new tv or new refrigerator purchase or any other expensive item, why would you not research a vacation? Ex. I lived 25 mins from NYC ( and went often)my whole life until a few years ago.We decided on a weekend theater trip which cost $1300. You bet your bippy I picked up a guidebook to learn a little bit, and guess what? you need to make dining ressies way in advance for the really popular restuarants in NYC too.Even when I was absolutely clueless about WDW, I went and bought guide books and asked people about it.You may not get all the info, and may still make mistakes but going with some idea is far better than going with no idea, or concept of what a WDW vacation is going to be like.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

We went to WDW in 2000, my husbands first trip. I knew nothing about planning or anything more than I had been as a teen and it was fun.

So we went, and mostly, it sucked. Sure it was Disney but the lines were LONG and fast food all week got old fast. Hubby said he would never go again. He didn't get the hype. And financially it didn't fit for us.

But I love all things Disney and wanted to give it another shot. Money situation had changed and we decided to stay at a disney resort and make a week of it. Searching the internet I found this site and quickly learned that I knew nothing. The dining plan was a "new" thing then, ADR's were almost mandatory and planning the days became my mission. We spent 7 amazing days at Disney and loved almost every second of it. (2 minor snafu's.)

We are going back in August this year and I can't even imagine not knowing all that I know now. But I remember not knowing, and I feel terrible for people who don't know.

Unfortunately there is just no telling some people.

 

[tlriv5]

Yeah, I think for some of us it's just luck that we finds site's like this. We took our first big trip to WDW in 2006. I'd been many times as a child (before Epcot even opened), we took our girls to MK twice while we were at the beach and had awesome times. I remember when I was planning our big trip I got a post card in the mail from AAA about free dining and half way thought it was a joke. I'd never heard of the dining plan. So, I asked some people from our dd's soccer team and believe it or not a few of them had gotten the priviledge of using it the year before. No one mention the disboards though. I found them all on my own. I think Disney is a trip you have to research and plan for. I don't over plan. I just like to know what I want to see in each park and having our restaurants already booked made our vacation so stress free. I love it when my dh says it was one the least stressful vacations he's been on and we are usually beach bums. People just stare at him in disbelief. It can be done. We just have to say a disney prayer for all those that just head to the parks with no idea what they are getting into!!