Anyone gotten bad advice from these boards?

[MAGGIED]

The only time I've been disappointed was when I booked a stay at CSR because of raves on the boards. I think my expectations were way too high. I liked CSR, but i didn't love it.

Other than that, most of the advice on here has helped me enjoy each and every trip. I would never have booked an Illuminations cruise (or been able to book one) except for this board--and that turned out to be a highlight of the trip. I book CRT for breakfast using the tips here. I've done tours, etc. at the recommendations of DISers. I love this board.

Although I wouldn't consider myself a Disney veteran I have been there a few times - but I have learned so much for all of you... The last time we went I wasn't able to get CRT ressies - this time first crack at it... I also didn't know about the Illuminations cruise... about golf....the only thing that I think that this DISboards has done is open up our trip to more possibilities... thanks to all of you....for helping me decrease the size of my pocketbook!!! lol

 

[Tabetha]

The only time I've been let down was eating at the Pepper Market. Really, really disliked my meal there. But other people have raved, so I suspect my meal was an anomaly. Or a plot to destroy my stomach.

Everything else I've learned on the DIS has made my vacation amazing. I don't care that people slag the Coral Reef, we loved our meal there. Don't let people sway you away from things you want to try.

 

[ksoehrlein]

I was really nervous about our Feb. 05 stay at SSR after reading lots of negative posts, but we absolutely loved it. When we checked in, I remarked to DH that I couldn't believe how many people had complaints about the resort. Then our 4-yo DD chipped in with her observation: "Well, it's not made out of candy."

But since I take all the advice on here with a grain of salt and realize that my mileage may vary, I've never gotten bad advice here. (Just a work-stopping addiction too strong for any 12-step program I've tried!)

 

[missypie]

I'm withholding judgment on the restaurants until we experience them ourselves. Folks on the DIS rave about quite a few of the restaurants, but I've heard from others that the food at WDW is just plain bad. Don't know if the ones trashing the food weren't "in the know" and ate bad counter service, or whether folks on the Dis are overenthusiastic about the restaurants.

 

[CarolA]

Resturants vary as does taste. Plus some places can have "good nights and bad nights" Or changes in chefs, menus between my visit and yours. For example, the original incarnation of LeCellier was HORRID, but I like the current resturant.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Based on a majority of the reviews I read about breakfast at CRT, we finally went last year. Boy, were we disappointed. But it is all a matter of opinion, I suppose.

I believe that is the only recommendation I took that I didn't like...there are far more positive experiences for us. The DIS has been a great resource!

 

[vicb]

I wouldn't say we have been given any truely bad advice, but I do think some aspects of Disney get really hyped up and have made me feel we were missing out on something key to a Disney world experience, then when we tried them they didn't live up to the hype. Chef Mickey's is one example. In fact the whole character meal experience is over hyped IMHO. My kids announced that for our trip next year, "no character meal" They were turned off by our Chef Mickey experience and they have more fun when they encounter characters in the parks.

On the whole, I have found the resort advice to be top notch and very helpful! I love the DIS boards!

 

[bytheblood]

Almost always, the advice from these boards are great. There have been times when I have read posts that are the wrong information. These posts usually come from ex-Disney employees who are not aware of policy changes.

You will not find a person on this board who would intentionally steer you wrong.

Usually if you see any bad advice it pertains to people telling you that you can use a child AP to book a room or because they get conflicting information from CMs at CRO. You will find that most of us who provide an answer from CRO will state, "Per my call from CRO......You may want to call and verify to be certain."

I truly feel that most of the people on this board are more educated than those who work for Disney.

 

[estnh]

I'm withholding judgment on the restaurants until we experience them ourselves. Folks on the DIS rave about quite a few of the restaurants, but I've heard from others that the food at WDW is just plain bad. Don't know if the ones trashing the food weren't "in the know" and ate bad counter service, or whether folks on the Dis are overenthusiastic about the restaurants.

We have been annual WDW visitors for more than ten years, and we love everything Disney. However, that being said, if you took most of the restaurants in WDW and moved them to your hometown without the Disney label, they would not last long.

They are special not because they are great restaurants, but because they are part of the Disney experience. We get excited by going to them, but not strictly because of the food, but rather because they are part of the overall Disney experience.

(And, for Disney maniacs like most of us here, it gives us further basis for discussion when we get home).

 

[Violetx3]

Ever get a mistaken impression about other aspects of the trip-- particular rides, weather, crowds or your resort?

 

[disneyfan67]

Interesting question,
I think others have stated it more clearly than I. Opinion is one thing, but I find that the DIS is best for pointing people in a direction- then it's up to you to evaulate your own research.

Take the transportation board. I picking up info on codes, coupons etc for National and for sedan companies. THen I compare it against my priorities and make my own judgement call.
I would say I value the DISer opinion over a official DIS statement though.
- FL Tours is being pushed by the DIS and DU (my travel agent) I dont like that the DIS itself wont promote other good sedan companies. Mousesavers only mentions "Happy Limo".
DIS people- with nothing to gain seem to repeatedly suggest Tiffany Towncar.

I guess I like the common folks opinion- someone just like me!

I think we have a wonderful, addictive community!

Good point and well done! Dis boards are just starting point and do a good job in answering a lot of questions. Only time and personal experiance will make you a veteran of WDW and even then it's still nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. In the end it's still your decision, just make it a good one!!

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

Ever get a mistaken impression about other aspects of the trip-- particular rides, weather, crowds or your resort?

Here's a big thing about crowds. So many people will steer you away from times of year with higher attendance and tell you to go the slowest times of the year. Personally, I tried the slow times and find them my least favorite times to go. It's too cold. The Magic Kingdom closes at something like 7:00, the parades and fireworks are limited, and it just seems kind of sad to me. For me I'll take the crowds in order to have a more fun experience.

I'm not saying that the people that like it then are wrong, I'm just saying you have to really evaluate what you want from the experience and find out why someone is saying something like - "Mid January is the best time at WDW".

 

[diathoney]

I've never gotten bad advice from the boards or if I have it was surrounded by so much good advice that I didn't pay attention to it. That's the great thing about having such a large group providing input.

I was going to WDW regularly -before I found the DIS using AAA discounts only. I've learned a lot of great ways to save money at WDW from these boards - renting points, getting a DDE card, using the discount codes. It's nice to have somewhere to put ideas out and get other people's opinions and advice.

 

[Rafikifan]

Ever get a mistaken impression about other aspects of the trip-- particular rides, weather, crowds or your resort?

I'm sorry if I misinterpret your intent but after 20 something posts you post 3 questions on the information given by posters on DIS? You can see by all the previous posts that most feel the information here is very valuable. There are a lot of very friendly people here who love Disney and want to offer their personal experiences to help others. Not everyone has the same experience at an attraction, a resort, or especially a restaurant since we all have different tastes. Most know that and take the opinions of others into consideration, but we all are individuals who can make up our own minds. It seems like you are waiting for someone to reply negatively. I hope not.

 

[LBKB]

If you can get people to answer your questions without making fun of you or calling you names you got it made but have not been able to accomplish this yet without having everything deleted.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

I'm sorry if I misinterpret your intent but after 20 something posts you post 3 questions on the information given by posters on DIS? You can see by all the previous posts that most feel the information here is very valuable. There are a lot of very friendly people here who love Disney and want to offer their personal experiences to help others. Not everyone has the same experience at an attraction, a resort, or especially a restaurant since we all have different tastes. Most know that and take the opinions of others into consideration, but we all are individuals who can make up our own minds. It seems like you are waiting for someone to reply negatively. I hope not.

I kind of interpreted it like - she really didn't want a cheerleading session for these boards. She just wanted the truth. It's an interesting question. Did anyone see people raving about the Poly and go there and wonder what everyone was talking about, for instance.

I like to hear the good and the bad. Not as an insult to this site or to anyone's opinions.

 

[luvmk]

Since almost everything on this board is opinion, I've always found plenty of information to answer my questions. Very rarely will I find a thread about anything that has only one point of view. For example, many people love Fantasmic, however, on almost every Fantasmic thread there are people who will explain why they don't care for it. There are almost always two viewpoints. Take all the information and then form your own opinion. I don't think anyone here is trying to mislead anyone. If they suggest a certain ride, resort, etc., it's because that's their honest opinion. In the end, it's your vacation, do what you like!


Rachel

 

[Ladyhawke10]

It's all so personal...but I remember when I hadn't been to WDW before (and I had a diff. screen name then...it was a long time ago) and I was wondering if we should do Boardwalk Inn. I remember people saying to do the Yacht Club instead, so we switched. Oh my....I just fell in love with the Boardwalk and we even asked to switch once there....couldn't believe anyone would ever choose the YC over the BWI! But I guess that's why there are so many diff. hotels, so we all have our favorites! So it wasn't a biggie, but we'd always go for the BW over the Yacht club anyday given the choice

 

[heathriel]

Hmm, bad advice about rides? None that I can think of.

I did Stitch's Great Escape during the Passholder Preview (so, before any advice was given about it), and my impression was that ExtraTERRORestrial was better, by far. A lot of people here say it is scary for kids, but I have no idea being that I don't have any. I know that when I was on it, no one screamed except at the "burp" part, and that was more of a squeal of laughter. Having never seen the movie or tv show or anything having to do with Lilo and Stitch, I had no idea that he's supposed to be a monster. Or maybe kids are scared because he *isn't* supposed to be a monster, but the ride turns him into one. When I was asked (on another board) to give my impression of it, that's exactly what I said. Bad advice? Maybe for someone who *does* have little kids, but how am I supposed to account for them other than the disclaimer I gave that clearly says I *don't*.

Hotels? Well, I personally like to stay on-property because my trips are always (since I moved out of Florida, at least) for the Food and Wine festival. It's ridiculously stupid for me to drive when I've been drinking all day, so my favorite hotels are those within stumbling distance. Unfortunately, the hotels on the Epcot Lagoon are pretty expensive, so many people wouldn't want to stay there. I stayed at the ASMo one year and had such a bad experience with the buses (had to wait over an hour one night for one, got incredibly nauseous every other ride) that my DH and I vowed we'd rather have less money to spend than stay in anything but a lagoon hotel again. Other people find the Value Resorts great, have had no problems at all with the bus system, and prefer the pools and theming at the Values. Especially if they have little kids, which goes back to my first point.

As for weather, in Florida it's mostly predictable. Expect it to rain for around an hour every day around 3PM (not that it will, just expect it to). And by rain I mean torrential downpour. Expect it to be hottest between like noon and 2PM. That is not to say that it will be scorching, just that it will be hotTER then than the rest of the day. Bring a windbreaker for the evenings, because it can get comparatively chilly year round. If you're going in the winter, pack a few sets of summer clothes and a few fall. Bring worn-in shoes (walking 15 miles a day in new shoes is not a good thing.) I don't think anyone can argue that these are good suggestions. They're general enough to be useful.

And last, the crowd issue. Ahh, this is the hardest one to gauge. You see, because I don't have children, I tend not to be around when there are a lot of them running about. I avoid the parks in the summer and during school vacation weeks, because those are the likeliest times for an abundance of children to be there. I don't mind the parks closing early in the non-peak seasons, because I've spent that much less time having to wait in line for rides all day. Other people tend to think that the longer a park is open, the more stuff they'll be able to do. It's just two different sides of the same coin. Most of the people I know are *forced* to go during school vacation periods, so they have to make the most of it.

Basically, the most important piece of advice I have is that you need to take into account the entire situation of the person who is giving you the advice. Pay attention when they say they have 6 kids and prefer to stay at Values, or if they say that APs are great because they go two weeks a year. People will make the best out of what they have available.

 

[Violetx3]

I kind of interpreted it like - she really didn't want a cheerleading session for these boards. She just wanted the truth. It's an interesting question. Did anyone see people raving about the Poly and go there and wonder what everyone was talking about, for instance.

I like to hear the good and the bad. Not as an insult to this site or to anyone's opinions.

Yes, thanks for your interpretation. I am not trying to be negative. I think these boards and the people on them are awesome. I also love reading all the differing opinions and personal experiences. I posted additional questions just to redirect the thread a little because I like examples.