Bad Disney Advice

[disneygirl 17]

I understand everyone does Disney there own way so there a many right answers for one question but do you ever see Disney advice (not on these boards) but from non-disney fans and cringe.

I spend time on a mommies message board and every once in awhile there is a thread asking how to do disney on a budget. Some people have good ideas - nothing I would do but really good ideas but some have horrible ideas. I just sit in shock and it is hard for me to really bite my tongue. I alway recommend the same, visit allears, disboards, tell them that they can bring food and drinks into the park and use a TA to help you with any accomedations/planning etc.

So have you ever heard advice and just sat in shock at what people do to save $1 when at Disney. Not anything unethical but just bad advice. For example - I had a lady advice to eat all your meals off property (not as a break, literally eat lunch and drive right back to the park)...Once you pay for gas, and the meal off property how much could you really be saving.

 

[Tisha_PA]

I have a friend going to Disney for the 1st time in a few months. They have young kids and were planning to do one park per day. One of her friends insisted to her that she had to have a PH or she wouldn't be able to eat dinner. So she had them added to her tickets. I explained to her that all she had to do was plan her dining to coincide with which park she would be in or pick a resort restaurant. So they are now saving over $200 by dropping the PH option.

 

[Shmily1]

Yes, it is sooo odd to see people that haven't been or have been like 3 times that are giving all kind of advice, most of which is wrong!! I saw one the other day telling someone to use the free dining and the gift card codes together.

 

[Purseval]

For example - I had a lady advice to eat all your meals off property (not as a break, literally eat lunch and drive right back to the park)...Once you pay for gas, and the meal off property how much could you really be saving.

It depends on what you compare it to. For example you can get a subpar meal at Cinderella's Castle for $50+ per person or you can get a nice meal offsite for less than half, easily offsetting the price of gas. Comparing a CS meal to McDonalds will still save you money, just not as much. It may not be the best advice but it's not bad advice at all.

 

[secretpantssam]

My old boss, who was notorious for being wrong even though he swore that he was right, tried telling me there was only Epcot and "Disney World". So when I got back he'd ask "did you go to Epcot or Disney World?" and I'd say "there are 4 parks now actually and I did all 4" And he'd ask again"....so Epcot or Disney World?"

 

[Tisha_PA]

It depends on what you compare it to. For example you can get a subpar meal at Cinderella's Castle for $50+ per person or you can get a nice meal offsite for less than half, easily offsetting the price of gas. Comparing a CS meal to McDonalds will still save you money, just not as much. It may not be the best advice but it's not bad advice at all.

I find that I would rather pay the extra at WDW rather than save a few dollars and lose all that time trying to eat offsite, especially for lunch. But I do think that if you are comparing CS to McDonald's, its not that much of a savings once you factor in gas and the time you are using.

 

[JB2K]

This thread kinda reminds me of the book Disney on a Dime.

While I commend the author for his "creativity", some of the ideas he came-up with were way out there.

I recall a reader's comment saying "next thing you know, he'll suggest panhandling outside Cinderella Castle"...

 

[Purseval]

I find that I would rather pay the extra at WDW rather than save a few dollars and lose all that time trying to eat offsite, especially for lunch. But I do think that if you are comparing CS to McDonald's, its not that much of a savings once you factor in gas and the time you are using.

But that's just your personal preference. It doesn't make the advice bad.

 

[MamaJessie]

My old boss, who was notorious for being wrong even though he swore that he was right, tried telling me there was only Epcot and "Disney World". So when I got back he'd ask "did you go to Epcot or Disney World?" and I'd say "there are 4 parks now actually and I did all 4" And he'd ask again"....so Epcot or Disney World?"

I don't think eating off site is terrible advice. If I saw a thread though, stating that every meal should be eaten off property I would probably interject, and tell them they will save more money and time by eating breakfast in their room, packing a lunch and that yes the pp is right eating off site for dinner would save them money over eating in the park. That way I'd help rectify whatever I thought was the least helpful part of the advice, but keep it positive and helpful in nature.

 

[Ericandjenng]

I don't know if I have seen any way out there suggestions on saving money at Disney, but I had a friend early this year ask on FB about planning for a trip and some of her friends didn't just give bad advice they giving completely wrong and contradictory advice. I don't know if any of them had been and just gotten confused or what. I sent her an email and explained a whole lot to her.

 

[hambirg]

Yes, my uncle recently went with some students from the college where he works. He keeps telling everyone how incredibly expensive it was. . .it cost $600 dollars a night! Now I'm sure if you stay at the GF Club Level it might come close, but they stayed at Pop. I think maybe he is rolling in the passes and the flight. Even then, I don't see how it cost $600 a night to stay at Pop.

As far as the leaving the parks to eat off site. I think you have to figure in the opportunity costs. Time is money. If you take the total of your vacation divided by the number of touring hours, you will get what an hour in the park is actually costing you. Let's just say a family of 4 pays $1600 to go for 4 days and they have a total of 40 hours of possible touring time. Each hour is costing them $40. To leave the park and lose 1-2 hours to go save a couple of bucks eating at McDonald's, which they can do at home is really costing them $40-$80 in lost time. So I do think it is bad advice to tell someone to leave the park for lunch. . .breakfast and dinner not so much, if they are done outside of the time they would normally spend in the park. Just the way I look at it.

 

[Ava]

My old boss, who was notorious for being wrong even though he swore that he was right, tried telling me there was only Epcot and "Disney World". So when I got back he'd ask "did you go to Epcot or Disney World?" and I'd say "there are 4 parks now actually and I did all 4" And he'd ask again"....so Epcot or Disney World?"

I have a friend (who grew up in FL) who calls the Magic Kingdom "Disney World." She & her boyfriend went down to FL to visit her family over the summer - before they left, she told me they were going to spend a day at Disney World. I asked her which park they were going to. Her answer - "Umm... Disney World."

I give up.

 

[okeydokey]

My old boss, who was notorious for being wrong even though he swore that he was right, tried telling me there was only Epcot and "Disney World". So when I got back he'd ask "did you go to Epcot or Disney World?" and I'd say "there are 4 parks now actually and I did all 4" And he'd ask again"....so Epcot or Disney World?"

That's funny. Did you describe each of the 4 parks? Show photos?

 

[DawnM]

Was it called Magic Kingdom before there was more than one park?

I had trouble remembering Magic Kingdom as a name when we moved from Southern California.....where Disneyland was Disneyland and not another name.

Old age....what can I say.

Dawn

 

[DawnM]

I don't think you should bite your tongue. Just state how you view it differently.

I do Disney on the cheap, cheap because it is either that or not go. I am well aware that many don't want to do Disney the way I do it, but it doesn't stop me from giving my opinion.

I would much prefer to take a cooler of food and eat it in the parks than to travel off-site just for lunch, but that is my opinion. I know many who wouldn't take their own food in if you paid them!

Dawn

I understand everyone does Disney there own way so there a many right answers for one question but do you ever see Disney advice (not on these boards) but from non-disney fans and cringe.

I spend time on a mommies message board and every once in awhile there is a thread asking how to do disney on a budget. Some people have good ideas - nothing I would do but really good ideas but some have horrible ideas. I just sit in shock and it is hard for me to really bite my tongue. I alway recommend the same, visit allears, disboards, tell them that they can bring food and drinks into the park and use a TA to help you with any accomedations/planning etc.

So have you ever heard advice and just sat in shock at what people do to save $1 when at Disney. Not anything unethical but just bad advice. For example - I had a lady advice to eat all your meals off property (not as a break, literally eat lunch and drive right back to the park)...Once you pay for gas, and the meal off property how much could you really be saving.

 

[dis-happy]

Was it called Magic Kingdom before there was more than one park?

I had trouble remembering Magic Kingdom as a name when we moved from Southern California.....where Disneyland was Disneyland and not another name.

Old age....what can I say.

Dawn

Too true!! Just the other day "Price Club" popped out of my mouth when my dh asked where I was headed.

 

[pandaroo]

It depends on what you compare it to. For example you can get a subpar meal at Cinderella's Castle for $50+ per person or you can get a nice meal offsite for less than half, easily offsetting the price of gas. Comparing a CS meal to McDonalds will still save you money, just not as much. It may not be the best advice but it's not bad advice at all.

I got the impression the person meant for every meal. That would mean getting breakfast offsite, parking going to the park, leaving the park, eating lunch, returning and then doing the same again at dinner. The person would save money on food but not get near the value of the park tickets which are costly.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Yes, my uncle recently went with some students from the college where he works. He keeps telling everyone how incredibly expensive it was. . .it cost $600 dollars a night! Now I'm sure if you stay at the GF Club Level it might come close, but they stayed at Pop. I think maybe he is rolling in the passes and the flight. Even then, I don't see how it cost $600 a night to stay at Pop.

As far as the leaving the parks to eat off site. I think you have to figure in the opportunity costs. Time is money. If you take the total of your vacation divided by the number of touring hours, you will get what an hour in the park is actually costing you. Let's just say a family of 4 pays $1600 to go for 4 days and they have a total of 40 hours of possible touring time. Each hour is costing them $40. To leave the park and lose 1-2 hours to go save a couple of bucks eating at McDonald's, which they can do at home is really costing them $40-$80 in lost time. So I do think it is bad advice to tell someone to leave the park for lunch. . .breakfast and dinner not so much, if they are done outside of the time they would normally spend in the park. Just the way I look at it.

We're planning a 3 night trip to POP in a few weeks, and I don't think there's any way I could do it under $1800 (one adult, two children who Disney considers adults). In fact, I posted something on the budget board about doing it for under $2,000 without tickets and people seemed to think that was stretching it.

I think you have to also take into account people's stamina and interest. I love the resorts for about 4 hours, and then I don't. It's too many people, too much heat, too much stimulation . . . So, we leave, and hang by the pool, or eat a meal at a resort, or otherwise recharge. If I had a car there, driving to someplace like an IHOP and having a quiet sit down meal of what I consider comfort food together as a family would probably feel like a nice break.

I'd rather pay $100 an hour for 4 hours that I enjoy than $50 an hour for 8 hours I didn't -- but that's just me.

 

[hambirg]

We're planning a 3 night trip to POP in a few weeks, and I don't think there's any way I could do it under $1800 (one adult, two children who Disney considers adults). In fact, I posted something on the budget board about doing it for under $2,000 without tickets and people seemed to think that was stretching it.

I think you have to also take into account people's stamina and interest. I love the resorts for about 4 hours, and then I don't. It's too many people, too much heat, too much stimulation . . . So, we leave, and hang by the pool, or eat a meal at a resort, or otherwise recharge. If I had a car there, driving to someplace like an IHOP and having a quiet sit down meal of what I consider comfort food together as a family would probably feel like a nice break.

I'd rather pay $100 an hour for 4 hours that I enjoy than $50 an hour for 8 hours I didn't -- but that's just me.

I do understand what you are saying about a break. That's why I said that's just how I see it. We have to travel a very long ways to go to WDW so when we are there we like to use all of our possible park time. To each his own. . .but I do think the opportunity cost is something to be considered.

And my uncle was saying it was $600 per person/ per day! Not for the whole group, because I think there was about 20 of them. So it would be like your 3 day trip for 3 costing $5400. . .I just don't see how that's possible.

 

[Acklander]

I'd rather pay $100 an hour for 4 hours that I enjoy than $50 an hour for 8 hours I didn't -- but that's just me.

Same here!!! And what sounds like good advice for one family would be considered bad advice for another family. Personally, I HATE being at the parks for rope drop. You stand around waiting in a huge crowd and when they drop the rope, everyone bottlenecks at the same rides up front. I'd rather show up around 10 or 10:30 and stroll right in.
Many people prefer to be there right for the beginning and then take a break in the afternoon and return at night - but once I'm done with the park, I'm done with the park and I'd rather do something different in the evening (or if wanting to do the parks in the evening, do something different during the morning).
So what may sound like bad advice really is just personal preference.