Biggest Misconceptions about WDW

[ton80]

My biggest misconception was that WDW was for toddlers and children.
But Wife "forced" me to go on our honeymoon to WDW as i wanted to sit on
a nice beach somewhere in the Carribean. Well that was 1998 and today I am hooked and just Brought into DVC which is a great investment as we
(DW DS and DH ) plan on going every year
must have been that first time Walking down Maion Street !!


dixie landings 9/98 DW,Dh
All Star Sports 9/99 DW DH
Off site 5/01 Dw DH
BWV 11/04 DW DS DH
AKL 03/05 DW DS DH
SSR 11/05 1st trip home DW Dh DS


woo hoo

 

[NCombs]

What about that you have to pay for fastpasses or that they are for some kind of privileged group?

My husband and I still talk about all the looks we got by people in the regular line when we were zooming through in the fastpass line. Some people looked so mad!

Don't people read or ask about things like that?

 

[joanjett1976]

Biggest Misconception:

When I attenpt to describe the great dining opportunities we experienced on a recent trip only to be stared out like I am some ignoramus who thinks Mac & Cheese and wieners is haute cuisine. The crab meat saffron risotto I had at Flying Fish rivals any I have had anywhere else! California Grill-Brown Derby-Jiko.

I think people cannot even fathom fine dining and theme park going hand in hand!

 

[smfritz03]

The first time I took my GF (now Wife) to WDW she thought all of EPCOT was in the ball.

Ive never been-- but I remember thinking that too!!!!

 

[polarboi]

Here are a few I've encountered:

1. If you've been to DL, you know what to expect at WDW.

It took me ages to convince a friend of mine that it was worth spending a week at WDW! He had grown up in California and had visited DL as a kid, so he was envisioning WDW as a clone of his childhood DL. I had to explain very slowly, "Four major parks... two water parks... Pleasure Island... DisneyQuest..." He still didn't get it until we actually got there.


2. You have to love cartoons and/or be a Disney nut to enjoy WDW.

Granted, if you are a big fan of Disney animation, then you'll definitely enjoy seeing your favorite characters brought to life in the parks! But one is not a prerequisite for the other.

When I tell friends how much I love WDW, they often respond "I don't really like cartoons," or "I'm not a big Disney fan." What they don't get is that the parks are a totally different entity. Plenty of us enjoy WDW without loving Disney animated features, and plenty more developed an interest in Disney animation only because of being drawn in by the parks!

Oh, and going along with that...

3. WDW is all just like Fantasyland.

A lot of first-timers I've met seem to expect all of WDW to be like Fantasyland. They've seen Dumbo and the Mad Tea Party on commercials, and they think that all of WDW is rides you'd find at other parks or fairs, themed around Disney animated features. They think it's all cartoons, all outdoors, and all aimed at kids or families with kids. They have no expectations of dark rides, touring World Showcase, riding the Tower of Terror, eating at the Coral Reef, experiencing the Hall of Presidents, or any of a zillion other things to do at WDW that fall far outside the Fantasyland image. I think that's really where they're coming from when they say, "How could you spend a week or more there?" (Even I couldn't spend a week in Fantasyland without losing my mind, honestly.)


Rob_b said:

The first time I took my GF (now Wife) to WDW she thought all of EPCOT was in the ball.

One of my friends thought so, too... sounds silly, but when all you see on TV is this giant ball every time they say "Epcot," why not? After all, all of DisneyQuest is in that one building...

-p.b.

 

[mikesmom97]

I had no idea how huge Disney is.
We are taking our first ever Disney trip this October and I thought we could walk to everything they had!!!
Boy was I wrong!

 

[Greg K.]

I too agree about the people complaining about the cost. We live near a r esort that has a boardwalk. We just went last noc for 5 hours. 2 large pizzas and 3 pitchers of soda was 75$, the rides were 40 tix for 15.00 and all of the good rides were 8 tix a piece. i've always said that Disney is much cleaner, more enjoyable and LESS CROWDED than Ocean City in the summer!!

A few years ago, my wife and I spent two weeks at Ocean City, Md., at my in-law's condo. We had a pleasant enough time. But for the same amount of money, we could have spent 7-10 days at Disney, in a cleaner and safer and more comfortable environment, catered to by cheerful castmembers who want nothing more than for you to have a wonderful, "magical" vacation.

Besides: how many nights can you eat crab at Phillip's ???

 

[missypie]

That you HAVE to wait in long lines. Get there early + follow a touring plan + use Fast Pass = no long lines!

 

[Greg K.]

You should have heard all the comments when people heard we were going to DW for our honeymoon! I actually thanked the people who would say something along the lines of How fun!

I often feel like a Disney snob/know-it-all when someone calls MK Disneyworld and I correct them!

I've actually heard people say they think honeymooning at Disney is "sick" or "immature."

If that's a sickness, I hope it's contagious

 

[10drum]

Here's one that nobody has touched:

Some people think everyday at WDW is "Gay Day".

Mostly people ask... "Why do you spend so much $ at WDW?"

My reply....."How can you put a price on a vacation that makes you feel 10 years old again?"

 

[escape]

Pardon me if this has already been mentioned (I read through these responses rather quickly...)

Another misconception people have, in particular...those who have never been to WDW, is that it's all about the parks and it can all be done in 2 or 3 days. As all of you DISrs know, 2 weeks isn't long enough to do everything. I'm always amazed at people who don't do a little research before going. There are still a lot of people who don't know about Downtown Disney, the golf courses, the activities outside the parks, etc. The parks are a major part of Disney but by no means the only thing to see.

 

[cobbler]

The first time I took my GF (now Wife) to WDW she thought all of EPCOT was in the ball.

Omg! That is hilarious! I got water up my nose while drinking and reading that one!

Great thread btw!

OMGosh, both of these are totally hilarious!

 

[Dream1]

A huge misconception is the size of WDW. Last year we took my niece and her first comment upon arrival was “This is like a giant Disney city!” ------Exactly……The first time I arrived I was stunned at the size, infrastructure, and City like domineer of WDW.

I can’t get anyone who has never been to wrap their minds around the fact that WDW is probably the best run, cleanest, and most appealing City you will ever find. They think it is part of Orlando; it is hard explaining that WDW is self contained and isolated.

 

[C.Ann]

That if you stay offsite you'll "miss out on the magic".. I've done both and it's not true.. I didn't find any difference in the "magic" at all - just a difference in the amount of space available to us..

That little kids won't "remember".. My granddaughter was just shy of her 3rd birthday and now (at approaching 7) she still talks non-stop about it.. No prompting with photos or "remember whens" - out of the blue she'll just say, "Remember when Pluto kept licking Daddy's face?" - or "Remember the mess in Mickey's kitchen?" She remembers EVERYTHING - right down to the weather..

Adults don't enjoy Disney World.. Well - in that case, I saw an awful lot of people "faking" it..

 

[okwoodsmith]

"That it's just for kids"

Hmmm...I'm not sure this is a misconception. The truth is, for those of us who get it, I think we understand that letting go and having some of that childlike perspective is what makes it so magical. So maybe it is just for kids but age has nothing to do with it.

We've taken a few trips there with other families and it's amazing the difference between the adults who get into the spirit and let go of their adult inhibitions and those who have to maintain their status as adults. It's funny that the kids have fun no matter what...it's the parents who need to be reminded that "attitude is everything".

Having a plan makes for a stressful vacation

A friend of ours who was planning a trip with us was telling her extended family about all the planning we were doing for the trip. Her BIL insisted that we were ruining the trip because following a plan would take all the fun out of the trip. Well our friends went with us and had a great time (during Thanksgiving week with huge crowds) because we knew how to use a plan to avoid lines and allow our kids some down time. They were so excited that they came back and planned a trip with their extended family. Well the BIL refused to allow for any planning, but our friend planned anyway and just acted as a guide without spelling out the plan for each day. In other words, she had her plan all written down, but simply said "Why don't we go do this..." whenever it was time to move on to the next part of the plan. Well the BIL was convinced he was right and that the lack of planning is what made the trip great...all the while not knowing he was part of a carefully orchestrated plan.

In short, some planning goes a long way...especially with multiple family trips. I've done it the other way and man is it a pain when you're all sitting around Spaceship Earth trying to figure out where to go next. Understand, I think any plan should have a lot of flexibility built in (you never know when that character you've been dying to see suddenly appears) but man...I feel sorry for those people standing in line for an hour to ride Peter Pan.

JimmieD

 

[88Keys]

That Animal Kingdom is a 1/2 day park not up to the others.

 

[MrsKreamer]

"Stephanie you are crazy for going twice this year and taking your 1 year old."

Nope just not true

 

[Tinkerbellz]

Another misconception I think is that meeting the characters is just for kids. People look at my pictures with the characters and ask why I would stop and get pictures with them...it's fun, that's why! Just because I'm 34 doesn't mean I can't get my picture taken with any of the princesses, or Mickey Mouse, or anyone else!

AMEN! I love to have my picture taken with the characters and I'm pushing 38! I make an autograph book and everything. We do it as a family. Everyone personalizes their books and we try to see how many characters we can see.

My parents misconception is that it's wasted $$$. I couldn't disagree more!! My DD's graduation wish is that her MeMe and Pop will come to Disney and celebrate with her, unfortunately they won't. I know (and so does DD) that they would enjoy it in spite of themselves.

Party poopers be darned! We'll have a Disneyrific time without them.

 

[DHSsenior007]

My friends think I'm CRAZY for going as much as I've had (17 trips, I'm only 16 YO...). All those 'cool' HS kids are too mature for WDW... here's the main one I've heard. I could probably create a long list, but oh well!

-It's just a mouse trap for people
Ah, but a fun one at that! I don't know if I've ever been happier then when I'm at WDW. I really do feel like it's the Happiest Place on Earth, that you can just drop all your worries and go have the time of your life, several times!

 

[VSL]

All the above!

Can't believe that some people think that honeymooning in Disney is 'sick'/'immature'! It's my DREAM! (and the wedding, of course)