confess what is the dumbest/strangest misconception you ever had about wdw

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I had wanted to go to WDW for so long that I did a lot of reading about it (had a UG in '92 and didn't visit until 00!!!) But I was flabbergasted at the sheer size of the place, the intense theming (I finally figured out what 'theming' was) and the amount of attractions. Not just rides but everything. We waltzed into Epcot one night and just ran into TON. It was completely by coincidence, didn't know it was there. But what a magic moment!! I was also under the impression that the food was universally bad, HA!

 

[Timon]

1. I also thought that Epcot, when it opened in 1982 was ALL inside the "ball".
2. That the Beach and Yacht Club were very snotty looking resorts, only rich, uptight people stayed there. I swore I would never stay there. We're spending 5 nights at BCV in October and spent one night there last trip. We've also visited the Beach Club during every trip and LOVE IT!!!
3. Took my 12 year old nephew for his first visit in 2003 and we kept telling him about the journey to the MK, you know, parking lot, tram THEN monorail or the Ferry boat. We told him that he could choose which one to take when we got there. So when we finally got to the TTC, we asked which one and he was looking at the Ferry Boat sign and had this stupified expression on his face. We asked what was wrong, he replied "Oooooohhhhh!!!!! F-E-R-R-Y boat...I thought you meant it was a "F-A-I-R-Y" boat!!!!!!"

 

[robinb]

That I would never want or need to stay on-site. We now own at two DVC resorts.

 

[MomofKatie]

My big misconception was that the Disney resorts were impossible to get into unless you booked a year in advance. I guess that probably was true in the early years, when there were only a couple of resorts on property, but not anymore. When we went in 2001, I was amazed that my DMom got ressies at CSR less than 2 months before our trip. It was our first on site trip, and I was hooked!!

Now, I know that it isn't impossible to find a place in the World to stay.

 

[Bunch24]

LOL, mine are pretty silly when I look back on it.

1. It wouldn't be as fun as Astroworld.
2. The food would be horrible.
3. We could walk from the "hotel" to the "parks."
4. I would hate it. The only reason I agreed to it is because it was wife's dream to have honeymoon at WDW.
5. The people that worked at the parks/resorts would be just as rude as the people who work at Astroworld.
6. Mickey was just a rat and Bugs Bunny was way cooler. (still think Bugs is cool, but Mickey's not far behind)


To be honest, before I bought Birnbaum's book on the advice of a co-worker, I knew very little about Disney other than the fact that Mickey lived there. It took me probably five or six pages of Birnbaum's until I was hooked. And then I went and got pulled in even deeper.

 

[icebaby]

That MGM, Animal Kingdom and Epcot were sections in MK. I had been to WDW as a kid, but couldn't remember much.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I had a lot of misconceptions on our first trip. Although I wanted to go all my life- I didn't do any reading about it online/etc. before we went and it was spur of the moment. I didn't even find this board until AFTER we went. Here's my misconceptions:

1.) that staying offsite was the same as staying onsite- just cheaper. HA, for us it's not the same and not worth the lower cost- we only stay onsite now!

2.) that when we drove and parked we'd be going straight in to Magic Kingdom.. surprise, you're just at TTC and not there yet..... LOL

3.) that our trip was a once in a lifetime trip- mostly because of cost. I thought it was incredibly expensive to go- good thing I found this board and found out otherwise. I started planning our next trip the day we got back (and went back on a solo trip less than a month later) but we go a WHOLE lot cheaper thanks to the tips and advice on this board!

4.) that we could do everything at all the parks at WDW in 4 days and US/IOA in 3 days (our first trip). HA... not hardly.

5.) our first (very uninformed) trip we didn't know that they had transportation from park to park- we thought we had to go to our vehicle and drive from park to park. LOL

6.) oh yeah, the biggest misconception was our first day at WDW- which we scheduled to be MK on Christmas morning. The misconception was that if we hurried and got there at opening that "many" others would probably be spending time with family and opening presents and such and it wouldn't be as busy the first few hours. HAHAHAHA ohmy were we wrong...

I'm sure there are other misconceptions we had but that's all I can think of right now. LOL

 

[puffkin]

1.) That it wasn't necessary to stay onsite. My DH decided to stay onsite at ASMo on our first trip, and luckily he did. Now I am hooked! I often kid him that if he wouldn't have made us stay onsite, I wouldn't have this obsession (we know own DVC).

2.) That the food would be horribly expensive. Yes it isn't cheap, but I believe the quality and quantity are decent for what you pay. Compared to amusement parks around here, the food at Disney is a bargain.

3.) I learned the difference between a THEME park and an AMUSEMENT park.

 

[daisylou]

For about 15 years I thought all of Epcot was located inside "the giant golf ball."

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

My fiance thinks that:

1. DW is just like a Six Flags except 10 times bigger;
2. That it is a place for kids and not really a place for a couple to honeymoon; and
3. That he'll actually have time to sit on every bench in the parks and read a book (yeah right.....not with me around....we have rides to take and shows to see!!).

We'll see what else he thinks after his first trip to the World in January '06.