Considering canceling and could use some reality checks/advice

[mshanson3121]

Well, whatever. I'm sure anyone who goes will have a good time. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from vacationing because of it.

I would certainly prepare them for reality instead of a naive fantasy. Not everyone can enjoy themselves when it's packed shoulder to shoulder, or when even the small rides have 45+ minute waits. If they can then awesome. But I would hate to see someone blindly spend thousands of dollars if they can't cope with the crowds.

 

[Farro]

I would certainly prepare them for reality instea of a naive fantasy. Not everyone can enjoy themselves when it's packed shoulder to shoulder, or when even the small rides have 45+ minute waits. If they can then awesome. But I would hate to see someone blindly spend thousands of dollars if they can't cope with the crowds.

Naive fantasy? To tell someone that they can still enjoy their trip to WDW as a whole even though Star Wars is open? I think I gave that poster some sound advice.

Let's end our discussion.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Gosh darn those pesky schools ensuring your daughter gets the best education possible with the limited funding they have.

What’s the point of being so snarky ? I would think you either have something to contribute or not but why so snarky with it ?

 

[FCDub]

Go to Disneyland and enjoy a real vacation

 

[LSUmiss]

It's not that their opinions aren't honest, but they are presented in a hyperbolic way so they can prove their point.

I can't even believe the amount of posts last year telling anyone going in October "IT'S GOING TO BE AWFUL!!!!".
Yes, it's more crowded than it used to be, but nowhere near the apocalyptic picture people were painting of it.

And quite frankly, I think an expectation of all ride wait times to be under 30 minutes is just unrealistic. You are setting yourself up for disappoint if that's the expectation. 30 - 40 minutes goes by quite quickly anyways in those queues.

I disagree. I don’t think it’s hyperbole as much as perspective. So, that’s the problem. No one can know how the OP will feel about the crowds & the $$ spent. One thing OP needs to know is this it is one of the most crowded weeks of the year.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I’m not a planner but we also don’t care much about the parks anymore. Just go until the crowds get too much and then head out to resort to relax. Or go over to DS to walk around or bowl or see a movie. For me, the more I plan, the higher the anxiety when things don’t go according to plan. We love the resorts and restaurants as much as the parks these days.

 

[Farro]

I disagree. I don’t think it’s hyperbole as much as perspective. So, that’s the problem. No one can know how the OP will feel about the crowds & the $$ spent. One thing OP needs to know is this it is one of the most crowded weeks of the year.

My perspective is that I see some hyperbole going on with some of these posts.

 

[LSUmiss]

My perspective is that I see some hyperbole going on with some of these posts.

I hear ya but that’s your opinion based on your tolerance.

 

[slpeters]

I don't understand how people get so invested in telling people they won't enjoy their vacation. I'm glad I researched my first trip before things took this turn. I spent about 4 months last year researching my first trip ever--almost every night I would read about how wonderful and magical it would be--and little tips and tricks to make it even better. And then we went, around Thanksgiving last year--and it was better than I even imagined it. Seriously, even my husband was won over and we immediately started planning two more trips--one during the holidays this year and one for Star Wars.

And then I came here to start figuring it all out again and the first thing I read was that it had been horrible while we were there. Sure enough I looked up the figures on TP and it had been 9s and 10s for a good portion of our trip. I don't know what to tell you. We just sort of assumed that was par for the course. I mean it's Disney World not that little Mexican place on the corner that Yelp hasn't discovered yet. Yeah, we carefully planned our FPs and thought about where we would go and where we would eat each day while we were there--but I did that for Paris too (and still managed to end up at the Musee D'Orsay when it was closed). We rope dropped every day and closed a park every day and we utilized the portions of the day when it was less crowded and, no I don't suppose we went to any tier 1 rides without a FP between 11 in the morning and 8 at night, but we didn't do that because it was some sort of crisis we did it because we read that was the optimal way to experience everything. And we pretty much did experience everything without any exorbitant waits--and as a nice little bonus that strategy led us to have a little nap each afternoon.

Sure, there are all sorts of vacations you can have--and all sorts of ways they can be ruined. We were once in Puerto Vallarta for a hurricane. They actually boarded up all the stores and restaurants. People got emergency flights out. We spent the afternoon of the big storm drinking with the staff of the hotel we were at. We didn't stop going--we do always stay at that hotel now, though. I guess it may come down to a matter of perspective--and I do understand that it also often comes down to how much the money means to you--but I really do believe that if you can't find a bit of magic at Disney World with people you love, well that's something you should think about.

 

[mshanson3121]

I really do believe that if you can't find a bit of magic at Disney World with people you love, well that's something you should think about.

Wow. Judgemental much?

 

[Farro]

Wow. Judgemental much?

You called me naive!

 

[mshanson3121]

You called me naive!

I was referring to the idea that it's not going to be busy or crowded, naive. And didn't even say you or your idea specifically. But we were done our conversation, right?

 

[Farro]

I called the idea that it's not going to be busy or crowded, naive. And didn't even say you or your idea specifically. But we were done our conversation, right?

Yeah, okay.

Have a nice trip!

 

[kandb]

Let's face facts. There are die-hards on here that would "love" Disney, no matter what, no matter how long the ride waits were, how long the bus/monorail waits were, no matter how long they had to wait at a CS or got shoved and pushed while waiting for the fireworks because they LOVE Disney, and that is OK BUT, some of us are a bit more realistic and try to give advice about what the parks are going to be like when they are going. I cannot understand people who go at Christmas time and go to the parks and do a few rides and then head back to the resort due to the massive crowds. I would never pay almost $400 for my family to go to a park and then go on to 2-3 rides but obviously others have no problem with this because they like just walking around the parks. We have been going for 12 years straight and go the last week in August. Some people say, "end of August, never again, it's as hot as the surface of the sun" and I say to myself, "yup, it is" but we go because it's less crowded and we are off from school then. Different strokes for different folks!!!

 

[slpeters]

Wow. Judgemental much?

I guess you can look at it that way. I know if I went and did something that I thought I would enjoy and a lot of other people enjoy and I found that I didn't enjoy myself, I would think about it--and I wouldn't think about how everyone was wrong; instead I would wonder if there was something I missed, some way I hadn't gone into it with the proper frame of mind. In fact that happened earlier in this thread. People talked about how enjoyable a week at the Grand Canyon was and I had a moment to reflect that, while I had been impressed at the Grand Canyon, it had pretty much been a day trip for me and I hadn't even considered more. I didn't come to the conclusion that everyone who did that was crazy or wrong--indeed I came to the conclusion that it made me feel "unpoetic."

But, then again I guess I'll think about my life the way I want and you'll think about yours the way you want. If everyone ends up happy in the end, I'm good...

 

[Bete]

Some suggestions to save money:
We went the week after Thanksgiving and we were able to get free dining. The week before Thanksgiving had the free dining offer, too. If you do the last day of the free dining offer the week before Thanksgiving it can include Thanksgiving week. Your start date has to be in the free dining window, but the other days don't and you still get the deal for the whole trip. You will have to get park hopper tickets for the free dining which will cost extra, but then you can park hop.

Next, do a value resort. POP Century just got remodelled; so, the rooms will be on the new side. Your kids are at a perfect age for this resort.

Crowd control:
With regards to the crowds your three advanced fastpasses will get you on your must do rides. Book those in the morning and then keep trying for extra fastpasses through the day. Don't be so fussy on the fourth, fifth, and so on with fastpasses you can get. Grab what fits your time slot.

Absolutely, use the extra morning hour everyday. This worked perfectly for us. MK actually opened at 7am for their extra magic hour. We accomplished a lot during that first hour. Then, work your way toward the back of the park and you will get a little extra time there before the general crowds come in. We did lunch usually for noon to 1 pm. Then, we searched for another fastpass and did it after lunch. Finally, we took a break at the top of the crowd level time and left the park. For the evening we went to another park which was not the extra magic park.

Starting with Thanksgiving week, you can see many holiday shows. Most of these shows are easy to do except for Candlelight Processional. Enjoy the Christmas storytellers in World Showcase. There's a gospel group at the fountain in Epcot performing. Illuminations has a special Christmas ending. There's MVMCP. Hollywood Studios has a couple of Christmas attractions, too.

There is street entertainment like DeVine in AK which your kids would love. There's over a dozen street performers in the parks. You don't have to do all rides. The regular shows like Beauty and the Beast are easy to get into without a fastpass. You won't get the best seats in the house, but you will see a show.

I was so surprised how much we were able to do, but you have to be willing to get up early. A few nights we didn't go back to a park for the evening; so, we could get up early and get to the park at 7 am.

 

[hiroMYhero]

The OP came to a decision in Post#61 and hasn’t returned to view these last 50+ posts, closing.