Did anyone ever regret their trip?

[Planogirl]

I've regretted certain parts of our trips but we just adjust accordingly and no longer go to those places (Epcot, DHS - for now). I don't regret any of our overall trips but we do a lot more than just go to WDW.

As for cost, those things that I enjoy most cost far less than WDW. I love going to the mountains and we visit caves and parks and stay in cabins or "haunted" hotels and we spend far less. Some of my visits to favorite little towns also costs less. But I agree that it depends on what you do otherwise. We don't bother much with beaches but I do know that such trips can be pricey. I've been mulling over a trip to DC or a return to San Diego and the prices are pretty high.

 

[kathy884]

I've done a bunch of trips since 1971 and three for me were ones I sort of regretted.

First was the last time I did Christmas week. The crowds were just way too much for DH, and that's the last time we went Christmas week. I would have rather stayed home for sure. Now the week before Christmas week is a good choice if you can be in and out before the crowds and I did that in 2014 when DS was out of college earlier than most schools were out. Do note I've been down Christmas week about five times, so must have thought the first four were ok. I think as I get older the crowds get to me more than they used to. And they definitely get to DH more too.

The second trip I regretted was my one and only one summer trip. DH had a seminar at the Contemporary so we had freebie lodging. But he signed up late so instead of being at the nice deluxe contemporary we were put in overflow at POR. Not a bad place or anything, but not worth suffering through Disney in the summer. It was a disappointment after the last seminar being in early May and our getting a 14th floor Tower MK View Contemporary Hotel room. It was crowded and hot and humid. Next time DH had a seminar in the summer we stayed home. I like Orlando Nov - April, but IMHO it's no prize in the summer. Parks were miserable so we just did water activities for the most part.

The third trip I regretted was one where DS and I went without DH and met up with extended family (that part is fine), but a whole week was too long for me. I've done that since then just for four nights and three days with just DS and the extended family gathering and was happy with that. On the longer trip I regretted spending that much vacation time in Orlando vs. a longer vacation somewhere else DH, DS, and I would have all enjoyed. These days I'm cool and like Orlando for a mini trip, but get bored with a whole week - get theme parked out and am ready to go home. I think I've just been way too many times and am not a big enough fan for the number of visits I've done. Oh and it's not just Disney -- I burned out on SeaWorld (my favorite park in Orlando) and both Universal Parks. // I'm into a city mini trip phase and a national parks (mostly western ones) longer trip phase - out of my Orlando phase at the moment.

 

[mchelle77]

I've never felt this way about the parks, but I DID feel this way after the Disney cruise. I don't feel it was worth the money, especially comparing it to the other two cruise lines we did prior. Yes, things were good overall, some stuff way better, but overall, we could have taken that money and gone on TWO cruises with another line and been just as happy. Some people would agree, some would think we're crazy, but everyone is different. My daughter and I LOVE the parks, would live there if we could, but my husband just tolerates it. To each their own, right?

 

[ErinCat]

I will admit to regretting going to Disneyland. We had been to WDW three times and wanted to try DL. We live on the East Coast and it was the first time my DH and I had been to California. It was terribly hot and humid. (We go to WDW during the fall/winter.) The lines were long. No where seemed air conditioned. It was dirty (which was so weird for Disney). I really thought we were going to expire. At least I got to ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I miss that guy. I regret not spending more time with other Californian activities that cost less. Going to DL was the least fun we had on the trip even with the few rides that are better at DL. Yes, I will admit that there are a few.

 

[karen1987]

I slightly regretted our WDW 2014 trip at the time, but only because I was unwell most of the two week trip and we'd spent a lot of money (flying from the UK) to be there. However, looking back now we still had a great time as it was our first trip as a couple and we share lots of great memories from those two weeks, and we can't wait to go back! The cost of the trip did play on my mind, especially when you're not well, but before we decided to go we looked at other places to holiday instead and we kept coming back to WDW as it was where we wanted to be! No regrets, only magical memories.

 

[pens4821]

I don't think I regretted my trip last year, but it wasn't quite as great as I expected. That was all my fault though, sorta. My parents, brother, and I took my 6 year old nephew, and I pretty much took care of everything. Like some do here, I had a good plan in place. Well, pretty much nothing from my plan worked out. Yeah, the major parts (certain parks certain days, FP+, ADR's) were fine, but it was the "smaller" stuff.

I had planned to get up and get going early every morning, but my brother and nephew never felt like getting up early. I get it, we are on vacation, but to make the most out of the day we needed to get to the parks right around opening. We went at a slow time, but still wanted to take advantage of the earlier mornings. Not that we were that late, but we would get to the parks an hour or two after they opened.

I also had planned to take a break every day, but with the later entrance it wasn't worth it. By the time we did what we wanted it was 4 or later, so if we went back, we wouldn't have much time to make it back to the parks (January so earlier hours). So not only did we not get a break, but by the mid/end of the day we were all cranky. I know some people can be in the parks all day, but we aren't cut out for it. 6/7 hours at a time is enough for us.

I also wished we would've gotten hoppers. We felt like we HAD to stay and enjoy the parks because the next day we couldn't come back.

The weather also didn't cooperate. We had no rain, but it was too cold to swim most the week. That really upset my nephew as he seemed more concerned about swimming than going to the parks at some points. I spent thousands of dollars on a vacation and he wants to swim?

There were some other annoyances here and there, but not keeping with the "plan" was the worst for me. I'm a planner. And while it didn't have to be to the T, we were so far off it was upsetting me.

We've decided to go back next May. I'm planning hotel, FP+, a few ADRS, but other than that there is no plan. Well, I have my own idea of what I'll want to do, but I'm not planning so much this time. We've discussed that we're getting hoppers this time, and everyone is pretty free to do as they please. If someone wants to sleep in, they can catch up (well, not the nephew by himself of course haha). If my nephew wants to swim all day, hopefully someone wants to relax that day and they can stay back with him. If someone wants to go back early, go for it. If no one else wants to go do something, we can do it ourselves (although at least one other person will want to do it too I'm sure).

I think I wanted my plan to work, and we felt we HAD to do everything as a family. While it's nice to be together and it would be more fun, to a certain extent we're not trying to please each other next time, and I HOPE that'll make for a more enjoyable experience.

 

[pens4821]

I forgot to mention, as far as worth/price, I don't think it's worth it. We went last year (I was a couple times as a child too), and are going next year, but I still don't think it necessarily worth it. I've seen the beach mentioned, and we usually go to the Outer Banks twice a year and spend the same (if not less) in those two weeks (house, gas, food, etc) as one in Disney. It also much more relaxing.

I know it seems like I'm bashing Disney, and I'm not at all. I could choose not to go, but I will go because I do like it. I'm not trying to start an argument. After next year we will continue to go every 5 ish years and have a good time, but at the same time it's not really "worth" it to us.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

There were parts of our trip that we did regret, but I think a lot of people would feel that way. My hubby is not a Disney person but our older son is on the spectrum and has ADHD and honestly when going on vacation Disney really tries so make things good for everyone to have fun. I know a lot of people are Anti DAS, but it worked for our son. There was only 1 incident and it was early in the morning around 10 AM at Tomorrowland Speedway. My son didn't even want to go on that ride and at the last minute changed his mind. We had a FP for Space Mountain so I figured I would get a return time for the Speedway go for our FP and then head back to the Speedway. He went on the speedway and came off and Loved it so much he wanted to ride it again. By this time there was already a 20 minute wait and he wanted to ride Space Mountain again and it was our last day so I told him he wouldn't have time to do both. He almost went into an epic melt down, but the guy working speedway gave him a pass to just ride it again without having to get another return time. We were able to do both speedway and space mountain again. I know they are really not suppose to do that, but we just got some extra pixie dust and I was so greatful for that. Anyways my hubby is not a Disney person bc he doesn't like spending all that money. We also choose to drive down from NJ bc its cheaper than plane tickets. So my hubby hates spending the money and he hates the drive there, but he does agree that Disney is the best place for my son to have fun. So to answer your question, yes we do regret spending all that money and I wish plane tickets were cheaper. But as for the trip itself, the drive home is always the worse bc we actually miss being at Disney, lol. Once the Disney high (or Disney magic) wears off I usually then start planning the next trip, lol. We weren't going to go back next year cause hubby said he needed a break, but my mom wants to go, so my hubby is going to stay home with our dogs and the toddler and we are going to go for a short trip to Disney with me, my mom and my older son. We will be going back in 2017 for a longer trip with the whole family most likely

 

[N8sgirl12]

After our first trip, my then five year old declared that the airport escalator was her favorite part of the trip. My husband and I laughed and yes, I made the comment that we had just spent $3,000 to have the highlight be an airport escalator ride. But both of my kids had a wonderful time on that trip...and we have now been back multiple times and are AP holders this year. This year it meant the kids had to understand there would be no trips to the local amusement park and they have been ok with it. Trips to the regular old-fashioned park to play on the playground, the creek to go wading and hunt for minnows and crayfish, and playdates with friends are how we have spent our time in between Disney trips. I don't regret going to Disney at all. It's expensive, yes, and we do without other things so that we can go...but some of my best memories have been made there, and I wouldn't trade it! We also stay offsite sometimes to make the trip economical and to allow us to pack food. Again, totally worth it to be able to go!

 

[Superchikk]

There are always things kids say/love/do that baffle you. But that doesn't mean they didn't have a good experience. I love my kids and we do our best to teach them about gratitude and contentment with the things they have. But I like to say it's like feeding a bear. You let them have a soda today, they want another one tomorrow. Go to one theme park, they want to go to another one. Let them buy a toy at the store this time, they want one next time you're at the store. It never ends. In fact, I was talking with my kids about our upcoming trip and some places we'd be eating. I told them we'd be eating breakfast in our room a few days, and their question was, "Can we have Pop Tarts?!" Because I don't let them eat them on a regular basis at home. We're going to Disney, and my kids just want Pop Tarts.

Don't let your kids' desire to do more (something they already know they enjoy) take away from the vacation you enjoyed together.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Honestly, no, I've never regretted a trip. I do get worried though, that I'll end up going too often and getting sick of it. I'm always wondering if I'll enjoy a trip when I'm planning it.

But then I read trip reports and watch YouTube videos and realize why I love Disney so much and realize how badly I want to go back. I love D.C and Arizona, too, but they just don't make the same memories that Disney does. At least for my family. It's okay that you don't have a "Disney" family. At least you had fun on the trip you went on and you can adjust based on what you know now. For me, Disney is worth the money each time I go. I know my limits. I know I can't be that person who goes every year. But I can be that person who spends my year off obsessively planning my next trip and wishing I was back.

I also think that some kids don't realize how different Disney is than their local amusement park. To them, it's all the same. They're having fun either way, and one isn't exactly different than the other.

 

[sug78]

We go once sometimes twice a year if I get a wild hair We live in Alaska so I need to take several vacations a year so I can cope with the cold and dark winter. I have never regretted it- for us it's pretty much a guaranteed great time!

 

[Goofey Drool]

Back in 2009 we went to Disney World after my 11 year old son had a ruptures appendix. He was treated with antibiotics and spent nearly a week in the hospital. He was on the mend for 2 weeks and was his old self again. The doctor said that he was fine and we should go on our vacation. We flew down and stayed at the CSR. My dad had just passed away 3 weeks earlier from a battle with ALS. I thought that with the stress of all this, and my wife and I's hectic work schedule that we needed to go on this trip. I had trip insurance but thought this was a much needed family vacation after what we had been through. Well, on the second day our son became quiet and didn't want to do a few things that we knew he had been excited about...we ended up at Celebration Hospital and then 4 days at Orlando Hospital. The answer is "yes" I have regretted a trip to Disney....but we had insurance and went the following year with the money we got back. It was a good trip and we had lots of fun at CBR. We have not been back since because we do other vacations. This April we are considering one more family trip before the boys are too old and they want to go to CSR because we never got the chance to enjoy it that one bad year. On a separate note, the staff at CSR was beyond awesome when they found out we had to end our vacation early to an emergency. I came back to our room from the hospital to pack up our things and they left get well balloons, a gift basket, and offered to drive me to the hospital to rejoin my family.

 

[elaine amj]

Oh for sure. We get beautiful houses for about $100-110/night. But nowhere else but WDW do I pay $500/day to entertain ourselves.

You have 6 kids and a few littles, right? That does make a difference. Entertaining littles typically costs less. As they get older, their tastes get progressively more expensive LOL! For WDW, we go for longer trips, 10-12 days - so our per day ticket cost ranges around $40pp. While I can entertain us for less, it's harder and it's around what I would spend on entertaining us all day long elsewhere.
- horseback riding, ziplining, watersports, etc all range around the $30-60 pp)
- a good children's museum is typically around $20pp
- a recent aquarium visit was $30pp
- discount tickets to Cedar Point is still around $30pp

So for us, getting the level and quality of entertainment for $40pp/per day is what I consider "good value". That said, on our other vacations, we rarely splurge on all the expensive activities, sticking to what I can find for free/low cost (which means a lot of hiking - which unfortunately, my DH and DS don't like to do a lot of).

On the longer trip I regretted spending that much vacation time in Orlando vs. a longer vacation somewhere else DH, DS, and I would have all enjoyed. These days I'm cool and like Orlando for a mini trip, but get bored with a whole week - get theme parked out and am ready to go home. I think I've just been way too many times and am not a big enough fan for the number of visits I've done. Oh and it's not just Disney -- I burned out on SeaWorld (my favorite park in Orlando) and both Universal Parks. // I'm into a city mini trip phase and a national parks (mostly western ones) longer trip phase - out of my Orlando phase at the moment.

For me, I am in the "don't care for cities" phase. I can only handle being in a city for so long. For now, I can spend forever at a theme park and not be bored. I haven't spent longer than 4-5 days in a national park-type setting (my other favorite vacation) but I think we would enjoy spending more time.

I've never felt this way about the parks, but I DID feel this way after the Disney cruise. I don't feel it was worth the money, especially comparing it to the other two cruise lines we did prior. Yes, things were good overall, some stuff way better, but overall, we could have taken that money and gone on TWO cruises with another line and been just as happy. Some people would agree, some would think we're crazy, but everyone is different. My daughter and I LOVE the parks, would live there if we could, but my husband just tolerates it. To each their own, right?

Like you said, to each their own. I did feel my Disney cruise was worth the extra money - but ended up feeling it wasn't worth double the cost of a WDW vacation. (I spent $2500 for a 3 night cruise trip vs $3k for a 12 night WDW trip).

I don't think I regretted my trip last year, but it wasn't quite as great as I expected. That was all my fault though, sorta. My parents, brother, and I took my 6 year old nephew, and I pretty much took care of everything. Like some do here, I had a good plan in place. Well, pretty much nothing from my plan worked out. Yeah, the major parts (certain parks certain days, FP+, ADR's) were fine, but it was the "smaller" stuff.

I had planned to get up and get going early every morning, but my brother and nephew never felt like getting up early. I get it, we are on vacation, but to make the most out of the day we needed to get to the parks right around opening. We went at a slow time, but still wanted to take advantage of the earlier mornings. Not that we were that late, but we would get to the parks an hour or two after they opened.

I also had planned to take a break every day, but with the later entrance it wasn't worth it. By the time we did what we wanted it was 4 or later, so if we went back, we wouldn't have much time to make it back to the parks (January so earlier hours). So not only did we not get a break, but by the mid/end of the day we were all cranky. I know some people can be in the parks all day, but we aren't cut out for it. 6/7 hours at a time is enough for us.

I also wished we would've gotten hoppers. We felt like we HAD to stay and enjoy the parks because the next day we couldn't come back.

The weather also didn't cooperate. We had no rain, but it was too cold to swim most the week. That really upset my nephew as he seemed more concerned about swimming than going to the parks at some points. I spent thousands of dollars on a vacation and he wants to swim?

There were some other annoyances here and there, but not keeping with the "plan" was the worst for me. I'm a planner. And while it didn't have to be to the T, we were so far off it was upsetting me.

We've decided to go back next May. I'm planning hotel, FP+, a few ADRS, but other than that there is no plan. Well, I have my own idea of what I'll want to do, but I'm not planning so much this time. We've discussed that we're getting hoppers this time, and everyone is pretty free to do as they please. If someone wants to sleep in, they can catch up (well, not the nephew by himself of course haha). If my nephew wants to swim all day, hopefully someone wants to relax that day and they can stay back with him. If someone wants to go back early, go for it. If no one else wants to go do something, we can do it ourselves (although at least one other person will want to do it too I'm sure).

I think I wanted my plan to work, and we felt we HAD to do everything as a family. While it's nice to be together and it would be more fun, to a certain extent we're not trying to please each other next time, and I HOPE that'll make for a more enjoyable experience.

It was really helpful reading about your experiences. My niece is 1.5 years now and since she was born, I have had starry-eyed plans of taking her to WDW. I think around 4yrs would be the perfect age for a once in a lifetime trip (ok ok - I could wait until she was 8/9 BUT a big part of the reason I want to take her at around 4 is because I didn't take my own kids until they were older and I REALLY want to experience the magic with a little one).

So we are saving up to fly my brother, his wife, and my niece to WDW from the UK. To be honest, I am a little worried about his wife and whether we can all manage together. I love her and we get along great together but she moves a lot slower than I do and gets overwhelmed much more quickly. Our focus will be on our niece having the time of her life, but I'm sure the trip dynamics will be more complicated than that. Like you, I am an overplanner (my family likes it) and it does worry me... We visited them in London a few months after my niece was born and within two days, we wiped them all out. One day, we left their apartment a solid hour after we planned. Then took the tube to the city, had a leisurely lunch, and FINALLY walked into our first museum. My brother sat with my niece (and my husband and son) while DD and I explored for an hour or so. When we got back, my brother proclaimed himself "completely exhausted" and he headed home. I gave my family "the eye" (ha ha - no rest for them!) and dragged them off to Harrods followed by a long walk through Hyde Park. If this type of thing happens to all my plans at WDW, I confess I would be pretty disappointed.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

BTW - I'm amazed so many people say other vacations cost as much as WDW-based vacations. I can do 2 other vacations for the cost of one WDW vacation.

It depends on the kind of vacation you like. Going to the beach for a week would be a cheaper trip than Disney, but we would be bored out of our minds (not to mention sunburned). Europe is more our style, and I can go 10 days in Disney for approximately the cost of airfare to Europe. The next vacation I'm planning after WDW is a 3 week western road trip. I could go do 10 days at Disney for the same cost as it will take me to rent an RV for that time.

 

[yankebabie]

Never Never Never!! We always have a great time! No regrets!

 

[Accident]

I've never regretted a trip. There are some things I wish I did differently in the past and spent less money on and I think your falling into this.

 

[smallworldnh]

I was one of those who never believed in pre-planning and loved to do things spontaneously and was determined to do Disney the same way. Big mistake. It was not fun and we missed out on a lot of stuff. I have preplanned to death since then and it has gone much better. Disney is not a spur of the moment park!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

No, never regrated a WDW, DLR or DCL vacation . They seem to get better each time.

They can be expensive, but in the end they always seem worth money.

AKK



AKK

 

[ratt1345]

The only time that I ever regretted a trip to WDW wasfor my birthday one year. My parents, my DW (now ex), and I had annual passes for years. We would go on average every other weekend. One year, when it came close to my birthday, they all decided for me that we were going for my birthday to WDW. I said no, but we went anyway. I was not a happy camper the whole time, but went along with it.
I will say this, if you make plans to go to WDW and not know that it will on the expensive side (at least for most people), then I would say you have been living somewhere very remote. Not every time you go to WDW is going to be magical, but certainly it is most of the time.