Did anyone ever regret their trip?

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

Never regret it ... we love each and every trip and always learn or see something new !

 

[gschon]

Usually the first night, when I'm really tired, dehydrated, and a little hung over, I wonder why I'm spending all this money on something I have done 15 times......But, the next morning, when I wake up at Disney and I was dreaming that I was at home, I get pretty excited.

 

[mommypenguin29]

I love Disney - probably the most out of me, dh and kids...only one trip I regretted was when we went with extended family... completely stressful - we vacation differently then others and it was tough...Disney is now just us 4 vacation

 

[JimmyV]

I haven't read each and every response, so maybe this is repetitive, but....
Here on this Board, the average poster has been to WDW many, many times, and is headed there again, or just came back, or both! So it is hard to get a real world perspective on "regret". This is a self-selecting Board made up of people who, by definition, cannot regret their trips to WDW. People who do regret their trips don't hang out here. For example, my feelings toward Cape Cod are similar to yours (or your family's) toward WDW. When I go, I spend a lot of money and conclude that I could get the same experience close to home for far less money. So guess what? You won't find "JimmyV" posting on a Cape Cod Tips and Strategies Board. What I am saying is that there are many, many people who share your viewpoint. Just not here.

Among my "real world", non-DisBoard friends, the average family has been to WDW between 0-2 times. The vast majority of those folks feel one of three ways:

1. Did it. Enjoyed it. Spent a lot of money. Time to move on to something else.
2. Did it. Don't understand how anyone could love that place. Too hot. To crowded. Too expensive. Never going back. Or
3. Never been. Never will go. You've got to be kidding me. $6,000 to go to an amusement park. You guys have been drinking the Kool-Aid ................................ Now, there definitely are people in a fourth or fifth group.
4. Did it. They're now hooked. Can't wait to go back. And
5. Have been going regularly for years and intend to continue doing so.

Those are the types of people found here. But in my little corner of the world, they are in a very small minority. I am the "Disney loving oddball" in the group. Not the other way around. So by no means should you feel odd or out of place for concluding that your are done with Disney. You are actually closer to the majority than you know.

 

[Bullseye]

Nope. But Disney is "our" thing...the whole families thing. The kids start bugging us about the next trip about 3/4 of the way through the "current" trip. [/QUOTE]

Great way to put it! Same here "Disney is our thing" which why we continue to always have a great time and can't wait to get back! Just went in early June and already planning next years trip!

 

[momof2n2]

OP - I understand where you are coming from, I think, and the concern over potentially regretting our planned trip in 2014 is what made me cancel it. I currently have a lot of trepidation about our planned trip for 2016.

For me it is all about return on investment. I know not everyone sees it this way, nor need they.

For my family of 8 to buy 5-day tickets it will cost $2525.60. That is $505.12 per day.
We have a local amusement park that is really a gem. If I have to pay full price for a day there (when we don't have annual passes or find a great coupon) it will come to about $210 for a full day. When we go to that local park we have a blast. We have a genuinely amazing time and leave feeling absolutely satisfied with ourselves. Now - this is where my conundrum lies: if we go to a WDW park for a full day - will we have 2.5 times as much fun? It can't be had. Say hometown park delivers a 9/10 for WOW. Can WDW offer 23/10? No. It can't. It just can't. And this is only comparing the cost of the entry tickets, and not adding in transportation to Florida and accommodations.

Once upon a time I was okay with that. We do love the characters. I am willing to spend more for the characters. Should I pay 2.5 times more?
I used to get very excited about the attraction concepts and the *new* things that were there each visit. Sadly, very little has been added since our last trip in 2011; yet, prices have gone up. And I won't get started on the inception of FP+, but it surely has changed how my family will experience the parks.

I know many scoff and will rapidly (rabidly?) point out that a family-owned amusement park doesn't compare with WDW parks. My point is we measure on different scales. For me it will always come down to what can I get for my money. If my kids (2, 5, 9, 11, 13, & 15) are blown away by days at local parks, the local zoo, the local living museum, our beach vacations, our cross-country road trips, ETC., I have a very hard time assigning so many dollars to a trip to WDW. Since they have so much fun everywhere I am going to go after quantity --- because to them it is pretty close to equal quality.

And we do WDW as cheaply as possible. We stay in beautiful, 5-bedroom vacation homes. We buy tix from UCT. We eat our in-park meals with our Visa Rewards points. But in the end it is still a very costly investment.

I don't really know whom to quote for this so I will quote myself...

I wasn't always so grumpy about WDW vacations. I was the person my friends would routine ask, "Are you really going to Disney, again?!" In fact, I felt like it was a good deal, financially, for the variety it offered and the length of park days. And before the changes in non-expiration tickets I REALLY thought it was a great deal.

The problem now is if we go next May as planned it will have been five years since we last went. In that time very little NEW has been developed. We will enjoy visiting NFL, but there isn't much else beyond that. Meanwhile the prices have gone up. And I don't mean to encourage any FP debate, but the inception of FP+ will change the way my family experiences the park; it seems like ride rationing to us.

I never before wondered if we'd regret a trip. The thought never entered my mind. But I've read on these boards many times where posters encourage visitors to lower/change their expectations. That's ominous.

 

[momof2n2]

I haven't read each and every response, so maybe this is repetitive, but....
Here on this Board, the average poster has been to WDW many, many times, and is headed there again, or just came back, or both! So it is hard to get a real world perspective on "regret". This is a self-selecting Board made up of people who, by definition, cannot regret their trips to WDW. People who do regret their trips don't hang out here. For example, my feelings toward Cape Cod are similar to yours (or your family's) toward WDW. When I go, I spend a lot of money and conclude that I could get the same experience close to home for far less money. So guess what? You won't find "JimmyV" posting on a Cape Cod Tips and Strategies Board. What I am saying is that there are many, many people who share your viewpoint. Just not here.

Among my "real world", non-DisBoard friends, the average family has been to WDW between 0-2 times. The vast majority of those folks feel one of three ways:

1. Did it. Enjoyed it. Spent a lot of money. Time to move on to something else.
2. Did it. Don't understand how anyone could love that place. Too hot. To crowded. Too expensive. Never going back. Or
3. Never been. Never will go. You've got to be kidding me. $6,000 to go to an amusement park. You guys have been drinking the Kool-Aid ................................ Now, there definitely are people in a fourth or fifth group.
4. Did it. They're now hooked. Can't wait to go back. And
5. Have been going regularly for years and intend to continue doing so.

Those are the types of people found here. But in my little corner of the world, they are in a very small minority. I am the "Disney loving oddball" in the group. Not the other way around. So by no means should you feel odd or out of place for concluding that your are done with Disney. You are actually closer to the majority than you know.

I was originally a five and then slipped to a four as we began enjoying other destinations.
Now I don't think you have a number for me.
I'd love to be a solid four again.

 

[KorieDWnut]

Good points. As for the money... our vacation budget was meager compared to many on here, lol, but it was very expensive for our budget! Oh if we really had to, I'm sure we could dip into our savings and do a long weekend away, I just like to be cautious withmoney.

What we spend going to WDW does seem like nothing compared to many here, but it is ver expensive to us.
Thankfully, my kids love it every bit as much as DH and I, and when we DO try going somewhere else, my kids cry and 2 of them are teenagers now!!
Sonwe always come back to WDW, but it means doing nothing else within the months before and after vacation, and they know this.

I do understand your. Feelings though, my sister brought her 5 kids one year. It took years of saving and sacrificing. She brought them for 10 days, and the younger ones had fun but the older 3 were complaining they were bored after 2 days and they wanted to go home to their friends.
My sister had never been so upset. She hasnt been back since.
She was hoping for it to become a family thing but turns out it just wasnt for her kids. So when they get older and on their own, she will just have to go with her DH.

Im sure your kids all had fun, its just like someone else said, they also enjoy other things as well. Dont regret it, its still memories that you made and you had fun.
Next year, try somethng different is all.

 

[KorieDWnut]

Ive never regretted because of money. Its always expensive, butwe just do it and shut up. Lol for us, we decide whether to go based on airfare first. Then we book.
We dont sewrch for deals, i dont wait for free dining. I just go online and book,mrack rate I guess you could say, but we dont really care.
I know I am not alone.
I dont have the time or patience to search down deals, my hubby and I have limited dates where we can take vacation at the same time, so we first check airfare and if its decent for five people, then we say lets just do it.
Some times we get lucky with free dining, sometimes we get lucky with room sales.
We only stay at POR Riverside amd we can usually only go in August.

We dont really even think about the money. Its expensive. We know this, but it wont kill us. We could go places that ar cheaper. I live in Massachusetts and lots of people here will go rent a house on Cape Cod...that sounds like hell to me.
Why do I want to food shop and cook? Why do I want to clean? Drive anywhere? I dont like the beach. Kids wanna do anything extra? Make sure you have the money!

With Disney, its expensive, but for ME and what I like to do, I get a lot out of that money. Its worth it , to us. And we are repeat visitors. This monday is my second trip since December, but in December my dd's cheer team made it to nationals, so we were ther for that.
We usually go every two years.
No desire to go anywhere else, so far. Maybe some day.

 

[prairiesarah]

No regrets from us - I love Florida and loved every minute of our last trip, which was our first as a family as well as previous trips (our honeymoon and trips with my family before that). That said, DH and I had a moment when we got home when we just laughed and wondered why we just spent all that money going to Florida. It came when DS who was 7 at the time kept going on about wanting to go on the log ride again. We thought he meant Splash Mountain and we told him that we will go back again sometime and he will get to go again. We finally figured out that he didn't mean Splash Mountain - he meant the log ride in the amusement park at the Mall of America in MSP..... We just thought, ok, could have saved a ton of money there. The frustrating part of the whole thing was that we flew through MSP and on the way home we could have taken the bump from our flight, gotten $600 airfare credit each AND a night in a hotel right by the Mall of America, but DS was overtired by that point and just wanted to go home so we caved to that (well, I did...).

 

[mkla2015]

No regrets here! It's expensive- we know that going into it- that's why we have a set savings account with a monthly direct deposit just for Disney.

We love Disney, the kids love Disney- until all of that magic wears off, we'll keep going.

Disney isn't for everyone- at least now you know and can plan trips that may be better suited to the likes of your family. I wouldn't regret the trip though- sounds like you all enjoyed your time there- making those memories should be enough to make the trip worth it.

 

[richkaryn]

We've been several times, and yes, one trip was just plain awful all around. (there were some good things about it, but it just stunk compared to the others for various reasons). Ironically, it was the one we spent the most money on. We splurged for deluxe dining plan, longer stay, etc. We went at what was supposedly a slower time.....we usually went during spring break. It seemed more crowded than it ever was during spring break on this trip. (In hind sight now after 2 more trips, we've realized this was just Disney is getting more crowded than it was in the past overall....and FP+ hasn't helped by limiting people and "pushing" more people on to the rides that used to have lower wait times.) A tropical depression also came through, weather was more hot and humid than our previous trips, Mickey's Backyard BBQ got cancelled on our last night and left us scrambling for a new dining reservation at which time the online system went down and we spent 3 hours we could have been in park between phone and ipad trying to find something to replace it.

Many factors were uncontrollable, and in the big scheme of things now that it's over, a bad day at Disney is still better than a good day at home. But in the moment and the short term following, we were all miserable and disappointed. But we went back 2 more times within the next 18 months and had better experiences.
we also did a DCL cruise and decided that those are all the fun and magic of disney without the rides/long lines......much more relaxation and the same Disney magic. We've decided to stick to the cruises for a while and go back to the parks in a few years or so. Our son is 7 and he's been 4 times in 5 years, so a break won't kill him. That's 4 more times than most kids he knows have been.

 

[sayheyrenee]

I haven't read each and every response, so maybe this is repetitive, but....
Here on this Board, the average poster has been to WDW many, many times, and is headed there again, or just came back, or both! So it is hard to get a real world perspective on "regret". This is a self-selecting Board made up of people who, by definition, cannot regret their trips to WDW. People who do regret their trips don't hang out here. For example, my feelings toward Cape Cod are similar to yours (or your family's) toward WDW. When I go, I spend a lot of money and conclude that I could get the same experience close to home for far less money. So guess what? You won't find "JimmyV" posting on a Cape Cod Tips and Strategies Board. What I am saying is that there are many, many people who share your viewpoint. Just not here.

Among my "real world", non-DisBoard friends, the average family has been to WDW between 0-2 times. The vast majority of those folks feel one of three ways:

1. Did it. Enjoyed it. Spent a lot of money. Time to move on to something else.
2. Did it. Don't understand how anyone could love that place. Too hot. To crowded. Too expensive. Never going back. Or
3. Never been. Never will go. You've got to be kidding me. $6,000 to go to an amusement park. You guys have been drinking the Kool-Aid ................................ Now, there definitely are people in a fourth or fifth group.
4. Did it. They're now hooked. Can't wait to go back. And
5. Have been going regularly for years and intend to continue doing so.

Those are the types of people found here. But in my little corner of the world, they are in a very small minority. I am the "Disney loving oddball" in the group. Not the other way around. So by no means should you feel odd or out of place for concluding that your are done with Disney. You are actually closer to the majority than you know.

My husband is #2 & #5 because his wife and kid are #4

 

[danceintherain]

I don't really know whom to quote for this so I will quote myself...

I wasn't always so grumpy about WDW vacations. I was the person my friends would routine ask, "Are you really going to Disney, again?!" In fact, I felt like it was a good deal, financially, for the variety it offered and the length of park days. And before the changes in non-expiration tickets I REALLY thought it was a great deal.

The problem now is if we go next May as planned it will have been five years since we last went. In that time very little NEW has been developed. We will enjoy visiting NFL, but there isn't much else beyond that. Meanwhile the prices have gone up. And I don't mean to encourage any FP debate, but the inception of FP+ will change the way my family experiences the park; it seems like ride rationing to us.

I never before wondered if we'd regret a trip. The thought never entered my mind. But I've read on these boards many times where posters encourage visitors to lower/change their expectations. That's ominous.

Again, a perspective thing. I actually think FP+ will be a good thing for us. Maybe we won't get as many FPs as we have in the past, but I think it will help balance the differing vacation styles that DH and I have.
He wants to sleep in on vacation. I can't sleep in on vacation. Since I already have 3 FP in each park, the need to get there for Rope Drop does diminish slightly. I can bargain with him a little bit more, so we're definitely waiting outside the park gates 30 minutes early for 2 of the days, but not be as anxious the other 2 days. Maybe I'll come back in a few weeks with my mind changed, but I doubt it. Especially since our favorite family activity during our last trip was the Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

OP, I think I kind of know how you're feeling.

This year I've done 2, 2-week cruises. I had done 7 day cruises previously and thought they were too short. I had a really great time on those 7 day cruises, so I thought if I went on a 14 day cruise I'd have double the fun. Well, I did enjoy them, but they weren't quite as magical as I had imagined them being.

Well, now I'm thinking about how much I really want to re-do my kitchen and replace my bathroom vanities. The cruises were fun, but at this point, I wish I hadn't spent the money. At least not for both cruises. I could put the money towards my new kitchen.

So I try to think of it as a learning experience.

Of course, I'm on the fence about cancelling my October WDW trip. I know I'd have a great time, but I could put the money towards my kitchen. I already have half the cost of the trip in gift cards...so I'm like why not? It would be much cheaper than the cruises, and, well, it's Disney. Like JimmyV said, I'm one of "those people" on the DIS who want to go over and over to WDW.

 

[lizard1]

I regret taking my trip in June. It just wasn't fun. I like to plan, but I felt that by the time I actually go there and started doing everything that I had planned, it just wasn't fun. I had all of the popular dining reservations as well as all of the desired FP. Halfway through our first day at MK, DH and I looked at each other and agreed that we would both have rather been back home working. So, we are done with WDW, at least for now....we've decided that we would rather see the Grand Canyon or Washington D.C., or any one of numerous other places that we have yet to experience.

 

[Lee & Kerry]

Noped.. Soon as down with one..planning the next one....

 

[mshanson3121]

Well... bringing this back to life I guess with a bit of an update.

The children are now bugging us every day it seems to go back to Disney, lol.

And I now want to go back. There was so much we didn't get to see and do. That I want to do. DH still has no desire to go back, lol. But then again, he had no desire to go in the first place.

Will we go again? Time will tell. I honestly don't see it for 3-4 years at least. If their interest and enthusiasm lasts that long, then I'm sure we'll go. If their interest wanes (they'll be at least 8 & 11), then we won't.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We went for 10 nights at the end of August/beginning of September.

We had a good time. I don't regret it. But I think it was over priced. Way more expensive than previous trips. I don't think I got the best bang for my buck that trip.

Next time we are going to try Universal. We thought of doing both but with Disney's price increases we may stick with just doing a Universal trip.

 

[Ambear]

The trip I went on with my, at the time, bf. It was pretty ****ty. I still tried to have fun and there were a few good moments, but overall it was fubar. I learned I have to be picky with who I take on vacation with me. We'd have been better off going to universal that trip.