Did you have any disappointments while visiting WDW?

[TomB'sWidow]

Only two dissapointment come to mind
1st: The first trip after my husband passed was during christmas holidays was a difficult trip any way but I had never been at this time of year and I was at least looking forward to MVMCP since my sister always raved over it and the parade unfortunatley it began to rain that night and continued to rain all evening both parades were canceled and a couple of rides were shut down I really felt I wasted ny ticket money.
Next was chef mickey's for breakfast I asked for something special for Ds 14th birthday with a cake and all it was also hubby's last trip so I wanted it to be memorable for both but the service and character interaction was not that great most trips are really good

 

[Krissalee]

My 30th birthday in 2003, we PAID for a waterview room at the YC. I understand that waterview at the YC is either the pool or the lake. We were given a first floor "pool view room." Sure, it was a water view, IF you stood on top of the patio furniture, and stood on tip-toes to look over the 7 foot high hedge that blocked the "pool view." Not worth the extra money we spent, in my opinion.

I am timid, and don't like to complain. DH knew I was upset, but told me he was going for a walk. He came back 15 minutes later with keys to a room that was truely a waterview.

 

[Lorelai]

Just the pre-plated breakfast at CRT. It was luke warm (at 8:30am...hmmmm) and all mushed together. But hey, we were there for the princesses, and the princess interaction was fantastic!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

My 30th birthday in 2003, we PAID for a waterview room at the YC. I understand that waterview at the YC is either the pool or the lake. We were given a first floor "pool view room." Sure, it was a water view, IF you stood on top of the patio furniture, and stood on tip-toes to look over the 7 foot high hedge that blocked the "pool view." Not worth the extra money we spent, in my opinion.

I am timid, and don't like to complain. DH knew I was upset, but told me he was going for a walk. He came back 15 minutes later with keys to a room that was truely a waterview.

Good for your hubby! Don't be afraid to be assertive (not aggressive). Now, having said that, I will say I was in a similar situation at Royal Pacific Resort. I paid extra for a waterview room and ended up on the first floor. If I bent over just right and looked at the correct angle through the foliage outside my room, across the sidewalk, through the fence, past the lounge chairs AND there was nobody sitting in any of them, I could see a bit of the pool. On the other hand, I was only there for one night

 

[HaleyB]

Well I have had so-so food a few times and so-so service a few times but nothing disappointing really.

My primary dissapointment comes when we have to drive off WDW grounds and go home. Why can't I just stay?

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

On my first trip to WDW I wanted nothing but to see The Big Guy. We looked everywhere, even went to the judges tent and waited in line for 25 min, but couldn't take the screaming toddler infront of me anymore. We were there for a little over a week and I never saw Mickey except in the parade. I was totall bummed!

I guess our second trip made up for it, thought, I saw him 4 times! As Chef Mickey, Astronaut Mickey, and classic Mickey, twice (once in Epcot and once in MK).

On my second trip it was disappearing princesses. We waited in line for Belle twice and were turned away b/c the line ended right in front of me and once for rain. Waited 3 times for Jasmine and got turned away all 3 b/c it was time for her to go in. But Princess Aurora and Cinderella were awesome!

And I almost forgot the ultimate in disappointment: Kali River Rapids in AK. The ride seemed so awesome on TV, in the vacation planning DVD and got great reviews in books, but it was nothing special. I've been on much better rapid rides (the rampage in Dollywood, piegon forge, TN is awesome!).

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

when we were at the restaurant inside the Wilderness Lodge Resort, Whispering Canyon Cafe. i know it's mostly for kids, so the yelling and screaming is a given, but we were having a birthday cake for one of the family members. he was turning 21 and we brought in a cake. first they lost the cake, they had no idea where they put it. then it took them an hour and a half to bring out the cake, and another 2 hours for the check, it was really absurd.

i also miss the Golden Girls house and the other houses that were on the backlot tour. now the tour is kinda boring.


DO NOT USE PHOTOPASS! if you are purchasing photos of yourself taken in the parks, buy them while you're there on your vacation, do not try and buy them at a later time off the internet. i made a post about this and got a lot of complaints. i had gotten engaged infront of Cinderella's Castle last month while they were doing the photos. they took about 8 pictures and we only bought one(The one of him on his knees) because the cast member said "oh you can let your friends and family member's look at them and decide which ones they want!" and we listened to him, and when we got home our card didn't work. they lost our photos and they can't retrieve them. DO NOT USE THE PHOTO PASS FOR THE INTERNET! i'm giving you a fair warning because i have heard of many other complaints of people either having their photos lost as well, or having other peoples' photos on their pass.

 

[Troy08]

My only real dissapointment on this summers trip was 50's Prime Time Cafe. Had eaten there twice before both at lunch and had a great time. This time was for dinner. the place was packed, the computers crashed. The staff was harried and crouchy and it took 45 minutes to get our check and cash out. She could not give us separate checks unless we wanted to wait another half hour. The whole mess took so long that we missed the 6 p.m. showing of Beauty and the Beast show. I've seen it but my friends had not and they were dissapointed.

But the worst part of it all-the food stunk!!!! My salmon was drier then the Sahara, the mashed potatoes were lumpy and cold and the vanilla shake was as thick as crude oil.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i remember another one! on this last trip my fiance, his mother, and I went on Kali River Rapids(i agree with whoever else said it wasn't that great) and we were all trying to put our things in the middle so they wouldn't get wet. my fiance's mother was standing up trying to get something out of her pocket to put in the middle so it wouldn't get wet. the CM was literlary screaming at her to sit down or he'd have to stop the ride and she would have to get off. it was so aggrivating because he just kept at it! he wouldn't shut up! i was getting aggrivated and wanted to say something, but my future mother-in-law just told me not to worry about it. we got on the ride and it was ok. definatly not worth getting screamed at.


also the third time i went, we stayed at the boardwalk, just my fiance and I. we wanted a room with a view and a balcony. the first room we got they said they promised we'd "love" the view. we got there and it was just a window overlooking the courtyard, no balcony. so we told them we wanted a balcony. they brought us to another room but it still didn't have a balcony. by the third time they got it right, but we were all the way at the end of the resort(it was a 10 minute walk from the door to the resort to our room) and we had no view, we could just about see France's Eifel Tower from Epcot but that was barely it.

 

[cindyfan]

Oh, my. You sound very displeased. Are you planning to return?

Oh my.... not at all displeased!!!
We've been to WDW 12 times in the last 8 years... WDW is the happiest place on earth.
You have to remember how many places there are to eat and all the different things to do and different options to experience them (ie... EMH mornings, E-ticket, fast passes, going during the "slow" months, etc.)
There are more than 300 places to eat... not including the portable food carts..... and more than 6000 different food items!
So I think those are pretty good odds that we were only disappointed with 4 food places!
The question was about being "disappointed" not "hated".
We all have our favorite places to eat and I am sure others love the places I don't like. That is what is great about WDW..... something for everyone!

Did it sound/look Spanish, or was it actually Spanish? I mean, are one of your party fluent in Spanish, so they could confirm?

Yes, both DD speak Spanish, one fluently, the other understands most of it and speaks it enough to get by.
DD actually interpretted part of their conversation.... the waiter was from Mexico.... it also had "Mexico" on his name badge. So I guess I mis-spoke and should have said he was Mexican! Sorry!

 

[BeckWhy]

I've gone to WDW about every other year or so. My only major disappointment was the Snow White ride. I've always loved it, but when I road it last time I was there, I felt like I out grew it. Also, Body Wars was shut down; and the food at the Hoop-Dee-Doo was HOOORRIIIDDDAABBLLEE! (Along with getting back to POP after the show, it was a pain in the you know what, and it took 2 hours!) Also, last time I went, there were a lot of bratty kids and parents who could care a rat's behind that their kids were brats.

 

[Kuzco]

Speaking of Tony's, I had read on these boards so often that it was one of many people's biggest WDW disappointments. We tried it this summer and we had one of the best WDW dining experiences. The cast members really went out of the way to make it memorable...I was expecting much less.

I know I've had several disappointing moments on my trips to WDW...but I honestly have a hard time remembering them right now...I guess that's part of the magic for me...or maybe Disney has a special machine that whipes bad memories from the guests on the way out of the parks...

 

[smkjt]

We just returned today! It was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But My one dissappointment was a shirt a purchase at one of the stores! The cm went to the back to get my DS size and put it on the counter for me. It had the right colors to it. I never unfolded it. Now I am in Ohio and I have a ugly shirt!

The only other was I kinda expected more from the waiters. Don't know if they had additude because of the dining plan or if they were just busy acting busy!

Over all it was a great time of the year to go. My DH said any one is crazy for going during the summer with the crowds and waiting in lines, in the heat!!! We only waited in one line (for maybe 20 min) because my DS fell asleep. We could of done fast pass on that line and not waited!

 

[WaltD4Me]

The only disappointment I can think of for me in the last couple trips was MVMCP. I had read and heard so many wonderful things about it, but when we went it was VERY crowded and just not at all how I thought it would be. I was disappointed because MVMCP was something I had ALWAYS wanted to do and planned our trip around it and it just wasn't that great.

Oh...and one other thing.....not that major, but I noticed on our last trip, it is very hard to find park specific stuff at MGM. I wanted a mug or something, but everything said Walt Disney World, but nothing was specifically for MGM or Disney Studios. They had RIDE specific stuff, but not park specific. Even Magic Kingdom doesn't have that much. AK has quite a bit though.

 

[cnaumann]

I suppose gripes from 1972 do not count? About the only thing I remember about that trip was heat, lines, lines and heat. I run into a number of people went once in the 70’s and never went back. That is too bad.

I am going back to Disney World for my fourth time the week after next. Both recent trips were wonderful. I have only a few specific complaints. Most have to do with mess, but I can easily forgive those considering the usual level of cleanliness. (People can make messes so much faster than even the best crew can clean.) More general and nagging complaints ( of the type that Disney could fix in the short term) have to do with food and the bus service. The food service needs to be expanded on all levels, and the bus service has been suffering from noticeable cutback.

My biggest disappointment with Disney World is much bigger and much more general. It is unlikely to be fixed. There simply is not enough of it! I am not just saying this in the nice way. I am sure that everyone wishes Disney World was bigger. I am saying that it need to be bigger. Disney World is just not expanding its Orlando parks fast enough. It is not keeping pace with its surroundings. The biggest concern that most people have in planning a Disney World trip is the crowds. The Disney Bean Counter and a Park Guests have very different ideas of what makes a park too crowded,, and the bean counters are winning!

Disney has added a fair number of hotel rooms in the Orlando area in recent years, but they have not significantly increased their park capacity. This may be great for short-term profits, but I think that it will hurt in the long run. Disney is an icon and has a lot of momentum. This means that Disney can really mess up or cut spending and the money will continue to flow from the Orlando parks for a long time after the cutbacks. It will take a long time before they know the extent of their mistakes. Unfortunately, it also means that even when Disney does things exactly right it may take a long time for those investments to pay off.

Disney World opened in 1971. Epcot opened 11 years later in 1982. MGM studios opened seven years after Epcot in 1989. Animal Kingdom opened nine years after MGM in 1998. It has now been 7 years since Disney World’s last major expansion in Orlando, and there are no new Disney parks in the Orland area are on the drawing board. Considering the time it takes to bring a new park on line (Animal Kingdom took 3 years from official announcement to opening), we are very likely in the longest period between major expansions at Disney World since it first opened. In addition to the lack of expansion, none of Disney’s expansions have managed to reach the scope of the original Magic Kingdom.

The Magic Kingdom is a wonderful park!. While I would never so that anyone is “too old” for the Magic Kingdom, it is clearly aimed at preschoolers and early grade schoolers. It’s offerings for middle school and high school aged children are limited. My kids are getting older. I am still going on family vacations, but Disney World is becoming less and less of a draw for me.

I am also less than impressed with the overall scope of the other three Disney Parks in Orlando. Animal Kingdom is a fine zoo, albeit small for a world class zoo. Most of the non-zoo venues at Animal Kingdom are impressive, the major exception being the carnival rides (Primeval Whorl, etc.) they added a few years back. There are not many non-zoo Venues at Animal Kingdom. Only one major new venue (Everest) will be opening next year, no other expansion plans have been announced. Over half the land in animal kingdom is idle. What is there is really good, but the zoo portion is not quite big enough to stand on its own, and there are not enough non-zoo venues to take up the slack.

MGM Studios is a tiny park, and in my opinion has only two major venues. Tower of Terror and The Rock’n Rollercoaster are top-notch, must see attractions. They are two of my favorite rides. But what do you do in the park for the rest of the day? It is fine that MGM is supposed to be a working Studio, but that does not really impress me that much as a park guest.

After 23 years, Epcot is still struggling to find its identity and more corporate sponsors. The World Showcase is nice for what it is. I find Future World kind of depressing. Some of the major pavilions are in desperate need of renovation, and for that matter, a purpose. The venues are not really fun or thrilling enough to stand on there own as thrill rides, and they are not really educational enough to stand on there own as educational venues. (Seriously, how much education can you get on a 2 minute ride?) I don’t know what “new technology” hp and Disney thinks they developed for Mission Space, but it is the most over-hyped venue ever! Test Track is OK and it is a huge draw for Epcot, but I really do not understand why. The theme is good, but if you really want to ride go-carts, go to a go-cart track and rent one for half an hour. You will probably have more fun for a lot less money.

Disney just does not seem to be interested in bringing the 10-22 year age bracket into their parks. They just are not doing big outdoor thrill rides, which is too bad, because I know they could do them very well. I would love to see some world-class coasters with Disney Themes. They have the resources, and I bet the market is there. Disney’s main focus has been on rides that are compact and indoors Disney’s main expansion in the last couple of decades has been opening more parks in distant corners of the world: Tokyo in 1982, Paris in 1992, and Hong Kong in 2005. It is amazing to me that Universal has been able to come into Orlando and capitalize so well on market segment that Disney has all but neglected.

 

[TheDogbots]

the only thing i was disapointed with on our last trip was dining at whatever the mexico restaurant is. Beautiful place, don't get me wrong, great setting. However service and food went on to be worse then terrible. We waited for 40 min with PS, which is ok, don't mind and there is lots of stuff to do in the pavillion. Get sat down at this tiny table for two against the corner of nowhere with no real pathways to get anywhere... still not a big deal, im a fat kid but can manage. however when the waiter comes after we have been sitting 15 min, he takes another 15 min to bring drinks back, then walks away without taking our order i start to get displeased and begin to actually time how long it takes between intervols. He comes back 11 min later to take our order. I ask for a refill (fat kids drink alot...) food comes one hour and some change later. refill doesn't come, but i ask again. 33 min later, waiter comes back. "You done with that?" he takes it before i say yes, i ask for a drink, he says he will be back in a minute. over the next 23 minutes my g/f and I discuss how cold and bad our food was. (I normally love mexican food!) when he comes back, without a drink he asks if we need anything else. at this point im like screw the drink, can i just have a check. well 38 mins later he comes back and give me the check. sorry I didn't tip. the only bad thing that has ever happened to me at disney! and I am normally a very understanding person with restaurant service...

 

[kaytieeldr]

Disney World opened in 1971. Epcot opened 11 years later in 1982. MGM studios opened seven years after Epcot in 1989. Animal Kingdom opened nine years after MGM in 1998. It has now been 7 years since Disney World’s last major expansion in Orlando, and there are no new Disney parks in the Orland area are on the drawing board. Considering the time it takes to bring a new park on line (Animal Kingdom took 3 years from official announcement to opening), we are very likely in the longest period between major expansions at Disney World since it first opened. In addition to the lack of expansion, none of Disney’s expansions have managed to reach the scope of the original Magic Kingdom.

Disney's an experienced, reasonably successful business. Simply because they HAVE the land does not mean they must, or intend to, develop it. There have been rumors of various parks over the years. Who knows though - maybe four parks is enough for the foreseeable future. And simply because the Orlando parks have opened with no discernable pattern or spacing - don't forget, it took Disney sixteen years before they opened a second park at all.

I am also less than impressed with the overall scope of the other three Disney Parks in Orlando. Animal Kingdom is a fine zoo, albeit small for a world class zoo.

Animal Kingdom is not a zoo. It's too bad you can't enjoy it for all the things it IS.

MGM Studios is a tiny park, and in my opinion has only two major venues. Tower of Terror and The Rock’n Rollercoaster are top-notch, must see attractions. They are two of my favorite rides. But what do you do in the park for the rest of the day? It is fine that MGM is supposed to be a working Studio, but that does not really impress me that much as a park guest.

That's you. I can easily spend an entire day in MGM. On each trip.

Disney just does not seem to be interested in bringing the 10-22 year age bracket into their parks...They just are not doing big outdoor thrill rides, which is too bad, because I know they could do them very well.

The 10 to 17 bracket really has little say in what vacation the family takes. Said vacation planning is marketed to adults. And there are plenty of parks that DO 'world-class coasters' as their focus. Disney appeals to a MUCH wider age range with a wider variety of attractions.


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at this point im like screw the drink, can i just have a check. well 38 mins later he comes back and give me the check. sorry I didn't tip. the only bad thing that has ever happened to me at disney! and I am normally a very understanding person with restaurant service...

You're STILL being too kind. By my calculations, you were there over THREE HOURS, and that's after you were seated!

 

[cindyfan]

cnaumann..... please don't think this rude...
But I think your post should be on the debate board.
These don't sound like "disappointments" but "opinions" about the state of things at WDW.
I love AK .... it is not a zoo. And I can easily spend a full day there.
I love MGM ...... I usually spend 2 days there! If you take the time to see all the shows and experience all the attractions.... yes, 2 days for me.
Epcot is awesome too. And it is a matter of opinion whether certain areas need updating. We usually spend 2 days there too! World Showcase has so much to experience!

As my children grow up..... there are different things that they are interested in and experience at WDW!!! That is why we still go every year!
Our first trip, we spent a lot of time with characters and in Fantasyland. Now.... a lot of time at MGM and Epcot.
IMHO.... there are attractions for EVERY age group! That is what makes WDW such a great family place!

 

[cindyfan]

TheDogbots.............. WOW I admire your patience!!!
I would have walked out when he walked away without taking the order!
Not only would I have not left a tip..... I would have asked to speak to the manager.... but you may have had to wait another hour!

 

[mjh8955]

I had read so many times about all the little towel animals that mousekeeping left for people. We have stayed at the Poly, Beach Club twice and POFQ and have yet to see any kind of special treatment whatsoever, even when we used the cute little decorated mousekeeping envelopes for tips. In the big scope of things, this is really, really trivial.