Do you find yourself giving advice?

[abby]

Someone at work mentioned they were going to DL next week, well off I went with all my advice. I find I keep doing that when people mention they are going.......I was advising when to arrive, what to do first, how FP works, baby swap, et al....I noticed her eyes glaze over at one point. Oh well, I figured she thought I was disney crazy, but you would all understand.

 

[hlbtimes2]

I always try to give advice, especially if I know they havent been before. My pet peeve with it is- dont call and ask me for advice on hotel, airport, time of year, etc, then turn around and blow it all off like I never said anything, only to come home and complain that the hotel was too far, the lines too long and the weather to hot/cold and you hated it! I have had that happen more then once.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Most of the time people don't listen when they didn't solicit the advice. So I just tell em I can give em tips that will help them with lines, hotels, what to see etc if they want me to and leave it at that. If they take me up on it, fine. If not, well they can crash and burn on their own. If they then complain I'll usually say something like Didn't you hear me say I could help you with that?

 

[mystic_path]

Well its really hard to stay out of the conversation when someone mentions the words "Disney Vacation".

If they are the first timers I usually ask what their plans are, and if they have ever heard of "Baby swap, this restaraunt, fast passes, where to sit for fireworks, fantasmic or parades etc. or whatever their situation entails" then I would put in my 2 bit tips to help out. I then continue on and give them tips on other things to help them out. All around though I am sure they appreciate it. Especially since they have no idea where to go or what to do. I know I listened intently to every tip given to me, and it definately helped me out in the long run.

If they have gone before they generally love discussing anything because they are just as excited as you about the topic and then you can both discuss things on your likes and dislikes and you can both ask each other questions on what you missed. Maybe they did something before that you never got to do and vice versa, that way it gives them something to look forward to when they go and the same thing for you when you go back.

 

[princess@heart]

LOL! On the other end of this issue, have you ever over-heard a stranger talk about their Disney vacation and you want to eavesdrop?

I heard two ladies at the grocery store a few weeks ago talk about going to Disney World just after I got back. One lady said her son's favorite ride was Dinosaur. I SO wanted to go over and ask if I could join the conversation since I had just gotten back, too. But I bit my lip and moved on.

 

[CindyH]

I might give one piece of general advice, then I'll see if they ask questions or want more.

 

[silence]

I am forever giving friends and family advice. Sometimes I have to catch myself and make sure it isn't "unsolicited" advice.

My girlfriend and her kids just got back, they hadn't been in several years. She used many of my tips and was so impressed. Just the simple things too...like fast passes, what shows NOT to miss, that kind of thing.

 

[jfritz]

We are going to Disneyland Jan 31 - Feb 3 before we board the Carnival Pride. We are a party of 6 adults who are WDW veterans but nobody has ever been to DL. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. I know about the FP and the other things that are at both parks but anything else would be great. Thanks!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

What was really funny was when people were asking me for advice before I'd ever been to DL! I started planning our first trip at the tail end of 2005, and lurked on the DIS. Our trip was set for April 2006, and a friend who knew I'd done a lot of research planned a last-minute trip in March.

They had a great time (she did take my advice on a great rate at HoJo, but not on planning out your day, so they didn't see much.)

Now that I have one trip under my belt, I'm viewed as the expert by all our friends and family.

Of course, I love to talk about Disney, so I try to watch for glazed-over eyes to know when to shut up.

 

[HydroGuy]

The reality is that most people do not care about advice and tips. I give a little advice, and if they are interested I give more. I will send them links to Internet sites and topics, and answer questions if they want.

We are going in late June and I invited my sister and her family to join us. They live about 45 minutes from DLR and go on occasional day trips (once a year maybe). They make all of the classic mistakes - arrive late, neglect Fastpasses, stand in long lines, stay out in the heat of the day, and then leave early because it is too hot and crowded.

So here is a golden chance. She knows how I tell her that we never wait in long lines and go inside when it gets hot. All she has to do is tag along with us, and she can avoid all the negatives. Heck, I even offered to pay for her and her family to stay at a hotel on Harbor.

In the end, she declined because "she doesn't want to deal with all of the long lines and heat". Oh well.

She said they will come down and join us for a day at DCA (to which they have never been). I will encourage her to arrive early so we can get going on the park when the lines are short. I expect they will arrive well after the park opens, and then be forced to deal with the "long lines and heat" and/or skip certain rides.

In the end, I am sure we will all have fun. But it could have been a better experience for them.

But as I said already, most people do not care about advice - even when someone is willing to hold their hand. They just do their thing and that is fine with them. And they still often have fun - but not nearly as much as they could have. And I am sure we will have fun. But it could be so much more enjoyable for them.

Oh well, human nature trumps everything. The good news for us here on DIS is that you can count on the majority of people to behave this way, and then use that knowledge to improve your own experience. For those interested who have not yet seen it, I pulled all of this together in this thread:

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[JDietz40]

I get asked often by co-workers for advise and now I just point them to Dis or to passporter since they never listen to my advice anyway.


John

 

[challada]

Actually, I have lots of people coming to ME for advice on any Disney vacation (maybe my office full of toys and Disney items gives them a clue). I do give them some tips and can discuss just about any hotel in the area (either CA or FL).

I find it kind of fun to watch their faces when they learn a few "secrets" to making their trip a success. I have yet to have anyone say "didn't use a thing you said."


One of the best things I've ever done was last year buying the "Disney Goddess" bundle of Passporters (like 5 for $5). When folks ask about WDW, I now just hand them a book and say "go, learn, come back with questions."

 

[PrincessSitka]

I do it to all of the time

 

[WDWLinda]

I am IMPRESSED!!! We're going for the first time to DL and DCA for 2.5 days, right before July 4th, and I was starting to stress out that I didn't have a plan...then I went to your link about making the most of FP, and now I feel MUCH better! We'll have my two sons, 2 and 5 yr.s plus my mother-in-law with us, and we're staying at the Grand Californinan hotel, so I believe Mon. July 2 is EE. I think this means we can get in the gates at 7AM, so I plan on heading straight to Fantasyland and doing all the rides there. Then I'm going to pick up your plan and try to follow it step by step. On Tues. we'll hit DCA and I'll try for your steps there as well. You really explained the FP system very well, now I know why you should start collecting them early. And I'm assuming that you can return even after the 1 hr window has expired, just on the same day, correct?

Now I just have to learn what all the abbreviations stand for and go study the maps so I know where to go. We usually like to stick together, but I can see we'll have to give that up in order to get the most FPs that we can. I'll probably be the runner, so I need to know where I'm going. You gave me a great start, THANKS!

~Linda

 

[poconoboatniks]

Yup! I love talking about Disney vacations. My kids think I should be travel agent. My MIL gave me a coffee mug with Internet Girl on the side. She said that she gave me that because of all the great vacations that I plan.

My best piece of advice that I give to everyone is read the Disboards.

Pocono

 

[HydroGuy]

You really explained the FP system very well, now I know why you should start collecting them early. And I'm assuming that you can return even after the 1 hr window has expired, just on the same day, correct?

Yes, FPs can only be used on the same day they were obtained.

In case you have not yet seen it, lots of folks around here have gotten a lot out of this lengthy post I wrote: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[HydroGuy]

Now I just have to learn what all the abbreviations stand for and go study the maps so I know where to go.

For abbreviations see www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm

 

[thedarksyde]

People know I am the resident expert, so I will not offer advice unless they ask, for some people being blissfully unaware is how they want a vacation. They expect to relax and have time to have fun, and those that don't have the disney bug don't get it, so I don't want to freak them out.

 

[MATTERHORN]

Yep!! I just did today! I was at DD's dance class and another lady heard me talking about a trip. She came to me and asked me to help as she is planning her first and is getting overwhelmed. She didn't even know DCA existed, poor thing!! Without me, who knows what would become of her.

I printed out a bunch of stuff for her and I'm bringing her stuff to class next week. She wanted the advice though, and I am happy to help. I hate when people just dive in and go in the summer with no plans and then they hate it or get turned off when it didn't have to be that way!!

I love it, I think I am more excited than her about her first trip!!!

Andrea

 

[rosiep]

. I hate when people just dive in and go in the summer with no plans and then they hate it or get turned off when it didn't have to be that way!!
Andrea

I'm such an odd duck...I planned my last vacation like crazy, was incredibly organized and I thought I knew what to expect...but I got there, scrapped most of my well thought out plans and just flew by the seat of my pants!!!! I mean, I was more prepared than most, yes, but I didn't want to lose the spontaneity