I didn't go to Disney World during slow or average times until I was a married adult. My first Disney vacation was when I was 10 years old the end of June. It is still my favorite Disney vacation, despite the long lines and lack of Fastpass. We went for 2 full weeks and stayed at the Poly. We did Disney World at a slow pace (DHS was brand new, only 3 parks), the water park, and Universal (first month or two of opening) and Seaworld. We also had plenty of pool time to enjoy the then less fancy but still fun volcano slide and ate at the restaurants, include V&A (no age limit then, as my 8 year old brother could come). I loved arriving on the monorail. It built anticipation and was a ride in itself. Walt knew how to build anticipation and wonder in a kid!
My parents liked all the variety that Orlando had to offer, so they bought a 3 bedroom timeshare down there over Christmas week. After our first trip, we would go to Orlando and stay during the busiest week of the year. Long lines came with the territory, but as a teenager, people watching and chatting with my family were just as interesting as a ride. Hey, if shopping with my friends at a mall could be considered entertainment, then the Magic Kingdom was just that much better! (But fewer good sales.) However, my dad likes to try new things, so we did not do Disney every year. We did all sorts of things in central Florida. All still fun.
As an adult with my own child, I am learning what the wonder of a Disney Vacation means to me. It's funny how as an adult, you try to give your child the best of what you had, and even the things that you missed to your child. By 10 years old, I was past the wonder of believing - that the characters were REAL - that there truly was magic. Right now my son BELIEVES he can use the force to open car doors and do other things. He believes in magic and loves to take in the world around him. I am taking him for his first visit at 4 (would have been sooner, but things got in the way, and we kept having to push it back as DH refuses to go during summer or other busy times) in hopes that he will find Disney World a magical place.
We are staying on property and eating at a ton of signature and other sit down restaurants because a big part of exploring a place for our family is the food. Counter service, except maybe in the World Showcase, isn't going to do much for me. We are even getting a tour guide for a morning because with all this stressful talk of FP+ on the Strategy Board (which used to be a very different place over a year ago), I just said forget it all! Even though I don't like the idea of being escorted by a stranger on our family vacation, I wanted one day of not having to worry about a thing and leaving it to someone else.
I think it really boils down to what makes Disney your happy place. For me it's a themed resort, leisurely meals, some fun entertainment (the theme parks), and maybe some water sports or surfing. It's really about exploring with my family.
I can see why some people are upset. For GAC users, having to change the one place you could be as care free as possible with your child, with chefs who would be very careful with meals to the ease of enjoying rides with the entire family, the new changes brought about by a few abusers are very disappointing. It's not that the new system is horrible, it is different and doesn't lend itself to the same ease for some families with special needs. Instead, it requires a lot more planning and running around for the parents, which is more stressful. For families that began their trips to Disney post Fastpass, the idea of no longer being able to save your place in line for the more popular attractions as you go around the park but instead have to plan when and where you will be days or months in advance is disappointing and more stressful. Change is always stressful to some degree, whether it be good or bad. I am not going to lie. I like that I can get a Fastpass in exchange for a shorter wait in line. Disney won't get rid of the system because Universal does it.
In fact, I remember when Universal had a non-pay system like Disney, and the Express Pass just didn't give you an allotted time and a pass for every ride. Don't know if they still do that... I think Fastpass is a great bonus, especially for very young children. I think families would wait until their youngest was out of the preschool set and better able to handle walking and lines much like my family, and it looks like the OP started going when she was a little older child too. For me, Fastpass means I can convince my DH to take our 4 year old to Disney and not wait "even though he may not remember the trip" as many people like to point out. Doesn't matter. I will remember when my son thought the magic was real, and that's what matters to me.
My parents liked all the variety that Orlando had to offer, so they bought a 3 bedroom timeshare down there over Christmas week. After our first trip, we would go to Orlando and stay during the busiest week of the year. Long lines came with the territory, but as a teenager, people watching and chatting with my family were just as interesting as a ride. Hey, if shopping with my friends at a mall could be considered entertainment, then the Magic Kingdom was just that much better! (But fewer good sales.) However, my dad likes to try new things, so we did not do Disney every year. We did all sorts of things in central Florida. All still fun.
As an adult with my own child, I am learning what the wonder of a Disney Vacation means to me. It's funny how as an adult, you try to give your child the best of what you had, and even the things that you missed to your child. By 10 years old, I was past the wonder of believing - that the characters were REAL - that there truly was magic. Right now my son BELIEVES he can use the force to open car doors and do other things. He believes in magic and loves to take in the world around him. I am taking him for his first visit at 4 (would have been sooner, but things got in the way, and we kept having to push it back as DH refuses to go during summer or other busy times) in hopes that he will find Disney World a magical place.
We are staying on property and eating at a ton of signature and other sit down restaurants because a big part of exploring a place for our family is the food. Counter service, except maybe in the World Showcase, isn't going to do much for me. We are even getting a tour guide for a morning because with all this stressful talk of FP+ on the Strategy Board (which used to be a very different place over a year ago), I just said forget it all! Even though I don't like the idea of being escorted by a stranger on our family vacation, I wanted one day of not having to worry about a thing and leaving it to someone else.
I think it really boils down to what makes Disney your happy place. For me it's a themed resort, leisurely meals, some fun entertainment (the theme parks), and maybe some water sports or surfing. It's really about exploring with my family.
I can see why some people are upset. For GAC users, having to change the one place you could be as care free as possible with your child, with chefs who would be very careful with meals to the ease of enjoying rides with the entire family, the new changes brought about by a few abusers are very disappointing. It's not that the new system is horrible, it is different and doesn't lend itself to the same ease for some families with special needs. Instead, it requires a lot more planning and running around for the parents, which is more stressful. For families that began their trips to Disney post Fastpass, the idea of no longer being able to save your place in line for the more popular attractions as you go around the park but instead have to plan when and where you will be days or months in advance is disappointing and more stressful. Change is always stressful to some degree, whether it be good or bad. I am not going to lie. I like that I can get a Fastpass in exchange for a shorter wait in line. Disney won't get rid of the system because Universal does it.
In fact, I remember when Universal had a non-pay system like Disney, and the Express Pass just didn't give you an allotted time and a pass for every ride. Don't know if they still do that... I think Fastpass is a great bonus, especially for very young children. I think families would wait until their youngest was out of the preschool set and better able to handle walking and lines much like my family, and it looks like the OP started going when she was a little older child too. For me, Fastpass means I can convince my DH to take our 4 year old to Disney and not wait "even though he may not remember the trip" as many people like to point out. Doesn't matter. I will remember when my son thought the magic was real, and that's what matters to me.
I was too afraid to ride the mountains, so we were able to skip the worst lines, unless my dad waited by himself, although I do remember being told that Dumbo wouldn't be worth the wait. I don't remember a long line for one of my favorites, Peter Pan, but maybe we went there at rope drop? My parents also took us out of school at least once, so the crowds would be lower.
Well, I vote best post ever. At least for the past few months I've been lurking around here. 
