Good trip but overall disappointment

[brittajade]

Our adventure was to Disney World's Epcot Center. Though we considered the day a good one, we considered the experience disappointing.

~ Entry into the park at opening was too late to gain Fast Pass reservations to the rides because the guests who paid to stay in the resorts gained entry 1.5 hours before the public was let in. By the time we arrived at the rides to make reservations the next available bookings were 8:15 or later.

~ Due to waiting lines over 2.25 hours we decided to forfeit the rides and move onto the Countries. Which was a big disappointment to the kids but they were the ones who decided that waiting in the scorching hot sun for such a long time and only having a few minutes on the ride wasn't worth it.

~ There are gorgeous green lawns, but are fenced off leaving scarce seating in shaded areas to take breaks. There were too few areas anywhere to sit and rest a while. Even the exhibits for films of the countries were standing. *we were quite disappointed that we couldn't enjoy the cool break from the sun and rest our friends at the same time.*

~ Plenty of kids but few were having a good time, and the parents seemed even less enthused.

~ For being a Disney campus there were no Disney characters available for pictures.

I enjoyed spending time with my daughter and family but will most definitely elect another place to have fun next time. It wasn't worth the expense to walk around to exhaustion and not even be able to ride the rides.

Britta Jade

 

[meandtheguys]

What's the debate?

 

[brittajade]

Sorry for the mispost..

 

[meandtheguys]

Fair enough!

 

[DukeStreetKing]

Originally posted by meandtheguys
What's the debate?

Sorry, you're both on the wrong board. This is the community board, not the Trip Report or Debate board.

 

[Kallison]

I would recommend not visiting at one of the busiest times of the year.

 

[DocRafiki]

bj -- you should have read these boards BEFORE going to WDW.

If this is a trip report from Easter weekend, all we can tell you is, "DUH."

And it looks like you've completely missed the point of EPCOT. You went for rides? Looking for characters in World Showcase? Again, "DUH."

 

[HappyMommy2]

So sorry you were disappointed overall! I can see how 2+ hour waits and no fastpasses could dampen anyone's day! We went in mid-July last year and never saw lines that long, WOW!

I hope you'll give it a try again at a less busy time, and/or that you'll REALLY dive into these trip planning boards ahead of time so you'll know all the best tips for having a great time in spite of crowds and heat.

Welcome to the DIS!

 

[Tuffcookie]

Well, unfortunately for us, the week before Easter was our Spring Break from school. I have never seen such crowds and I have been there in the summer! I kept telling DS, if I had never been to WDW before, I would have felt jipped because there were huge waits for attractions. Fortunately, we had been there before and will probably be there a couple more times this year so it was no big deal to us. We've seen/ridden everything before. We chose to do a water park (Typhoon Lagoon) one day. We loved it! When we did do the parks we got there right at opening and while DS got in line, I ran up and got a fast pass. I was surprised at how many people didn't know how that worked! Yes, it was a bad week to be there but, it sure beat being in Ohio and another week of 40 degree weather!

 

[jfulcer]

That's a bummer. I wouldn't totally write off Epcot though, my kids love Epcot and find plenty of activities to do.

My oldest DD could do the Kidcot stations all day long while Mommy shopped and Daddy played with the other DD.

Maybe it's just that it was so busy that gave you a bad impression. You should also consider the 'single riders' line. Both TT and MS have them and even though you might not get to 'ride together' - you still get the experience with a much shorter wait.

And Resort guests get the benefit of an 'Extra Magic Hour' at one park each day, not 1.5. There are a lot of threads here on the boards that say Resort guests should go to the EMH, but then hop to another park after the parks all open because the park with EMH is always very busy that day. You must have managed to hit Epcot on one of those days.

You'll have to start planning your next trip and if off site try to avoid those days! Welcome to the DIS!

 

[disykat]

Welcome to the DIS. No "duh" from me, only sympathy that your were disappointed and glad that you still considered your experience successful overall. I travel during peak times also, and it can be tough!

 

[NeverEnufWDW]

It boggles my mind that people in the information age still refuse to do any research at all....

All you of your troubles could have EASILY been avoided.

Sorry it was bad for you...but there is a lesson here.

 

[Robinrs]

I used to go to Orlando every Spring Break but only onsite Universal so I can have Front of the Line Access.

Spring Break week is like the whole summer dumped into a few weeks. It can be amazingly crowded. The weather is usually better than summer, man, if it was scorching hot in April imagine how it is in July!

I would give it another try in off season. Return in early December or February, you won't recognize it! Take a long weekend and really discover it.

You won't be disappointed.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Welcome to the DIS

I can understand why you didn't have an excellent time - I love Disney and I wouldn't have had much fun either under the conditions you described. The problem was the timing - as others mentioned - just a "rookie mistake". I know it's not always possible to go to WDW at low attendance times but if you can manage - it makes a world of difference. I'd rather have shorter park hours at off peak times than deal with crowds myself. Here's a link to some information that will help you next time you plan to visit:

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/attend.htm

The weeks immediately before and after Easter are VERY crowded, especially the holiday weekend.

Also, you might want to consider staying onsite so YOU get in on early entry mornings. My family's plan with that is to either go to the park that has early entry morning then switch to another as soon as it starts getting really crowded (as the EE park will) or avoid the EE park altogether (if we didn't get up early enough ) and pick another park for that day.

You will find lots of great info on these boards and hope you will give it another try sometime!

Oh, if characters are important to you the other parks would be the place to go, especially the Magic Kingdom. You could pick your favorite character meal and see some that way.

Have a great day!

 

[MissSwish]

Nice bedside manner there, Doc!

No Duh's from me either and I do hope that your experiences both here and at Epcot do not discourage you from trying again.

There is excellent advice here about crowd management but none of us really know if Brittajade researched or not. All we can tell is that she is a new poster. I am not new here, have been visiting for over two years but you won't know it from my post count. I have researched and I have been to WDW when it was crowded. Being inexperienced I lost my game and all the best laid plans I made went right out the window.

So Brittajade I hope you'll try again.

 

[Tina]

You may want to follow our plan the next time you visit, if you should stay offsite. We always stay onsite, but hate the large crowds, so we always visit the park that had Extra Magic Hour on the previous day. For example, if Monday is EMH for the Magic Kingdom, visit on Tuesday. This way, the majority of the folks visited MK on Monday and will be somewhere else on Tuesday (usually the next EMH park). With this plan, we find that we can sleep a little later and wander into the park at our leisure. The crowds are always much more manageble.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Originally posted by DocRafiki
bj -- you should have read these boards BEFORE going to WDW.

If this is a trip report from Easter weekend, all we can tell you is, "DUH."

And it looks like you've completely missed the point of EPCOT. You went for rides? Looking for characters in World Showcase? Again, "DUH."

I think that is totally uncalled for.It is obvious she just found the boards.You should not try to make people feel stupid .

My first experience to Disney was also over Easter .Never again.

Please give Disney another try.Just go at a diffrent time.

Misty

 

[missypie]

If I were you I would try to get on your school district's calendar committee and try to move spring break in the future. It's really inconvenient for the teachers to tie it to Easter because it moves to a different week every year. I bet the school district makes it be Easter week because they think the parents want it.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Just a welcome to the DIS, Britta. I know WDW can be overwhelming for a new visitor, but with some basic planning ideas, so many of which you will be able to get here from the DIS before your next trip (and I bet there will be a next, give it a shot) your next will be so much more fun. You'll see. In the meantime, enjoy the DIS you just found, a fun place it is too.

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Dan

 

[tiggersmom2]

You won't get a "DUH" from me! So sorry you didn't have a good time but do give EPCOT another try. It is my favorite park, I prefer the laid back feel to EPCOT over the other parks. If you want to see characters at EPCOT sometimes you have to know where to look. The best places to catch the characters is at the American Pavilion to the far right and behind the UK near the fountains. Hope this helps!