Has anybody NOT had a disappointing trip lately?

[Nhebron]

The first time we went, about 13 years ago, I remember being rendered absolutely speechless regarding how spotless everything was-I am not exaggerating. DH and I made jokes about throwing trash on the ground to see how fast it would disappear, ranting about how wonderful every single meal was and how CM's went out of their way to be helpful, friendly, and yes, magical. I have not felt that way our last three or four trips. That does not mean we will stop going every year, but it is not the place it once was for us. We still love it, DH not so much, but he never really drank the Disney brand Kool-Aid like I did. I just hope and pray that by the time I have grandchildren to take there, the experience will return to what it once was.

your post reminded me of an experience I had in Feb 2013. I had a drink in my stroller cup holder. When I moved the stroller, it fell and spilled all over the ground. By the time I turned back to clean it up, there was a CM who had swept up the drink cup and just kept moving. It was that quick!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We had a great trip in January. Stayed CR - club level. Paid OOP for meals. We never encountered bad service, bad meals or rude guests. Well maybe we did but I never gave them a second thought. I think sometimes people are consumed with having the perfect trip. We try to go with the flow. I plan, book all the ADRs and FPs. Sometimes there are glitches but we "let it go" a move on the next great day. It's never perfect but it's always great

 

[luvsJack]

DH & I had extra rechargeable batteries for our phones and never had to use them in the two weeks we were at Disney. Why would you need your phone on all the time for MDE - things don't change 'that' much!! We would check something, then move on - didn't have to keep searching over the same things - even when changing a few FP's or ressies. Our phones stayed charged just fine!

I wasn't checking it all the time, just when they were trying to decide what to do before the next fp or before lunch or whatever. Or when they wanted to find a certain character. But having it on and the wifi on all day runs the battery down.

I wasn't just looking for stuff for us but a group of teens going in different directions.

 

[djc9699]

To the OP, if you want to go - GO. Your trip will be what YOU make it - not what Disney makes it. We went for the first time in 2008 and have gone every June since (except last year when we went to DL) with each trip getting longer. We absolutely LOVE to go and spend months talking and planning. We always find something new to try. We are not wealthy and scrimp and save every year to go. My kids give up many extras so we can go. Are the trips perfect? To us they are because we don't expect too much. We enjoy sitting on a bench with a snack and watching other people's children light up at their favorite character or seeing the awe on a child's face during a parade.

We ride lots of rides, watch lots of shows, eat some great meals and snacks (I think the snacks are my daughter's favorite thing), miss some rides, miss some shows, eat some bad food - but always have a blast. We have also been to Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc. Kids always want to go back to Disney because as they say, they can sit on a bench at Disney and be entertained. There is always something to see.

We are very excited to be saving up to go the week before Christmas this year (MVMCP) and are already planning for my brand new (3 week old) grand-daughters first visit in about 4 years.

Go to Disney and make the vacation yours. You will have fun if you do the things you enjoy and let the minor irritants and disappointments roll off. When the lines get long, crowds are heavy, tempers are flaring -PUNT (as we call it) - change your focus. Take time out to just observe someone else's wonder and happiness. Look at the intricate details of the attractions. Watch the ducks at Epcot. My kids spent 20 minutes doing that on our 2nd visit and still talk about it and look to see if they are still there.

 

[vrajewski10513]

DH & I had extra rechargeable batteries for our phones and never had to use them in the two weeks we were at Disney. Why would you need your phone on all the time for MDE - things don't change 'that' much!! We would check something, then move on - didn't have to keep searching over the same things - even when changing a few FP's or ressies. Our phones stayed charged just fine!

Maybe they were filming parades on their phones or playing Candy Crush, while standing in line...?

I wasn't checking it all the time, just when they were trying to decide what to do before the next fp or before lunch or whatever. Or when they wanted to find a certain character. But having it on and the wifi on all day runs the battery down.

I wasn't just looking for stuff for us but a group of teens going in different directions.

Kind of off topic, but the way I conserve atleast some battery life is to take a screen shot of the days itinerary in the MDE app and make it the background on my phone. That way I can See everything I have going on and not have to keep running the MDE app unless I have to change something..

 

[paul16451]

I went in October 2014 and it was everything I hoped it would be. We arrived on the evening on Oct 20 to muggy humidity (no doubt tailing air from Hurricane Gonzalo), which I expected, but after that, the icky humid went completely away for the entire rest of our trip through October 28!

We did not experience any of the issues mentioned above at all...bathroom was clean every time we went, our magic bands worked perfectly (save for the detail below that was fixed), all our reservations were honored, nothing broke down, and every amenity we wanted was granted.

On the whole for the trip, we waited in hardly any lines and breezed right through, due to reserving FPs for everything at first opportunity. We got into all of the best restaurants we wanted, since we'd prepared with the reservations, again first change we had. Food was great everywhere we went. Some of the seating wasn't the best, at Coral Reef we were in the last row at a corner table furthest from the fish tank, and at Raglan Road we sat on the far left where the bar decoration blocked our view from the stage, but everywhere else our experience was really top-notch! Our favorite places were Jiko (there, we got to sit right near the kitchen where we saw everything) and Teppan Edo (great, entertaining female chef!), and, amazingly, high tea at the Grand Floridian, where we really did feel like royalty. We got to experience every ride we wanted (though none more than once). Also did the Halloween party and the Villains Soiree, and enjoyed every moment.

We even experienced serendipity. During the Halloween party, we had a Villain's Soiree reserved parade/fireworks viewing spot. But after the parade, we left the area attempting to finish a Sorcerers Magic Kingdom quest. About 9:15 we tried to return for the 9:30 show, but every path back was completely blocked by crowds. However, a helpful cast member suggested circling around the side and watching from Liberty Square for a better experience. And while we did miss some of the main display from that vantage, the sound was truly fantastic...we could see the launch points of the fireworks, the booms were louder, and we could even smell the smoke! I think that made the experience even better than what we would have seen from the reserve spot. And there were some projections on that side of the castle, so the visuals weren't entirely absent either.

There were a couple of snags, but all of them were minor and all easily fixed. 1st - one of our party member's magic bands didn't work right away, due to a different e-mail being on the registry. We could have gotten a replacement band easily, but my girlfriend wanted the one with her name on it to work, and Guest Services went above and beyond to fix her existing band. It took an hour, but after they were done they gave us a complimentary FP for our whole party.

2nd snag was our lunch reservation at the Crystal Palace. We were seated 45 minutes late, but again, they gave our party a FP for our trouble, so we didn't mind that either, and we still made our original FP time.

And the only other unenjoyable thing was the Saturday we were at Epcot on Oct 25...something out of our control since ANY Saturday at a Disney park is likely to have big crowds no matter what time of year it is. We had been there the previous Tuesday, and food lines were short and we had a marvelous time. But that Saturday, the crowd were huge, lines were VERY long, and we were not able to get any of the snacks that interested us. Still, with the FPs we'd reserved plus our restaurant reservations, we still managed to have an amazing time that day. Instead of waiting in interminable lines for Food & Wine bits, we spent our non-reservation times shopping, taking photos, and going on rides where lines were short or nonexistent even without FP. Figment and Living with the Land had ZERO wait times, even with the big crowds there, and we really enjoyed them.

I loved it so much that I booked a bounce-back trip and will be going again this December. Can't wait to do the Christmas party!

 

[JenLynn]

We went this past June. There were 10 of us. 5 of the adults have been to WDW many times. For 1 of our adults, this was his first trip. We all had an amazing and wonderful time. It was hot and crowded, but we expected that. We had a magical time. ADRs worked out well. Our hotel room at Boardwalk was lovely and clean. FP+ was easy to use and allowed us to get on rides we would have had to wait in horribly long lines for. Service was good; I had trouble with our hotel room when we first arrived and the cast members at the hotel were amazing and worked to make things right and comped us for our troubles (which is funny since it really wasn't a problem). The food at both TS and QS restaurants was good (some of it was very good). Yes, there was a good amount of construction happening with walls up in several parks. But it didn't interrupt our good time and we are quite eager to see what changes are being made.

We are currently planning our next trip for this October and are so excited to be going again!

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Just got back on Saturday and would go again tomorrow but for this thing called work.

I never saw the first piece of paper or trash in any bathroom, and neither did DW. Granted the counters were wet sometimes, but you would need CM's staffing them 24/7 to keep them dry or faucets spotless.

Never had a rude CM experience. Wish I could say the same for one lady I would have gladly bought a Grumpy T shirt for!

Yes, they are constructing, and I knew that going on. It IS a magical place, but construction and refurbs are part of the real world.

I had dreaded using MB's and FP+, but we used them and STILL rode everything and some things multiple times.

I started another thread about my experience if you would like to read it.

Yep, the magic still is there.

 

[robndani]

We always have a great trip. Been there twice since September and wouldn't let too much ruin a trip. It's DISNEY!!!!

 

[coolbrook]

I have never had a disappointing Disney trip. We always have a lovely time. That place just makes me happy!

 

[richmo]

Just back. In no way was it a disappointing trip.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We have never had a bad trip....any small thing may not have been perfect,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,any trip to WDW, the good stuff far outweighs anything else......

 

[DISNEYD14]

I went in October 2014 and it was everything I hoped it would be. We arrived on the evening on Oct 20 to muggy humidity (no doubt tailing air from Hurricane Gonzalo), which I expected, but after that, the icky humid went completely away for the entire rest of our trip through October 28!

We did not experience any of the issues mentioned above at all...bathroom was clean every time we went, our magic bands worked perfectly (save for the detail below that was fixed), all our reservations were honored, nothing broke down, and every amenity we wanted was granted.

On the whole for the trip, we waited in hardly any lines and breezed right through, due to reserving FPs for everything at first opportunity. We got into all of the best restaurants we wanted, since we'd prepared with the reservations, again first change we had. Food was great everywhere we went. Some of the seating wasn't the best, at Coral Reef we were in the last row at a corner table furthest from the fish tank, and at Raglan Road we sat on the far left where the bar decoration blocked our view from the stage, but everywhere else our experience was really top-notch! Our favorite places were Jiko (there, we got to sit right near the kitchen where we saw everything) and Teppan Edo (great, entertaining female chef!), and, amazingly, high tea at the Grand Floridian, where we really did feel like royalty. We got to experience every ride we wanted (though none more than once). Also did the Halloween party and the Villains Soiree, and enjoyed every moment.

We even experienced serendipity. During the Halloween party, we had a Villain's Soiree reserved parade/fireworks viewing spot. But after the parade, we left the area attempting to finish a Sorcerers Magic Kingdom quest. About 9:15 we tried to return for the 9:30 show, but every path back was completely blocked by crowds. However, a helpful cast member suggested circling around the side and watching from Liberty Square for a better experience. And while we did miss some of the main display from that vantage, the sound was truly fantastic...we could see the launch points of the fireworks, the booms were louder, and we could even smell the smoke! I think that made the experience even better than what we would have seen from the reserve spot. And there were some projections on that side of the castle, so the visuals weren't entirely absent either.

There were a couple of snags, but all of them were minor and all easily fixed. 1st - one of our party member's magic bands didn't work right away, due to a different e-mail being on the registry. We could have gotten a replacement band easily, but my girlfriend wanted the one with her name on it to work, and Guest Services went above and beyond to fix her existing band. It took an hour, but after they were done they gave us a complimentary FP for our whole party.

2nd snag was our lunch reservation at the Crystal Palace. We were seated 45 minutes late, but again, they gave our party a FP for our trouble, so we didn't mind that either, and we still made our original FP time.

And the only other unenjoyable thing was the Saturday we were at Epcot on Oct 25...something out of our control since ANY Saturday at a Disney park is likely to have big crowds no matter what time of year it is. We had been there the previous Tuesday, and food lines were short and we had a marvelous time. But that Saturday, the crowd were huge, lines were VERY long, and we were not able to get any of the snacks that interested us. Still, with the FPs we'd reserved plus our restaurant reservations, we still managed to have an amazing time that day. Instead of waiting in interminable lines for Food & Wine bits, we spent our non-reservation times shopping, taking photos, and going on rides where lines were short or nonexistent even without FP. Figment and Living with the Land had ZERO wait times, even with the big crowds there, and we really enjoyed them.

I loved it so much that I booked a bounce-back trip and will be going again this December. Can't wait to do the Christmas party!

**We had similar experience 10/25-11/3 ** It was so good we booked two trips for this year. One with kids and one without!
Our only snag was the day before our trip, my two older kids FP+ was completely wiped out. I called and talked to tech support and they gave them each 3 'golden FP' that was good for any ride in the parks that accepted FP. Once they were used we had no problems making new FP for all of us together just like we would have if it they had normal ones

 

[Fastpassminus]

To the OP, if you want to go - GO. Your trip will be what YOU make it - not what Disney makes it. We went for the first time in 2008 and have gone every June since (except last year when we went to DL) with each trip getting longer. We absolutely LOVE to go and spend months talking and planning. We always find something new to try. We are not wealthy and scrimp and save every year to go. My kids give up many extras so we can go. Are the trips perfect? To us they are because we don't expect too much. We enjoy sitting on a bench with a snack and watching other people's children light up at their favorite character or seeing the awe on a child's face during a parade.

We ride lots of rides, watch lots of shows, eat some great meals and snacks (I think the snacks are my daughter's favorite thing), miss some rides, miss some shows, eat some bad food - but always have a blast. We have also been to Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc. Kids always want to go back to Disney because as they say, they can sit on a bench at Disney and be entertained. There is always something to see.

We are very excited to be saving up to go the week before Christmas this year (MVMCP) and are already planning for my brand new (3 week old) grand-daughters first visit in about 4 years.

Go to Disney and make the vacation yours. You will have fun if you do the things you enjoy and let the minor irritants and disappointments roll off. When the lines get long, crowds are heavy, tempers are flaring -PUNT (as we call it) - change your focus. Take time out to just observe someone else's wonder and happiness. Look at the intricate details of the attractions. Watch the ducks at Epcot. My kids spent 20 minutes doing that on our 2nd visit and still talk about it and look to see if they are still there.

Yes. My son and a bunch of other small kids spent like 15 minutes ENCHANTED with a squirrel at Epcot last trip. Just feeding him popcorn and watching him play and laughing. Each night the SAME FROG was waiting for us outside our room at OKW. DS had to say goodnight to him each night. H said he HAD to be animatronic since we kept seeing him. Sometimes it's the little things that keep us coming back.

 

[kaybird]

Never ever had a disappointing trip! Been going since 1975, multiple trips each year. We go intending to have a good time, realizing that plan, weather, people can change, and I am just as excited for our trip this June as I was for my honeymoon in 1975! Every trip is different, and always Magic! I do NOT understand people having a disappointing trip! Disappointing circumstances, yes. But a family illness or tragedy is different than a meal or FP not to your liking.