Is it worth going for half of the experience? Any thoughts?

[64ghs]

I with you on #2 - I like good old fashioned fireworks. I think they oversue projection nowadays. Like you, I've been so many times I think I would enjoy going now to experience a "different" Disney and shorter crowds. I guess it's a trade off. I haven't booked anything yet, but I'm working on it. I also want to go to ride Splash before they change it. And, I haven't done Galaxy's Edge or Toy Story ... I need a trip.

yeah...like you. I really need a family trip. Last time we went was 2015. Haven’t seen Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, or Pandora.

 

[Blueslegend]

I used to love DIS. But isn’t about time you started producing some decent relevant journalistic content instead of hashing out the same old stuff ? People want to know what it’s like, is it worth it, the pitfalls, the pros and cons. People want information not the same old ‘Best v Worst’ restaurant crap. There’s a time and place.

Wake up and smell the coffee. If your team are too concerned I am more than happy to investigate on your behalf. Get ahead of the game. This is now your time. Don’t waste it.

 

[reposado]

I used to love DIS. But isn’t about time you started producing some decent relevant journalistic content instead of hashing out the same old stuff ? People want to know what it’s like, is it worth it, the pitfalls, the pros and cons. People want information not the same old ‘Best v Worst’ restaurant crap. There’s a time and place.

Wake up and smell the coffee. If your team are too concerned I am more than happy to investigate on your behalf. Get ahead of the game. This is now your time. Don’t waste it.

??

 

[64ghs]

I used to love DIS. But isn’t about time you started producing some decent relevant journalistic content instead of hashing out the same old stuff ? People want to know what it’s like, is it worth it, the pitfalls, the pros and cons. People want information not the same old ‘Best v Worst’ restaurant crap. There’s a time and place.

Wake up and smell the coffee. If your team are too concerned I am more than happy to investigate on your behalf. Get ahead of the game. This is now your time. Don’t waste it.

I think a lot has to do with those people have the luxury of having a annual pass and can go to WDW at a moments notice. While those of us who are out of state or out of the country have to invest a lot more time and money to traveling to WDW. So we need to know is it worth it? Personally I think it cost too much for what I'm going to get. But my family needs a fun break from the nightmare working and living in Ohio.

 

[64ghs]

I agree with you bluesledgend. New content. Nuts and bolts. Good or bad. We need to know.

 

[reposado]

I think a lot has to do with those people have the luxury of having a annual pass and can go to WDW at a moments notice. While those of us who are out of state or out of the country have to invest a lot more time and money to traveling to WDW. So we need to know is it worth it? Personally I think it cost too much for what I'm going to get. But my family needs a fun break from the nightmare working and living in Ohio.

Agreed. IMO:

AP + Local + no Covid comorbidity = Go.

Long distance(flying)/full price/higher Covid risk group = Postpone.

 

[Blueslegend]

I think a lot has to do with those people have the luxury of having a annual pass and can go to WDW at a moments notice. While those of us who are out of state or out of the country have to invest a lot more time and money to traveling to WDW. So we need to know is it worth it? Personally I think it cost too much for what I'm going to get. But my family needs a fun break from the nightmare working and living in Ohio.

Go. I am (touchwood) at Xmas. I intend to have the best time of my life. Perhaps with less people it will be more social (wierd with social distancing) but it is the people, the new friends you make and connect with, that make the magic.

 

[disneydentist]

Dining plans, no. But dining itself is a big part of the experience for many and is rather limited for now.

Agreed.

 

[HelsBels16]

I don’t think it’s wise to wait for things to return to how they were. Disney have, and continue to, haemorrhage money during this crisis, so are making huge cuts and there’s no guarantee things will return for years, if ever. Masks could be the new normal, especially if an effective vaccine remains elusive.
Personally I find the randomness of the pop up characters and cavalcades really appealing and more spontaneous than the meet & greets, so I think it could be a fantastic time to go. I do agree about the reduced hours though.
I guess I’m jealous because it’s still not available as an option to us as we can’t fly in from the UK, but we intend to when we can.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I used to love DIS. But isn’t about time you started producing some decent relevant journalistic content instead of hashing out the same old stuff ? People want to know what it’s like, is it worth it, the pitfalls, the pros and cons. People want information not the same old ‘Best v Worst’ restaurant crap. There’s a time and place.

Wake up and smell the coffee. If your team are too concerned I am more than happy to investigate on your behalf. Get ahead of the game. This is now your time. Don’t waste it.

Very few Disney content creators are going to "tell the whole truth" right now. Disney is how they make their money so they want to put the best spin on things that they can.

One vlogger gave his honest opinion about masks in the heat and got eviscerated for it in the comments. He was wearing his. He wasn't suggesting people don't wear them, but his honest opinion had folks flipping out.

One travel agent on Facebook told the truth about some stuff (Disney isn't her only thing) and other Disney specialized agents eviscerated her for telling her clients about Disney alternatives.

I don't care how short the lines are, how fun the cavalcades look, etc.

There is no way that a person in my position (traveling from the middle of the country) is going to get their money's worth on a Disney vacation right now.

If I was local and had an AP, I would definitely be there.

 

[PamNC]

I'm on the fence a little about going .. I'm in NC and it's about 9 hours to drive. I think the shorter lines would be amazing, I'm okay with the characters just floating by randomly but then again I don't have kids, I will miss the fireworks and nighttime spectaculars. But, do I think it would be worth it for a week long vacation ?? NO. Maybe 3-5 nights? Yes.. I think so. I also thought I would use the opportunity to go to Universal because I haven't been since 1992. maybe 2 disney days and 2 universal days???

 

[Flamingeaux]

For us it will be worth it. I have an AP I bought myself as a retirement present. I used it once in November and now the expiration date is in April. I hope to go three more times. My enjoyment comes from riding the rides and seeing the shows. Eating and shopping are no big deal to me. DS and I plan to go to a park. Ride our must dos a few times and maybe a few we seem to forget to ride. DS doesn't last too long so the reduced park hours shouldn't be a concern. The only thing we will be missing is FotLK, Nemo, HEA and Fantasmic. It would be nice if they have FotlK and Nemo showing but if not we will survive. Maybe we will do a little swimming, something we rarely do. I'm pretty sure we will eating at Chicken Guy a few nights. Heck we can do the balloon if it is open.

 

[Lumpy1106]

To the OP: If all of the things you mentioned that are not available right now are really important to you, then postpone - but to when? It's going to be a long while. For us, things like parades and fireworks were no big deal, and the parks NOW and a better value, especially M-TH. We did everything in MK except Tiki Room and Jungle Cruise in one day, and we didn't rope drop and left a little early. IOW, we could have easily done those two attractions too. We did everything in AK TWICE. We got ROTR a BG with very little hassle, it goes on and on. For us is was seeing the parks with this small of crowds was a FOMA, must do.

 

[reposado]

For us it will be worth it. I have an AP I bought myself as a retirement present. I used it once in November and now the expiration date is in April. I hope to go three more times. My enjoyment comes from riding the rides and seeing the shows. Eating and shopping are no big deal to me. DS and I plan to go to a park. Ride our must dos a few times and maybe a few we seem to forget to ride. DS doesn't last too long so the reduced park hours shouldn't be a concern. The only thing we will be missing is FotLK, Nemo, HEA and Fantasmic. It would be nice if they have FotlK and Nemo showing but if not we will survive. Maybe we will do a little swimming, something we rarely do. I'm pretty sure we will eating at Chicken Guy a few nights. Heck we can do the balloon if it is open.

If you are retired I'm assuming you are over 60? Not trying to offend but genuinely curious aren't you scared of catching Covid due to being in a high risk group?

 

[StageTek]

There is no way that a person in my position (traveling from the middle of the country) is going to get their money's worth on a Disney vacation right now.

I'm traveling from the west coast and I'm excited to experience everything Disney is offering. There might be a way that a person in my position will get their money's worth on a Disney vacation.

I'll find out in 25 days.

Since I don't make my money from YouTube and I don't care if people eviscerate me in the comments or flip out I'll post an honest trip report on my channel. I'll admit that I'm excited about going and am looking forward to it. I'm also a seasoned solo traveler who enjoys experiencing whatever there is to to experience. So while I'll be honest I also look at travel experiences with a bias towards the positive. But if it's a bad experience and I feel I didn't get my moneys worth I'll say so.

 

[palmer220]

My family plans to go in December this year to WDW. But now I’m having second thoughts...no fireworks, no character meet and greets, no extra hours, no dining plan, and now shorter park hours! Should I be given a 50% discount, because I’m getting half the experience? Any thoughts? we are from Ohio.

If it's your only trip to Disney, I would wait. But otherwise, it is a GREAT time to go. There are still character mini parades constantly throughout the park, no lines for rides, don't have to worry about booking fast passes, MUCH LESS crows which makes walking around the park so much more enjoyable, buses aren't croweded, etc. I went the first week of August and am already planning another trip for later this year! Once in a lifetime opportunity to have the crowds this low!

 

[DisLiss]

For us, personally, it's not worth it, simply because we don't go that often so paying MORE than we were originally going to be paying (We originally had booked during the summer free dining promotion. So once that was lost, our trip went up about a grand.) and getting so much less than we had planned didn't make good sense to us as a family. (Plus, the masks on all day long in an amusement park setting in August just sounded like something that would degrade our personal experience even more.)

However, I won't lie---the wait times are pretty awesome right now, and as someone who is not big on crowds, the crowd levels make me want to hop on down there immediately, LOL! But I do still feel we made the right choice for us.

 

[Beer Me]

I’m genuinely happy that WDW is open and many people are visiting and having fun. But I’m not doing it.

All of the compromises in the name of safety, although absolutely necessary, just make the parks seem depressing to me. If the pandemic drags on forever I guess I’ll have to adjust my thinking but for now I’m still holding out hope of an eventual return to mostly normal. That’s when I’ll go back.

 

[Flamingeaux]

If you are retired I'm assuming you are over 60? Not trying to offend but genuinely curious aren't you scared of catching Covid due to being in a high risk group?

No offense taken. I'm 62 and in very good health. I eat a decent diet and log a lot of time on a treadmill each day - mostly while watching Disney related videos. Even though I do have certain minor medical issues I think I have hit the genetic lottery. I rarely get sick. Does this mean I think I am immune and can't get covid - no. But I'm not going to be afraid of it. I respect it and take proper precautions. And I believe Disney does too.

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

This is a totally personal decision. Only you know what you hold value to. For me personally, I am looking forward to low crowds, new magic and a peaceful , slow paced trip with hubby.