Just Back 5/14 - and Let Down

[GBHost]

This is somewhere around my 8th trip to WDW, my first in 7 years, and I must say that I have a lot more complaints than compliments. I know I will receive some detractors for my opinions, so I will be brief:

1.) WDW is outdated: My first Disney experience was at the New York World's Fair in 1964, I was 7 years old. At the time, The Carousel of Progress, It's A Small World, The Abe Lincoln animatronic and others were new, unique, cutting edge and breathtaking. Virtually the same animatronics ( I know, I know, there is some newer technologies being used) - essentially what the parks are built around - populate the parks today. They are outdated, and not much more convincing than the robots I can find at my local Rainforest Cafe here in metro Detroit.

With such tame roller coasters as the World has, they have to rely on their theming and technology. They barely make up for the deficiencies.

While I love Pirates, and the Haunted Mansion, I believe they both need to be gutted and re-done. While Walt valued nostalgia, I don't think having the same old tired and dusty rides was what he had in mind.

2.) The food is horrible - Admittedly, I didn't eat at every restaurant, but we ate enough to know that I couldn't wait to get home to my boring home cooking. Boatwrights at POR was boring. I got sick after eating at the Hoop de Doo Review (threw up all night and couldn't eat the next day). Wolgang Puck was so so. The counter service food was so so. The hamburgers at Blizzard Beach were terrible. The fries everywhere were terrible. I was unimpressed by Boma and Chefs de France and everywhere was ridiculously expensive.

3.) The bus service is frustrating: Why don't the busses drop you at the front of the park? They drive you right around the park entrance and then drive away to their next pick up location - some quite far from the where everyone wants to be. I can see having different locations for pick ups, but everyone wants to dropped off at the front.

Its inconsistent. One night we arrived at our POR bus stop at 6:05 for a 7:15 show at Hoop De Doo Review. It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach camp wilderness via the Magic Kingdom. We were late for the show, missed our free photo session and felt generally rushed and anxiety-filled.

One night, returning home from MGM, our bus driver, after stopping at the first two stops at POR, approached our North stop, slowed down, then decided that the few of us left on the bus probably didn't want off at the North stop. He passed it by and had to stop and back down the road after we reminded him we wanted off at that stop.

.............

Anyway, believe me, there is much to love about WDW, my kids didn't want to leave. But we wish we would have spent more time doing the other stuff that there is to do there: Spent more time at our resort swimming and enjoying the other recreation, golfing, shopping, boating, etc. The parks suck you in and spit you out. We wished we would have scheduled more down time. We spent 9 days on the run from park to park, waterpark to waterpark and show to show.

Ultimately, I think WDW is lacking someone with the vision of Walt Disney to keep the original spirit of innovation and wonder alive. It seems they are coasting on their past success and have a lot of dedicated fans, like those who visit this site, who allow them to do so.

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Sorry your last trip was such a bummer. That is the pits

Ultimately, I think WDW is lacking someone with the vision of Walt Disney to keep the original spirit of innovation and wonder alive. It seems they are coasting on their past success and have a lot of dedicated fans, like those who visit this site, who allow them to do so.

I do agree with you to some extent ... in fact there is another thread somewhere where someone posted an article about this very subject. I would like to see more updating on some things & better upkeep. However, I like some of the "older" items for the nostalgia of it AND to share items from my childhood w/ my children.

Despite my irritation, I'll go back. For me the good still outweighs the bad. Oddly, I don't blame myself or any other DIS-er for our continuing support. I find the problem to be with MANAGEMENT and management's perspective. It would be the same whether a few die-hards were going or not. We aren't the only ones going. In fact, I think negative feedback from the die-hards ... if effectively organized & presented ... would be more helpful. All those newbies & one-timers can't make any comparisons.

 

[OhMari]

The above poster had some very good points.

We stayed at POR and never made it to Boatwrights. So I don't know how the food was, but at the foodcourt, the breakfasts were good.

While I love Pirates, and the Haunted Mansion

I know Pirates just went under a rehab, and the Haunted Mansion is scheduled to close down anyday now - till fall. So we will see.

Maybe WDW is almost being coming a "National Treasure". Yes, it has a few new things, but as you stated, many things have been there a long time. I do agree that the parks do suck you in, but one piece of advice I found to do, is really schedule a down day, away from the parks.

The bus service is frustrating: Why don't the busses drop you at the front of the park?

It would be nice wouldn't it. I think there would be way to many busses waiting in line to drop you off. With the bus terminal, at least it is some organization. It was only a small walk to the entrances. When we rode the busses during Easter, the busses only stopped at the main entrance at POR. I never knew there were other stops at POR-plus we shared busses with POFQ, so busses were always full.

I'm sorry you had a hard time getting to Hoop de Doo. I know some people call a cab, vs. riding the bus system. The busses and ferries are set up to go to the parks and not from resorts to resorts. This is why it takes a lot longer. I noticed when I was on the bus from POR to the MK, POR is right next to The Wilderness Campground. Yet it takes so long to get there by bus-to the MK , and then taking a ferry boat over to the campgrounds. Sorry you got sick too. Blah!

 

[sydprincess]

Sorry to hear you fell ill after eating at Hoop Dee Doo. I have read about this happening to many, many people who have dined there. It makes me want to cancel our ADR's. The last thing I want to do is get sick from it, knowing ahead of time that it could happen. Do you feel positive that it was from this meal? Any additional feedback from those of you who have experienced the same sickness?

 

[tiggerbell]

If it helps at all, you didn't miss a free picture at HDDR, you have to pay for the package of photos...

Sorry you didn't feel the magic this trip.

 

[GBHost]

Sorry to hear you fell ill after eating at Hoop Dee Doo. I have read about this happening to many, many people who have dined there. It makes me want to cancel our ADR's. The last thing I want to do is get sick from it, knowing ahead of time that it could happen. Do you feel positive that it was from this meal? Any additional feedback from those of you who have experienced the same sickness?

Well, none of the rest of my family got sick and they ate the same thing as I did -- EXCEPT FOR THE RIBS --. Nobody was eating them, and we had a whole bucket full, so I felt guilty for leaving them and ate a few though I was already full. They were the oddest tasting ribs I'd ever had - I presumed it was the spice rub....

Did the food make me sick? I have no way of knowing of course. Perhaps it was that lousy hamburger I ate earlier in the day at Blizzard Beach, perhaps it was some virus, but my body will forever make the connection between my illness and the HDDR. To this day (1 week later) I get a little queasy when I think of that salad and cornbread.