Just back...kinda disappointed

[elaine amj]

I *get* both of these points. My initial (internal) response to the OP's post was, "Oh, he/she didn't know you could change the FP times the system spit out at first," and, "Oh, it seems no (or minimal) lines were anticipated, and that's almost never the case. Did OP use rope drop?". So I *get* the PP's responses, but I also feel like sometimes it starts to feel like OPs get beaten up in this kind of thread.

If we're doing things right, we need to walk a fine line between beating people up for not knowing EVERYTHING and doing EVERYTHING perfectly, and deconstructing some of these experiences to see what we (and the OP) can learn from them to do things better in the future.

Even when people are not being overtly ugly, it starts to feel like "piling on" at some point.

Very true. Most DIS'ers know all kinds of tips and tricks and will try to jump in to point out what the OP could have done better. That is my gut reaction too. I think if we just try to step back a bit - the OP wasn't asking for advice - just reporting her experiences and how she felt. It's hard because we can see so many ways she could have done it "better". One of my closest friends came back from her WDW trip (I tried to give her advice beforehand but she wasn't too interested although she liked a couple of tips) and said they had a good time, but lines were too long. They are "once and done". I've told her for years that it IS possible to do it without lines (my own family LOVES Disney because we rarely wait in lines) - but the research/structure necessary just doesn't interest her.

We crazy DIS'ers know that strategies like rope drop, a touring plan or even knowing the basics of what time of day to target each ride (e.g. NO Peter Pan in the mid-afternoon without FP...even on the slowest day) can make all the difference in the experience. But not everyone wants to learn all that (or knows that it is possible) and sadly, this forms the majority of WDW visitors.

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

I'm sorry you didn't have a magical experience. I agree with others, planning is the key and it can be overwhelming. I'm actually helping my friend plan her trip because she is overwhelmed with the options.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Very true. Most DIS'ers know all kinds of tips and tricks and will try to jump in to point out what the OP could have done better. That is my gut reaction too. I think if we just try to step back a bit - the OP wasn't asking for advice - just reporting her experiences and how she felt. It's hard because we can see so many ways she could have done it "better". One of my closest friends came back from her WDW trip (I tried to give her advice beforehand but she wasn't too interested although she liked a couple of tips) and said they had a good time, but lines were too long. They are "once and done". I've told her for years that it IS possible to do it without lines (my own family LOVES Disney because we rarely wait in lines) - but the research/structure necessary just doesn't interest her.

We crazy DIS'ers know that strategies like rope drop, a touring plan or even knowing the basics of what time of day to target each ride (e.g. NO Peter Pan in the mid-afternoon without FP...even on the slowest day) can make all the difference in the experience. But not everyone wants to learn all that (or knows that it is possible) and sadly, this forms the majority of WDW visitors.

Well said.

Using the example about changing times in the app, it's easy to say, oh you could have changed the times in the app. Which I think in most cases is coming from a place of actually wanting to help.

On the other hand, one could also say, well, maybe the CM at the kiosk should have told the OP that she could change the time in app.

So it goes both ways.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Even though it may not be helpful to the OP, and maybe the OP isn't necessarily looking for suggestions, but I do think it's helpful to respond to posts like this with suggestions on how things could have been different to help others in the Disboards community plan their own trips. To me, the responses here seem helpful and respectful, not like piling on at all.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Even though it may not be helpful to the OP, and maybe the OP isn't necessarily looking for suggestions, but I do think it's helpful to respond to posts like this with suggestions on how things could have been different to help others in the Disboards community plan their own trips. To me, the responses here seem helpful and respectful, not like piling on at all.

I do think suggestions are helpful but I think also tone can make a difference, and that's hard sometimes to get from an internet post.

 

[Cee]

Dont allow yourself to be ruled by the almighty FP+.

 

[dugs64]

We were in Disney the previous week (April 25th-May 2nd) and while it was "magical" at times, it just seemed like the magic was spread a little too thin with all of those people in the park. I think our opinion was a little skewed because we hadn't been to Disney in 20 years. A lot has changed, including the crowds. I wouldn't classify our trip as disappointing, but it didn't meet all of our expectations. And since it is Disney, our expectations were high. This is what I took away from this experience. You can plan and plan and plan some more (which I did for about 8 months), but until you get to Disney and see everything first hand, it's hard to relate the planning to the actual experience. Now that I know what to expect when I'm actually in the World, my planning will be different (hopefully more effective) next visit.

 

[MainMom]

Hopefully I'll never feel the need to, but if I do I'm going to think twice before I ever post a not-so-good trip report. According to several posters many of the things the op was disappointed with could have been avoided if her expectations were lower, they had done better research, and they planned a lot more.

I asked the OP what her strategy was to see if it was similar to what I plan to do since I have a trip coming up. I like to compare and possibly learn something from others experiences, positive or negative. If she didn't arrive until 10 or 11, well, that's not my plan so hopefully I can avoid what she went through. If she got there at RD and still had issues I would appreciate knowing that since that is my plan.

 

[itchin2go]

I asked the OP what her strategy was to see if it was similar to what I plan to do since I have a trip coming up. I like to compare and possibly learn something from others experiences, positive or negative. If she didn't arrive until 10 or 11, well, that's not my plan so hopefully I can avoid what she went through. If she got there at RD and still had issues I would appreciate knowing that since that is my plan.

Not the OP, but I had great success with rope drop, and we went during Thanksgiving week last year. Got tons of stuff done. We won't wait in long lines for the most part, and we had a great time.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Crowds WERE lower. There is no such thing as uncrowded anymore. There is very crowded, crowded, and somewhat less crowded. If you want access to multiple rides without long waits, you really need to do rope drop, not show up closer to noon. At least the kids had fun!

 

[MainMom]

Not the OP, but I had great success with rope drop, and we went during Thanksgiving week last year. Got tons of stuff done. We won't wait in long lines for the most part, and we had a great time.

Thank you very much! I have been quit a bit (last trip 4 years ago), but so much has changed you just never know what works now. I am also traveling with 11 people which adds a whole new layer. It will be interesting, that's for sure!

 

[itchin2go]

Thank you very much! I have been quit a bit (last trip 4 years ago), but so much has changed you just never know what works now. I am also traveling with 11 people which adds a whole new layer. It will be interesting, that's for sure!

I worried myself silly about that. I did hear reports that rope drop was no longer as valuable.

We rode at least 10 rides before lunch at MK ... walk ons or short waits for all of them. Getting up early has its perks!

 

[familymemories]

Sorry your trip didn't turn out so well.Our family has not been to Disneyworld since 2011 and we are starting to plan for another trip in April 2016. I have been told that FP's have changed and read a few posts with negative feedback. We are not type A and tend to make our decisions the morning of or the night before, to decide which park we are going to. I take it those days are over and we will have to plan 60 days in advance for whichever parks we will be in on specific days. This makes me nervous because I want to have a vacation without rigid schedules. I am nervous that our trip might resemble your description of "hurry up and wait". What if you don't plan way ahead on what park for each day etc. Is it going to be just a week of waiting in lines?

I know what you mean. We have planned out the first 5 days of our 9 day trip. Usually we are spontaneous when visiting Disneyland and California Adventure. So....when our June date comes up to be able to do our fast passes we are being picky of which rides we want FP's for.

 

[maxiesmom]

Crowds WERE lower. There is no such thing as uncrowded anymore. There is very crowded, crowded, and somewhat less crowded. If you want access to multiple rides without long waits, you really need to do rope drop, not show up closer to noon. At least the kids had fun!

Lower compared to?????

I too thought the crowds were higher than expected. And they were compared to my trip last October.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Compared to the same week about 3 to 5 years ago, and compared to the peak times around holidays. "uncrowded" or "less crowded" means something completely different now than it did back then. As noted, crowds are up as compared to even one year ago. The economy is back with a vengeance apparently.

 

[itchin2go]

Compared to the same week about 3 to 5 years ago, and compared to the peak times around holidays. "uncrowded" or "less crowded" means something completely different now than it did back then. As noted, crowds are up as compared to even one year ago. The economy is back with a vengeance apparently.

The only empty park feeling I've ever had was at rope drop. Most recently, we "zagged" to BTMR when the masses "zigged" to A&E and SDMT. It was a ghost town over there ... and amazing! Give that an hour, though, and it's different story. Give it 3 or 4 hours, and it's unrecognizable.

Even when we went in late January, there were crowds. Even when the economy was bad, there were crowds. There have always been crowds. I sometimes think people read that certain times of the year are less busy and equate that to "no crowds" or "few crowds" or at least less than they were expecting. Don't ever go to DisneyWorld and be surprised at the crowds. There are always crowds.

 

[momof2n2]

Hopefully I'll never feel the need to, but if I do I'm going to think twice before I ever post a not-so-good trip report. According to several posters many of the things the op was disappointed with could have been avoided if her expectations were lower, they had done better research, and they planned a lot more.

I appreciate hearing trip reports, even if they aren't reporting back the greatest trip experience. I do internally cringe, because I know the OP will have lots of responses insinuating they did something wrong. But I normally bypass those and try to commiserate with them. I feel badly that anyone has a less than stellar time. It costs a not-so-small fortune to visit WDW and I am genuinely sad for folks who walk away wondering if it was worth it...

 

[cakebaker]

The only empty park feeling I've ever had was at rope drop. Most recently, we "zagged" to BTMR when the masses "zigged" to A&E and SDMT. It was a ghost town over there ... and amazing! Give that an hour, though, and it's different story. Give it 3 or 4 hours, and it's unrecognizable.

Even when we went in late January, there were crowds. Even when the economy was bad, there were crowds. There have always been crowds. I sometimes think people read that certain times of the year are less busy and equate that to "no crowds" or "few crowds" or at least less than they were expecting. Don't ever go to DisneyWorld and be surprised at the crowds. There are always crowds.

This I agree with completely. I think there is a misunderstanding when someone claims crowd levels are low. It's a comparison, not a head count. It's alway crowded at WDW anymore I think- some times are less crowded than others.

We also go in the opposite direction at rope drop. If you want to see what a truly empty park looks like, head away from the rush to A&E and SDMT. It's a great experience and here's a couple of pics ( my own ) that gives you an idea of what it looks like. This was after a leisurely walk at rope drop. It was near empty for a solid hour, and very light for at least another hour. This was mid August and I considered it to be crowded that trip- not as bad as June, but close.

 

[DWDan]

We were in Disney the previous week (April 25th-May 2nd) and while it was "magical" at times, it just seemed like the magic was spread a little too thin with all of those people in the park. I think our opinion was a little skewed because we hadn't been to Disney in 20 years. A lot has changed, including the crowds. I wouldn't classify our trip as disappointing, but it didn't meet all of our expectations. And since it is Disney, our expectations were high. This is what I took away from this experience. You can plan and plan and plan some more (which I did for about 8 months), but until you get to Disney and see everything first hand, it's hard to relate the planning to the actual experience. Now that I know what to expect when I'm actually in the World, my planning will be different (hopefully more effective) next visit.

I am relating to your post and am wondering how your planning will be different next visit?

I haven't been to DW since the '90s and I'm trying to research and plan everything I can for a trip next May. However, I'm concerned since I haven't been there in so long that I'll need to see it once to get a feel for how to do it in the future...feedback appreciated.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The OP's trip is over. Maybe what they didn't expect will help the many others who are still planning theirs.