Just back. My thoughts, observations etc.

[rgf207]

First let me preface this mini review by saying that I'm an avid Disney fan. As you can see by my signature, we go to Disney almost every year and we are DVC members.

That being said, I think this was our last Disney trip for a long time. We had a very good time but there are things that I am seeing/experiencing that I don't necessarily like. Let me start out with the good

1. Weather - for most of our trip the weather was great. We always go to WDW in June and this is the first time it was NOT hot. it was so comfortable and the humidity was non-existent. We had little rain until the end of our trip when TS Debby decided to roll through.

2. Food - for the most part, the food was really good. We tried a few new restaurants like Kouzzina and La Hacienda de San Angel. We loved them both. If you recall the recent thread on the restaurants board about La Hacienda and not allowing sharing, we did not experience that at all. We shared an appetizer and there was no problem. Kouzzina was delicious.

3. ADRs - I absolutely love the new credit card requirement for restaurants. We were able to get ADR's on the same day with no problem picking from a handful of available times. It was great. We even got a great window table at Cali Grill at 6pm by walking up to the restaurant. BTW, the food was great at Cali Grill


4. Transportation - We stayed at BLT and I can honestly say I have never had such great bus service. I can't say that it was like that for every other resort, but it seemed like there was always a bus at the parks waiting for us whereas other resorts were waiting for 20+ minutes for buses. The one time we walked over to MK to get an AKL bus we waited 20 minutes and 15 minutes for a Beach Club bus but we never waited more than 5 for a contemporary bus. I have no idea if they bring more buses for monorail resorts but that's how it seemed. We never had such luck at any other resort

Now on to the parts that make us not want to return for a while

1. Value - This is the single biggest reason we are not returning for a while. I really didn't have a problem with the ticket price increases until I got there and really had no idea what the price increase was for except to put more money in Disney's pocket. We noticed so many things that, although might seem small, aren't "Disney Like" and were a real bummer. I can't tell you the amount of overflowing trashcans I saw in the Magic Kingdom. I mean overflowing to the point that there was trash on top. Now this might not seem like a big deal to some, but this is something that NEVER used to happen at Disney. Also, it really seems like the parks are not maintained. There were a lot of dead plants, burned out light bulbs (the big ones in DHS that shine up from the ground onto the trees) etc. The bad part was they were out for the entire trip, not just one day. That just goes to show that they aren't being maintained.

Another huge one for us was the buffets. We LOVE, and I mean Love, Cape May Cafe. We usually eat there twice during our trip. I"m sad to say we won't be eating there again, or at any other buffet. The cost is outrageous. $100 for 2 people (including tip) is insane. I can afford it without a problem but it's not worth it. Cape May Cafe was our most expensive meal of the trip with the exception of Cali Grill. But Cali Grill was only $25 more. I couldn't believe that.

2. Monorail - We stayed at BLT and I was super excited about being at a monorail resort but the monorail seemed to be down all the time. There was at least 5 different times when the monorail was down (1 additional time due to Obama but I don't blame Disney for that).


TIP
1. EPCOT - I know this is temporary but with TT down, the Land (soarin, Living with the Land) and The seas (Crush, Nemo) are PACKED and they are packed all day. If you don't get there for rope drop, be prepared to wait a long time for everything. There were 30 minute waits for Living with the Land and Nemo. .


Overall we had a very nice time but they value is gone from Disney IMHO. Will we still go, absolutely but we won't go every year. We decided that our next trip will be in 2015 or 2016. We are going to go to other places instead where we feel we can get a better value.

Please be aware that these are just my opinions and not everyone will feel the same way. Until I was there, I didn't realize the value had gone way down. Just reading this forum wasn't enough to convince me but once I experienced it for myself then I realized it

 

[AndyFL]

Know what you mean about the burned out bulbs. It seems unfathomable that Disney doesn't have people who check this each and every day because it is SO noticeable......and SO easy to fix.

As for the monorail down-times: I've gotten to where I use the monorail as a last resort for this very reason. The buses seem much more reliable. It seems after the monorail crash a while back that Disney has gone overboard with caution. If there had been alot of incidents I could understand but it was just one...and that was after a nearly flawless safety record.

Glad the humidity was low for you. To me it's not the temp but the humidity that determines how comfortable you are going to be. Up here in the panhandle it has been so high that the house windows have been covered in condensation every morning.

 

[Jennasis]

I hope it's just the construction over at the GF that's causing the monorail delays.

 

[rgf207]

I hope it's just the construction over at the GF that's causing the monorail delays.

no that wasn't it. The EPCOT monorail was down a few times, the resort monorail was down (while the express was operational) and vice versa

 

[RetroCOTfan]

First let me preface this mini review by saying that I'm an avid Disney fan. As you can see by my signature, we go to Disney almost every year and we are DVC members.

That being said, I think this was our last Disney trip for a long time. We had a very good time but there are things that I am seeing/experiencing that I don't necessarily like. Let me start out with the good

1. Weather - for most of our trip the weather was great. We always go to WDW in June and this is the first time it was NOT hot. it was so comfortable and the humidity was non-existent. We had little rain until the end of our trip when TS Debby decided to roll through.

2. Food - for the most part, the food was really good. We tried a few new restaurants like Kouzzina and La Hacienda de San Angel. We loved them both. If you recall the recent thread on the restaurants board about La Hacienda and not allowing sharing, we did not experience that at all. We shared an appetizer and there was no problem. Kouzzina was delicious.

3. ADRs - I absolutely love the new credit card requirement for restaurants. We were able to get ADR's on the same day with no problem picking from a handful of available times. It was great. We even got a great window table at Cali Grill at 6pm by walking up to the restaurant. BTW, the food was great at Cali Grill


4. Transportation - We stayed at BLT and I can honestly say I have never had such great bus service. I can't say that it was like that for every other resort, but it seemed like there was always a bus at the parks waiting for us whereas other resorts were waiting for 20+ minutes for buses. The one time we walked over to MK to get an AKL bus we waited 20 minutes and 15 minutes for a Beach Club bus but we never waited more than 5 for a contemporary bus. I have no idea if they bring more buses for monorail resorts but that's how it seemed. We never had such luck at any other resort

Now on to the parts that make us not want to return for a while

1. Value - This is the single biggest reason we are not returning for a while. I really didn't have a problem with the ticket price increases until I got there and really had no idea what the price increase was for except to put more money in Disney's pocket. We noticed so many things that, although might seem small, aren't "Disney Like" and we a real bummer. I can't tell you the amount of overflowing trashcans I saw in the Magic Kingdom. I mean overflowing to the point that there was trash on top. Now this might not seem like a big deal to some, but this is something that NEVER used to happen at Disney. Also, it really seems like the parks are not maintained. There were a lot of dead plants, burned out light bulbs (the big ones in DHS that shine up from the ground onto the trees) etc. The bad part was they were out for the entire trip, not just one day. That just goes to show that they aren't being maintained.

Another huge one for us was the buffets. We LOVE, and I mean Love, Cape May Cafe. We usually eat there twice during our trip. I"m sad to say we won't be eating there again, or at any other buffet. The cost is outrageous. $100 for 2 people (including tip) is insane. I can afford it without a problem but it's not worth it. Cape May Cafe was our most expensive meal of the trip with the exception of Cali Grill. But Cali Grill was only $25 more. I couldn't not believe that.

2. Monorail - We stayed at BLT and I was super excited about being at a monorail resort but the monorail seemed to be down all the time. There was at least 5 different times when the monorail was down (1 additional time due to Obama but I don't blame Disney for that).

3. EPCOT - I know this is temporary but with TT down, the Land (soarin, Living with the Land) and The seas (Crush, Nemo) are PACKED and they are packed all day. If you don't get there for rope drop, be prepared to wait a long time for everything. There were 30 minute waits for Living with the Land and Nemo. .


Overall we had a very nice time but they value is gone from Disney IMHO. Will we still go, absolutely but we won't go every year. We decided that our next trip will be in 2015 or 2016. We are going to go to other places instead where we feel we can get a better value.

Please be aware that these are just my opinions and not everyone will feel the same way. Until you are there, you won't realize that value is gone. I didn't. Just reading this forum wasn't enough but once I experienced it for myself then I realized it

Thank you for you recap. It's nice to read something that was well reasoned and clearly thought out, not a reactionary rant. I'm glad that your trip was a good one, and I certainly understand your concerns with value.

My last trip was in Dec. 2010, and I didn't notice many of the things I've seen others post about on the boards here. I don't know if the state of maintenance has changed that much since my last trip, or if I just didn't notice it. More likely it's the latter.

That being said, I've been to the local Six Flags here in my town, and after seeing the utter lack of maintenance, I appreciated WDW more. Six Flags just had its big 50th anniversary here, and I expected them to at least spruce things up a bit, but it looked as run down and shabby as it ever has (peeling paint on rides, loose/rusted handrails, trash everywhere, etc.). Now, I'm not saying Disney should gauge itself against Six Flags (or other parks) - Disney should hold itself to its own high standard. I sincerely hope that standard isn't eroding.

Thanks again for your post, and I hope your next trip proves to be a magical one.

 

[Missymouse18]

I do get where you are coming from, however, it won't keep me away. I find that over all value at most any place these days isn't what it used to. WDW is my only escape from the "real" world and I only get to go once a year, so for me the burned out bulbs and the overflowing trash cans are something I can overlook in exchange for that feeling of joy every time I hear those old familiar tunes coming from the rides, the familiar smells from the eateries and all the memories of my children being there that come flooding over me the minute I see the Castle.

 

[awilliams4]

We just got back as well. We were in a 2 Bedroom at BCV.

Ticket price increase had at least something to do with CM hourly/salary increases that they received over the last contract negotiations.

Child APs may have went away due to abuse that has been discussed.

DVC's annual pass price increase was pretty much nothing so I am not seeing much of the Disney Ticket Price increase being a reason not to go.

I didn't notice one single trash can overflowing. But then again, I may not have been looking...no wait, I recall now several times having to dump stuff into the trash can that required me to kinda stick my hand into the trash so I can turn it over and recycle the plastic later so with that said, I did not run into a single trash can that was overflowing.

I may not have been looking but I noticed nothing but beautiful landscaping myself, not a dead plant in sight.

I wasn't paying any attention to the light bulbs but if a bulb was not changed in the 6/7 days you were there I am not sure how that can mean they are not being maintained. How do you know that the bulbs are not checked every other Friday at whatever location you noticed them not working?

We ate at Cape May Cafe.....best meal all week. I guess you get what you pay for.

We went to the Land after 9:00 p.m. as it is opened during the time specifically to deal with Test Track being down and the place was empty. We got a Land boat to ourselves around 9:10 and between 9:25 and 10:00 went on Soarin' twice via the stand by line.

I guess we were in two different places.

We missed WDW the minute we drove off property and planned our next trip the entire drive back home.

 

[rgf207]

We just got back as well. We were in a 2 Bedroom at BCV.

Ticket price increase had at least something to do with CM hourly/salary increases that they received over the last contract negotiations.

Child APs may have went away due to abuse that has been discussed.

DVC's annual pass price increase was pretty much nothing so I am not seeing much of the Disney Ticket Price increase being a reason not to go.

I didn't notice one single trash can overflowing. But then again, I may not have been looking...no wait, I recall now several times having to dump stuff into the trash can that required me to kinda stick my hand into the trash so I can turn it over and recycle the plastic later so with that said, I did not run into a single trash can that was overflowing.

I may not have been looking but I noticed nothing but beautiful landscaping myself, not a dead plant in sight.

I wasn't paying any attention to the light bulbs but if a bulb was not changed in the 6/7 days you were there I am not sure how that can mean they are not being maintained. How do you know that the bulbs are not checked every other Friday at whatever location you noticed them not working?

We ate at Cape May Cafe.....best meal all week. I guess you get what you pay for.

We went to the Land after 9:00 p.m. as it is opened during the time specifically to deal with Test Track being down and the place was empty. We got a Land boat to ourselves around 9:10 and between 9:25 and 10:00 went on Soarin' twice via the stand by line.

I guess we were in two different places.

We missed WDW the minute we drove off property and planned our next trip the entire drive back home.

I"m glad you didn't see what we saw but I'm not making it up. We saw it and we noticed it. And how do I know they aren't being maintained? Well for the reasons I wrote above. At least that the perception I got and you know what they say "Perception is reality"

I think you might have misunderstood my view on Cape May. We loved the meal it was great but the $100 price tag was not worth it IMHO. We had no issues with the food

That's great that you'll be back and I'm glad that many other people will be back. We, too, will be back but not every year.

 

[disneybliss2]

OP, like you, we just got back from our trip. DH and I are still marveling how wonderful the weather was for us as well. We're June goers and this was the best trip by far weather wise in terms of both heat, humidity, and rain. I feel for those who are there now getting drenched. We've been during a tropical storm once before and it was miserable. My heart goes out to them.

Like you, I was surprised to see the trash such an issue. I did notice the trash cans being full and an obnoxious odor frequently coming from the trash cans as we walked by them (noticed this only at MK, not any other park). Yes, I realize that trash will smell in midday heat, but it truly was obnoxious and was only due to the trash not being changed frequently enough. I made a mental note that it wasn't Disney standards, and I wouldn't have thought this if it hadn't been THAT bad and that frequent of a problem on our 10 day stay. However, it won't keep me from visiting WDW again; we only go every other year and I'll still look forward to my next trip. I just wanted to affirm that what you said about the trash really was true; it was bad.

I think the overall value you get from WDW is still pretty good compared to other venues you can go to (sporting events, other theme parks, etc.) The service at WDW is also still far superior to most places, such as other theme parks/kids' events.

I agree the food is ridiculously expensive. We always do the dining plan; in the end, it's a better value for us. I don't know how great a value it will be on the next trip, though, because my DD will be 11 on that trip so we'll have to pay adult prices. OUCH!

All in all, WDW is still my happy place, and I hope to return there soon. I hope your next visit leaves you feeling happier!

 

[geenerbell]

I totally agree with you in regard to EPCOT. I'm sorry but Future World needs a complete redo. The Land was a sea of humanity the entire time we were there June 7-14th. I agree with others that have said that current technology has outpaced EPCOT by miles. Maybe it should be changed to EPCOY-Y meaning Yesterday!

I didn't see any trash can issues but on our trip I saw several security drills. Also, I'm positive we were in line behind a plain clothes security officer at MK turnstiles. I never noticed any of that before.

 

[stargazertechie]

I'm just going to point a few things out. Not trying to be a Disney apologist. Just trying to shed some light on a few issues.

I deleted the trash can quote, but I almost think that might be attributed to the heat- more people buying drinks in the day who normally wouldn't, coupled with people carrying in more things due to the rising cost of food (see below). Again, not an excuse, just might be the reasoning behind it.

Also, it really seems like the parks are not maintained. There were a lot of dead plants, Before Debby, the state of Florida was in a drought. I'm not in florida, but even with watering my plants 2x daily they've all died off this year with the heat and th edrought

Another huge one for us was the buffets. We LOVE, and I mean Love, Cape May Cafe. We usually eat there twice during our trip. I"m sad to say we won't be eating there again, or at any other buffet. The cost is outrageous. $100 for 2 people (including tip) is insane. I can afford it without a problem but it's not worth it. You do pay for the experience in Disney... and right now food prices are skyrockeing (See previous note about the drought). I live in a state that makes its livelihood from crops, and between the frigid spring with late freezes, and now the drought, all of the cash crops (fields, orchards, and berry patches) are dead or dying. There are going to be almost no MI apples this year. Doesn't totally account for WDW food prices, but I'm sure it's a factor, especially now!

2. Monorail - We stayed at BLT and I was super excited about being at a monorail resort but the monorail seemed to be down all the time. There was at least 5 different times when the monorail was down (1 additional time due to Obama but I don't blame Disney for that).

3. EPCOT - I know this is temporary but with TT down, the Land (soarin, Living with the Land) and The seas (Crush, Nemo) are PACKED and they are packed all day. If you don't get there for rope drop, be prepared to wait a long time for everything. There were 30 minute waits for Living with the Land and Nemo. I've got a bone to pick here- you complain that the parks aren't being maintained, and then you go on to complain about the crowd effects on a ride that is undergoing a much-needed refurb. You can't have it both ways!

As for value- I wouldn't exactly call Disney a "value" trip, nor would I consider it to be a LUXURY trip. Somewhere in the middle of the road. These are our average costs for 2 adults, no kids for an 8 day/7 night trip

Deluxe Resort- $900 (point rental)
Tickets with hopper- $450 (cost of AP per day for our average days per year)
Food- $400 (cook in breakfast and dinner, TS lunch)
Souvenirs- $100 (only occasionally)
Airfare: $500 (r/t from the midwest for 2)

Total= $2350
Total per person- $1175


As a comparison, our upcoming 7 day cruise to Bermuda
Cruise fare (per person)- $1300
Airfare (r/t)- $250
Excursions- $250
Souvenirs- $200
Total per person= $2000 per person



Comparatively, Disney is a steal

 

[rgf207]

I'm just going to point a few things out. Not trying to be a Disney apologist. Just trying to shed some light on a few issues.



As for value- I wouldn't exactly call Disney a "value" trip, nor would I consider it to be a LUXURY trip. Somewhere in the middle of the road. These are our average costs for 2 adults, no kids for an 8 day/7 night trip

Deluxe Resort- $900 (point rental)
Tickets with hopper- $450 (cost of AP per day for our average days per year)
Food- $400 (cook in breakfast and dinner, TS lunch)
Souvenirs- $100 (only occasionally)
Airfare: $500 (r/t from the midwest for 2)

Total= $2350
Total per person- $1175


As a comparison, our upcoming 7 day cruise to Bermuda
Cruise fare (per person)- $1300
Airfare (r/t)- $250
Excursions- $250
Souvenirs- $200
Total per person= $2000 per person



Comparatively, Disney is a steal

Attraction refurbs and park maintenance are two totally different things. My EPCOT bit was more of a tip rather than a complaint. I will edit the post to reflect that

Also, $5 / person seasonal upcharges have nothing to do with the crops, drought etc. They have been around for years. The buffet price increases coupled with the upcharges make the value diminish IMHO

Also, your version of value vs. mine are different but it doesn't make either of them right or wrong. We just see them differently.

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

Ticket price increase had at least something to do with CM hourly/salary increases that they received over the last contract negotiations.

Considering only some CM's got a $0.25 cost of living raise and no annual raise making starting pay for most positions $7.55 I would say that justification as why the ticket prices went up is a whole lot of BS.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I do get where you are coming from, however, it won't keep me away. I find that over all value at most any place these days isn't what it used to. WDW is my only escape from the "real" world and I only get to go once a year, so for me the burned out bulbs and the overflowing trash cans are something I can overlook in exchange for that feeling of joy every time I hear those old familiar tunes coming from the rides, the familiar smells from the eateries and all the memories of my children being there that come flooding over me the minute I see the Castle.

I agree. I do hold Disney to a higher standard but I even have to admit I've let that standard slip down a notch or two. Things like the lightbulbs and such don't bother me but I have noticed overall that some things in the parks are slipping along with the CM training. Not that they are rude but I heard alot of bad info given out in the parks and beforehand now than I used to. It's sad but as PP said that value and good service of days past is long gone with most companies. For me WDW still does the best at it as any other place I visit but it's not as good as it used to be.

 

[SaraJayne]

First let me preface this mini review by saying that I'm an avid Disney fan. As you can see by my signature, we go to Disney almost every year and we are DVC members.

That being said, I think this was our last Disney trip for a long time. We had a very good time but there are things that I am seeing/experiencing that I don't necessarily like. Let me start out with the good

1. Weather - for most of our trip the weather was great. We always go to WDW in June and this is the first time it was NOT hot. it was so comfortable and the humidity was non-existent. We had little rain until the end of our trip when TS Debby decided to roll through.

2. Food - for the most part, the food was really good. We tried a few new restaurants like Kouzzina and La Hacienda de San Angel. We loved them both. If you recall the recent thread on the restaurants board about La Hacienda and not allowing sharing, we did not experience that at all. We shared an appetizer and there was no problem. Kouzzina was delicious.

3. ADRs - I absolutely love the new credit card requirement for restaurants. We were able to get ADR's on the same day with no problem picking from a handful of available times. It was great. We even got a great window table at Cali Grill at 6pm by walking up to the restaurant. BTW, the food was great at Cali Grill


4. Transportation - We stayed at BLT and I can honestly say I have never had such great bus service. I can't say that it was like that for every other resort, but it seemed like there was always a bus at the parks waiting for us whereas other resorts were waiting for 20+ minutes for buses. The one time we walked over to MK to get an AKL bus we waited 20 minutes and 15 minutes for a Beach Club bus but we never waited more than 5 for a contemporary bus. I have no idea if they bring more buses for monorail resorts but that's how it seemed. We never had such luck at any other resort

Now on to the parts that make us not want to return for a while

1. Value - This is the single biggest reason we are not returning for a while. I really didn't have a problem with the ticket price increases until I got there and really had no idea what the price increase was for except to put more money in Disney's pocket. We noticed so many things that, although might seem small, aren't "Disney Like" and were a real bummer. I can't tell you the amount of overflowing trashcans I saw in the Magic Kingdom. I mean overflowing to the point that there was trash on top. Now this might not seem like a big deal to some, but this is something that NEVER used to happen at Disney. Also, it really seems like the parks are not maintained. There were a lot of dead plants, burned out light bulbs (the big ones in DHS that shine up from the ground onto the trees) etc. The bad part was they were out for the entire trip, not just one day. That just goes to show that they aren't being maintained.

Another huge one for us was the buffets. We LOVE, and I mean Love, Cape May Cafe. We usually eat there twice during our trip. I"m sad to say we won't be eating there again, or at any other buffet. The cost is outrageous. $100 for 2 people (including tip) is insane. I can afford it without a problem but it's not worth it. Cape May Cafe was our most expensive meal of the trip with the exception of Cali Grill. But Cali Grill was only $25 more. I couldn't believe that.

2. Monorail - We stayed at BLT and I was super excited about being at a monorail resort but the monorail seemed to be down all the time. There was at least 5 different times when the monorail was down (1 additional time due to Obama but I don't blame Disney for that).


TIP
1. EPCOT - I know this is temporary but with TT down, the Land (soarin, Living with the Land) and The seas (Crush, Nemo) are PACKED and they are packed all day. If you don't get there for rope drop, be prepared to wait a long time for everything. There were 30 minute waits for Living with the Land and Nemo. .


Overall we had a very nice time but they value is gone from Disney IMHO. Will we still go, absolutely but we won't go every year. We decided that our next trip will be in 2015 or 2016. We are going to go to other places instead where we feel we can get a better value.

Please be aware that these are just my opinions and not everyone will feel the same way. Until you are there, you won't realize that value is gone. I didn't. Just reading this forum wasn't enough but once I experienced it for myself then I realized it

Thanks for your thoughts. Glad that overall you had a nice trip.

I completely agree with you. The value is no longer there.

 

[SaraJayne]

I hope it's just the construction over at the GF that's causing the monorail delays.

It isn't. We had issues with the monorails long before construction started.

 

[wendylovesdisney]

OP: This was a well thought out post. I appreciate your comments.
Thank you for posting your opinion.
I wouldn't normally comment on a post like this, but I can see people are already getting in to Disney can do no wrong mode.
Don't let it get you down. You have valid points.

 

[rgf207]

OP: This was a well thought out post. I appreciate your comments.
Thank you for posting your opinion.
I wouldn't normally comment on a post like this, but I can see people are already getting in to Disney can do no wrong mode.
Don't let it get you down. You have valid points.

Thank you very much. It won't get me down one bit. I provided my opinions and what I saw and others can take it or leave it

 

[mamamary]

We just got back as well. We were in a 2 Bedroom at BCV.

Ticket price increase had at least something to do with CM hourly/salary increases that they received over the last contract negotiations.

Child APs may have went away due to abuse that has been discussed.

DVC's annual pass price increase was pretty much nothing so I am not seeing much of the Disney Ticket Price increase being a reason not to go.

I didn't notice one single trash can overflowing. But then again, I may not have been looking...no wait, I recall now several times having to dump stuff into the trash can that required me to kinda stick my hand into the trash so I can turn it over and recycle the plastic later so with that said, I did not run into a single trash can that was overflowing.

I may not have been looking but I noticed nothing but beautiful landscaping myself, not a dead plant in sight.

I wasn't paying any attention to the light bulbs but if a bulb was not changed in the 6/7 days you were there I am not sure how that can mean they are not being maintained. How do you know that the bulbs are not checked every other Friday at whatever location you noticed them not working?

We ate at Cape May Cafe.....best meal all week. I guess you get what you pay for.

We went to the Land after 9:00 p.m. as it is opened during the time specifically to deal with Test Track being down and the place was empty. We got a Land boat to ourselves around 9:10 and between 9:25 and 10:00 went on Soarin' twice via the stand by line.

I guess we were in two different places.

We missed WDW the minute we drove off property and planned our next trip the entire drive back home.

Go to the Land after 9pm!!! We walked right onto Soarin just after 9pm. Looked at the wait on our way out and it was at 5 mts. The Land boats were deserted. A few (maybe 5 or 6) people trickled in as we were leaving - that was it. Ran into the Character Spot and had pics taken with all five characters with no wait.

I'm really trying to think if I saw/used any trash cans that needed to be changed last week but I really don't think I did. I do know that there were one or two bathrooms that were not maintained well at all. Wish they were all like the new bathrooms over by Dumbo!!

We are not Disney every year people - well I'd like to be but my family is not. But we will hopefully be back in 2-3 years.

 

[mrsltg]

OP - I agree with you. We are a family of 5, and while we had a wonderful time, it was an absurdly expensive wonderful time! A buffet for our family ran us $160 for a meal. Add a tip of $30 to that, and we're closing in on $200 . I noticed a lack of maintenance in several areas - landscaping not being maintained (ie, lawns not cut at CBR - they were days past due to be cut, and it didn't happen during our 10 day stay), lights out in many locations (a former big Disney no-no), rides going down with a fairly stunning regularity (specifically Splash Mountain - 2-3 times during our 5 visits to MK over a period of 10 days), and diminished housekeeping. Now, none of this is going to keep me away, and we have another trip tentatively planned for June of 2014, but it's the first time we have ever considered staying offsite. I'm willing to part with big bucks when I'm getting value in return, but it's getting harder to justify Disney costs with Disney product.