Just back - thoughts

[mom2rtk]

I think there is a lot of variance depending on what people like. IMO I think that the people that get "burned out" on Disney, or tend to not like it as much as they get older, are the ones that just want to go somewhere for the rides and want thrills. You can get that, and at least as far as thrills go get more, at a 6 Flags, Cedar Point, etc. I think the people that want to keep going back, no matter age, are the ones like me, that like the experience of being in Disney, and everything that it has to offer, not just the rides.

You're missing a huge group of what I see here a lot lately....... those who love the entire experience of being in Disney but feel that management is taking the parks in the wrong direction lately and are diminishing the value they get for their vacation dollar.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think this is one of the biggest differences among folks here on the boards, those that love the planning and those that don't. I haven't really seen a middle ground. I myself like the planning, I think that it builds excitement for the trip. I understand the concern about pricing as well, but now that we are DVC members, it makes it much more affordable.

I think the middle ground is people like me. I enjoy planning, but not to the level that WDW now encourages. I don't mind picking a park/day,or even a few ADRs...but planning out FPs a month or more before we get there is too much for us. We do it because we understand that doing so has a positive effect, but going to that level of detail in planning isn't fun anymore, for us. It's a large part of why we went to DLR last year and why we are going there again this year. Much less planning involved, which makes the planning that we choose to do much more enjoyable.

 

[allaboard]

We too just got back from a long trip to Florida with 5 days at Disney and 3-4 at Universal. We stayed in Beach Club and then Hard Rock. Beach Club and the club level was super! I loved the lazy river, especially after a rain, or in the evening when it was less crowded. The club level lounge was worth it ... and it was hard to leave it and go to another hotel where we didn't get the same level.
I also agree that it takes so much planning now at the parks, and even then there were long lines for the rides that we were not able to get fastpasses for, and rides that went down ... then they clear the whole line out. We had a bit of trouble keeping our young adult entertained, so maybe the last trip for him for the near future. He mentioned coming back when he has his own kids. I guess the parks are just too crowded for the days to be as enjoyable. No longer can you just wander through and go on rides as you please ... we did slow ourselves down this time to try and enjoy more ... and then just chose the rides that are not popular after our fast passes were done. Getting more fast passes after the first three works ... but you only get one at a time, and there is constant stopping and phone checking, and wait time checking.
We never did get to ride Thunder Mountain or the train around the park as they were both down :-(
And there were plenty of tour groups ... my daughter said that she heard they were told to stop singing loud at Disney, but they sure did that over at Universal. They were everywhere and 90% of them were dressed in pink. So we could see them coming!! ha ha
Overall our trip was fine, but there was not enough to do at HS of course, and EPCOT may be huge, but there are very few rides there now as well ... AK is a favorite of mine because of the animals, and we were able to ride Everest a lot.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think the middle ground is people like me. I enjoy planning, but not to the level that WDW now encourages. I don't mind picking a park/day,or even a few ADRs...but planning out FPs a month or more before we get there is too much for us. We do it because we understand that doing so has a positive effect, but going to that level of detail in planning isn't fun anymore, for us. It's a large part of why we went to DLR last year and why we are going there again this year. Much less planning involved, which makes the planning that we choose to do much more enjoyable.

That's exactly how I feel about it.