Just back - thoughts

[dominiondad]

Arrived home yesterday after 8 days at WDW, staying at AKL. Here are a few thoughts and observations for what they're worth:

1. Extra Morning Hour at MK. We bit and purchased the early access since we hadn't been to the parks since 7DMR was opened. In theory, the idea seems reasonable. The problem - 7 dwarfs was down when we arrived, as was the Winnie the Pooh ride. WDW told us we could ride via FP+ for the rest of the morning in exchange, but we had 10:20 ADRs so that limited that relief.
2. Cast Members - they seem as freindly, knowleable, and helpful as ever. We had nothing but great experiences.
3. Tour Groups - they were there. In every park. Seemingly on every ride. 90% of them were well behaved and fine. The other 10% lack some basic social skills. Yelling car-to-car in the HM, cutting in lines, taking up entire pathways. We generally just went the other direction when we saw them in the area.
4. Park time - as our family has aged, we noticed we are spending less time in the parks. Character meet and greets, Disney Jr., and some of the rides that aren't worth riding twice (looking at you Stitch) no longer hold our attention. There is definitely some concern building that Disney may lose us as a regular customer. We don't see a lot being added that appeals to us. 7DMR was a bit of a let down. We were think TMRR and instead got something less than Goofy's Barnstormer. We enjoyed Hollywood Studios in the past, but felt like it was becoming Star Wars Land.
5. Rides - we were definitely frustrated how WDW handles some of the lines. I don't understand why we have to constantly "fill in all available space". It seems like nothing more than an opportunity for a small family to cut in front of others. The line-group-line concept is frustrating as well (HM, RRC, park openings). Again, it seems like just another chance for people to try to get ahead of others.
6. Transportation - we used the resort buses about half the time, drove our own car the other half. WDW did a great job. Minimal waiting, clean buses, friendly drivers. Some of our fellow guests, however, seem oblivious to other humans. Case in point - after Wishes we headed straight to the bus. We were fortunate to catch the first bus back to AKL but it was packed. We stood the entire ride. When we arrived at the resort, we realized one family had used two seats to hold their bags. Classy.
7. The big one - VALUE. Despite some frustrations, the trip was great and we thought the WDW trip was well worth it. I'm hoping the parks expand to account for older kids/adults more and hope they can avoid an entire park dedicated to a science fiction movie.
Final Grade: A-

Any questions?

 

[mom2rtk]

Wait.....2 of the 3 rides that were part of that EMM event were down? Was everyone in line for PP?

If you didn't go to Guest Relations, you need to email. That would just not fly with me.

 

[dominiondad]

Yes, 2 down. The rides they had open were Small World, PP, teacups, and the carousel. We approached a manager in the area who gave us two paper FPs good for our family at 7DMR for any time. It was actually more frustrating than I've mentioned though. Even though they let us in at 7:45, they didnt open any rides until 8:00, so we ended up standing around in FL for several minutes before PP opened. Then they opened the park early, at 8:45, so our extra time was really only 45 minutes.
I understand rides go down, but I wish they would have told us while we were standing at the front of the park so we could talk about plan B. WDW didn't execute this very well at all. I would recommend that people think very carefully about spending the money for the early access. My youngest is 16, so the alternate rides weren't an appeal. We now realize 7DMR wasn't either.

 

[bpadair32]

Arrived home yesterday after 8 days at WDW, staying at AKL. Here are a few thoughts and observations for what they're worth:

1. Extra Morning Hour at MK. We bit and purchased the early access since we hadn't been to the parks since 7DMR was opened. In theory, the idea seems reasonable. The problem - 7 dwarfs was down when we arrived, as was the Winnie the Pooh ride. WDW told us we could ride via FP+ for the rest of the morning in exchange, but we had 10:20 ADRs so that limited that relief.
2. Cast Members - they seem as freindly, knowleable, and helpful as ever. We had nothing but great experiences.
3. Tour Groups - they were there. In every park. Seemingly on every ride. 90% of them were well behaved and fine. The other 10% lack some basic social skills. Yelling car-to-car in the HM, cutting in lines, taking up entire pathways. We generally just went the other direction when we saw them in the area.
4. Park time - as our family has aged, we noticed we are spending less time in the parks. Character meet and greets, Disney Jr., and some of the rides that aren't worth riding twice (looking at you Stitch) no longer hold our attention. There is definitely some concern building that Disney may lose us as a regular customer. We don't see a lot being added that appeals to us. 7DMR was a bit of a let down. We were think TMRR and instead got something less than Goofy's Barnstormer. We enjoyed Hollywood Studios in the past, but felt like it was becoming Star Wars Land.
5. Rides - we were definitely frustrated how WDW handles some of the lines. I don't understand why we have to constantly "fill in all available space". It seems like nothing more than an opportunity for a small family to cut in front of others. The line-group-line concept is frustrating as well (HM, RRC, park openings). Again, it seems like just another chance for people to try to get ahead of others.
6. Transportation - we used the resort buses about half the time, drove our own car the other half. WDW did a great job. Minimal waiting, clean buses, friendly drivers. Some of our fellow guests, however, seem oblivious to other humans. Case in point - after Wishes we headed straight to the bus. We were fortunate to catch the first bus back to AKL but it was packed. We stood the entire ride. When we arrived at the resort, we realized one family had used two seats to hold their bags. Classy.
7. The big one - VALUE. Despite some frustrations, the trip was great and we thought the WDW trip was well worth it. I'm hoping the parks expand to account for older kids/adults more and hope they can avoid an entire park dedicated to a science fiction movie.
Final Grade: A-

Any questions?

I think the big things that are coming that are going to appeal to older kids is Star Wars Land and Pandora. But it sounds like those aren't really your thing, so unfortunately, I am thinking that you don't have a lot to look forward to.

 

[Praying Colonel]

The yelling back & forth on attractions like HM can spoil the experience.

It seems they're really jamming people together in the "fill in all available space" attractions. I noticed that in particular with Philharmagic. Seems they have a new process now where they hold people outside and then take you in and show you right where you need to stand. I think I like that better, although it feels a little weird to see the big line as you come in the door.

 

[hakepb]

I think The "fill all available space" is a partial result of the queue widening for wheelchair and ECV use (so all guests can have the same experience) ... But to fit the same number of people per sqft of queue, standing guests cannot stand single-file

 

[Parker Clan]

Enjoyed reading your post. We love Disney for the nostalgic feel we get when we are there and though I may get flamed, we love Universal just as much and feel it appeals to adults a great deal. And you still get the magical feel in the Harry Potter lands. Hence why weve gone to both Dis and Universal on the same trip, the last five years

 

[Momof2Singers]

Thanks for the update.

Hoping these tour groups are gone next week while we are there. Our last trip was July 5-12 and they were loud and very rude. They must really get a great rate to bring all these kids here every summer. Wish they would do that for people in the US that want to go and may never have the opportunity.

 

[SaintsManiac]

If the 2 main rides for EMM were down I would demand a refund. Just my .02

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Thanks for the update. I hope you don't mind me saying but if 2 of the rides were down I would have been at guest relations with my hand extended for a refund. That is very poor I am sorry to hear that.

Can I ask how did you find the air con on the buses? Was it really cold or ok? I find it is either beyond freezing or warm! Strange question but I often sit there shivering!

 

[hakepb]

Thanks for the update.

Hoping these tour groups are gone next week while we are there. Our last trip was July 5-12 and they were loud and very rude. They must really get a great rate to bring all these kids here every summer. Wish they would do that for people in the US that want to go and may never have the opportunity.

I think it's fairly standard rates... But due to import taxes on many items in foreign countries, it's almost cheaper to send your kid on a Disney trip to buy electronics and designer clothes than a trip to a local mall.

 

[shh]

I'm hoping the parks expand to account for older kids/adults more and hope they can avoid an entire park dedicated to a science fiction movie.

Thanks for your trip report! I'm a little bummed by the whole SW trend myself. I'm glad for all the SW fans, but I tried to like SW - I really did. I'm a big Trekkie and love some of the other sci fi flicks plus most of the superhero pics (like avengers and related movies) with clever scriptwriting, humor and engaging characters, so it's not like I have a problem with the genre itself. But I've watched 5 of the SW movies and they all feel so similar to me...lots of repetitive battle scenes and special effects. I just can't get into it, as much as I've tried. Hoping future studio plans also include fun for the few who aren't big SW fans.)

 

[dominiondad]

We thought the AC on the buses were fine. I'm usually too hot and my kids are almost always too cold. We all thought it was comfortable. It was definitely warm while we were there, high 90's every day. Thunderstorms every afternoon which generally just made it more humid.
I considered the refund route. I have a career effectively centered around conflict, so I really look to avoid any conflict during my vacations. Im going to chalk it up to a learning experience, but I can certainly see why somebody would demand their money back.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

We went this last March and my kids are 14 and 11. We did ok with the many closures and also felt the excitement of Disney waning for them as they got older. We are not a Sci Fi family at all, so the whole additional Star Wars and Avatar stuff does not do it for us. Precisely why we don't go to Universal for the Harry Potter stuff either, never picked up a book or seen a movie so my interest in Harry Potter is beyond low. We are looking for where our next vacation can be. After dropping $9K on our last trip, we figured we can go to many places for that money and have fun as a family.

 

[WEDWDW]

I think it's fairly standard rates... But due to import taxes on many items in foreign countries, it's almost cheaper to send your kid on a Disney trip to buy electronics and designer clothes than a trip to a local mall.

The vast majority of the trips are "Birthday trips" for 15 year old girls.

They can either have a huge party at home or come to the USA(mainly NYC and WDW/Universal,etc).

There was a lot of speculation by some that this July would not see as many Tour groups as usual.

I think South America didn't get the memo!lol

 

[lynzi2004]

We are in a similar boat as you in that the sci-fi stuff is not appealing to us. Our first trip to Disney was this past April with a 4 and 3 year old. We are already planning a trip back next February. Anytime anyone asks why so soon, my response is bc before I know it they are going to be teenagers and asking for thrill rides instead of Small World. That's not to say that they won't still enjoy an every few years trip to Disney, but DH and I strongly feel as though Disney will be super special to us till the kids are 10ish. Then we will spend our vacation money elsewhere for awhile and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mikie]

Thanks for sharing your trip report! Very disappointing about the early morning event - I had heard pretty glowing reports until yours, though I assumed that would happen at some point as 7DMT is somewhat prone to breakdowns. Unfortunately, once you're up early and have spent that extra $$, there's not a lot that could be done to remedy it for you. . . you've already gone through a lot of effort and time and the substitute rides just aren't going to cut it.

People indifferent to other humans like your bus situation: it never ceases to amaze me. You'd think I'd get used to that kind of thing and just shrug it off, but I'm surprised and put out every time I see something like that.
Glad it was a good trip overall!!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Scooters take a whole row of seats for one person on the bus. Oh well.

 

[mister morrow]

We are in a similar boat as you in that the sci-fi stuff is not appealing to us. Our first trip to Disney was this past April with a 4 and 3 year old. We are already planning a trip back next February. Anytime anyone asks why so soon, my response is bc before I know it they are going to be teenagers and asking for thrill rides instead of Small World. That's not to say that they won't still enjoy an every few years trip to Disney, but DH and I strongly feel as though Disney will be super special to us till the kids are 10ish. Then we will spend our vacation money elsewhere for awhile and there is nothing wrong with that.

my siblings and i are all teenagers now, and going to disney still appeals us.
who knows, maybe when your kids get older they still want to go back!

 

[bpadair32]

We are in a similar boat as you in that the sci-fi stuff is not appealing to us. Our first trip to Disney was this past April with a 4 and 3 year old. We are already planning a trip back next February. Anytime anyone asks why so soon, my response is bc before I know it they are going to be teenagers and asking for thrill rides instead of Small World. That's not to say that they won't still enjoy an every few years trip to Disney, but DH and I strongly feel as though Disney will be super special to us till the kids are 10ish. Then we will spend our vacation money elsewhere for awhile and there is nothing wrong with that.

While I agree that there is nothing wrong with spending your vacation money elsewhere, I think that you might be surprised. My wife and I have gotten to the point with Disney that we are going there on our anniversary vacation without the kids.

Scooters take a whole row of seats for one person on the bus. Oh well.

I was wondering when the subject of scooters would come up. It did seem to be the one thing missing to really make this a Dis thread. :-/