Keeping it Postive...Experiences

[FLkid]

Don't even sweat the negative posts, it's like most reviews for businesses.. Usually only people who had bad experiences post about it. I use to get discouraged leading up to my Trips simply because I would read every negative thread on here just to get a heads up. My mind was always saying "oh God something has changed since we went a few months ago! Am I going to be miserable this whole trip?!" And I would always end up having a fantastic time.

 

[Disneylover99]

I always have a great time and have great experiences. That's why I keep going. My next trip is in August.

I'm looking forward to the new Anna and Elsa ride in Epcot, the Rivers of Light show at AK, staying at the Poly for the first time and walking around WS in Epcot. I also just love the music they play in FW at Epcot.

 

[TAK]

We're going in December, and I'm excited because I haven't seen WDW at the holidays. Can't wait to soak it all in! And we're going early in the month, so then we'll bring home new ornaments and Christmasy things and enjoy them around the house for the rest of the month.

 

[ArielDreams]

What a great idea for a thread! There is so much negativity on this board...

We went last April and I had the same thoughts of worry as you... it was our first time with Magic Bands, FP+ etc. But we had a phenomenal time! Here are some of the reasons why!!
- We LOVED FP+ and our Magic Bands. Not a single issue. I didn't feel at all like I was "overplanned" and it made it so much easier not to have to run to a ride, grab a FP and then wait several hours. We knew when we had to be there and showed up! So easy!
- On Magical Express, I got a text with our room number at CSR. With our Magic Bands, we just walked up to our door and got in without having to talk to anyone! We felt like VIPs!
- Regarding CSR, a lot of people complained about how it's sooooo far to walk around. Did not feel like this was an issue! We had a great location even though we were in the "dreaded" Ranchos.
- F&G was so beautiful as usual and we achieved our goal of eating/drinking around the world at Epcot. The F&G food kiosks are my fav - particularly China.
- The weather was perfect!

Hope you have an awesome trip!!!

 

[larryz]

- Regarding CSR, a lot of people complained about how it's sooooo far to walk around. Did not feel like this was an issue! We had a great location even though we were in the "dreaded" Ranchos.

We were in Ranchos 8B. We loved it, too!

 

[Tom P.]

Don't focus on the negativity you see here. It's a trap so many people fall into and they feel like the magic is going to be ruined because there's 40 minute waits for Figment and they're taking characters away from Epcot and the monorail is on a reduced schedule and did you hear there were more cuts coming to the parks because of Shanghai? The magic at the parks isn't the rides you get on, it isn't the people in costume that you get to meet in character, it isn't whether you're staying club level at the Grand Floridian and are greeted curbside by a cast member, it isn't riding the monorail to the TTC at 2pm, it isn't having cast members at your disposal to dispense magical experiences because you're paying a ton of money for a trip. It's getting to step into immersive parks with people you care about and taking things at the pace your family can handle and making your own magic as a group. You will have bad bumps on your trips and you might even have moments that make you furious. But you will also laugh a lot and you will see goodness around you. You'll laugh until your sides hurt when the guests chosen to be actors at Enchanted Tales with Belle are too cute or funny for words. You'll be educated by and have long talks with the cultural representatives in Epcot's world showcase who are likely homesick and need guests to make them feel like their leaving home and everything they've known for a year was a good idea. You'll see families on Make a Wish trips and will witness their special moments that bring tears to your eyes and will make you grateful when you can find something little to do for the family to add to their experience. You will get stuck in long lines behind people who don't wear deodorant and will make you develop a newfound appreciation for closeness with your own friends/family. You'll know that even if it's supposedly a crowd level of 6 and the Magic Kingdom is slam packed and feels like a 10 that you can go get in line for Stitch and not have to really wait. You might be lucky enough to ride 7DMT at just the right time where Wishes finale is going and you're stopped at the final stretch of track until the very end and literally have the most amazing view of the fireworks that you'll remember for the rest of your life because of how beautiful the sky was and the sound of hushed awe that came over your cram packed ride vehicle. There's so many things people here choose to be negative about in relation to WDW. Don't fall into the trap of letting it get to you, that can really pre-determine the kind of trip you'll have once you get there!

This message is so awesome, that I think @WebmasterPete should read it on the podcast! I totally agree, and I wish more people had that attitude.

 

[Pesky]

We're looking forward to our first family WDW trip too! We had a great time at DLR, so much so that DH gave me free rein and even suggested an extra day! Looking forward to:
* surprising the kids again. They have no idea and won't until departure morning. DD loved the surprise so much last time she has declared she wants every vacation to be a surprise.
* Epcot F&W, including sharing some stuff with our kids who are adventurous eaters
* our stays at the DVC studios. We loved it at the VGC last time and can't wait to compare!
* our special anniversary dinner
* MNSSHP
* Behind the Seeds tour
* relaxing at the resort and enjoying the resort itself and pool time
* watching the kids' reaction to the parks
* watching the kids enjoy some downtime in the quieter places in the parks

 

[reereef]

I must be either missing the negative posts or subconsciously ignoring them !!

I think people pay such a lot of money to visit WDW and often book their vacation a while ahead, so when things don't go as planned the disappointment can be pretty terrible.

But it's also important to remember that most people go away and have fantastic, once in a lifetime vacations, regardless of the imperfections. Things do go wrong...it might rain all day; someone might queue jump with their entire party in front of you; you might find that an ADR you thought you booked for 6pm, was actually books for 5pm and you missed it; a cast member might be having a bad day and not deliver the magic they should.

Right now I'm sat here in my living room thinking, would I rather be here watching the third episode of Hoarders in a row with work tomorrow? Or would I rather be at the back of a queue in Magic Kingdom, with someone who just queue jumped ahead...and the reason why I'm not using FP+ is because my ADR got cancelled? Oh, and it's raining.

The answer: I'd still rather be in WDW. So don't worry about what went wrong for others or what might go wrong for you and just look forward to your magical trip. Enjoy every moment and try not to let other peoples experiences worry you or frustrate you.

 

[reereef]

And as we are sharing what we are looking forward to, here's my list ...

• We are in Orlando for four weeks during August!
• Five nights at Doubletree Orlando at SeaWorld
• Dine with Shamu
• Discovery Cove
• Afternoon Tea at the Garden Tea Room Grand Floridian
• Gatorland
• Two weeks at Caribbean Beach Resort with DDP
• ADR's at many different Disney restaurants including Cinderella's Royal Table, Narcoossee's, Sanaa, 'Ohana etc
• Three night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream!
• Last six nights at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort
• Universal tickets 2 park 14 day use.
• The Sea's Aqua Tour at Epcot followed by dinner at Coral Reef to complete the theme (I'm not expecting much from CR lol, but hopefully the environment will be enjoyable following our snorkelling session)
• Beach trips to Anna Maria Island and a couple other places - undecided yet
• Shopping trips to the Malls - though I'm gutted that The Fudgery is gone
• Possibly going to book Wild Africa Trek again depending on $$$

Sooooooo excited!

 

[blestmom]

Don't focus on the negativity you see here. It's a trap so many people fall into and they feel like the magic is going to be ruined because there's 40 minute waits for Figment and they're taking characters away from Epcot and the monorail is on a reduced schedule and did you hear there were more cuts coming to the parks because of Shanghai? The magic at the parks isn't the rides you get on, it isn't the people in costume that you get to meet in character, it isn't whether you're staying club level at the Grand Floridian and are greeted curbside by a cast member, it isn't riding the monorail to the TTC at 2pm, it isn't having cast members at your disposal to dispense magical experiences because you're paying a ton of money for a trip. It's getting to step into immersive parks with people you care about and taking things at the pace your family can handle and making your own magic as a group. You will have bad bumps on your trips and you might even have moments that make you furious. But you will also laugh a lot and you will see goodness around you. You'll laugh until your sides hurt when the guests chosen to be actors at Enchanted Tales with Belle are too cute or funny for words. You'll be educated by and have long talks with the cultural representatives in Epcot's world showcase who are likely homesick and need guests to make them feel like their leaving home and everything they've known for a year was a good idea. You'll see families on Make a Wish trips and will witness their special moments that bring tears to your eyes and will make you grateful when you can find something little to do for the family to add to their experience. You will get stuck in long lines behind people who don't wear deodorant and will make you develop a newfound appreciation for closeness with your own friends/family. You'll know that even if it's supposedly a crowd level of 6 and the Magic Kingdom is slam packed and feels like a 10 that you can go get in line for Stitch and not have to really wait. You might be lucky enough to ride 7DMT at just the right time where Wishes finale is going and you're stopped at the final stretch of track until the very end and literally have the most amazing view of the fireworks that you'll remember for the rest of your life because of how beautiful the sky was and the sound of hushed awe that came over your cram packed ride vehicle. There's so many things people here choose to be negative about in relation to WDW. Don't fall into the trap of letting it get to you, that can really pre-determine the kind of trip you'll have once you get there!

I think this may be the best thing I've ever read on the DIS. Sums up why I love Disney so. Gosh darn it, you made me teary.

And...that very exact thing happened to me and my son on 7DMT 2 weeks ago...it was magical! The train car stopped at the top of one hill when the fireworks were going off...everyone was oohing and ahhing and laughing, and when the train pulled into the loading area at the end of the ride, everyone clapped and cheered. One of my best Disney memories ever.

 

[DisneyDad2015]

The magic is still alive and well...If you want it to be.

Last April, DW and I took our DD6 and DD2 to WDW for the first time. I hadn't been to WDW since 2006, and I had never done any of the parks besides MK. We stayed on site from a Tuesday Night-Saturday morning. Our park days included 1 at AK, 1 at MK, and 1 at DHS. Epcot got left out due to money/time constraints.

I'll say that I went into the vacation with moderate to low expectations. Personally, I've always been a big thrill rides, large roller coaster's kind of person. Having done MK in 2006, I really didn't care for it enough to want to spend most of a week at WDW. However all that somehow magically changed last April. I don't know if it was getting to ride thrill rides like EE, RNRC, and ToT, or just getting to experience Disney through my daughters eyes, but now I can't get enough Disney (obviously since I'm a member here). My wife and I still consider that our favorite family vacation ever. Not everything went perfect, but we made the best of it. Now, we have another trip planned for the last week in April of this year, and we have doubled the number of Park days to 6(Woot Woot!!!), added park hopper, and I'll get to experience Epcot for the first time!

Also, when we revealed the trip to our children least year, their reaction was a lot less enthusiastic then we were hoping for. I'd assume much of that is from them never having been to Disney before. But now, they won't stop asking when we are going back. The DW and I have not shared with them that we will be returning in 2 months, and this year we have a special scavenger hunt reveal planned for them on the morning we are leaving for WDW. I can't wait to see their excitement.


Below are some highlights from my last trip:

- Taking my DD6 on her first roller coaster
- Watching my daughters meet Anna and Elsa
- Getting to see Fantasmic! with an impressive heat lighting storm in the far distance (Talk about an impressive show!)
- Interacting/ Flexing with Gaston
- Disney Dining Plan (Really made the week stress free regarding meals)
- Watching Wishes from the Tomorrow Land Bridge (and watching my daughters faces)
- Tower of Terror (probably my favorite ride)
- Splash Mountain (DD6's favorite ride)


Here are some things I'm looking forward to on our upcoming trip:
- Epcot for the first time ( And getting to experience Flower and Garden Festival)
- My daughters (now 7 & 3) being able to experience more rides with me
- Double the number of park days from last year ( I GET TO EXPERIENCE 2 FULL MK DAYS!)
- Getting to try out multiple new restaurants
- Exploring World Showcase

So there you have it. Is WDW perfect? Heck no. But as a previous poster said, WDW on a bad day is better than most places on a really good day.

 

[crazymomof4]

In all of our WDW vacations, I've never been disappointed by Disney! Some negative occurrences have happened due to rudeness/selfishness of other guests but that can happen in ANY public place, Disney or non-Disney.
As far as I'm concerned Disney "magic" is alive and well.

 

[danceteachermom]

We are heading down in early April for what has become an annual spring break trip. For us Disney has become our favorite place to mix a fun, active, lots to do vacation with some great relaxing. We eagerly head to the parks in the AM to experience the early hours with lower crowds then just as eagerly head back to our resort to enjoy being poolside, drinks in hand. We have been enough that nothing is an absolute must-do so we can enjoy our preplanned fast passes but otherwise have a lot of flexibility. As we walk through the parks one of my favorite things is reminiscing about previous trips....from first haircuts, to a real social meeting with Buzz Lighthear, to first rides, first Dole Whips, etc.

I try to stay away from negativity but enjoy reading the boards so that I have tips for making our vacation smoother. We have had very few bad experiences.

I am looking forward to some new things this trip, even after having been more than a dozen times:
- afternoon tea at GF
- first time we reserved evening fast passes
- first time we will spend the first day at a water park
- first time we have arranged an adults only evening around the world at Epcot with friends
- first time eating in Cinderella's castle for breakfast

Memories will be made.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

To add to this... I have two stories

In 2013 my family was hit by Sandy. We go every year for Christmas but the trip was in jeopardy. Obviously going to Disney was the last thing on our mind, as our house wasn't livable and we would most likely be in thousands of dollars of debt.

After sorTing through weeks of paperwork, working for weeks on our home and watching most of our belongings go to the curb, my mom looked up and said "we're going to Disney."

She had been the realist all along - we Would have until a week before the trip to cancel and figured we'd let it marinate. But after spending over a month sleeping in my aunt's basement on air mattresses and working on our house, we decided to make it work.

I was so excited that I wrote to Disney to tell them. I said we were celebrating "surviving Sandy" and explained what happened. I didn't expect much. Maybe a free dessert or nice memory - a feel good moment.

I actually forgot all about it until we got there on Xmas Eve. We returned from dinner to a message on our phone. A package was at the front desk. It still didn't click. We figured someone sent is something. When we went down to retrieve the package, we were presented with a large shopping bag/cooler with our last name embroidered on it. It was filled with everything from krispie treats, to gummies, pretzels, drinks and other snacks. We estimated it to be $250 worth of stuff - at least. It came with a card that read something like "glad you can make it - your friends, the Disney reservation center."

My other example was from this past trip. We were treated poorly and spoken to in a rude manner by our maid. We also missed out on a lot of FP+ and were stressed with the transportation - or lackthereof.

We rarely complain, but the maid situation alone warranted it. Long store short, Disney called us a week or two after we wrote them. They comped us for 3 nights and gave us a two-day park hopper for a future trip.

So all in all - do some of the cuts stink? Yes. Is DHS is flux? Absolutely. But find me another place with that kind of service. When push comes to shove, Disney values its customers and that's why we continue to go back year in and year out.

 

[walker0829]

I posted this story in another thread but since it's a positive experience...

Last year CP was running about 10-15 min behind on reservations so when we got seated we wanted to hurry to we could get to a ride before RD. At the same time, DS4(3 at the time) was absolutely loving his character interactions. He kept giving his mickey hat to all of them after Pooh but it on his own head. It was nearing park open and when our check came our server asked if we had seen all the characters. We had missed Eeyore when we first got seated and told her he was the only one. She took us all over to him on the other side of the restaurant, told the handler that he skipped us(her words) and let us get some pictures. The handler seemed a bit annoyed(I'm sure this happens a lot) but that was the first instance of what I call "sprinkling fairy dust" that I had seen dating back to our 2014 trip.

The server didn't have to do that. She could have just taken the attitude that we should have stayed until he came back around but she took it upon herself to ensure my son saw every character.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

2010 was our second time as Magic Kingdom Family of the Day. Barbara, one of the railroad employees (I think? She was in a conductor costume) drove up back to Toon Town in one of the old Main Street cars. She was a blast! Probably my favorite CM I've ever encountered. Tiana and Naveen were amazing while we were waiting for the train to start moving. At one point, a squirrel starting coming up toward the train and Snow White told it to go away so it didn't get hurt... it turned around. Chip and Dale goofed around in the back of the train and Mickey yelled at them. Mickey wiggled his nose at us at one point. WIGGLED.HIS.NOSE!!

But I think my favorite part was later that evening, when watching the Main Street Electrical Light parader, Mickey saw us from his float, pointed down at us and waved because he remembered seeing us that morning (which really made our brains explode).

 

[Disney127]

To me, Disney is a state of mind rather than a vacation. Once we step off the Magical Express, we're away from the outside world. I don't care if there's characters every corner we turn or if they cut a few things - I grew up LOVING Disney. It's not just a vacation destination, but a spot where my whole family is happy. We all enjoy the food, we all enjoy planning out our days and picking our FP+'s. It's an experience that not many people seem to understand.

I agree with this! To DD and myself, Disney is a place where we can forget our troubles for awhile and just be in our happy place. I have learned many things from both the negative and positive posts. On our upcoming March trip, we are looking forward to being at WDW again after 7 years. There are so many changes and new things to explore. Who knows when we will be back so we will make the most of it even though it will be at a busy time.

 

[MrInfinity]

I'm reading so many of these negative posts and has me a little bummed about our upcoming vacation in May. It's not cheap and I'm hoping to have a magical time. Our kids are looking forward to riding rides, meeting characters, and we look forward to building memories. Reading about the closures, layoffs, ticket prices, security, and lacking of service/magic.

Well then don't read them. Or read them and laugh. Really. Take anything you love in life, and there will be someone, somewhere that will complain about it if you give them an audience, and the internet creates an audience for anyone who wants one. I just have to cringe at many of them like complaining about crowds at Disney World. I've been on these boards for 5 years or so, and every year, every month, people complain about how this month was so much better in years past. Well you know why? Because when you think back on a trip, you just remember the great! The lines are fleeting. I remember waiting 90 min for Space Mountain as kids, but in recent years have never had to wait more than 20 for it. So comparably, lines are way better than ever. And the lines aren't even what makes the trip. Your kids will just be enamored to be there having fun, on vacation. They have FUN playing with interactive elements in the line. Ours would stop and play the Space Mountain waiting games while the line moves past us!

Our last trip was great, and we're already planning to go back -- but trying something a little different, going to Disneyland. Can't wait. Even tho WDW feels like my home since I grew up going there, for the better part of my young adult life we went to Disneyland, so that became really my 2nd home. Then with kids we've been going to WDW now for the last 10 years, so this will be like going back to my 2nd home... again. I know that's convoluded. But it will be neat for them to see the west coast variation on all the experiences.

And then we're already thinking of going back to WDW in 2017. Why? Probly the same reason you're going back... Because it's awesome!

 

[Belle5]

The magic...is in YOU! We are headed down with our youngest two kids (12, 18) in May for our family's 33rd vacation. We used to travel with all six of the boys and now we're down to just the four of us. We have NEVER had a bad vacation to WDW! We have had a few moments of frustration or experienced rudeness but that does not an entire vacation ruin! Our last vacation to WDW was our first time with magic bands. I was so worried that Disney had "ruined" Disney World by adding these horrid things. We LOVED magic bands! You can't focus on what's closed. Just stay busy with all that Disney has added! There is always something!

Going in May. Looking forward to (not an exhaustive list but right off the top of my mind):
1.) Rivers of Light and Tiffins (hopefully they'll be up and running)
2.) Skipper Canteen (even though the reviews aren't great, we'll order items that folks seems to be giving good reports about)
3.) BOG (for the 4th time...love it)
4.) Lots of swim time
5.) F&G at EPCOT (enjoying the flowers and trying some of the food/beverages)
6.) Joy of Tea on a hot day
7.) Sitting in the English Gardens
8.) The new Star Wars stuff
9.) Seeing what's new in Disney Springs...the Springs, the chocolate place, etc.
10.) Possibly the Frozen ride will be open in Norway
11.) Watching my 12 year old pin trade at the Polynesian and other places
12.) Letting the 12 and 18 year olds run off by themselves so DH and I can pretend we are on our Disneymoon!
13.) First time at the Polynesian (villas)
14.) Macaron ice cream sandwiches (LOTS of them) from L’Artisan des Glaces

Oh, my goodness! There is so much to look forward to doing! I can hardly wait!!

 

[KFlan]

A few years ago my party of 5 had just finished dinner at the Grand Floridian and were queueing to take the monorail to MK. We got chatting to the CM at the front of the queue about what we had planned for the evening. Amongst other things, we mentioned to him that we were heading straight for the Laugh Floor. The monorail arrived and we said bye to the CM as we got on.

As the monorail was pulling in to the MK station, the usual announcement was made but then the driver gave a special message. "To the group from England, Mike Wazowski wanted me to let you know that he can't wait to see you guys over at the Laugh Floor and he hopes you enjoy the show."

Turns out the Laugh Floor had closed for the night but that's not the point. The CM we were chatting to had obviously remembered our plans and quickly had a word with the driver without us noticing. It was such a simple thing to do but it put a huge grin on all our faces. He knew he wouldn't see our reactions and that we would never get to thank him but that was not his motivation for doing it. He gave us a funny little moment that we still talk about now. Top guy!