Minority Opinions

[MamaLema]

Character dining - If you love it, great. But everytime I read about it, I think to myself "You paid HOW MUCH for breakfast?"

Character autographs-Everyone raves about them. But after 1 autograph, my kids figured out they would rather stand in line for rides than stand in a long line for autographs. In fact when we went, the lines for autographs were longer than those for rides. To each their own, though

 

[dbanzai]

I agree. We don't go back to the hotel for naps either. DS2 and ds4 last time and this time will be 4 and 6. We like to get to the park when it opens, eat a large sit down lunch somewhere and then we get restaurant (not fast food) take-out for back at the condo. The kids will not sit for dinner and they are not big eaters by any means. We only swim on days we don't go to the parks. That is why this time we are going for 2 weeks so we can have some much needed downtime and relaxation!

I feel I am in the minority on Disney restaurants in general. They are just okay in my opinion. I think the quality could be a lot better. I much rather eat at Wolfgang Pucks express. I think for quick food on the go, he does it well!

We loved ak and we live only an hour from the Bronx zoo. I don't think it compares. I just loved the atmosphere there. It is "not a zoo"... it is another great disney experience...

I live a city bus ride away from the Bronx Zoo (or a 10 minute drive). Going on the safari at AK feels just like being around the Wild Asia area and Bengali Express in the Bronx. True there are some amusments and rides and such which seperates AK from the zoo, but as far as seeing the animals, I feel like I'm home in The Bronx.

I agree that the quality of the meals could be better, but considering we're talking about theme park fare, it's pretty good with excellent choices. Plus there are some really good restaurants there too. In other words, nothing below par for amusement parks with some that exceed standards IMHO.

I'm another non-naps person, more often than not. Then again, I'm not travelling with kids.

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Another AK lover here. Last year was my first visit to AK. Friends and family had told me that there wasn't much to see and do, not to bother with the trails since you wouldn't really see anything, etc and having read similar things on message boards, I planned on a half-day at the park. I had such a fabulous time! I am also a native New Yorker that lives rather close to the Bronx Zoo, but I see this as a very different experience. Since I was solo, I took my sweet time exploring the walking trails and got to see the tigers playing and sunning themselves and the gorillas showing off. I was also able to speak to a few castmembers regarding the animals and learned some interesting things, such as tarantulas shed their skin similar to snakes. I was sorry to leave and am really looking forward to spending at least a full day at AK this year.

My own minority opinions:

I really can't stand the Indy Stunt Show or HISTA. My family loves them and recommends them to everyone. They really bore me. HISTA has great effects, but is not worth the time IMO. I skipped them on my solo trip last year and plan on doing the same this year.

I really like the Living Seas. I agree that it is not the same without the Skycabs, but I still like the theming of the pavillion and enjoy the aquarium, the exhibits, and learning about the research they conduct. I am looking forward to Turtle Talk with Crush since it wasn't open last time.

Kat

 

[Marseeya]

Space Mountain: I'm a roller coaster girl, but I really didn't like SM. Sorry, I just didn't

Crocs: Didn't do a thing for me. They're nice and squishy for a trip to the grocery store, but I'll stick to my sneakers (Rykas -- made for women!) for park touring

Stroller rage: didn't witness one incident, I'm happy to report

Courtesy on buses: Bus courtesy was alive and well! Whoever wanted/needed a seat, got a seat

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I might be back with more

 

[capnho]

My minority opinion: I don't hate Stitch's Great Escape. It's certainly not the greatest attraction I've ever been on, but I thought it was an amusing diversion. We pretty much walked on early in the day. If I had spent a lot of time waiting in line I may not have been so forgiving.

 

[Mainebound]

This is a fun idea!

Here are some real minority opinions:
1. Staying offsite is just as good, but in a different way, as staying onsite.
2. We did not like our Wilderness Lodge stay, and especially hated Roaring Forks.
3. We hate MGM/Disney Studios -- now we just go to Universal Studios instead.
4. We love Tom Sawyer Island.
5. Epcot is not only me and DH's favorite park, but our young kids' fave, too.
6. Chefs de France is way overrated - and overpriced.
7. Todd English's Blue Zoo in the Dolphin is fantastic.

 

[lorli]

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the 50's prime time cafe. It was not at all like I was thinking. It was a great experience even though the waiter was loud and obnoxious, of course this was the part he was playing. The food was good and welcomed because it was like home cooking and after eating out so often it felt good and you really feel familish while there.

 

[mill4023]

My minority opinions:

Kali River Rapids is a really lame ride. Total waste of time.
1/2 day is NOT enough for either AK or MGM.
Dinosaur is better than Indy Adventure at Disneyland.
Columbia Harbour House is not good. They serve tiny portions that are overpriced.
Hollywood and Vine, on the other hand, was really good.
Going back to the hotel for afternoon breaks is more trouble than it's worth.
Character meals are not as much fun as everyone said.

It may sound like a lot, but there is so much more information and advice I had read here that I DO agree with. Everything I learned here made our first trip a couple months ago fantastic.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

I have to preface my minority opinions by saying that I HAVE found the DIS boards truly helpful. However, you can't just read one report and know that sums everything up about a place. As others have stated already, we all have our own opinions. Now, onwards....

1. AK is our absolute favorite park -- especially at night. We try to spend a couple of hours here every day. That way, we avoid rushing from one ride to the next. I think many people never stop to appreciate the awesome theming here.

2. AKL is our favorite resort. Until very recently, good reports for this resort were few and far between. Many people complained of dark rooms and poor bus service. All but one of our rooms (It was a standard view room on the 5th floor with the enclosed balcony and low hanging thatch roof.) has been very bright. How unique to be able to see giraffes from your window!

3. We really enjoyed our brief stay at CSR in May. Again, until recently, I read many complaints about this "convention" resort. I was surprised by how family-friendly this hotel was. It truly has many of the same amenities as a deluxe. The room service is definitely a big plus for us!

4. Restaurant Marrakesh has become my 13 yo ds' absolute favorite WDW restaurant. I would never have predicted this. After our May visit for lunch, we all agreed that the food was excellent. Ds has put this at the top of his "must-do" list for Oct.

5. While DQ is not for me, my 13 yo ds and dh LOVE it! Ds spent a good portion of our 10-day May trip here. Ds is such a computer/gaming geek that I didn't think the technology here would impress him any longer. Boy was I wrong!

6. 1900 Park Faire is our favorite dinner character meal. Everything about our May visit was perfect.

7. While I enjoy O'Hana, I cannot understand why so many people are wowed by it.

8. I HATE Rose & Crown. Our last meal there was truly awful -- made with frozen vegetables. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

9. MGM is our least favorite park. We keep trying to find more to enjoy here, but I guess it's just not for us.

 

[crisi]

Didn't like Boma. Zebra domes were -- stale.

Like AK. Not a half day park

Think Epcot is fine for small kids

New one: Storm Along Bay. It is a fantastic pool. But its a nightmare with kids of a certain age. I'd never recommend it to anyone with several elementary school children!

 

[MomofKatie]

My minority opinions:

1- I wasn't really impressed with the Festival of the Lion King So many post that it is terrific, wonderful, and amazing- I thought it was okay. Liked the tumbling monkeys and the flying bird-lady, but not impressed with the singers.

2- There are only about five things at MGM we really want to do- ToT, RnR, GMR, Muppets, and Star Tours. Maybe Little Mermaid if we don't have to wait, but that's it. Haven't seen Fantasmic yet, though, so we might be adding it to the list.

3- Even though we've only stayed at a few on site resorts, we have had great bus service at them all. We never move our car once we check in.

4- As much as I heard about the "awful" Jersey Week crowds, I found it to be a great time to go to WDW. We met lots of folks from NJ, and had a great vacation- we didn't wait long for anything.

 

[crabmeal]

I was totally psyched to go to LeCellier and Ohana. LeCellier because my DH is steak fan and I love any soup with cheddar in it. Well the service was poor, the steak was overdone and the soup was yucky. So I was not impressed.
I love the Poly and wanted see fireworks while eating dinner. We did get a lovely window seat and my kids have fun playing the games. But I thought the food at the luau show was better. My Dh didn;t like the spices on the meats and I thought thye were dry. We'll have to try Kona next.

 

[Gary M]

1) Stayed at Poly about 7 years ago and will not go back. When we checked in, the CM at the front desk was just plain nasty. In 33 on site stays at WDW, this was the only time this has happened to us. The rooms seemed dirty and smelled. The theme of the resort just seemed cheesy to us. WDW has a great selection of resorts to fit every taste and the Poly wasn't our "cup-of-tea". We didn't like the sinks being in same room as the shower and toilet.

2) We have stayed at the GF 8 times over the years and have not found it to be stuffy at all. We are just plain people from fly-over country and were not intimidated by the GF.

3) We have stayed at the WL 19 times. We have never rented a car at WDW. The transportation at the WL has been fine during our stays. We can compare it to our stays at GF, BWI, Poly, AKL and POR.

4) We also like the Si-Fi.

 

[10drum]

Blizzard beach is ok, but not as nice as Typhoon lagoon.

 

[crjack]

Sorry...I haven't read every thread but for us I have to say the bus system puts us in the minority. We enjoy staying both on and off-site (love the extra space off-site) but we always rent a car. I'm surprised at the number of people who pay on-site prices but hesitate to get a car. (Especially before the ME service and you had to pay for airport transport anyway) The rates are so cheap in Orlando and for us, after a long day at a park, waiting for a bus is just not in the vacation plans.

We do love the boat though and if we stayed at a monorail resort I'm sure we would be hooked but having stayed at a moderate and FW we will never take advantage of the transportation system again. It's just what works for us but I realize it's not everyone's choice.

 

[MaryFMac]

1. After arriving at our resort, we park our car and it sits in its happy space until we leave. We're baffled by people actually drive to parks when staying on property.

2. We hate Disneyquest. We tried really hard to find the appeal, but nope, not for us.

3. Peter Pan's wait was not worth the ride (it had longer waits than Splash and Space Mtn. COMBINED on our last trip).

4. Meeting a character means nothing to us. We were the kids who you see screaming when forced to interact with the giant, furry things.

5. We see no point in buying WDW souvenirs. You'd never know we were Disney fans. The only memorabilia we buy is a small Christmas ornament to commemorate the trip. Our friends don't even believe we go to WDW on vacation.

 

[Keebles]

OK, I've been dying to get this off my chest, here's mine:

La Nouba - I am so so so glad Bravo played it on tv because it saved us a $100 a piece!! I had a feeling that I would hate it, but my sis wanted to go. I kept trying to talk myself out of it but it just wasn't working! I was planning to surprise her and get her tickets to go, but after we watched it on tv I was saved!!

CBR - I read so many complaints about all the walking and the horrible bus system and I still don't get it. We've stayed twice, once in Oct. in Aruba and once in Jan. in Martinque and never spent more than five minutes walking to OPR or waited more than five minutes for a bus!

Le Cellier - Is now and will always be my favorite restaurant at WDW. Never had a bad meal, never had a bad server, never had a bad ticket...um.. pretzel...bread...got..to...have...pretzel...bread!

Fultons - Awful, awful, awful!! The most expensive meal I've ever had in my entire life and quite possibly the smallest!! Server was extremely hateful and kept making nasty comments about our accent and Arkansans!!

Dole whips - It's ok, but nothing special. I don't think I'll ever want another one.

DisneyQuest - We also loved it!! We were a group of adults and I thought they were gonna have to pull us away!

Strollers and Bus Seats - I also have no horror stories here.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Hmmm, let's see...
LOVE AK, will be even better when they have Expedition Everest up and running.

Hated Fantasmic, found it incredibly boring and overrated (DH and DS loved it, though...maybe a sex-linked trait?).
Loved the Luau. Wasn't there so much for the food as for the entertainment, and that was fun. Hunky Polynesian Men, need I say more?

Character breakfasts...WHY??? Ok, when the kids were little, it was fun to watch their faces...until they started crying, of course. Since then it seems a monumental waste of valuable park time.

Loved FW cabins...never had a problem with the buses at all, ran very efficiently. Nice and quiet, comfy.

 

[mcgrawfan]

We DID NOT like Fantasmic. There was too much hype and we were disappointed.

We love MGM!

We enjoy AK.

We have no desire to stay at a value resort.

We aren't big EPCOT fans, but always make a visit when we are at WDW.

That's all I can think of. I love reading everyone opinions on these boards. I am sure one thing we can all agree on is these boards are addictive.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Oh, here's another...
TourGuide Mike...can't for the life of me figure out why others think he's so great. He costs too much, his info is highly suspect and not updated nearly frequently enough, and he's only one man (to his credit, he does give refunds willingly), whereas the Unofficial Guide and TouringPlans.com are groups of informed people who are constantly updating their material. But try saying that on any of the boards...you'll get flamed within an inch of your life.