Shocking Thoughts On Disney Trip

[Brave teacher]

My neighbors just got back on Sunday from their first trip as a family to WDW. The mom went several times as a child, but her husband had never gone. They have 3 little boys (2, 5, & 6). They departed around 12:30 PM on New Year's Eve, arrived in WDW at 1:30 AM, and went to MK for park opening.

Before I say anything else, she did say that she and her family had a fabulous time. They got lanyards from the Dream Squad on the first day after they got off of IASW, and her two oldest boys we picked for Jedi Training at DHS during the first show of the day.

1. They did not do AK at all! When they told the boys where they were going that day, they explained to them that AK was a ZOO!!! Of course after riding all of these roller coasters, watching these fabulous shows, and meeting the characters, they did not want to go to the zoo.

2. They left without using all of their credits on their dining plan. They still had 11 cs credits and 3 ts credits left over when they left. She went to the food court at POP and got a few sandwiches for the ride home.

3. She was upset that you could not use your dining plan credits wherever you wanted. She was so upset that she couldn't get her boys a hot dog, chips, and a drink at a snack cart and have the vendor ring it up as a cs credit. IT'S A SNACK CART!!! You use snack credits! Obviously, hot dogs do not count as snack credits.

4. They said that they do not understand the value of Fastpass since you are only allowed to get 2-3 per day!

5. They said they will go back, but when their youngest is 5. There is no reason to bring someone younger than 5 to WDW. I know this one is a personal thing, but it is shocking to me. They will miss so many magical moments that they won't be able to get back because of that idea.

6. SHe was upset that kids under 3 eat free meant they get to eat from their parents entrees. She thought it meant they got to order something from the menu for free.

A couple of my friends are also Dis-ers, and we all agreed that we are to never tell them how much they wasted on this trip. Like I said, they said they had a fabulous trip.

The frustrating part is that she is one of those people who went to WDW and didn't want the help of her friend. SHe thought she didn't even have to read anything about it before she went because she's been there before.

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

I have a friend her at work that has been to WDW 30 years ago when it was just MK and she thinks it is no different and it just like Six Flags!! OMG!


So her DD and DH and grand daughter are planning a trip ,but they want no advice... They are carefree she tells me and never plan for anything...... Well you know what will happen...

They will arrive at peak Spring break time and have no ADR's and no plans for what they are going to do....Not have a clue about Fast Pass...I can just see them standing there in hoards of people thinking "What have we gotten our selves into"???

I just feel bad for the Granddaughter because with a little planning they can have a wonderful time. I try and offer advice, but they act like they do not need it.

What can you do with people like that???? I know in the off season you don't always have to keep a plan, but in the peak time it sure helps.

Isn't it amazing how frustrating this is too a true Disney fan!! It just gripes the heck out of me!!


For me planning is half the fun, but they won't listen...

Sounds like you tried to help.

Michelle

 

[Kaye]

My friend and I just had a similar conversation about her db-in-law and ds-in-law. They went the day after Christmas for 4 days, no planning, stayed offsite and got to the parks at 10:30 or 11:00. Then they complained about it. Her sis-in-law worked at Epcot in landscaping for a short time and still didn't get it. She thought her kids would like to see where she worked. Four days at Christmas, kids never been and they want to see the grounds where Mom worked. I know these kids, this isn't want they want.

They complained about the cost--well yeah if you're not using your time wisely. And they think my friend is crazy for loving to go. O well, for you holiday visitors to the World, you will have one less family to contend with.

 

[imprimouse]

My friend and I just had a similar conversation about her db-in-law and ds-in-law. They went the day after Christmas for 4 days, no planning, stayed offsite and got to the parks at 10:30 or 11:00. Then they complained about it. Her sis-in-law worked at Epcot in landscaping for a short time and still didn't get it. She thought her kids would like to see where she worked. Four days at Christmas, kids never been and they want to see the grounds where Mom worked. I know these kids, this isn't want they want.

They complained about the cost--well yeah if you're not using your time wisely. And they think my friend is crazy for loving to go. O well, for you holiday visitors to the World, you will have one less family to contend with.

first post, hi all!
every trip we spot folks that are just clueless. we would like to stop & educate them but you know how valuable disney time is ... shorter lines for the rest of us I guess

as someone mentioned above, planning the trip is enjoyable for us as well, and boy does it pay off!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

well hello and welcome imprimouse!! were glad u are here!

 

[smidgy]

even though all our friends know how often we go to WDW, when any of them do finally go, they don't ask for or listen to our tips !
recently friends went with their extended family with the DDp, and would NOT make adrs. they ended up leaving 4 EACH!! TS credits unused!!! (notCS- TS)
they kept telling me that the food was "included" in their package. I kept telling them that, no they are paying for the dining plan. (no, it wasn't free dining) it didn't matter to them that they missed out on 4 nice restaurants and wasted the money because it was "included anyway".
however, now that their trip is over, i just let them think that. why burst their bubble?

 

[Suziqzer]

I'm too frugal to be like that... I'm scared we won't use all of our credits and we won't come out ahead (esp now since they changed the dining). I've not been there since my parents took me- offsite, and plan to make the most of my vacation and $!!1

 

[marvel]

I think everyone has friends like that. I am from Australia but a Disney nut. Have been to Disneyland 3 times, which is pretty good considering the cost and distance. But all my friends know I plan obsessively and know alot about Disney compared to your average Aussie. I have several friends that who travelled seperately to Disneyland and went for 1 or 2 days! Refused to ask for any info even though I offerred and when I asked them about what they saw and did, they didn't even know what half of the attractions were.

And they said that it's not worth waiting for 45 mins for every ride!! And couldn't understand why some people went into a shorter line for the ride.

 

[dbarker]

I can totally relate. My Mom and DSis and family went the same time we did a few years ago. No one would listen to me. No one read the books I bought and gave them.

They stayed off property, thought Epcot was just a bunch of stores, thought MK was just like 6 Flags, and wanted to know where we got our meal vouchers (remember those, before the Dining Plan?). I told them all about the meal vouchers and everything before we left home, they just chose not to listen.

Oh well, as the saying goes: "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink".

 

[Mickey1974]

5. They said they will go back, but when their youngest is 5. There is no reason to bring someone younger than 5 to WDW. I know this one is a personal thing, but it is shocking to me. They will miss so many magical moments that they won't be able to get back because of that idea.

We went with friends who had a 2 year old and a 4 year old and they said that Magic Kingdom didn't have enough for them to do and maybe they would go back when the kids were older. I thought this was the dumbest comment that I had ever heard anyone make about MK. We brought our daughter who was 18 months at the time and we took her on so many rides and I can remember her wearing a "perma-grin" the entire time! She doesn't remember the trip now but I sure do and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Again, it's just my opinion but I don't think there is really an age restriction at that park.

 

[happymommy]

This is funny! I've been about 20 times, and every I take my family, we experience something new and wonderful, from new years eve illuminations cruise on Breathless, to dining at Bistro de Paris, to the California Grill, it goes on and on. I research the trip, plan meals and special outings, utilize fastpasses, etc. We have NEVER waited in a long line! And we don't go commando either, just smart.

My DBinlaw took his kids ONCE - Memorial Day weekend. They took the MIL and FIL, stayed OFFSITE in a condo (so they could cook? They were only there for the weekend). I think they only went to MK. We kept saying you HAVE to stay IN disney! They wouldn't listen. Drove to MK, complained that all they did was wait in long lines. They'll never go back, and have no idea why we love it there (at least I do, my DH goes along with me).

Didn't want any advice. Didn't get it! I did tell them, you need to stay IN disney as time is money, and that is a super busy weekend! Oh well...

 

[themcgoos]

This is one of my favorite threads.....we all know people who are not "Disney people" for whatever reason, in my opinion b/c they refuse or don't take the time to give it a chance, but I am sure they would tell a different story. I tell a story about my wife "forcing" me to go to Disney our first time with our then 2 1/2 year old daughter. I went kicking and screaming. We only went for 2 nights/3 days to POFQ and I absolutely loved it. We have been back 3 times (4th this April) and we have not stayed for less than 10 days each time. I am so hooked, and I have hooked our now 13 and 9 year old daughters so much that my wife gets sick of us talking about it sometimes now! haha

To each his/her own....

 

[marvel]

I think it means I don't want to spend the money again for a few more years!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Everybody has a friend or family member like the original poster. I am a certified WDW nut. Our first trip was taken when our son was just 1 and our daughter was 11. We have gone every year since 1998 (sometimes more than once a year) and have no plans to go anywhere else on vacation besides WDW. Needless to say, I've picked up sooo many tips and suggestions over the years.

Last year, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law decided they wanted to go to WDW. They were all excited and we were excited for them. They asked our husband and I to help decide where to stay and they did the rest. They received the free water parks and more option upgrade on their tickets and purchased the Disney Dining Plan.

They made their ADRs for dinner but made them around 5:00 p.m. That would have been okay but they thought they had to go back to their resort, shower, change their clothes and then go to their ADR. That took a lot of their park touring time away.

They did not check out the menus ahead of time so they were wandering around looking for a counter service restaurant that had something for everybody in their group.

They did a semi-thorough job on checking out which rides had height requirements but they didn't read about the "scare factor" of the rides or baby swap. Their children were 7 and 3. One met the height requirement and another did not. They didn't know that they could use baby swap so they skipped a lot of the rides or only one adult got to ride.

They liked the Disney transportation but didn't do enough reading about how it worked so they had to ask a lot of questions and stare at the bus boards quite a bit.

They also thought that since they had the free park hoppers, they need to hop as much as they could. All of us know that that is not a good idea for first timers. Too much time wasted if you haven't done enough research.

Their day at the water park didn't start until about 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. They didn't know it would be so crowded!

They came back home and said they had a fun time but they should have done some more research 'cause they sure did miss a lot of good stuff.

My husband and I are trying to talk them into coming with us on our May/June, 2008 trip. I think they would have so much fun going with somebody who knows their way around, knows how the transporation system works, knows where to eat, etc. etc. etc.

They haven't decided if their youngest one is old enough to go back yet but they'll let us know soon. Yeah right! They may find out they waited too late to get a room!

If only the newbies would listen to us veterans!

 

[CrazedDisFan]

Ah yes, the moron friends. We have some of those too!

These are some of the tidbits of wonder we heard when they came home:

1. Al lthe food is the same. They had the same EXACT meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe and Liberty Tree Tavern.

2. The Monsters, Inc. Comedy Show is tiny. They waited in line FOREVER and there are only like 20 seats in there! Good lord, that place holds WAYYYYYYYY more than 20 people.

3. They didn't see that many characters. They just couldn't really find any at all. Now this was a surprise to me since their kids all have 25+ autographs.

4. The food is ridiuclous. The portions are small for adults and big for kids. Now that complaint has to be a first. ESPECIALLY when they ate at 5 buffets/all you can eat family style places.

 

[WishesQueen]

Hey There!!

I have to say I have the same friends too. I love that they ask for help and then do something completely opposite. (regrets)!!! Don't mess with the vetern.

The other thing I love (and I am sure you guys must get this too), when they find out that I am on the website almost everyday soaking in even more information, they laugh. They tell me that I need to get a life!!! I actually think their pretty funny, I should just laugh back!!!!

All I know is I go to WDW every year with my DH, DS13 and DD11 and we too aren't looking for a different vacation at all!!! And if they ever came with us they would understand why we love it, I just don't think I want to take the chance of anyone ruining my vacation!!!

I am glad I am not alone

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

Well now I have been told the the DH of her DD has found a great time share deal where if they just listen to a talk for 90 minutes they can get a room and free Disney tickets!! I said I am sure that is true, but it won't be at a Disney resort and it will probably only be 1 day passes...
She said no I think it is DIS....I said stop right there...It is not! Disney does not do that sort of thing. They have their own time share.... I get so frusterated sometimes.

I said why are they trying to cut corners. Just book a package and take the DD on her Disney vacation. The poor kid has watched the planning DVD I had them sent a hundred times and I am sorry ,but that is not what they are going to get....

I told her they probably won't save all that much money with renting a car, tickets for the other parks, parking fees and meals ect.... Drives me crazy and when I say I feel sorry for the Grand daughter she gets so mad at me....I just tell her that I feel that way because I know how much fun Disney can be and what she will miss out on staying off site and having too sit at a time share talk. They just don't have a clue....

My DH says I need to keep my mouth shut! He is probably right. They will never understand.
The really sad part is they plan to go next month, but have not booked a room, airfare or any ADR's........ They just won't listen....

Boy these boards are a great place to vent....thanks

Michelle

 

[WishesQueen]

I am frustrated for you!!!!

(my DH would say the same thing)!!! Then when I get in trouble, because I never listen. I get "I could you so"!!!

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Well, my mom took me when I "graduated" elementary school. We lived in Oceanside, CA for a while and my mom had lived in SoCal before I was born. They were used to DL, but this was our first trip to WDW.

No, we didn't make ADRs, we didn't plan everything out and we didn't trapse around the World with a guidebook. We did go in May, it was pretty darn hot and we stayed off property, but you know what, I had a great time!!

I was in the Happiest Place on Earth, and it didn't matter to me that we didn't get to see everything, try everything, etc. I was just thrilled to be there.

Now, I've been planning for our May trip since last May, but I honestly think that my little ones will remember seeing the castle, meeting Mickey and being with their family, not that I planned out ADRs, got P&PP tickets and had saved money so they could enjoy a deluxe trip.

Some people plan, some people don't. I don't think that makes anyone a moron. Everyone has different ideas of what they want to do at Disney. When I went with my mom, I was just really enjoying being there. This time, I definitely have plans, but I'm hoping both times will be great experiences. I know my first trip was!!