Taking a break from some of the parks until new attractions?

[amg35]

Actually, for us, quite the opposite is true. It's actually enabled us to hop and still have headliners to ride in our afternoon park.

Mornings are relatively easy to tour with no fp+'s. We schedule our fp's for the evenings or afternoons when it's more crowded. This doesn't work for everyone, but I'm reading more and more people who are using this method.

I did it the same as you and it worked out fine for us too.

But...I'd still much rather be able to book one fast pass at HS in the morning for Tower of Terror and 2 at MK later in the night (for example).

 

[mybestieismickey]

I have considered skipping DHS, just because it looks so sad on paper, but in reality I know we won't. We would never consider skipping AK since it is our favorite.

That said, when we finally get there in 2017, it will have been eight years since our last trip to WDW, much of the current construction should be completed (but who knows what else might crop up), and we will have park hoppers. So we will probably throw half a day at DHS and maybe an evening if the kiddos can handle staying up for Fantasmic!

I think the PHs are the key. If we didn't have them DHS would require some serious thought. I also think that they are a big reason DHS and AK have been able to maintain attendance in this time of cattle shoots and dead space. Sure, there are going to be those that don't know what's going on and those that will go no matter what (if we could squeeze the time and money for a trip this year we absolutely would not skip AK), but for most with base tickets, especially repeat visitors, I think serious debate would ensue, probably resulting in waiting for things to get a little better in those parks.

For us, the only must do would be Rock n Rollercoaster and even that would be up in the air since we have toddlers and prefer to ride together and not use single rider lines. And maybe 50's PT. But spending money on a ticket so I can go spend more money on food seems silly. Everything else we would want to do we are able to do at DLR where we go almost yearly, and either park there is a way better bang for your buck than DHS.

 

[mom2rtk]

I did it the same as you and it worked out fine for us too.

But...I'd still much rather be able to book one fast pass at HS in the morning for Tower of Terror and 2 at MK later in the night (for example).

I bet there are a ton of people who would be much happier with the system if they could do this.

But as long as there is a need for tiering, I just don't see it happening since it sort of defeats the purpose.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I think you just gotta lower your expectations a little bit.

Disney has a lot more customers in 2015 than they had even just three or four years ago. More people + same amount of attractions = longer lines. Sure we got New Fantasyland, but I don't think the added capacity is even close to the increased MK attendance figures.

Just keep your expectations low until the next recession when attendance drops again and the lines shorten a bit.

I didn't see anyone say they were skipping apark because of the crowds. Although it certainly doesn't help that DHS only has 5 rides. There are only so many places for people to go....

Actually, for us, quite the opposite is true. It's actually enabled us to hop and still have headliners to ride in our afternoon park.

Mornings are relatively easy to tour with no fp+'s. We schedule our fp's for the evenings or afternoons when it's more crowded. This doesn't work for everyone, but I'm reading more and more people who are using this method.

I find this interesting, because I felt the exact opposite about PH with FP+. On our last trip, we hit MK for EMH with plans to hop to Epcot. Of course we couldn't get FP+ for both headliners and this locked us out of using any FP in the morning. We really missed having those FP in MK. I also found it stressful to try to figure out how long we would need in MK to do what we wanted without FP and how long it would take us to get to Epcot by monorail so far ahead of time. While some people find FP+ gives them more freedom, we felt very constrained by it. Based on that, I'm trying to plan differently for our upcoming trip. I'm not saying you're wrong, just saying that it really depends on personal preference.

To get back to the OP, we're taking a long trip this time, so we are not skipping any of the parks, but DHS is the only park we aren't visiting twice. Next year we'll probably take a much short trip and stay at a value so that we can add on 3 nights a Universal. We'll probably skip DHS on that trip.

 

[seelyt2]

We usually visit annually but instead this summer we're doing a Disney cruise to Alaska, and next year we'll visit Disneyland. Hopefully after that (2017) things will be better for our family to visit the World (crossing fingers!).

 

[Bullseye]

Your going to tell me what I should and shouldn't expect from Disney? and my attitude? That's my whole problem I haven't approached my vacations the right way. Keep your thoughts about others to yourself!

WOW!!!!
Hostile and offensive - to say the least!!!!
I did not, will not, and care not to tell you what to expect from Disney. I couldn't give one hoot about your attitude.
I couldn't care less about how you approach your vacations. Grow up and see beyond yourself.
I was speaking of my view and my expectations and I am happy

Wow Hopefully As soon as I saw that reply to your original post, the twilight zone music started playing in my head . I assumed you were speaking for yourself and I agree with your assessment...we won't be skipping any parks either!

 

[JanaDee]

Oh come on! People say negative things all the time here. People give less than positive feed back about trips. There are countless I hate fast pass or whatever threads that are pages long and it's been like that for a couple years now. And lot's of people on those threads are agreeing with the dissatisfied sentiments. ( and justly so if their trips are no longer what they want).

But please - let's hold off on the "oh I'm so persecuted if I don't like something Disney does" attitude - maybe a couple of posters in particular may say something, but the majority won't. It used to be like that here, but not anymore. I can remember when Universal would never be mentioned! Now it's not only mentioned, people discuss, plan and give great advice on going there.

(and I'll say the same goes for anyone who thinks they can't post something positive - sure you can and many people will agree with you)

"Persecuted"? I believe you are the only one that used that word, not me.

 

[PSUGuy]

We do WDW yearly for Food&Wine staying for 9 park days the last 2 times and we're not skipping anything with only that for our fix. As mentioned earlier there's always something being built, refurbed or dismantled so we go with the flow. Just being there can be enough.

Bill From PA

 

[Angel Ariel]

We are skipping wdw this year, and we are looking forward to.new attractions being there on our next trip, but we didn't nix the wdw trip this year because of it, if that makes sense.

We were going to go for the wine and dine marathon weekend with my brother's family. They have had to pull out of the trip. First we were just going to go to wdw a week later, over my birthday, but then dh saw that the avengers half marathon in DLR is that weekend, so we moved the trip from wdw to dlr. DLR is my favorite park, always has been, so I'm excited to spend my birthday there and experience the new stuff there as well as all of the 60th anniversary celebration!

 

[ELSA711]

We are skipping wdw this year, and we are looking forward to.new attractions being there on our next trip, but we didn't nix the wdw trip this year because of it, if that makes sense.

We were going to go for the wine and dine marathon weekend with my brother's family. They have had to pull out of the trip. First we were just going to go to wdw a week later, over my birthday, but then dh saw that the avengers half marathon in DLR is that weekend, so we moved the trip from wdw to dlr. DLR is my favorite park, always has been, so I'm excited to spend my birthday there and experience the new stuff there as well as all of the 60th anniversary celebration!

I wish I could love DLR, it has been on my bad list for years. I just refuse to go back, last time I went was 2003.
I see so many people glowing about it and how that is where the magic started and I'm so jealous...LOL
I want to feel that about DLR but I just don't

 

[mom2rtk]

I wish I could love DLR, it has been on my bad list for years. I just refuse to go back, last time I went was 2003.
I see so many people glowing about it and how that is where the magic started and I'm so jealous...LOL
I want to feel that about DLR but I just don't

That's too bad. If you haven't been since the DCA overhaul, then you really haven't been.

 

[ELSA711]

That's too bad. If you haven't been since the DCA overhaul, then you really haven't been.

I will go online to research it a bit more but man how I would miss Epcot and AK.
DH who grew up loving DL and going every year with his family agrees. He says it's nothing like WDW and couldn't imagine ever going back to DL after spending our family time at WDW, but maybe we need to look hard at DCA

 

[cakebaker]

I will go online to research it a bit more but man how I would miss Epcot and AK.
DH who grew up loving DL and going every year with his family agrees. He says it's nothing like WDW and couldn't imagine ever going back to DL after spending our family time at WDW, but maybe we need to look hard at DCA

We've been to DL a few times and enjoyed it, but we thought it would give us our Disney fix and it didn't.

WDW is "ours". There's just so many different things to do, but mostly it's where our memories are and while DL was a must see just for the nostalgia, It's not "ours". We had some great moments - the dessert buffet on the balcony was priceless. But WDW is the one we love.

 

[mom2rtk]

We've been to DL a few times and enjoyed it, but we thought it would give us our Disney fix and it didn't.

WDW is "ours". There's just so many different things to do, but mostly it's where our memories are and while DL was a must see just for the nostalgia, It's not "ours". We had some great moments - the dessert buffet on the balcony was priceless. But WDW is the one we love.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I'm happy for anyone who has WDW as a happy place.

But didn't you say that you hadn't been to DLR since the DCA overhaul either?

 

[cakebaker]

No we haven't. I'm sure it's amazing - Disney knows how to do it right. We gave another trip some thought but WDW won out for now. It's one or the other every summer and so far, when we have to pick, WDW wins.

The drive is no small hindrance for us. It's a brutal drive and we don't fly - maybe someday though.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm considering going to Disneyland next year and skipping Disney World. I live in Georgia so it's a long flight but it might be time to take a break from Disney World for a year.

I am going to US/IOA in early December for Disapolooza and doing one day in MK but that's it for Disney World for the rest of this year.

 

[mom2rtk]

No we haven't. I'm sure it's amazing - Disney knows how to do it right. We gave another trip some thought but WDW won out for now. It's one or the other every summer and so far, when we have to pick, WDW wins.

The drive is no small hindrance for us. It's a brutal drive and we don't fly - maybe someday though.

That's too bad. I thought when I saw you on the DLR forum recently that meant you had decided to plan a trip there.

We actually drove there 3 times from the Midwest and that part of the country is so amazing it was part of the attraction.

 

[L&Lfan]

I wish I could love DLR, it has been on my bad list for years. I just refuse to go back, last time I went was 2003.
I see so many people glowing about it and how that is where the magic started and I'm so jealous...LOL
I want to feel that about DLR but I just don't

I went to Disneyland in 2004 for the first time in 36 years (when I was a tot!) I loved it so much I returned in 2006, 2007 and 2013 and am anxiously awaiting my next trip. Just curious to know what didn't you like about it. I've been going to WDW just about every year since 1972. I love both resorts and really don't prefer one to the other. The only drawback to my visiting DL more frequently is the fact that I live on the east coast (New Jersey).

 

[Colleen27]

I had planned to skip AK until Avatar is done because while the park is beautifully themed the attractions aren't can't-miss in my book (and the construction takes a lot away from the aesthetics at the moment), but my daughter talked me into devoting a half day to it so my mom can see Lion King for the first time and DD can ride Everest at least once.

I'd happily avoid Studios too if not for the Frozen summer events. We're actually spending a whole day there for the first time in forever (ba-dum ching!) to do the premium package.

I'll only have two park days if I head down solo in September and I can guarantee I won't be spending either of them at AK or DHS.

For me it isn't so much waiting for new things as the fact that those parks, as they are now, don't offer a lot that interests us. We've skipped them on short trips before and will likely do so again. Maybe the new additions will change that, maybe they won't. We won't know until we actually experience the new elements ourselves.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I will go online to research it a bit more but man how I would miss Epcot and AK.
DH who grew up loving DL and going every year with his family agrees. He says it's nothing like WDW and couldn't imagine ever going back to DL after spending our family time at WDW, but maybe we need to look hard at DCA

I totally agree with your dh that DLR is a completely different experience. You can't look at it the same way as WDW...IMO, that's when people start to get disappointed in DL - when they are looking for the wdw resort experience there.

That said, different isn't always worse . I don't know what you didn't like about DLR, so I won't presume anything . For us, there is still so.much to do there that we love it. We do miss epcot and AK when we are there, but this year especially we are looking forward to all that's new since our last trip there in 2009. 3 new nighttime spectaculars opening this month for the 60th annicersary, Carsland, Buena Vista Street/Carthay Circle, Grizzly Peak (rethemed Condor Flats area)..plus all the rehabs that have added significant differences to rides since 2009 - thunder mtn, HM (Hatbox ghost), PPF, Alice in Wonderland..seeing the holiday overlays at haunted mansion, iasw, and jingle cruise..plus all the new live entertainment they are adding for the 60th too. It's a lot! I'm sure I've missed some in there too...and that's just since 2009! There's.more going back to 2003 .

As much as we will miss epcot (WS especially) and AK, I have no doubt we will be kept very busy by all that's new at DLR for us to see!