Things that met/exceeded your expectations and things that didn't

[nilla]

FastPass+ and the whole Magic Band thing exceeded my expectations, but that's probably because I was horrified of it initially. Also Magic, Memories and You, or whatever they're calling the projection-on-the-Castle show these days. I thought it would just be photos from the PhotoPass CMs. Boy, was I wrong. What a show!

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom underwhelmed me, but I think my wife's frustration with the buggy tech played a part in that

Looking back, my first trip back to MK in a long time was in 2006. One of our first rides was Splash Mountain. I remember expecting it to basically go up the big hill, then down the big hill. I was blown away by the depth of the ride. It made me a Disney junkie almost immediately.

 

[sharonped]

Full Disclosure: We are one of the families completely frustrated with FP+ and will take some years off. With that said, these are the things that keep me coming back to this board to see if things are changing for the better so we can come back.


Exceeded:
Art of Animation at DHS
Streetmosphere actors at every park - go out of my way to find them
All of the parades except the now (I believe) extinct Animal Kingdom parade
RNR - favorite ride of all time in any theme park ever
Most CMs - helpfulness and way they interact with children
Jedi training - so fun
All of the live shows at all of the parks
Writer's Stop(?) little coffee shop in DHS
Pulling the rope in the Indiana Jones queue
All of the fireworks shows
50's Prime Time (except our last trip - waiters were overworked and did very little interaction)
pin-trading
All of our food was good, we also enjoyed the DDP
Doing a snack-sharing scavenger hunt my husband made up for the family
Dolphin Encounter at Epcot (not sure still available)
Pretty much all of AK (Dinoland being the exception- BUT when my boys were little we'd spend hours digging in the Dino Fossil Graveyard)- love, love, love that park - got to see them calling the gorillas in at close and talked to one of the gorilla caregivers for 1/2 hour.
African drummers at AK
Finding Nemo show at AK
FOTLK
Music/sound/smell atmosphere - esp at AK and MK
Voices of Liberty - makes me cry
Pretty much all World Showcase - love American pavilion, Japanese and Moroccan pavilions. Love the terra cotta warriors display in China, and all the costumes/history/fountains in several little hidden rooms in Morocco. Koi ponds and walking path and taiko drums in Japan.
Love Phineas and Ferb Adventure at EPCOT
Loved Biergarten- food, songs, and dancing
Possibility of pulling the sword out of the stone in front of the carousel at MK (we saw a 3-year girl do it)
All the nostalgic rides at MK (for me: Peter Pan, Carousel of Progress, People Mover, Hall of Presidents, Pooh, Small World)
Love Tom Sawyers Island - only place our boys could go off on their own
Haunted Mansion, Pirates (of course)
The Suits of Armor knights talking to each other at BOG
Liked the Magic Bands (also fun to decorate)
Pirates card-collecting game at MK (can't remember the exact name)
Beauty and the Beast experience at New Fantasyland

Underwhelming/disappointed:
FP+ (3 limit, tiering, longer SB lines, 4th and beyond at long line kiosks) Yes we were commando's, super-early rope drop every single day, 6-10 FPs, multiple rides, no breaks, close the place down. This is how we do (well...did) Disney. DH even has a special - extra fast walk the rest of us call the Disney Walk.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Really love the idea and the kids liked it. The problem we found was every portal would have multiple people waiting to do it, so there weren't any surprises. Also had several adults jump in front of children who had been waiting patiently - in the line.
All of New Fantasyland. It was pretty...but with 2 boys who have outgrown Dumbo, it just wasn't worth the hype..for our family. I can definitely see how others in a different phase would love it. Didn't get to ride Mine Train so can't comment.
"New" Little Mermaid ride was a sad, sad joke. Most disappointing experience of the whole trip for us.
Agree with PP that the new castle perspective was way too forced. It looks weird to me. I appreciate the forced perspective in the rest of the park - Main Street and Cinderella's castle.
Vast open dead areas in EPCOT
Same as PPs - Figment, Captain EO, Stitch, smelly hot cars in Tomorrowland, Mission to Space, tired movies in Canada and France, not enough rides for crowds

 

[JamiLeigh1913]

Love this! Can't think right now, but all my mom talks about is Soarin. She's been to Disney once in 30 years. It was with my sisters and their families and they would sleep in, get to park late, have no real plans, and it was in June. Pretty sure they only went to MK. We are going this Oct with myself, DH, our two boys and my mom. Hoping Soarin meets her expectations. That's all she wants to do.

 

[Disney93]

After about 17 trips to WDW we finally did the Pirates and Pals cruise. We had one of the best times ever. This more than met every expectation I had. We were a group of 10 and they kept us all entertained from start to finish.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I'm just going to stick with things that exceeded or disappointed me. Everything else either met expectations or I didn't really go in with any sort of expectations.

Exceeded:
Peoplemover - I remember riding it as a kid and being so bored. I went on it during my honeymoon and absolutely loved it!
Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
Journey of the Little Mermaid
Columbia Harbor House
Cosmic Ray's
Tony's Town Square Restaurant - I'm not saying it was fantastic, but with all of the talk on here about how terrible it was, I was expecting something pretty bad. It was perfectly adequate
Living with the Land
Gran Fiesta Tour
Great Movie Ride
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
One Man's Dream
Fantasmic!
Port Orleans Riverside Royal Guest Rooms
Doing a parks-free trip - I was unsure when my husband suggested it, started to get really excited while we planned it, and had the best time while there. In fact, it was one of our best trips.



Disappointed:
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Test Track - both the original version and the redone version
Lights Motors Action
Toy Story Midway Mania
Animal Kingdom as a whole - I love zoos and I love theme parks so I thought I would adore this park. The animal parts aren't as good as any of the zoos around there and the ride parts aren't as good as Disney standards. Overall, just a big disappointment for me.
Tusker House
Le Cellier
Pop Century - never again. The only WDW resort that I refuse to ever stay at again.
Fast Pass+ - It really changed the way my family tours and not for the better.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I love everything about WDW with the following exceptions:

Captain EO - Epic fail
Stitch - Really? You couldn't come up with something better for such a popular character?
Crowds - Would you people please stay home!

 

[Bishoparc]

You guys are bumming me out about BOG lunch! I've never been so I will temper my expectations to be very low, so that I can then be pleasantly surprised.

I have to say BOG lunch, to me, was some of the best counter service food you can get at WDW. I've only gotten to go in once but both my wife and I very much enjoyed the food and experience. I had a pulled pork dish and she had a turkey sandwich. We also had some of their cupcakes for desert (and I must say, the "gray stuff" is delicious!) We lucked up and got a reservation for our trip in Sept. so looking forward to it again.

To each his own, but we very much like BOG.

 

[subtchr]

I have to say BOG lunch, to me, was some of the best counter service food you can get at WDW. I've only gotten to go in once but both my wife and I very much enjoyed the food and experience. I had a pulled pork dish and she had a turkey sandwich. We also had some of their cupcakes for desert (and I must say, the "gray stuff" is delicious!) We lucked up and got a reservation for our trip in Sept. so looking forward to it again.

To each his own, but we very much like BOG.

I completely agree. I go to WDW often with groups -- I am here right now for my second week in a row. I ate at BOG for lunch today and loved it as always.

Most counter service you are fighting for a table outside in the heat, juggling a tray. At BOG, you easily find a seat, and they deliver your food to your table. You can help yourself to as many drink refills as you would like (fantastic on those hot days), and the atmosphere is fun.

I almost always get the pork, and I find it to be flavorful and tender, and I love the veggies that go with it. I decided to finally try the master's cupcake today, and yes, the grey stuff was delicious!

I love that they now do lunch ADRs, and that at least for now they are easy to get.

Don't be worried, hope you love it as much as I do!

 

[mare1203]

The Hoop Dee Doo Revue definitely exceeded expectations. I was 9 when I first went and we were at the 9:30 show (when they offered it at 9:30). I remember being tired and hungry, but man, once that show started, it was a great time! I've been back umpteen times since, but this would be #1 on my list.

The other thing that exceeded expectations recently was Be Our Guest dinner. I heard the hype, went for lunch, and still had low expectations. I thought, there's no way this will live up to the hype. Alas, I was wrong and the dinner experience was great! The steak and frites was very good, and I'm picky about steak.

Adventures By Disney is the 3rd thing I would say exceeded expectations. We went on the Viva Italia trip to Rome, Florence, and Venice. They are expensive trips, to be sure, but wow! There are so many intangibles and wonderful experiences to these that I would absolutely recommend them. I did go in with high expectations here.

This is going to be a little silly, but The Magic Carpets of Aladdin totally did not meet expectations. I remember reading about it, only by the name. I didn't read a description, and of course, my brain went to the scene in Aladdin where they are flying through the cave. Yeah, that ride is TOTALLY not that...whoops. That's on me though; I'm sure had I read an actual description it wouldn't have been such a bummer to see that thing in the middle of Adventureland.

 

[misse320]

I won't list all of my exceeds, but there are a few that have stood out recently.
Magic Bands - Everything was seemless for us and I love booking my FP+ early. Without this, we never get to ride TSM.
Pirates League - We've never done BBB, but for the $ I thought this experience was wonderful! My kids had a great time and the makeup stayed on really well. We will be doing it again on the next trip.
Being a DVC member - We've been members for 5 years now and have never once regretted it. The accommodations and service always exceed our expectations.
MNSSHP - Love it!
Storytellers in EPCOT during the holidays - very engaging for the whole family!

There are very few things that have not met my expectations. We did not really like MVMCP. Maybe we just like Halloween better. I also don't get the hype of Test Track. I don't really like it. I'm sure there are more things, but I like to forget all those.

 

[Jing]

Full Disclosure: We are one of the families completely frustrated with FP+ and will take some years off. With that said, these are the things that keep me coming back to this board to see if things are changing for the better so we can come back.


Exceeded:
Art of Animation at DHS
Streetmosphere actors at every park - go out of my way to find them
All of the parades except the now (I believe) extinct Animal Kingdom parade
RNR - favorite ride of all time in any theme park ever
Most CMs - helpfulness and way they interact with children
Jedi training - so fun
All of the live shows at all of the parks
Writer's Stop(?) little coffee shop in DHS
Pulling the rope in the Indiana Jones queue
All of the fireworks shows
50's Prime Time (except our last trip - waiters were overworked and did very little interaction)
pin-trading
All of our food was good, we also enjoyed the DDP
Doing a snack-sharing scavenger hunt my husband made up for the family
Dolphin Encounter at Epcot (not sure still available)
Pretty much all of AK (Dinoland being the exception- BUT when my boys were little we'd spend hours digging in the Dino Fossil Graveyard)- love, love, love that park - got to see them calling the gorillas in at close and talked to one of the gorilla caregivers for 1/2 hour.
African drummers at AK
Finding Nemo show at AK
FOTLK
Music/sound/smell atmosphere - esp at AK and MK
Voices of Liberty - makes me cry
Pretty much all World Showcase - love American pavilion, Japanese and Moroccan pavilions. Love the terra cotta warriors display in China, and all the costumes/history/fountains in several little hidden rooms in Morocco. Koi ponds and walking path and taiko drums in Japan.
Love Phineas and Ferb Adventure at EPCOT
Loved Biergarten- food, songs, and dancing
Possibility of pulling the sword out of the stone in front of the carousel at MK (we saw a 3-year girl do it)
All the nostalgic rides at MK (for me: Peter Pan, Carousel of Progress, People Mover, Hall of Presidents, Pooh, Small World)
Love Tom Sawyers Island - only place our boys could go off on their own
Haunted Mansion, Pirates (of course)
The Suits of Armor knights talking to each other at BOG
Liked the Magic Bands (also fun to decorate)
Pirates card-collecting game at MK (can't remember the exact name)
Beauty and the Beast experience at New Fantasyland

Underwhelming/disappointed:
FP+ (3 limit, tiering, longer SB lines, 4th and beyond at long line kiosks) Yes we were commando's, super-early rope drop every single day, 6-10 FPs, multiple rides, no breaks, close the place down. This is how we do (well...did) Disney. DH even has a special - extra fast walk the rest of us call the Disney Walk.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Really love the idea and the kids liked it. The problem we found was every portal would have multiple people waiting to do it, so there weren't any surprises. Also had several adults jump in front of children who had been waiting patiently - in the line.
All of New Fantasyland. It was pretty...but with 2 boys who have outgrown Dumbo, it just wasn't worth the hype..for our family. I can definitely see how others in a different phase would love it. Didn't get to ride Mine Train so can't comment.
"New" Little Mermaid ride was a sad, sad joke. Most disappointing experience of the whole trip for us.
Agree with PP that the new castle perspective was way too forced. It looks weird to me. I appreciate the forced perspective in the rest of the park - Main Street and Cinderella's castle.
Vast open dead areas in EPCOT
Same as PPs - Figment, Captain EO, Stitch, smelly hot cars in Tomorrowland, Mission to Space, tired movies in Canada and France, not enough rides for crowds

I went to the little mermaid ride in DL and it was cute, but the hype it got for coming to WDW confused me for basically being the same thing in a castle. I will still go on it, but my expectations are on the order of Winnie the Poo.

 

[mom2rtk]

I went to the little mermaid ride in DL and it was cute, but the hype it got for coming to WDW confused me for basically being the same thing in a castle. I will still go on it, but my expectations are on the order of Winnie the Poo.

It got the hype because people are starved for new things at WDW.

 

[Bishoparc]

MNSSHP - Love it!

This so very much! MNSSHP totally renewed my DW and I's love for Disney. If you haven't been to the halloween party, it's an absolute must do (the parade is one of their absolute bests and the CM's that work the parties are top notch)!

 

[BradChristian]

Pop Century - never again. The only WDW resort that I refuse to ever stay at again.

What happened?! I figured it was a good alternative to Art of Animation!

 

[subtchr]

What happened?! I figured it was a good alternative to Art of Animation!

I am curious, too, as I just had a great stay at Pop a week ago.

This week has been at ASMu with another group, and while it's fine, Pop was better, most significantly because of the dedicated buses. All Star buses can be a joke.

 

[sharonped]

I am curious, too, as I just had a great stay at Pop a week ago.

This week has been at ASMu with another group, and while it's fine, Pop was better, most significantly because of the dedicated buses. All Star buses can be a joke.

We love POP for the cost and huge number of buses running almost constantly. Hate the food court there. Just our experience...YMMV

 

[Cando86]

Things that exceeded our expectations

• AK! I've always liked AK but this trip we really fell in love with it. I think it officially became our second favorite park!
• The animation academy at HS - we will NEVER miss this in future trips! We had a blast doing this.
• MagicBands and FP+ - I had read so many negative reports and I was very pleased once we experienced them ourselves. MagicBands were so convenient and I ended up really liking FP+.
• 'Ohana - again, something else I read a lot of negative reviews about. Just goes to show that if you really want to try something DO IT! See what you think for yourself. We'll never miss 'Ohana!
• Downtown Disney - so many negative reports on the construction. It didn't take away from the experience at all and we hardly noticed it.
• Be Our Guest - one of our all-time FAVORITE restaurants in all of Disney now!
• SDMT - read a lot of negative reports on it being too short, underwhelming etc. We LOVED IT! One of our new favorite rides.
• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin oddly enough - we ended up looking up some of the 'tricks' to get high scores on this ride and we probably rode it more than anything else trying to beat our scores. Finally on our last ride, my fiance got GALACTIC HERO! It was awesome and we even got the pin that says "I'm Celebrating - GALACTIC HERO"! Haha - we will never miss this ride in the future.

Things that did not meet expectations

• HS in general - this is the second trip where I felt very underwhelmed by HS. I know it's kind of going through a transformation right now but we'll only be spending one day there next trip instead of two. I'm sure this will change with the predicted Pixar and Star Wars areas in the future.
  
• San Angel Inn - I know reports are mixed on this anyway but I expected to really enjoy this meal and we just didn't. The atmosphere was nice but the food wasn't worth it to us.
  
• Future World in Epcot - we loved World Showcase but it felt like FW really needs an overhaul.

Obviously the things that exceeded our expectations outweigh those that didn't!

 

[DisneyFive]

(in order of most exceeded, or most didn't meet)

Met/exceeded (resorts):
Art of Animation (LOVE the theming, and main pool, great food court)
Pop Century (Good theming and food court, great bus service)
Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter (relaxing, lush)
Grand Floridian (stunning)
Dolphin (Love the location and the grotto pool area)
Boardwalk (love the drive up, lobby, and back porch area connecting to lagoon…)
Animal Kingdom Lodge (amazing atrium, like the roaming animals)
Contemporary (love the access to MK, great pool area(s), nice rooms)

Didn't meet expectations (resorts):
All Star Resorts (felt older, lack of wow, tiny food court)
Caribbean Beach Resort (WAY too spread out, lack of Disney feel)
Coronado Springs (WAY too spread out, lack of Disney feel)
Fort Wilderness Campgrounds (we have too many good options here in MI I guess)
Polynesian (I know many will probably see this and be like, ??? I guess I was expecting more from all the hype)

Met/exceeded (attractions):
Soarin' (My quintessential WDW ride.)
Rock n Roller Coaster (the first 3 seconds. What else is there to say?)
Wishes
Expedition Everest
Big Thunder Mtn. (love the sounds, and the views)
Space Mountain (love the feel, but not the jerkiness)
Animation Academy
Fantasmic
Lion King Show
Astro Orbiter
Turtle Talk
Pirates
Splash Mtn. (longer than expected)
Buzz Lightyear
Kilimanjaro Safaris (longer, and more involving than I expected)

Didn't meet expectations (attractions):
The entire Dinoland section of the Animal Kingdom
Stitch
Tiki Room
Mission Space
Maelstrom
Test Track (until they refurbed it, now I like it)
Little Mermaid (new fantasyland)
Great Movie Ride
Dumbo (old version, now it’s a little better)
Carousel of Progress
Seas with Nemo
Under the SeaPeter Pan's FlightHaunted Mansion (was expecting more. Still fun though)
Illuminations

Met/exceeded (dining):
Hoop Dee Doo
Cape Mays
Wolfgang Puck Express (QS)
'Ohana
Sunshine Seasons (QS)
Crystal Palace
Columbia Harbour House (QS)
Coral Reef (Mainly for the environment, we ask to be seated in booths by the tank. Food is either great or so-so)
CRT
Yak & Yeti
Teppan Edo
Be our guest (lunch)
Mama Melrose
Akershus (Great value for princess interaction. Food is just o.k.)
Tusker House
1900 Park fare
The Wave

Didn't meet expectations (dining):
Pretty much any QS in Hollywood Studios
Hollywood and Vine (not inviting feel/look, and lesser known characters (Einstein’s at the time)
Sanaa (took too long, limited menu)
Kona (nothing special about the atmosphere)
Peso Bills
Morocco QS

Met/exceeded (other):
The entire area around the lagoon by Beach Club, Yacht Club and Boardwalk. Love the look and feel of that area!!!

Didn't meet expectations (other):
Magic bands and FP+
Trying to exit MK after Wishes!!!
The entrance to Epcot! (can’t stand the tomb stones, love the ball)
The entire Epcot World Showcase area. It is growing on us though
Downtown Disney
POR bus service (too many stops, and sharing with POFQ…. Makes 5 stops total)

Dan

 

[rwdavis2]

Last trip November 2012:

Exceeded

• AKL
  
• Sunrise Safari
• MVMCP
• Keys to the Kingdom Tour
• Fantasmic (first time)
• My wife's first ride on a coaster (Space Mtn) It exceeded mine, anyway. I got her to ride it.
  
• Resort/MK Xmas Decorations
• Out first time on TSMM.
• Osbourne(sp?) Lights
• Soarin - again wife's first time.

Did not meet:

• Food and Wine - too expensive. We're spoiled by a multitude of ethnic restaurants in the DC/MD area. Won't do it again.
• Future World (in general) - It is dated.
• New Fantasy Land - won't bother anymore except for maybe a quick walk through.

 

[Frozen2014]

Met/Exceeded - Rides/Attractions
Festival of Fantasy Parade (was expecting "just a parade", but the colors were so vibrant and details it was quite impressive)
Boo to You Parade
It's a Small World
Haunted Mansion (my favorite)
Big Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Test Track
7DMT (yes short, but cute and fun - got mixed reviews so didn't know what to think)
Spaceship Earth (didn't know what to expect but was kind of neat)
Jedi Training (DS loved it)
Star Tours (DS loved it)
Beauty and the Beast show

Met/Exceeded - Other
FP+
Magic Bands (very cool technology to be room key, ADRs, FP+, park tickets, etc all in one
Memory Maker
Art of Animation Cars Suite (so cute and loved the 2 rooms and 2 bathrooms)
MNSSHP - Wasn't sure what to expect but fun being dressed up
Boma
Chef Mickeys (mixed reviews but we loved the breakfast)
Sunshine Seasons (yummy QS)
The parks were spotless - so clean

Didn't Meet Expectations
Peter Pan
Winnie the Pooh (kind of boring)
Buzz Light (impossible to hit anything)
Carpets of Aladin and Dumbo (just standard amusement park rides)
Pirates of Caribbean (ok but not amazing)
Enchanted Tales with Belle (the Belle we saw seemed bored - maybe just bad luck)
Barnstormer
Frozen Sing a Long (ok but expected better and more Anna and Elsa)

Overall, I had such high expectations for our trip and ... it was amazing. Was not disappointed at all.