Unimpressed

[Rob6458]

The reason I chose to go for 21 days was to make sure I had enough time to do all the parks and still have days to rest. we did Busch gardens, Seaworld, Epcot, Animal kingdom, Magic kingdom Universal, Mgm, Gatorland, Kennedy space centre, Islands of adventure, Disneyquest,And the waterparks wet and wild, typhoon lagoon, blizzard beach, we visited twice that took up a total of 17 days. Maybe we were being a bit ambitious trying to fit all of this in. We were also told you could hop between 2 parks on the same day, Is that possible and has anyone ever had time to do it.

 

[Efastpitch]

Sorry to hear that your vacation was a bust! Next time I would recommend that you stay only 10 days to two weeks and spring for a better hotel on property. I promise you will have a better time. Good luck next year.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Originally posted by Rob6458
We were also told you could hop between 2 parks on the same day, Is that possible and has anyone ever had time to do it.

Yes, but you need "hopper" passes or "length of stay" passes that you can get with on-site packages.

And we have hopped parks ... but since I travel with my grandchildren (7 & 8) we usually take a mid-afternoon break then go to a second park late in the afternoon.

If money isn't an issue, definitely stay on-site the next time your visit.

 

[DaddyDon]

WE Live! We Learn!
Enough Said!

 

[geffric]

We hop parks all of the time... even do am in WDW and then break for a swim and go to SeaWorld ikn the late afternoon/ evening..

also, unlike others, we stay for 2 weeks every year and have been for 3 weeks once too. Not enough points to do that ll of the time.. on the other hand , we are DVC and i have afull kitchen and laundry in a 1 bedroom.. Makes a big difference for a long stay.

 

[MScott1851]

Not only can you do two parks on one day, but FOUR parks in one day! I'm living proof! Hehehe.. Not that I recommend it...See below!

Day Three: But At Least It Has a Tiki Hut!!

 

[missypie]

May I suggest areas to try next time:

1. San Diego in the spring, with a few days at Disneyland (at the Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian). San Diego has oceans, mountains, desert, Sea World, a great zoo...then you can also drive up and have Disney!

2. In spring or fall, fly into Phoenix Arizona, then drive up to use Flagstaff as your base. Again, desert, mountains, the grand canyon, native american ruins, cactus, etc.

3. The Pacific Northwest...the Olympic Peninsula, Victoria, BC, Seattle, Mt. Ranier. Just beautiful!

 

[Darkrobe]

I would have to say you probably didn't do enough research for your trip to really enjoy it as much as you could have. I just returned from a 3 week vacation myself and though I was sick for 2/3 of it; I still had a great time for my 4th visit there in 5 years.
In fact, if I could stay longer I would because there is so much detail and things to do it is unbelievable.

I was there during the British invasion of WDW this trip (October 15 to November 3) and I'ld have to say the things I didn't enjoy the most was the massive amount of rude people from the UK; not only in WDW but on our cruise as well. Proper manner's & courtesy seem to be a lost characteristic, which is a shame; however I digress.

I do hope you'll go back to WDW sometime in the future and if you need some ideas on where to find the magic and get the most for your $$; I am sure the wonderful people on the DIS will be more then happy to give you some tips.

 

[robinb]

I'm sorry that your holiday was a bust . I especially sorry since you came from so far away. I once flew to Glasgow and hated it, but at least I was only there for 5 days! The rest of the 3 weeks in the UK was great! Personally, I can't imagine flying as far as you did and not staying for at least 2 weeks. Heck, it takes days just to get over the jet lag.

If you are willing to give our country a try again maybe you could go west and visit Disneyland and then work your way up the California coast to San Francisco, Napa Valley, Seattle and then end up in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada.

We have a beautiful country which has significantly less neon than Orlando .

 

[DizzyBell]

I am sorry that you did not enjoy your stay at Disney. We have been going to Disney for 30 years. I believe that part of the problem was that you stayed offsite. The only way to enjoy the magic is to be part of the magic! That is achieved by experiencing all that the "world" has to offer. I am surprised that the fireworks and parade did nothing for you.... but.... I guess they are not for everyone. My parents are both from Scotland and I have spent my holidays over there as a child as well as brought my children to the highlands! We have enjoyed all our trips over the years. Our children are grown now and our youngest is in college. Disney is something we share as a family. We share the moments of laughter, great resorts, great food, immaculate hotels, fantastic pools, Cast Members who can't do enough for you... all wrapped up in entertainment brought on by a little mouse in red shorts. Sorry your trip was a "thumbs down". So here is a "heads up" .... give it another try at another time and stay on site and allow the magic to happen for you! We leave in ten days... Can't wait

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Rob6458

Sorry you had such a bad time.

 

[jann1033]

too bad your trip was so disappointing but I am curious about your children..it is hard for me to fathom them not liking disney and liking Gatorland more? are they real animal lovers, but then it seems they would have liked AK or did the disney attractions frighten them or what? not being critical just wondering.

 

[sters]

The Wishes fireworks are among the best I've seen, in my opinion. It's hard to imagine anyone not liking them! I'm sorry you had such a bummer of a trip. I think things might have been better for you had you stayed on site. It's not just more "magical," it's more convenient. It's easier to take an hour off to do the resort pool, or even just change your clothes after a soaking rain! Who wants to hang around a theme park soaked to their socks and underwear!!! We just came back from 8 days. I could have stayed another 2, but my husband and children were clearly ready to come home. Other family members won't step foot in Disney, it's just not their thing. So maybe, as others have suggested, there were too many theme parks done in one trip.

 

[disneysteve]

I realize I'm joining this discussion late, but I just have to post a dissenting opinion. I simply don't agree with the responses that imply (or state outright) that you can't enjoy a trip to Disney unless you stay onsite, or that if you can afford it, staying on site is the best way to go. As my signature line shows, I've been to WDW 22 times, so I speak with some experience. 14 of those stays have been offsite. The 8 that were onsite were years ago when I didn't know any better (and the offsite choices were far more limited than they are today). And all but one of the onsite trips were before we had our daughter. I certainly wouldn't stay onsite again with her.

Offsite, we can get a suite, condo or house with far more space than an onsite room. We have a kitchen, laundry, perhaps our own private pool, 2 or more bathrooms, multiple TV's, VCR, DVD player, stereo system and privacy. That makes our week far more enjoyable to us than being crammed into a regular hotel room onsite. I've stayed at the value and moderate hotels and have been in the rooms at the deluxe hotels and all of them are quite small, in our opinion. (I've stayed at the Contemp as well - is that a deluxe?) I couldn't imagine spending 3 weeks in one of them even if it was just my wife and I - forget doing it with 1 or more children.

Is cost an issue for us? Yes and no. We could afford to stay at a deluxe if we chose to. We just happen to think that the cost is absurd for what you get. When I can get a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with a pool for $100/nite, its impossible for me to justify 2 or 3 times that for a deluxe room onsite.

Everybody has different preferences when they travel and I apologize if it sounds like I'm criticizing those who choose to stay onsite - that is definitely not my intent. I'm just trying to make the point of different strokes for different folks. Our trips are always magical no matter where we stay. For us, they are more magical because they don't cost an arm and a leg and that allows us to go more frequently. It might not be what works for everyone, but it works great for us.

To the OP - I'm very sorry to hear how unsatisfying your trip was for you. As someone else said, Disney is not for everyone (as hard as that may be for us regulars to understand). The US certainly has lots more to see than Disney World. I hope you enjoy your future travels.

Steve

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Wow, 21 days staying at Hojo's and 8 parks! Sounds like a nightmare. We can barely do 4 without feeling overwhelmed. Next time stay at a Disney resort. Oh, and skip Graceland.

 

[Micca]

That's a shame Rob. To come all that distance and have spent so much money. Actually I think I could be entertained at WDW for 21 days and never go off site, but that's just me I hope you'll give it another chance sometime, we hate to see our UK brethren go away with a bad taste in their mouths.

 

[ll_california]

Steve,

Which offsite properties do you stay/recommend?

A 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with a pool for $100/night sounds like a good deal.

Thanks,

Ling

 

[aesalsa]

Originally posted by Miffy2003
I'm surprised you prefer the fireworks & parade at Weymouth & Weston Super Mare as I have seen both and IMHO neither even vaguely compares to the Disney equivalent.

I agree. I am not a big fireworks person, but the MK's Wishes was THE best DH an I have ever seen. The whole story and choreography was just breathtaking. I have no desire to see any other fireworks show again, including New Year's Eve"!! I've been to Graceland--leaves A LOT to be desired. I enjoyed it, but it can't come close to the calibur of WDW. If you didn't enjoy much at WDW, you'll find even less at Graceland. Hope your next vacation suits you better and is more fun for you.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by ll_california
Steve,

Which offsite properties do you stay/recommend?

A 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with a pool for $100/night sounds like a good deal.

Thanks,

Ling

My offsite stays have varied from budget hotels to very nice pool home rentals. The hotels have included Days Inn LBV, EconoLodge Maingate Hawaiian, Radisson LBV, Homewood Suites, Days Suites and Quality Suites.

We've also rented pool homes several times in the Lindfields development. Our most recent trip earlier this month was to a 1400 sq. ft. 3-bed, 2-bath condo in Windsor Palms. We paid $90/nite for that.

I know you can definitely get a 3-bedroom pool home in Windsor Palms for $100/nite off-season. I'm sure you can find similar properties in other nearby developments as well. A good site to browse is www.vrbo.com.

For us, it is so much nicer to have the space, privacy and amenities of a home. There is just no comparison to the 3 of us being stuck in a regular hotel room.

Steve

 

[ll_california]

Thanks Steve. Greate website!

Ling