Venting. Am I wrong?

[BAST]

We are arriving on May 9 and staying for 8 nights. Travelling with DH, DD who is 3-1/2 and DD who is 2. I have split reservations at AKL savanah and Poly lagoon view - even with AP rates this comes to about $2300.

I booked knowing that EE had been discontinued (you can have the character caravan). I then had to wait until mid-April to book all our PS since the park hours were posted so late. Then, I made all PS based on the thought that we would at least have two e-nights. Now, ALL May e-nights have been cancelled.

I am rather angry. Given the short hours at all the parks - I cannot really see going back to the resort in mid-afternoon ( MK is open all of 9-6) which was one big reason to stay on property. And given the short hours, we will be back in the room rather early as well -which is one big reason to stay off-site at one of the suite hotels.

Given that the nice suite hotels would run me all of $1300 for my stay - should I do it? Believe me, I do buy into the Disney magic idea. But how much can a person tolerate?

 

[zurgswife]

If it was a reputable hotel....I had a bad experience at a discount hotel....I would definately save the $1000.00. I'm all for the Disney experience and magic...but early hours and no EE and no e-nights...I might just go for the money savings.

Though I really love the AKL......

 

[suevee]

When have the e-nites been cancelled? They are still posted on the website.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours.htm

 

[Cinderella]

I can understand you being upset by the cutbacks but, personally, I would not stay off-site with your little ones being so small. With the short park hours, u will need all the time you can get so staying onsite will be a big bonus. Even with Magic Kingdom hours being shorter, I would still take DD's back to the room for a couple of hours around lunchtime. It will definitely enhance your stay, plus you will be avoiding the heat.

We stayed in August once with two little ones and because they were so small, we never stayed in the parks until late anyway and always took our afternoon naps. We needed them as much as they did.

I know it is a pain but, have you tried changing your PS ressies? Hopefully you will still be able to rearrange them with times to suit.

 

[jennymouse]

I can understand your frustration, but, really, how much park time can you actually spend with children that age.....I'm a grandmother, I know these things. I'm sure you can force kids to go, go, go, but that's no fun if they're tired and fussy. I know you've spent time and effort in your planning, but you can plan until the cows come home and have a bad vacation experience if you're trying to force the fun & experience.

Go, enjoy those wonderful convienant resorts, take it easy with the park time with the little ones.........they'll probably enjoy the resorts more than the parks anyway at that age.

If you really don't think you're getting your moneys worth, by all means stay off site, but go with excitement and anticipation.........not looking out for the almighty dollar or you won't have a good time no matter where you stay.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jade1]

I think you will get more done from 9 to 6 at MK in May than we did from 8 to Midnight over Springbreak. Our kids are too old to leave school that time of year, so we are stuck with crowded weeks. I would love to get that much done and then go back to the 2 awesome Hotels/Rooms you are planning. I wish you had later hours and EE nights offered, but dont let it diminish what sounds like a great trip.

 

[MelissathePooh]

Web sites may not have been updated yet, but you can call WDW and verify (as we did earlier - much to our disappointment) that May e-nights have all been cancelled.

 

[SeaSpray]

We went last May and didn't do any e-nights. I believe MK was open till 7pm. (The other parks were open later). The crowds were so light that we truly didn't need to stay any longer in the evenings, and we were able to plan in other things to do, such as Downtown Disney, DisneyQuest, etc. I'm sorry about the disappointment over e-nights. I have read that sometimes they do have e-nights, even when none were originally scheduled.

 

[DisOrBust]

I felt the same way after our trip in Jan. Yes the crowds were light but it still takes time to see the shows, as much as if it is crowded. We spent the entire day in the parks to do everything we had done in the past with EE and enights. We truely missed not going back in the afternoon and returning in th eevening.
Last year we went over spring break and I said never again. Now after our Jan trip , I don't think I would go and stay on site UNLESS it s with holiday hours. I had hoped the hours and enights were getting better.

Before I get my butt thrown on the bar-b-que., have you thought of staying at USF onsite? That is truely an experience having FOTL acess all day. It really takes the pressure off of shortened hours. Just a thought.

 

[LAinSEA]

I called this afernoon (Sunday) and confirmed no e-nights for the whole month of May! Just two weeks ago when I called for hours the CM I spoke with mentioned both e-nights during the week we'll be there and really talked it up - saying how popular they are!

given "murphys law" now that I've changed our PS's around again - they'll probably add them back!

oh well - we got a good deal for AKL savannah view and airfare (back in February) - might as well try to have a good time.

-LA

 

[LisaR]

How long do you really expect a 2 and 3 year old to last at the parks. I have a 7 and 4 year old and go to WDW at least 2 times a year. Our family has never done an enight. It wouldn't even cross my mind. After getting up and having a character breakfast, hitting a park for awhile, coming back for an afternoon swim and dinner, we are lucky if we make it back for an evening parade, show or fireworks! My kids are tired after the all day, non stop excitement. We were there in January (and will be back in 3 weeks). The hours were VERY short in January. That just gave us more time for great meals, downtown Disney, the Boardwalk, bike rental, water mice, etc. You will NEVER see and do everything in every park with the age of you kids even if the park was open from 7am to 2am! Relax and enjoy. The magic is still there......if you want it.

Lisa

 

[NancyK]

I'm in the minority here, but I would stay off-site and save the $1000. Whatever you decide, you'll have a great time!

 

[Nolcrest]

My family has never taken advantage of EE or E nights so I don't know what you're missing. This may be a good time to enjoy other aspects of Disney. Fort Wilderness has a nice petting zoo for the kids. Rent a surrey bike, enjoy the sights at the resorts. If money's an issue you'll probably enjoy a stay at a moderate. POR is great for families and the kids can go fishing there. I guess I understand your frustration but I'm so happy to be spending time with my family we don't get too crazed with the theme park stuff and PS's. Stay offsite if you think you'll feel better.

 

[MouseLover]

I would stay offsite. There are many places close enough. You may get a good rate at Downtown Disney hotels. Last year we stayed at Buena Vista Suites for $102/nt, with free full breakfast (adequate, not great). The hotel was convenient to WDW, clean, etc. Our DD was 4 at the time. I don't remember exactly what park hours were, but I think they were about 9-8 at MK. We did not take a break from the parks. We alternated sit-down shows and lunch times. When my DD was 2.5yo we stayed at the Poly. We attempted to take a mid-day break then (July) but guess who wouldn't nap??? She slept through dark shows (in her stroller) like Presidents, and through every meal. She went immediately to sleep at the end of the day. She never had a meltdown or even got cranky. But each child is different.

 

[wdwnut]

hi: may is one of our favorite months to go, and the hours are usually shorter than some of the other months. i think with the ages of your children, the shorter hours wouldn't be that much of a problem. the kids will probably be a bit tired by 6 pm. if they still are raring to go, then maybe a trip to mgm for the Fantasmic show would be good after the mk closes or a couple of hours in epcot. i'm a bit biased; we haven't stayed off-site since 87. i would still stay on-site. another way to take advantage of the shorter hours is to make your dinner ps for the same time as park closing if your children are used to eating at those hours.

 

[Shelly]

I agree with the post by jennymouse regarding the children.
yes they have canceled e-nights yet they seem to be extending park hours slowly but surely.
Next weedend was supposed to be 9-6, then it changed to 9-7, now it's 9-9 with Spectro and Fireworks. So it could all work out for the best anyway.
I have always gone in May and never needed e-nights due to the crowd level and staying onsite actually helped to not need e-nights. It's supposed to be a vacation relax.

 

[PamOKW]

MK will be open 9-9 on Fridays and 9-10 on Saturdays during May.

The crowds are lower and you should be able to get more done in the hours they are open. Then you can spend your evenings enjoying all the other things WDW has to offer like DD and the Boardwalk. Maybe Hoop or the Luau?

If you'd like to save some money, you can still have a great vacation staying offsite. However, the convenience of being right in the World is wonderful and just makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable....no matter what the park hours are.

 

[mirlow]

We usually go in the summer. I have 3 young kids and we got up early ( did EE at MK) came back for a nap and some swim time. Then we head back to the parks and were in bed around 11:00. We went in Jan. and felt like DisOrBust did. When the parks close at 6 you don't have any time to go back to the hotel to take a 21/2hr nap. One thing that was nice about going in January is that we slept in and didn't rush. My kids were so tired from going all day that they crashed at 7:00. I prefer to be out later when I'm on vacation and it felt strange to be to bed so early. My ds who is 3 had some meltdowns from being tired, he even fell asleep on my dad's lap during dinner. We always stay at the Polynesian because of how close it is to the MK. I think if we were to go WDW again when the hours are shorter I would try one of the moderates, if we don't have the time to come back to the resort why spend all of that $. Have you thought about that? They have some great prices. I can truly understand your frustration. The hours kept changing in January (usually for the better) and it was hard to make plans for meals. With the three little ones I like to have a game plan of what to expect before we get there. Good luck and remember it all works out in the end

 

[B3LM]

We've stayed on-site and off-site. In November, we stayed at CR, but we really didn't go back to the resort for a break because of the short park hours.

We just came back from an Easter week trip. This time, we stayed off-site and we did take a break during the afternoon a couple of days. But, the parks were open much later, too.

We did save a lot of money by staying off-site. I definitely wouldn't recommend it unless you have your own vehicle to get around. We drove everywhere ourselves. The off-site shuttles don't run very often.

Beth

 

[SouthernMom]

I know how you feel. And though I seem to be in the minority, but after much thought, we are cancelling our Dis on-site reservations. The only thing we haven't decided is whether to stay off-site, or whether to forget Dis altogether and stay at Universal, enjoying the front of the line perk.

Sadly, I think our love for the Mouse (myself included) is causing us to put with things from Dis that we would never put up with from most anyone else. (Sorry) But when business is slow with my company, I try HARDER to please my clients. Disney, on the other hand, seems to have very little regard for us anymore. And to me... that is a very sad commentary about the Mouse who brought us the happiest place on earth.

If we go to Disney, we will still have a blast! This won't spoil our trip. And yes, for us and that moment in time it will still be the happiest place on earth, but I guess I just need the personal satisfaction of feeling I've made just a very small (I know, VERY, VERY, small) effort in saying, "This is no way to run a business."

Wherever you decide to stay... I wish you luck with your "napless" afternoons! And have a magical visit!