We just got back - a bit controversial opinion

[nandojoe]

Hello everyone! Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!
First of all: sorry for my english.

We just got back from a trip and would like to share a review. We are from Recife (Brazil) and recently went to Orlando (WDW and Universal) (September 2025). At Disney, we spent 10 nights at All Star Music (with free DDP) and at Universal, 6 nights at Dockside Inn. It was an incredible 17 days. It was me, my wife, daughter (15), and son (9).

At Disney, we did: MK, AK, EC, DHS + 2 days of rest, and we repeated MK and DHS.
At Universal: IofA, US, Epic.

Also, we went to Cape Canavarel and had a few days for shopping.

This was my tenth time in Orlando and the last time at Orlando was in January 2020, just before the pandemic. For a brazilian with salary in Brazilian Real and have to spend a trip in US Dollars, i´ts a kind of privilege and hard work! Since it was my tenth time, I was able to observe some differences and compare this trip with previous trips.

Here's my opinion: this time, I felt like we didn't have time for anything at Disney´s parks. Even though we always arrived at early entry, it felt like a rush. I remember on past trips, we'd sit on the benches, enjoying Mickey´s bars, Cokes, and popcorn... and just chat, laughing, watching people walking and enjoy the park scenery.

This time, it seemed like everything was rushed. We ate quickly, didn't enjoy the benches... I don't know, it was different (but still magical), and I can think of a few reasons.

The first reason is that competition and park expansions may be taking away a lit bit of the "family magic time". We, the regular guests (those who go every two or three years) are worried about doing as many attractions as possible because we never know when we´ll come back. It all becomes a rush.

The other (and perhaps more controversial) is that the YouTube channels we use for planning are forcing us to do this: arrive early, "have to do", "the best way to do all the atractions", "can't waste time on this or that,"eat quickly"... I´ts a kind of more "you must run" and less "just enjoy".

People say that with every trip you learn a lesson for the next. I learned: over-planning is terrible.

Thatís it!

 

[hardcorestitch]

Hello everyone! Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!
First of all: sorry for my english.

We just got back from a trip and would like to share a review. We are from Recife (Brazil) and recently went to Orlando (WDW and Universal) (September 2025). At Disney, we spent 10 nights at All Star Music (with free DDP) and at Universal, 6 nights at Dockside Inn. It was an incredible 17 days. It was me, my wife, daughter (15), and son (9).

At Disney, we did: MK, AK, EC, DHS + 2 days of rest, and we repeated MK and DHS.
At Universal: IofA, US, Epic.

Also, we went to Cape Canavarel and had a few days for shopping.

This was my tenth time in Orlando and the last time at Orlando was in January 2020, just before the pandemic. For a brazilian with salary in Brazilian Real and have to spend a trip in US Dollars, i´ts a kind of privilege and hard work! Since it was my tenth time, I was able to observe some differences and compare this trip with previous trips.

Here's my opinion: this time, I felt like we didn't have time for anything at Disney´s parks. Even though we always arrived at early entry, it felt like a rush. I remember on past trips, we'd sit on the benches, enjoying Mickey´s bars, Cokes, and popcorn... and just chat, laughing, watching people walking and enjoy the park scenery.

This time, it seemed like everything was rushed. We ate quickly, didn't enjoy the benches... I don't know, it was different (but still magical), and I can think of a few reasons.

The first reason is that competition and park expansions may be taking away a lit bit of the "family magic time". We, the regular guests (those who go every two or three years) are worried about doing as many attractions as possible because we never know when we´ll come back. It all becomes a rush.

The other (and perhaps more controversial) is that the YouTube channels we use for planning are forcing us to do this: arrive early, "have to do", "the best way to do all the atractions", "can't waste time on this or that,"eat quickly"... I´ts a kind of more "you must run" and less "just enjoy".

People say that with every trip you learn a lesson for the next. I learned: over-planning is terrible.

Thatís it!

That’s the thing I absolutely wouldn’t do… overplan and use LL especially if you don’t plan to hop to another park on the same day. Sticking to just one park per day and using SR or standby during less crowded periods is your best bet to enjoying Disney! You should have also scripted a few hops to different Disney resorts like Poly or Coronado Springs later in those rest days… there are great dining options in the other resorts…

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When we do Disney we get length of stay tickets and go for 9-10 days. Once you hit a certain point adding days doesn’t cost that much. We feel this really cuts down on the feeling of rushing. Even if we only hit a park for 4-5 hours and do a few rides it really makes us feel much better about the trip. We also only get LL for 4 out of the 9-10 days and like having those days of going with the flow.

 

[nandojoe]

That’s the thing I absolutely wouldn’t do… overplan and use LL especially if you don’t plan to hop to another park on the same day. Sticking to just one park per day and using SR or standby during less crowded periods is your best bet to enjoying Disney! You should have also scripted a few hops to different Disney resorts like Poly or Coronado Springs later in those rest days… there are great dining options in the other resorts…

Exactly. And we did just that. This time, we spent a whole day at the pool, and the next day we visited some resorts... and enjoyed Disney Springs.

maybe I didn't wrote it so clearly, but the rush is from the park gates inward.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I vastly prefer park hopping that is part of my enjoyment to the parks. It's being able to see the parks at different times and if you're talking about wait times can really help add in flexibility especially if like the OP you have quite a lot of days. We usually have 5 days, we did have more days in 2022 but we were there for a wedding at Disney so part of it was doing things for that.

The two days we were at the parks last month were non-parking hopping but we were there on comps with our CM friend and had to leave Epcot around 6:30pm or so for the airport the second day (it was part of a mini-thing before a much larger vacation in the UK) so park hopping didn't even make sense. On a normal trip it's my preference to have it and use it.

I do agree there can be a rush to do things but it's part of how someone vacations. For the OP it was more than 5 1/2 years since their last trip and I'm sure there was a feeling of trying to get the most out of it while you're there despite the amount of days you have and frankly a lot has changed since the pandemic both crowd-wise and how the parks operate which can certainly add to a feeling of being rushed.

I do understand the sentiment behind feeling like you're just constantly after the next ride without the ability to just sit down and peoplewatch for a few. Maybe the next trip for the OP won't be quite that way if they get back to Orlando in less than 5 yrs time again. What we've done over the times we've been is been able to figure out which rides or shows are not important unless the wait time is pretty favorable. That can free up time to just meander or feel less antsy.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Hello everyone! Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!
First of all: sorry for my english.

We just got back from a trip and would like to share a review. We are from Recife (Brazil) and recently went to Orlando (WDW and Universal) (September 2025). At Disney, we spent 10 nights at All Star Music (with free DDP) and at Universal, 6 nights at Dockside Inn. It was an incredible 17 days. It was me, my wife, daughter (15), and son (9).

At Disney, we did: MK, AK, EC, DHS + 2 days of rest, and we repeated MK and DHS.
At Universal: IofA, US, Epic.

Also, we went to Cape Canavarel and had a few days for shopping.

This was my tenth time in Orlando and the last time at Orlando was in January 2020, just before the pandemic. For a brazilian with salary in Brazilian Real and have to spend a trip in US Dollars, i´ts a kind of privilege and hard work! Since it was my tenth time, I was able to observe some differences and compare this trip with previous trips.

Here's my opinion: this time, I felt like we didn't have time for anything at Disney´s parks. Even though we always arrived at early entry, it felt like a rush. I remember on past trips, we'd sit on the benches, enjoying Mickey´s bars, Cokes, and popcorn... and just chat, laughing, watching people walking and enjoy the park scenery.

This time, it seemed like everything was rushed. We ate quickly, didn't enjoy the benches... I don't know, it was different (but still magical), and I can think of a few reasons.

The first reason is that competition and park expansions may be taking away a lit bit of the "family magic time". We, the regular guests (those who go every two or three years) are worried about doing as many attractions as possible because we never know when we´ll come back. It all becomes a rush.

The other (and perhaps more controversial) is that the YouTube channels we use for planning are forcing us to do this: arrive early, "have to do", "the best way to do all the atractions", "can't waste time on this or that,"eat quickly"... I´ts a kind of more "you must run" and less "just enjoy".

People say that with every trip you learn a lesson for the next. I learned: over-planning is terrible.

Thatís it!

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

No controversary from me and thank you for your honesty. I've been to WDW over 10 times also. The changes from my first trip with family ( multigenerational) to current is like comparing apples to oranges. It was SO MUCH NICER back in the early 2000's. I also believe opinions have a lot to do with how old you are/ and how often you can visit.

I'm going again in a few months. it's only a 5 night trip at a Value resort because that's what is affordable this time. I'm now the grandparent so I will be more leisurely ( along with my sister). I expect my daughter and grandson to do a "rush" so they can ride all the BIG rides.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Its unfortunate but you kinda did it to yourself.
You chose not to relax and people watch.
And you chose to arrive early and rush rush rush.
If that's not your style of vacationing then you should have stayed true to yourself.

 

[mort1331]

Great report,,thank you,,,now how did that compare to your Universal part of the trip. Did you feel rushed there as well, could you sit on the benches and relax,,,or all all parks rushed now?

 

[Dug720]

Its unfortunate but you kinda did it to yourself.
You chose not to relax and people watch.
And you chose to arrive early and rush rush rush.
If that's not your style of vacationing then you should have stayed true to yourself.

This. If you choose to change up your usual style because of youtube videos, that was a choice. You weren't forced to adopt that travel style. (You being the OP.)

 

[nandojoe]

Great report,,thank you,,,now how did that compare to your Universal part of the trip. Did you feel rushed there as well, could you sit on the benches and relax,,,or all all parks rushed now?

I didn't feel it at Universal. There, we were able to go into the shops, rest, watch the people, and watch the parade...
It was only at Disney parks.

And once again: only from the park gates inward. At the hotels and Disney Springs, we relaxed a lot.

 

[Draco0801]

I Find after years of visits the rush in the parks have been different over the years, started with the rope dropping, early entry, lightning lanes. I find it pushes people to do all of it and not take in all the parks have to offer. Now being a little more local than I was years ago I pick at least to try to do what I want but not rush or feel rushed. It is a choice to rush and not enjoy the little things in life!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This. If you choose to change up your usual style because of youtube videos, that was a choice. You weren't forced to adopt that travel style. (You being the OP.)

I don't disagree entirely although that goes the same for being on the DIS and listening to random people here tell you what place is good to eat at what ride is good, etc. It's good to look at stuff to get idea but entirely different to then adopt someone else's idea of what a park day looks like (goes for all vacations really).

However, I do think you (general you) have to also look at the specifics into what the person is saying. When the OP last went they were under Genie+ rules pre-pandemic (which is a completely different time period), when they went again they were under LL which comprises of LLSP, LLMP and LLPP. New things had opened since they last went, others things had closed, they didn't have to deal with park reservations at least but still. And they are from Brazil which has nosedived in tourism number to WDW due to the economics of their country and the economics of ours (this was before the pandemic and just kept on going).

So true no one was really forcing them but also you can employ human understanding in how it might feel to be in their position. There is a true thing about getting caught up on what you see on social media but at least the way I read their OP it wasn't exactly like that, not at all what you see in normal influencer frenzy that I feel is more what a frequent (i.e. several times a year or once every year) type guest may get caught up in because they have the ability and time to keep up on what is the latest thing, trick or tip, food item, merch item, etc at the moment and then do/eat/buy those things just because they saw an influencer do/eat/buy.

 

[fla4fun]

There are a lot of factors that can play into a less relaxing trip. To me, the more construction there is going on in a park, the more hectic it becomes. I don’t know if it’s because there are fewer attractions to accommodate guests or the narrowed walkways and detours, but it feels like I have to expend a lot more energy just getting from point A to point B. Going to Epcot while it was under construction was very tiring and I have a feeling MK will feel that way on my next trip (and I am skipping AK entirely while their construction is going on).

I also don’t pay attention to any of the social media that tries to tell me what to do and how to do it. I remind myself that those people don’t know me or how I like to travel, and their must do list is all about their opinions and their preferences. As I get older, I know my physical limitations won’t allow me to cross-cross the parks multiple times, or walk for hours without a rest break. I know what attractions I like and which ones I don’t (I have never been a thrill ride fan), which restaurants I like and which I don’t, and I don’t feel compelled to follow the latest trend.

We are going for a short trip next month (five days) and have two park days planned with three ADRs booked. We decided we wanted a lot of resort time since we don’t often stay at this particular resort and we want some relaxation time so we go home refreshed. Everyone’s idea of the perfect trip is different. There is no right or wrong way to do the parks so long as you are enjoying your trip.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Going to Epcot while it was under construction was very tiring

Ugh that bottleneck at the front was awful!

 

[fla4fun]

Ugh that bottleneck at the front was awful!

I hated it when they directed us around SSE only on one side or the other. I would have something scheduled on the east side of the park, but they were funneling us to the west side, or vice versa. At least at MK it will be mostly confined to one back corner of the park.

 

[lowlight]

We are from Recife (Brazil)

We ate quickly, didn't enjoy the benches

I just had an out of body experience, and was instantly transported to a moment in time on a recent trip.

 

[bakerworld]

Some really enjoy the competition of commando parking. I have a BIL who is all about getting in all the 'major' attractions of every park. We've been going to WDW since the 70's and there are still attractions that we've missed. We're 'ok' with that.

 

[nandojoe]

Thank you so much for all your opinions. I've been a reader of this forum since, I don't know, I think it was 2011...!
This experience I had was just another learning experience. The point here isn't to judge so-and-so or even YouTubers. It was simply an outburst about a mistake called over-planning. It's much more about excessive pre-trip excitement that leads to excessive information searches (especially on social media) for planning. And we had several reasons for this excessive pre-trip excitement: we hadn't been there five years, it was my daughter's 15th birthday, my son was finally going to be more conscious (last time he was 3 and didn't remember anything), my son was going to be able to ride the roller coasters...

That's all...

At no point did I say it wasn't my fault. I also didn't mention that the trip wasn't magical, that we didn't have our magical moments (and we had maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaany), or that we didn't relax... And I also never said the rush wasn't my fault. It was exclusively my fault.

I noticed that some here felt offended, almost as if I were trying to tarnish Disney's image, or say the magic is gone, or something. I've known WDW since 1986 (my first time) and have remained in love ever since. I've seen many things and transformations that many of you haven't (although I don't go every year, as I'd like). I still find everything magical and I make a point of passing that magic and feeling on to my children.

This lesson stayed with me and I just wanted to share it with you and other people (especially those who are planning their first trip and are also feeling high pre-trip excitement) so that they don't make the same mistake I did.

Kisses and hugs to everyone!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I think as your kids get older and they have opinions on which rides they “must do” it does add to the hustle and feeling like you have so much to do.

We also go every 2-3 years so I get it. This year I’ve been down 4, going on 5 times, since DD is doing the DCP and it really is a different way of just going with the flow. I’m enjoying it but once she’s done we will be back to our every 2-3 year trips.