We're back: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

[puppyears]

We are back from 10 days away in WDW. Here are a few thoughts about our very first experience!!!

1. THE GOOD:

Bar none...the food. No matter where we were, what park we were at, the food was amazing. TC, CS, did not matter, whatever we wanted, we got. And lots of it. We really loved the Hollywood and Vine restaurant in HS. I have never seen a buffet table that long, nor a waiter who must be the best I have ever, EVER had. He showed up exactly when we wanted without asking, and brought more drinks, check on time, we extra tipped him for his exceptional service...I think his name was Patrick...best ever.
Tusker's in AK was nice too, our waiter was not your typical WDW waiter, had to wait for the check for twenty minutes. He seemed bored with his job, and not very interested in serving us either.
Chip 'n Dales was very funny for the kids, yummy catfish too. The restaurant revolves around nice scenery. We went here twice!!
The restaurant in Morocco was a pure delight from start to finish, waiter was absolutely hilarious!!! Best salmon here!!!
I ate salmon every day we were there, and was delictable each time.
The ice cream on a stick in the shape of Mickey's head was the best I have ever had...and I really don't care for ice cream...check it out.
Service: housekeeping, or buses, the service was fabulous. (everybody wanted to help you, even if you did not want it). The place was very clean all the time.
Fast passes, use 'em! No matter what time of day we went, tons of others wanting the same ride were there too. Fast passes are a gift from the ride king!!!
Westjet for getting us there and back safely.
DME, nice service here.
Value resorts are gorgeous with the themed rooms and we were VERY comfortable in them!!


2. THE BAD:

Kudos for Disney for sponsoring other countries for everybody to have a magical time in their life!! Very proud of all you do for who you sponsor!!!
Other tourists. Yes, they were bad. The Brazilian tourist teenagers (seemed like there were thousands) that did not seem to have any supervision during our stay. Several nights, I was awaken in the MIDDLE of the night by a bunch of rowdy, screaming teenagers, who obviously did not know it was the middle of the night. I complained, (but not as much as the ppl staying beside us did from good ol' USA), but don't think much was done about it. They were rude and pushy..sorry, but this is true!!!!!
Several times, they pushed my DS 8 out of the way in the food court, so they could grab their beverage...one time he pushed a girl back who pushed him first and she was just about to say something to him, when I appeared.
They believe every tourist is their own personal door opener. I would hold a door for them and twenty of them would just walk through, no thank you, just like you were not there. We must be invisible. And I mean that, INVISIBLE!!!
Sorry to rant, but this was getting on my already fragile nerves for too long, not to meantion it here.

The coffee...(not Timmies ), and very strong, but kept you awake after those long hours in the park. The water smelled like bad corn for some reason too


3. THE UGLY:

Yeah, OK, I KNOW when you go to Florida in July it is gonna be freaking HOT, and geez, was it ever. Blessings for all the air conditioned areas, buses and inside attractions.
The heat just about knocked us over, especially the day we were at AK. Thank God for the Finding Nemo show. I think that saved us from literally melting to death.
Loved Epcot for all those indoor, AC attractions
We were constantly sweaty outside, just pouring off us. But I would DEFINATELY, POSITIVELY go back to WDW for sure....just not in July

So, that is just a breif look at our first experience there. It was beautiful, bigger than we thought it would be, but I don't think the word magical would be one word I would use to describe it....but my KIDS would...that is why we went...for them, right???

 

[hockey mom]

Sounds like a good time overall.

You need to go back in October or early Dec. Beautiful weather (not so hot) and no tour groups.

 

[esdras]

We are back from 10 days away in WDW. Here are a few thoughts about our very first experience!!!

1. THE GOOD:

Bar none...the food. No matter where we were, what park we were at, the food was amazing. TC, CS, did not matter, whatever we wanted, we got. And lots of it.

Food isn't cheap at Disney - but I'll agree with you on the portions - HUGE!!! We doggy bagged a lot on our last trip - even if half a burger is an odd breakfast choice! Further comment on food to follow in terms of your choice of time to visit WDW.

Westjet for getting us there and back safely.
DME, nice service here.

I don't know if you are close enough to the U.S. to consider flying out of a U.S. airport - but you might want to consider this on your next trip. As you can probably tell from many of the posts here, the Canadians who are able to get to U.S. airports in 4 hours or less will often drive that distance to save (usually) at least $100 per person on the flight - sometimes more. When we priced our flights for our upcoming trip we saved about $700 for a family of four flying out of Detroit vs. the cheapest I could find from Pearson. The "base" costs are close, but the Canadian airport fees and taxes are nasty.

Also, as you mentioned, DME is great - and if you could fly out of the U.S. using one of the partnered airlines, you would have been able to check your bags at the resort for the flight home.

Value resorts are gorgeous with the themed rooms and we were VERY comfortable in them!!

Although we were seriously tempted to try to spring for AKL, we loved ASMo last trip, and simply couldn't pass up getting an ASMu Family Suite with the Free Dining promo this year. So the pool doesn't have a water slide - the extra space and private bedroom for my wife and I are well worth staying at a Value.

2. THE BAD:

Other tourists. Yes, they were bad. The Brazilian tourist teenagers (seemed like there were thousands) that did not seem to have any supervision during our stay. Several nights, I was awaken in the MIDDLE of the night by a bunch of rowdy, screaming teenagers, who obviously did not know it was the middle of the night.

July is just bad in terms of tourists and crowds - no way to avoid that. Although we've been there at slower times, you'll always find good and bad with other guests - there are always inconsiderate people wherever and whenever you go - only the overall numbers change. Being there during a busier time simply means you will encounter more jerks - but you should also encounter more nice people too. You'll just encounter more people - period!

The coffee...(not Timmies ), and very strong, but kept you awake after those long hours in the park. The water smelled like bad corn for some reason too

Generally avoided coffee at WDW, except maybe for one cup in the morning. Got the caffeine fix through Coca-Cola instead.

It still amazes me (okay, not really - Disney has had deals with McDonald's for a long time) that with Timmy's being connected to Wendy's that they couldn't get at least one outlet at the Canada Pavillion in Epcot. Personally, I think that the Canada Pavillion should add a CS, even though it already has Le Cellier. It should be a combo of Timmy's, Harvey's and Swiss Chalet - the three "Canadian" fast food places. Okay, so Swiss isn't really "fast food" - but if they simply served the chicken and ribs with fries, it could easily work as CS. I also happen to think that the ribs from Swiss are pretty darn good - it wouldn't surprise me if it became a popular dining option were it to be offered at Epcot.

3. THE UGLY:

Yeah, OK, I KNOW when you go to Florida in July it is gonna be freaking HOT, and geez, was it ever. Blessings for all the air conditioned areas, buses and inside attractions.

The previous poster is correct - from June through August is just gross - and even May and September can be bad too. On the other hand - since you said you loved the food, if you could hold off on your vacation until the very end of August, you'll still get the heat, but there is the chance for getting the Free Dining promo that has been offered the last few years. If you aren't concerned about that deal and are willing to take the kids out of school - late September or early October are MUCH better in terms of heat and crowds.

We were constantly sweaty outside, just pouring off us. But I would DEFINATELY, POSITIVELY go back to WDW for sure....just not in July

If the heat is your biggest concern - avoid May through September. Period. As you mentioned, you used the Unofficial Guide book - the temperature guidelines in there coupled with their crowd levels are your best option in terms of choosing your next time to go - and remember, slower times often come with decent discounts from Disney - they only one that might not work for you because the heat is still horrid is Free Dining.

So, that is just a breif look at our first experience there. It was beautiful, bigger than we thought it would be, but I don't think the word magical would be one word I would use to describe it....but my KIDS would...that is why we went...for them, right???

Our kids think it's magical - and I have to admit, even though there is some general insanity involved with going there as a parent, I try to let it be magical for me too.

Glad you had - overall - a good trip!

 

[kmmum]

Glad you had a nice trip.. we went last year for Free Dining at the end of Aug.. and the heat was horrible.. it was actully too much to handle.. that's why were arn't going back this summer..... and I do agree about the food.. its great.. and even better when it's free dining!.. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Sarah

 

[puppyears]

Yes, thank you, we did have a great time, lots of memories and laughter captured forever. I will never forget the smiles on my boys faces everyday!!!!

...sort of confused about all of esdras' comments; are you a tour guide....sportscast announcer....newspaper critic??? I don't understand all the little comments about our trip. It is like you took everything I said and made your own commentary out of it. This is not the first time I have travelled abroad, but was the first time to WDW. This was OUR vacation experiences, not yours or how you would have done everything including your time of year to go. We don't have the luxurious option of just picking when to go to WDW, we went when we could. Like I said, I KNEW the temp was gonna be ugly, and it was.

Everybody posts their vacation happenings here, whether good or bad, it is their experience and somebody somewhere may learn something they did not know before going for the first time.

BTW, we ate like kings on the DDP!!! Salmon everywhere

 

[esdras]

...sort of confused about all of esdras' comments; are you a tour guide....sportscast announcer....newspaper critic??? I don't understand all the little comments about our trip. It is like you took everything I said and made your own commentary out of it. This is not the first time I have travelled abroad, but was the first time to WDW. This was OUR vacation experiences, not yours or how you would have done everything including your time of year to go. We don't have the luxurious option of just picking when to go to WDW, we went when we could. Like I said, I KNEW the temp was gonna be ugly, and it was.

I'm sorry - I didn't mean to offend in any way. I read your report with interest - seeing how you enjoyed the food and DDP (as we have) - it's why we try to go during Free Dining to make the trip more affordable.

I likely didn't need to mention flying out of the U.S. - I'm sure you've read posts here about how that can cost less. I should have assumed that you would have considered that option if possible and made no comment regarding your WestJet choice.

I also found it interesting to read about your experiences being there in July - when the tour groups are there. I haven't experienced that myself, but have read a number of the threads in other forums here about that topic. I simply thought to mention that even though we were there during slower times, we encountered both good and bad guests - just in different quantites.

When you mentioned staying at the Values, I agreed with you that they are themed in a really fun way for kids. I only mentioned that we considered AKL for this trip because of its theming, but decided to go back to the Values because of the Family Suites - I mentioned those in case it might interest you if you go back - as you mentioned you would like to do in the future.

Since you mentioned wanting to go back - but not in July, I picked up on a previous poster mentioning that the heat is bad for almost half the year in Florida. Since we have been there in September, I thought I would confirm that the heat is pretty nasty at that time too.

Everybody posts their vacation happenings here, whether good or bad, it is their experience and somebody somewhere may learn something they did not know before going for the first time.

I didn't mean to take away from your experience - as you say, perhaps people can learn something they didn't know from your experience. I only wanted to share with you some of what I know from being there at a slightly different time than you were. I only did so because you mentioned wanting to go back again some day - I thought maybe some of the experiences our family had might help you choose when to visit for your next trip.

So, I'm not a travel agent - just someone who loves WDW. And I'm not a sportscaster - but with the way you arranged your post, I simply found it easier to comment on it by highlighting sections of your holiday.

Once again, please accept my apologies. I had no intentions of taking away from what was - I agree - your own experience. My only intention - although it seems to have failed - was to offer some thoughts that I hoped might make your next visit as good, if not better, than the one you just had. I'm very sorry it didn't wind up sounding like that.

 

[nflder]

I am so happy to hear you had a fantastic first trip. It's great to hear from someone on their first trip down with such a positive experience. Like most people here - I enjoy everything Disney and absolutely love it when others "get" Disney and understand what it is like to take a vacation there.

 

[Luhts]

I would think that a lot of ppl who are reading your post are looking for tips on planning their own trip. I liked how esdras compared their experiences to yours.

 

[Disney_Mama]

Thanks for sharing. I love how you separated your thread into the Good the Bad and the Ugly. I was just in Florida late June and I did not do WDW just because of the heat and crowds. Let me tell you it sure was hard only being 3 hours away and not taking a overnighter there.

 

[puppyears]

Thanks to all for the wonderful comments!!!

Next July we head for Alaska!!! (not hot there in July!!!!)

Nah, maybe further south in FLA!!

 

[CanadianPaco]

Thank you for sharing - I think you summed up a July trip quite well!!!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

The ice cream on a stick in the shape of Mickey's head was the best I have ever had...and I really don't care for ice cream...check it out.

Glad to hear you had such a great trip.

I too love disney food - especially the Mickey bars you described above. My first "adult" trip to disney (after a 10 year hiatus) and the first trip we ate on site, my mom and I each had a Mickey Head ice cream bar, and it was the best $5 I spent the entire trip - they were so good!

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Puppy, sorry about that hot weather. We'll try to do better the next time you come. Hope you didn't get too many afternoon thunderstorms!

As for the Brazilian teens, they're everything you said they were. But Brazilians are the third largest foreign tourist source for Orlando after Canada and the UK so they just have to be tolerated during their school break season.

BobK/Orlando

 

[puppyears]

Those afternoon T-storms were the most amazing we have ever seen, we actually loved them! I got some amazing shots of three, four lightning strikes.

BTW, it was just as hot here in the Great White North while we were basking in the glorious sunshine of your fabulous state. So we did not miss much. We were actually looking for an orange tree, but did not see any. We see them up here, but they are in greenhouses on government property.

We cannot wait to go back to FLA, maybe see the next space adventure, that would be a great memory, too!!!

Thanks!!!

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

We were actually looking for an orange tree, but did not see any.

Assuming you have a rental car, head west on US 192 and then north on Orange County Road 545 (Avalon Road) This will take you into hilly terrain and miles and miles of orange groves. (When they're in bloom the fragrance is awesome!) When CR 545 crosses the Western Beltway (TOLL 429) you can hop on the toll road and head back south to Disney via the Western Way entrance road. You can do the circle in about a half hour and you'll definitely see orange trees!

BobK/Orlando