What are your regrets about your last trip?

[Clare]

Our trips have always been amazing, but too short (max of 4 nights). In December, we're staying 8 nights so we'll be able to see more while having some down time too!!

Here's what I plan not to miss next time:

1. Ride Maelstrom
2. Spend more time in the WS - this is always our favorite part of the trip, but we never see everything
3. Spend an evening at the BW - jellyrolls especially!
4. Do more resort hopping!

 

[Neeter]

Cindyfan, I would definitely make some more time for WS next time. My 7 year old niece loved it, as did my 16 year old niece. They both say it was one of their most favs of the trip. The 7 year old loved it because when we were there (Easter 2001) they had these masks for the kids. They could take the mask to each of the countries and add decoration to their masks in each place. I cannot tell you how much she loved it. The CM at Canada was beyond wonderful to her. She still talks about her and the things she told her about Canada as she was coloring her mask.

In almost all of my previous trips to WDW I had neglected to make time for WS. It seems you think there is way more exciting things to do, but last year we made the time. It was so much fun because there was so much I hadn't seen at the WS even though I'd been to Disney so much. The girls have both said already that we are spending more time there when we go Easter 2003.

 

[disneydel]

I agree with gumdrop, emy's mom and disneyvoice that sometimes because there is soo much to do at disney that you forget to include some relaxation time (just enough to recoup) to balance things out.

 

[tax58]

We spent too much time trying to see everything in 3.5 days. We stayed off site and the drive every day became a killer. From now on we will always stay at a Disney resort for at least a week at a time.

 

[Nolcrest]

Not a regret, but for the future I will never plan a PS breakfast for the day after having a buffet dinner - what was I thinking.

 

[Disneybelle66]

Yup. I will NEVER stay offsite again. We thought we would save money, not really. We spent SO much time on the road, in traffic, and in the HUGE parkinglot. After a full day in the parks, the last place you want to be is waiting for a tram,to get to your car, to wait in traffic, to get on the highway, to find your hotel, to get up to your room!!!!!Nope, next time I'm just hoppin' the monorail, and goin' to bed!!!

 

[IndyWDWfan]

This is exactly what I was hoping for! Lots of insite for us newbies to the Boards.

I too suffered from "thought we'd save money off-site" syndrom. I had that one in Feb, but now I'm cured!

 

[kimmar067]

Good for you!!!!

 

[Claire L]

One regret I had last year was when I found out about the dolphin swimbut it was too late too book. Said if I ever went agian I ould book it and I have done for this year! Off for the swim in June with DH plus we're staying at WL for wo weeks!! Still wish we had three weeks like last year, but finances although unexpected won't stretch that far!!
Claire

 

[cindala]

Last visit was the first time we didn't take a "day off from the parks day", and so this year we are planning one. A day off is great to sleep a little later and recharge, do DTD or mini golf, or just go resort hopping. We didn't do mini golf last visit, and the DD's were really disappointed about that.

 

[LvsTnk]

Last trip to WDW in Dec. my only regret is that we didn't call the in-room DR.'s when my DS got sick. Instead we went to the ER at Celebration, we waited 3 hrs. and never saw a DR. and they had no clue when we would see one. The next day we had the in-room DR. come he was from Florida Hospital and we thought he was very good and we did not have to go out to get the medicines.

Last trip to DL Mar..........I regreted not being at WDW LOL! I did like CA though . Laurie


One Week To Go AKL

 

[bigsis1970]

my regret would be that we should have picked 2 rooms at the All Stars so my mom and sister could have gotten a chance to stay in the "Magic " 24/7 and that we didn't take time for the Parades

I am going back 11/29 to 12/07 and we will see the Parades this time..

ps my mom and sister said they loved it anyway !!

Oh thought of another one we didn't use our second day free at Sea World even though we all loved it there..

 

[hallie]

The one regret I have is using Priceline to get an offsite hotel for the night before we checked into the AKL (it was wonderful!). We only paid 45.00 but the Renaissance World gate was just plain nasty. We actually ended up leaving a few days earlier then we'd planned and stayed at the Doubletree castle for the first 2 nights(very nice). Not wanting to waste the money we prepaid for the Renaissance through Priceline, we went. I wish we would've just stayed at the Doubletree castle instead cause the RWG was a nightmare.

 

[erikthewise]

We went last December for a 4-day WDW stay followed by a 3-day DCL cruise. Thanks in part to these boards we did a lot of things right, but I wish in retrospect that we had had a 5-day WDW stay or 4-day cruise, or both.

It's not just a matter of wanting more like everyone else, it was just a failure to realize in advance that
(a) our "4-day" WDW stay was in truth 3.5 days, because we had only a half-day on our day of arrival. On cruise day we left about 10:30 AM, getting aboard about 1:00, so we lost a half-day there too.
(b) our "3-day" cruise was in fact 2.5 days (as the itinerary makes clear). While enjoyable, it is somewhat intense, and not a particularly good value for per day cost when compared with a 4-day or 7-day cruise.

With an extra day in either or both places, our trip would have been more relaxed. Since we booked the two components separately (this saves money), there no reason why we couldn't have done it, other than it would have cost more!

(PS: I also wish I hadn't broken two toes on the second day! Fortunately they were little toes and I was still able to walk.)

 

[PamNC]

The only thing I regret is not staying longer or taking a last minute trip sooner. Our last trip was July 2001 - we stayed at the Yacht Club. It was a last minute trip - we had just returned from our annual Memorial Week trip. I found out I had a couple of extra days off for July 4th, so we went on down Wed-Sat. My mom was there with her sister. We kept it quiet and didn't let them know we were coming. One night when we knew they were going to Fantasmic we snuck over to their resort (Coronado) and knocked on the door claiming to be room service. it was priceless.

The Yacht Club was great. We did the Beach Club in May. I think I like Beach Club a little better.

This year for our memorial week trip we're staying at the Grand Floridian and we couldn't be more excited. I don't think after staying there we'll have any extra money for another impromptu trip.

Regrets? No way! If you missed doing something you wanted to do during your trip, just think of it this way: you'll just have to go back the next year to do it.

PamNC

 

[KAM2]

One of my regrets would have to be that we did the "comando" touring thing on the last 2 trips........well, I should say I did. I dragged the poor family along with me so we wouldn't "waste" any time or money. Of course as it ended up we were all so exhausted we became irritable with one another.
I will build in a day off from the parks on our trip in October....maybe to go to Typhoon Lagoon. We took a day off to rest on our trip in 1998 and it was wonderful.

Second regret was that we took the kids out of school for a week......it was completely AWFUL making up the schoolwork. We won't do that any time again soon!!


Everything else was grand!! Loved the nightly movies, campfires and smores at Fort Wilderness and the Water Pageant on the beach. They were both highlights on our last trip!!

 

[Hettie]

My only regret was not having enough time in Epcot. We could have really used another day. We barely touched World Showcase, didn't get to play with anything in Innoventions, and didn't stop by Wonders of Life Pavilion at all. Other than that, our planning worked perfectly.

 

[jlambrig]

We flew down on 9/11 and didn't know what happened until we got to the Rainforest Cafe and tried to get a table. Then 2 days later Trop Strom Gabrielle hit. Even so, my 4 year old loved it any way. We just bought into the BCV because we are going to be Disney vacationholics.

 

[jeleebeene]

In August 2000, my husband and I went with my mom and dad, my brother, my Aunt and her friend, and my 2 cousins and there 2 kids. I had a HORRIBLE time, because my parents didn't want to do what we wanted to, my dad has really bad feet, and could walk long, and they got mad at us for wanting to go off my ourselves for a bit.

I felt like I was a child in their house all over again. I felt really bad when on the 4th day of our trip, I met up with the cousins and Aunt and stayed with them for awhile at MGM - and told my parents they could do what they wanted that day. Well, needless to say, we didn't see them for the next 2 days of our trip until we were leaving - they (mostly my dad) were that mad.
I go to Disney to have fun, not to be treated like a kid (though I feel like a kid all over again when I am there!!). My husband and I paid for our vacation, and wanted to do things that we liked, as well as try to accomodate everyone else. It was stressful with 11 people, trying to eat together, ride rides together. My cousins wanted to hang with me ALL the time (which deep down I love to be with them though they can drive me crazy) , and I think that upset my parents, too.
This trip, it is just me and my husband, and I think it will be our last, until we have children. I can't imagine going on another trip like that again!!

 

[jesdmill1]

Our last trip was "practically perfect", but there are always a few lessons to be learned!

I wish I had scheduled us to go to Universal/IOA. We're going this year (30 days!) and my SO is soo excited... I had no idea, but I should have known with all the comic book characters etc, and he's a big movie buff too.

I wish I had gotten us reservations at Flying Fish instead of waiting until the day of and having to eat at 9:45 PM (it was still wonderful though!)

I wish I had just checked into the GF a day early instead of spending the first night at a cheaper hotel... it just wasn't worth the hassle for one night.

I wish we hadn't booked the Keys to the Kingdom tour. We got stuck with a majorly grumpy group of people for hours!

I wish... that it could have been longer! It was our most magical trip ever, and I know that this years trip will be magical in its own way, even if I do end up with a few "regrets"