Your biggest Disney disappointment / anti-climax?

[Graeme]

Definitely Boardwalk Villas. I asked for a timeshare swap to Old Key West for our honeymoon and loved it. The following year I held out for Boardwalk expecting a better hotel. Apart from the lobby, the whole place was like a travelodge. Right down to the view of the car park and endless walk to the lift.
The boardwalk itself was dead on an evening, not the vibrant younger brother of DTD as I'd hoped. The bakery sold dry pastries and polystyrene coffee and the stairwells and public areas were dirty and rubbish strewn.
Go to Old Key West!!!!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think a few rides need updating or replacing, Great Movie Ride/Muppet 3D, the TomorrowLand area of MK is looking a bit old and dated now.

 

[disneyholic family]

there are things that i love at WDW, others that i don't (it's actually quite a long list), but i'm always happy at WDW and never disappointed to be there....

and as Mick said, my only disappointment is having to go home....

but now that i look at the question again, it says "disney" disappointment....so that would be concierge service at Disney's Grand Californian at DL/DCA....and in general at DL/DCA i thought that the CMs were not up to the level of the WDW CMs......not even close...

but as for WDW, I'll paraphrase Mick a second time.....my only disappointment is when it's time to leave and return to reality.....

 

[UKPhil]

Primeval Whirl. It was the new brand new, must see attraction when I last visited WDW, and thought it was a typical tacky fairground ride with a few plyboard dinosaurs for effect.

Can't remember now where is read this, but apparently just before this opened Michael Eisner was shown around and another Disney Executive who was visiting with him said "Michael, we can't open this. It's just so tacky!" to which Eisner apparently replied "Have you any idea how much money it cost us to make it look this tacky?".

The point being that it is supposed to look the way it does i.e. like a cheap fairground attraction. A lot of people seem to miss the joke, but then a lot of people seem to miss the point of Animal Kingdom entirely anyway. Most people who criticise it (anyone else listened to that WDW Today podcast? They slate it!) just seem to want instant thrills from rides. Although I can't wait to ride Everest, in a way I'm a bit disappointed that Disney is pandering to those who "don't get" the park by giving them the thrill rides they crave.

Oh, and my own disappointment ... ?

At Chef Mickey's when I spotted velcro on the back of Pluto. Until then I thought he was real !

.
.
.

(I am a 48 year old man)

 

[musketeer]

Stitch great escape

my daughter was really disappointed in this as stitch is her favourite character.

Tracy

 

[SammieG]

my husband on his first visit to chester and hesters said.. "Disney have done this on the cheap - Look they havent even taken the white lines from the car park off the concrete" -
DUH!!

 

[Hilary]

Oh, and my own disappointment ... ?

At Chef Mickey's when I spotted velcro on the back of Pluto. Until then I thought he was real !

 

[UKDEB]

Most people who criticise it just seem to want instant thrills from rides

Sad, but true. In early PR shots of AK there were boats on Discovery River. I remember asking Simon Veness about them once and he told me it was a short-lived attraction because people expected 'something to happen'. I would love to take a boat trip around AK.

Although I can't wait to ride Everest, in a way I'm a bit disappointed that Disney is pandering to those who "don't get" the park by giving them the thrill rides they crave

Me, too. I understand the commercial drivers, of course, but AK doesn't seem to absorb crowds as well as the other parks and I do wonder about the impact of the inevitable surge in numbers.

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi,
My only disapointment is having to return to the UK...nuff said.

Mick.

I agree with Mick

I have to say in defence of Chester & Hester's area, as UKPhil rightly points out, it is supposed to look like a tacky roadside fairground attraction. I believe the intention was to introduce a little humour / irony into AK which can otherwise be deemed to be a rather "educational" park.

 

[Dimplenose]

Crystal Palace Breakfast - very, very long wait for characters

Sounds Dangerous at MGM - very shabby seating, fairly pathetic film

Disappointed that Discovery Island (near Fort Wilderness) closed - I loved that place, but I suppose it was covering the same stuff as AK

Libby

PS We went on the Discovery River boats in 1998 and I really liked them.

 

[Miffy2003]

Oh yes Libby I agree about Sounds Dangerous, mind you to be fair I thought it sounded rubbish anyway so maybe I wouldn't say I was underwhelmed as I didn't expect much anyway

 

[Amyrlin]

I was dissapointed with Boma. it is built up a lot, and I did enjoy it, but it was not up to the hype.

 

[Frances999]

I totally agree about Sounds Dangerous. We tried it for the first time on our trip last August (just to get out of the rain). It was awful. I would have preferred to have stayed outside and got wet!

I was dissapointed with Boma. it is built up a lot, and I did enjoy it, but it was not up to the hype.

I kind of agree. I do enjoy Boma, but the amount of hype it gets (especially on these boards) is unwarranted in my opinion. It can lead to really high expectations which ultimately result in disappointment. It's the same for Beaches & Cream in my opinion.

 

[mushumadness]

sounds dangerous is rubbish, but then I really dont enjoy indiana jones any more either, it really needs a re hab.

We really didnt like staying at carribbean beach, dirty rooms, unfriendly staff, room mix ups (had to change rooms the third day) didnt feel like disney a all.

 

[Dicky Knee]

I totally agree about Sounds Dangerous. We tried it for the first time on our trip last August (just to get out of the rain). It was awful. I would have preferred to have stayed outside and got wet!

You're right! I'd completely forgotton about Sounds Dangerous. Had to go onto Allearsnet to remind me what it was. Truly awful.

 

[carolfoy]

Ah yes, another one here who forgot about sounds dangerous, really bad attraction. also agree that indiana could do with updating

 

[pixiepower04]

My biggest disappointment was contracting Viral Meningitis on the 22nd December and being whipped into hospital for 6 days and missing Christmas with my husband and my beautiful children DD6 and DS4!

Disney were so good about it and they gave me a lovely Minnie plush, a bunch of balloons and an autograph from Minnie!!

I was also disappointed with the Coral Reef restaurant, they sat us right at the back so my children didn't get to see any of the aquarium, my husbands fish was really quite burnt and my fish was quite watery! It was the only "posh" restaurant we ate in for the whole trip so it was a rather unfortunate day.

We also ate in the Sci Fi Diner, never ever again, I had to leave my food because the ribs were sooooo greasy and the chips weren't much better either.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

My biggest disappointment was contracting Viral Meningitis on the 22nd December and being whipped into hospital for 6 days and missing Christmas with my husband and my beautiful children DD6 and DS4!

I can imagine!! That must have been terrible, my wife caught sunstroke on Miami beach on our honeymoon, was in hospital for just the one day.

Not very nice when you get ill abroad.

 

[daveyoghurt]

Originally Posted by UKPhil
Most people who criticise it just seem to want instant thrills from rides

I just don't feel they have the correct balance there UKPhil, if you look at Seaworld that has just two 'thrill rides', however you could quite easily spend two full days there to fully appreciate it and even want to return again for a third day - the entertainment and education aspect is cleverly put together. Whereas Busch Gardens is more of a thrill riders paradise, again, the 'safari' side of it is excellent, and in my humble opinion, superior to what is on offer at AK - which maybe has more to do with the expectational levels raised by the Disney name than anything else. Ultimately, whilst I like the 'instant thrills' provided at the theme parks, if this was all that was on offer you would be less likely to return over and over again as many of us have, the Disney 'touch' and the alternatives are what bring us back - and I just feel that AK was rushed out to try and catch the Seaword and BG market at the expense of the 'Disney quality' that is so much in evidence at all the other parks.

 

[Laurafoster]

I love busch but i can see that it is a thril rides place. However i really would struggle to spend more than 1 day at seaworld!