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Message
Impressions of Disney World from a first timer (UPDATED w/pics)
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:22 am
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:22 am
Magic Kingdom - I'd be happy to never step foot here ever again. All the negative sterotypes about DW exist here. Just too crowded. The entire vibe of the place is just weird. Not for me. The daughter and wife loved it though, so I'm sure I'll be back eventually.
The fireworks show at MK is impressive
Food - Just fricking awful. 90% of the food is Golden Corral level foot at 3x - 4x the price. The only decent meal we had was in Cinderella's Castle at the character dinner. But even though the food was decent, spending $200 to eat with kids running around everywhere isn't exactly a great experience.
Be Our Guest (lunch) - What a fricking ripoff. What is the point of reservations if you still have to wait in line for an hour to eat? And then no Belle? frick that place. This was the worst event of the entire trip.
Animal Kingdom - I enjoyed AK. Less of a crowd, shadier, just overall a more relaxes atmosphere. We enjoyed The Lion King show and the Nemo musical. Production was very good. The safari was great.
My daughter could have stayed in The Boneyard all day (yes she wore a safari dress for the safari)
We also enjoyed the Lion King show
and the safari
Epcot - Epcot was ok. I was pretty disappointed in the food and drink overall. Everyone had told me this would be my favorite park because of that, but meh. The Frozen ride was fun. Plus my daughter loved meeting Elsa and Anna. The aquarium after the Nemo ride was great as well. I also very much enjoyed the ride inside the big ball thing.
For $10.50 you can drink crappy beer at Epcot!
Character dinner inside Cinderella's castle - Food was good. Daughter got to meet several characters, which was great. But like I said before, spending $200 for a meal to have kids running all over the place was...not my thing.
Little Mrs Salmon teaching Jasmine bout dem gainz at the character dinner
Art of Animation resort - Budget resort. Literally furthest resort away from almost anything. Rooms were basically Days Inn quality. The lobby and pools were nice though. I wouldn't stay here again. Spend the extra money on a nicer resort.
Just loved the long bus rides to the parks everyday from our resort...
But my daughter loved the characters around the resort
She also loved the little personal touches, like the cleaning ladies setting her "stuffies" up in different scenes everyday. Coming back to the hotel was quite exciting for her to see what they were doing while we were gone.
Overall I enjoyed AK and Epcot, pretty much hated MK. Most of our FPs were used to meet princesses, so rides were at a minimum. Maybe I would enjoy more if/when we got back and my daughter is older and can ride some of the better rides.
And I know, none of this was about me, my daughter loved everything and that made me incredibly happy living vicariously through her, but maybe someone can help make the experience a little more enjoyable for us, the parents next time?
The fireworks show at MK is impressive
Food - Just fricking awful. 90% of the food is Golden Corral level foot at 3x - 4x the price. The only decent meal we had was in Cinderella's Castle at the character dinner. But even though the food was decent, spending $200 to eat with kids running around everywhere isn't exactly a great experience.
Be Our Guest (lunch) - What a fricking ripoff. What is the point of reservations if you still have to wait in line for an hour to eat? And then no Belle? frick that place. This was the worst event of the entire trip.
Animal Kingdom - I enjoyed AK. Less of a crowd, shadier, just overall a more relaxes atmosphere. We enjoyed The Lion King show and the Nemo musical. Production was very good. The safari was great.
My daughter could have stayed in The Boneyard all day (yes she wore a safari dress for the safari)
We also enjoyed the Lion King show
and the safari
Epcot - Epcot was ok. I was pretty disappointed in the food and drink overall. Everyone had told me this would be my favorite park because of that, but meh. The Frozen ride was fun. Plus my daughter loved meeting Elsa and Anna. The aquarium after the Nemo ride was great as well. I also very much enjoyed the ride inside the big ball thing.
For $10.50 you can drink crappy beer at Epcot!
Character dinner inside Cinderella's castle - Food was good. Daughter got to meet several characters, which was great. But like I said before, spending $200 for a meal to have kids running all over the place was...not my thing.
Little Mrs Salmon teaching Jasmine bout dem gainz at the character dinner
Art of Animation resort - Budget resort. Literally furthest resort away from almost anything. Rooms were basically Days Inn quality. The lobby and pools were nice though. I wouldn't stay here again. Spend the extra money on a nicer resort.
Just loved the long bus rides to the parks everyday from our resort...
But my daughter loved the characters around the resort
She also loved the little personal touches, like the cleaning ladies setting her "stuffies" up in different scenes everyday. Coming back to the hotel was quite exciting for her to see what they were doing while we were gone.
Overall I enjoyed AK and Epcot, pretty much hated MK. Most of our FPs were used to meet princesses, so rides were at a minimum. Maybe I would enjoy more if/when we got back and my daughter is older and can ride some of the better rides.
And I know, none of this was about me, my daughter loved everything and that made me incredibly happy living vicariously through her, but maybe someone can help make the experience a little more enjoyable for us, the parents next time?
This post was edited on 1/24/17 at 7:52 am
12
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:29 am to Salmon
If you would be so kind as to post a handful of photographs I will add your post I've been to the sticky
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:32 am to Salmon
quote:
And I know, none of this was about me, my daughter loved everything and that made me incredibly happy living vicariously through her, but maybe someone can help make the experience a little more enjoyable for us, the parents next time?
I will never understand the blind devotion to Walt's kingdom. For the same money you could wait a few years until your kids are old enough to retain memories and then take them to DC to see all of the smithsonians, fly them on a budget airline to Paris to see the Louvre and Orsay, take an AMTRAK cross country train trip, or road trip across the Dakotas, Wyoming, MT, and Colorado.
Seeing your kid get excited is great, but handing them a coke icee, sbarro pizza, and an ice cream sandwich will make them happy as shite too. Doesn't mean there aren't better alternatives...
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:36 am to Foch
quote:
I will never understand the blind devotion to Walt's kingdom.
Yeah...me either
quote:
For the same money you could wait a few years until your kids are old enough to retain memories and then take them to DC to see all of the smithsonians, fly them on a budget airline to Paris to see the Louvre and Orsay, take an AMTRAK cross country train trip, or road trip across the Dakotas, Wyoming, MT, and Colorado.
Absolutely. In no way, will we ever be the family that goes every year or even frequently, but I know my wife, and I know that if we have another kid, she will want to bring them.
It is what it is.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:43 am to Salmon
Salmon, what were the dates of your trip? Time of year and length of trip can have a big impact.
Disney is a magical place. If you hate magical things and like more realistic things (which if you hated MK and loved AK and Epcot was in the middle, I put you in that group) then yeah, it can be a place that you would not enjoy.
What meals did you have besides the castle and Be Our Guest? Look, most of the counter service meals are essentially fast food, especially if you do the burgers route. Anb there is no doubt that the lunch process at BOG is broken. I had a long talk with one of their people about it. They need to basically triple the order kiosks.
And yeah, the value resort rooms are basically Days Inn =) If you care about what your room looks like, they are not for you. As you said the common areas are nice - that's where the money gets put. When we go, all we do in the room is sleep and shower, so Days Inn is fine for me!
Disney is a magical place. If you hate magical things and like more realistic things (which if you hated MK and loved AK and Epcot was in the middle, I put you in that group) then yeah, it can be a place that you would not enjoy.
What meals did you have besides the castle and Be Our Guest? Look, most of the counter service meals are essentially fast food, especially if you do the burgers route. Anb there is no doubt that the lunch process at BOG is broken. I had a long talk with one of their people about it. They need to basically triple the order kiosks.
And yeah, the value resort rooms are basically Days Inn =) If you care about what your room looks like, they are not for you. As you said the common areas are nice - that's where the money gets put. When we go, all we do in the room is sleep and shower, so Days Inn is fine for me!
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:45 am to Foch
quote:
I will never understand the blind devotion to Walt's kingdom. For the same money you could wait a few years until your kids are old enough to retain memories and then take them to DC to see all of the smithsonians, fly them on a budget airline to Paris to see the Louvre and Orsay, take an AMTRAK cross country train trip, or road trip across the Dakotas, Wyoming, MT, and Colorado.
I dunno. Some people love going. It makes them happy. My kids are younger. I can promise you I plan in a few years to do a DC trip. I plan on doing a Paris trip, probably when they are high school. I plan on taking them to the Grand Canyon at some point. And in two years we are planning a trip where we fly to Seattle and drive down the cost to San Diego.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:49 am to LSUFanHouston
quote:
Salmon, what were the dates of your trip? Time of year and length of trip can have a big impact.
last week, Sunday through Thursday
quote:
What meals did you have besides the castle and Be Our Guest?
counter service stuff, and like you said, its basically fast food at 3x the price
We ate at some restaurant in Epcot for dinner but I forget the name. It was in France. It was ok.
quote:
Anb there is no doubt that the lunch process at BOG is broken. I had a long talk with one of their people about it. They need to basically triple the order kiosks.
It was awful. This was the only point in the trip where I was just legit pissed off. I don't see how anyone could find that enjoyable.
quote:
And yeah, the value resort rooms are basically Days Inn =) If you care about what your room looks like, they are not for you
I don't really care how the room looks, but the rooms were tiny, the A/C sucked, and the length of the bus rides were not exactly pleasant (I had to deal with the stroller).
Posted on 1/23/17 at 9:49 am to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
If you would be so kind as to post a handful of photographs I will add your post I've been to the sticky
if PB would ever load, I'll add a few pics
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:05 am to Salmon
quote:If my first trip to MK was during an extremely crowded time of year (or day of the week) as an adult with most of my plans centered around the enjoyment of a little girl, I'd probably have the same reaction here.
Magic Kingdom - I'd be happy to never step foot here ever again. All the negative sterotypes about DW exist here. Just too crowded. The entire vibe of the place is just weird. Not for me. The daughter and wife loved it though, so I'm sure I'll be back eventually.
quote:I can't disagree if you ate at most of the quick services.
Food - Just fricking awful. 90% of the food is Golden Corral level foot at 3x - 4x the price. The only decent meal we had was in Cinderella's Castle at the character dinner. But even though the food was decent, spending $200 to eat with kids running around everywhere isn't exactly a great experience.
quote:I've never done lunch there. The appeal is the decor/atmosphere. And meeting the Beast who is one of the rarer characters. Belle is typically outside of France.
Be Our Guest (lunch) - What a fricking ripoff. What is the point of reservations if you still have to wait in line for an hour to eat? And then no Belle? frick that place. This was the worst event of the entire trip.
quote:You listed the 3 best things about the park. After that, it falls off pretty hard for me.
Animal Kingdom - I enjoyed AK. Less of a crowd, shadier, just overall a more relaxes atmosphere. We enjoyed The Lion King show and the Nemo musical. Production was very good. The safari was great.
quote:Again, it would help to know where you ate.
Epcot - Epcot was ok. I was pretty disappointed in the food and drink overall.
quote:Agreed. Will never stay at one of those.
Art of Animation resort - Budget resort. Literally furthest resort away from almost anything. Rooms were basically Days Inn quality. The lobby and pools were nice though. I wouldn't stay here again. Spend the extra money on a nicer resort.
quote:Keys to adult enjoyment:
maybe someone can help make the experience a little more enjoyable for us, the parents next time?
Stay close to a park. Magic Kingdom: Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge. EPCOT/Hollywood: Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club. This is good for obvious reasons: less time traveling, easier access (you can walk to EPCOT/HS from these hotels and you can walk to MK from the Contemporary), and better overall rooms. But you'll pay for it.
Know where/when to eat. Some of the best food is OUTSIDE of the parks and in resorts. Ohana at Polynesian, California Grill at Contemporary, Narcossee's at Grand Floridian, Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge... just to name a few. In the parks, the best food is at EPCOT. Le Cellier, Via Napoli, and Teppan Edo are our favorites and provide good value. And you don't want to eat at typical meal times when things take longer and you're missing an opportunity to ride an extra ride or two due to the shorter lines during these times. The best value/food in Magic Kingdom IMO is The Plaza. It's somewhat like a cafe with pretty good sandwiches. My new favorite though is Skipper Canteen.
Don't feel like you have to stick to the parks. Obviously, with the best food being outside of parks, there are days where it may make sense do not spend $100/ticket when you'll only be there half the day. Instead, there's the Boardwalk, pool hopping, Disney Springs, or (gasp) Universal.
This post was edited on 1/23/17 at 10:09 am
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:08 am to Salmon
#1. You gotta realize why you're going. It isn't about you. The sooner you come to grips with that, the easier it will be.
Next time, go between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Meal plan, if staying on-site.
Next time, go between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Meal plan, if staying on-site.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:11 am to ell_13
quote:
If my first trip to MK was during an extremely crowded time of year
so mid January is a crowded time? I would have thought this time of year would be less crowded.
quote:
And meeting the Beast who is one of the rarer characters. Belle is typically outside of France.
The Beast wasn't there. We met Belle at her little story time thing, which was probably the highlight for my daughter.
quote:
You listed the 3 best things about the park. After that, it falls off pretty hard for me.
Well I liked The Boneyard, which was nice to have an area where the kids could just play. I was also able to sneak away and ride Everest, since the lines were short enough that I didn't need a FP.
quote:
Again, it would help to know where you ate.
I pretty much snacked "around the world". We ate at the nicer restaurant in France. It was ok.
quote:
Keys to adult enjoyment:
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:13 am to Tyga Woods
quote:I disagree. I'd say it's not JUST about you, but an adult can certainly have fun and enjoy the experience.
#1. You gotta realize why you're going. It isn't about you.
quote:If he was there last week, he was there during and even "slower" time than between those two holidays. His issue with the crowd at MK may have been due to what day of the week he went. Any weekend in MK will be just as crowded as the heaviest days in the summer. Snowbirds + locals.
Next time, go between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
quote:No. No. NO. Meal plan works for very few people. Paying up front and being "locked in" to a certain amount of food types is not ideal for 95% of the people at there. Doesn't save money, you don't need it for reservations, and it doesn't get you better/quicker service.
Meal plan, if staying on-site.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:17 am to Salmon
quote:Midweek days, possibly. Weekends, no. It's a very popular time with people from South America. And the weekends are crowded due to the locals and snowbirds with annual passes coming in for a day or two.
so mid January is a crowded time? I would have thought this time of year would be less crowded.
quote:Hmmm. Must be a lunch thing. He's there for the dinner.
The Beast wasn't there.
quote:I have a son, so this has never been in our schedule, but I've heard great things.
We met Belle at her little story time thing, which was probably the highlight for my daughter.
quote:Good call. It's short but fun. Not many rides like it in Disney.
I was also able to sneak away and ride Everest, since the lines were short enough that I didn't need a FP.
quote:I'm assuming Chefs de France? I agree. Just okay.
I pretty much snacked "around the world". We ate at the nicer restaurant in France. It was ok.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:29 am to ell_13
I didn't say you couldn't enjoy yourself. But sometimes, it has to be a distant second.
With a little girl, seeing the park decorated for Christmas would add to the experience.
The quick service meal plan makes things easier.
A few times a year, Disney will do free dining. Maybe plan to visit at those times.
With a little girl, seeing the park decorated for Christmas would add to the experience.
The quick service meal plan makes things easier.
A few times a year, Disney will do free dining. Maybe plan to visit at those times.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:32 am to Salmon
quote:
Anb there is no doubt that the lunch process at BOG is broken. I had a long talk with one of their people about it. They need to basically triple the order kiosks.
It was awful. This was the only point in the trip where I was just legit pissed off. I don't see how anyone could find that enjoyable.
Be Our Guest is a logistical nightmare. The only way to do it and not want to ripe your eyelashes off is to pre-order your food (which is absolutely retarded and in no way am I suggesting pre-ordering what you want to eat is a good method).
BOG for dinner is the only time I'll go there (plus it's the only place in any park to meet The Beast.
Two families in WDW parks on the same day could have completely different experiences based on what park they visit, when they arrive, when they leave, what they do in what order, what their FP+ are, where they eat, etc etc etc.
It's alot ot grasp but the experienced planner unquestionably have a step up. It isn't realistic for everyone to learn it all for their first visit so it kind of sucks.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:46 am to LSUfan4444
quote:If you're like me, you have friends and family who ask you to help with the planning when they go on their own.
It's alot ot grasp but the experienced planner unquestionably have a step up. It isn't realistic for everyone to learn it all for their first visit so it kind of sucks
Posted on 1/23/17 at 10:51 am to Salmon
MK is just too crowded, they need more room.
The only way to survive MK is to have your fast passes planned accordingly so you minimize your wait times for the big attractions.
Hollywood Studios is another cluster, too crowded and without a fast pass the big rides are a long wait. Too many people congregate in certain areas of the park. Not enough food areas either.
Animal Kingdom is becoming my favorite. Love Everest. Not as crowded. Can do a lot in a day.
Surpisingly good food without all the hassle.
Epcot is also one of my favorites. I like how it is spread out from the countries. It is a lot more walking but the rides are some of the best.
The only way to survive MK is to have your fast passes planned accordingly so you minimize your wait times for the big attractions.
Hollywood Studios is another cluster, too crowded and without a fast pass the big rides are a long wait. Too many people congregate in certain areas of the park. Not enough food areas either.
Animal Kingdom is becoming my favorite. Love Everest. Not as crowded. Can do a lot in a day.
Surpisingly good food without all the hassle.
Epcot is also one of my favorites. I like how it is spread out from the countries. It is a lot more walking but the rides are some of the best.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 11:19 am to ell_13
I've been 3 times. Once at 12yo, once at 19, and once in 2010 when going to the Capital One Bowl.
The food sucks and is over-priced. It will be crowded. You will wait in lines. Deal with it. It's an expectation.
What makes WDW bad for people is that they are forced to do the parts of the park that aren't meant for them.
There are two designs for the WDW experience. The are parts for young kids, and the parts for non-kids.
Kids get to meet the characters from the movies, and run around this magical place with cool things to do. Most of the park is designed to make them happy. And it is very effective at achieving that.
The rest of the park is made up of really cool rides in each park.... at least 2-3 great adult rides. Tower of Terror. Soar. Rock-n-roller coaster. Space mountain. Alien/Stitch. Just ignore the super kid-centric stuff and go do the cool stuff.
If you are taking young kids, just accept that you are going to let them live the magic before it's too late for them to believe in it. As a parent, you are willingly spending your time in parts of the park that are not made for you. You will not have fun unless you realize that you should spend that time living vicariously through your child.
If you are going with older kids/adults, focus on hitting the best parts for that. If you have a mixed group, split up.
Adult stuff:
They have GREAT!!! spas. The golf is good. Fireworks at night are really cool.
Don't get eaten by alligators.
The food sucks and is over-priced. It will be crowded. You will wait in lines. Deal with it. It's an expectation.
What makes WDW bad for people is that they are forced to do the parts of the park that aren't meant for them.
There are two designs for the WDW experience. The are parts for young kids, and the parts for non-kids.
Kids get to meet the characters from the movies, and run around this magical place with cool things to do. Most of the park is designed to make them happy. And it is very effective at achieving that.
The rest of the park is made up of really cool rides in each park.... at least 2-3 great adult rides. Tower of Terror. Soar. Rock-n-roller coaster. Space mountain. Alien/Stitch. Just ignore the super kid-centric stuff and go do the cool stuff.
If you are taking young kids, just accept that you are going to let them live the magic before it's too late for them to believe in it. As a parent, you are willingly spending your time in parts of the park that are not made for you. You will not have fun unless you realize that you should spend that time living vicariously through your child.
If you are going with older kids/adults, focus on hitting the best parts for that. If you have a mixed group, split up.
Adult stuff:
quote:I'd say get the whole WDW pass and spend 1/2 of the day at a park riding the best stuff. Then spend the other half of the day riding the best stuff at another park (especially if you have been before).
Stay close to a park. Magic Kingdom: Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge. EPCOT/Hollywood: Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club.
This is good for obvious reasons: less time traveling, easier access, and better overall rooms. Know where/when to eat. Some of the best food is OUTSIDE of the parks and in resorts. Ohana at Polynesian, California Grill at Contemporary, Narcossee's at Grand Floridian, Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge... just to name a few.
Don't feel like you have to stick to the parks. Instead, there's the Boardwalk, pool hopping, Disney Springs, or (gasp) Universal.
They have GREAT!!! spas. The golf is good. Fireworks at night are really cool.
Don't get eaten by alligators.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 11:34 am to Mahootney
quote:Not always the best plan if you hate lines. Fast Passes would be an issue unless you planned accordingly to do specific rides at park open. But it could work. We always get the Park Hoppers.
I'd say get the whole WDW pass and spend 1/2 of the day at a park riding the best stuff. Then spend the other half of the day riding the best stuff at another park (especially if you have been before).
quote:Good additions. I've never done the spa, but if they're anything like the one Disney has at Aulani in Hawaii, then I'm sold. And I played golf for the first time at Disney World on my last trip (The Palm). I'm never not bringing my clubs again. Really enjoyed it.
They have GREAT!!! spas. The golf is good. Fireworks at night are really cool.
Posted on 1/23/17 at 11:58 am to ell_13
quote:As a 19yo, I didn't care about anything else in the park. So, my younger brother and I did this. And I did it again the last time I went. Pick out the 2-3 rides from each park you want. Grab your fast pass from one and walk to the other. By the time you are done with the first one, you're ready to finish the 2nd. Worked great both times.
Not always the best plan if you hate lines. Fast Passes
quote:The Grand Floridian may have the nicest spa I have ever been to. Better than Maui, Belize, Whistler, Rome, Cairns, La jolla. I haven't been everywhere. So, I'm sure there are better ones out there, but it is for sure, world class.
Good additions. I've never done the spa, but if they're anything like the one Disney has at Aulani in Hawaii, then I'm sold. And I played golf for the first time at Disney World on my last trip (The Palm). I'm never not bringing my clubs again. Really enjoyed it.
I just rented a pair of clubs when I played, they have Titleist and TM sets for rent. Super easy. Less luggage.
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