my disneyworld review

[Goldy1]

I went to Disneyworld in march with my son. Here is my review.

I liked pop century resorts. I love the crazy big theme statues everywhere. simple hotel rooms were more than good enough. loved being onsite.

I pool hopped to the art of animation resort for the better atmosphere and zero entry pool. pop century has a spring break feel to the pool, but it's fun. I know it's against regulations, but I enjoyed their pool.
Weather in March was good. not too hot.

Food was just ok. not as great as I heard. pretty expensive but not horrible.

lines were utterly horrible. used this wristband and booked our rides in advance. had a limit of three per day. so I paid all this money and got on 3 rides a day.
walking thru magic kingdom was crowded.
No characters freely roam. My son saw none bc you have to sign up with a fastpass and wait in line to get a photo with goofy. The commercials are deceiving with your kids hugging the characters.

We did all walk up food service.

love Florida in March. want to try for a resort next time.

Disney is very commercial. being in magic kingdom is kind of like a mall with lots of shops.
My son just turned 5. he's on small side for his age. he spent most the trip in stroller. we brought our own.

I loved Hollywood studios and my favorite ride was this safari ride in animal kingdom. out of this world great.

never again on spring break

my son will probabl yhave more fun at our local carnival tomorrow.
he wanted to ride simple kiddie rides at Disney but I had to tell him there was an hour wait for a one minute so we CAN't.
We went on a kiddie ride with fastpass and wanted to go again but could not.

it was cool to see it.

I got sick when we were there. very bad cold. first in a year. awful timing to be blowing your nose nonstop literally on a ride. maybe travel insurance next time?
at five for me he was youngest I would take him unless I was huge Disney fan and went for me.

[riverwed070707]

Don't mean to be snarky so I hope it doesn't come off that way but was it different than your expectations? Disney is pretty much the definition of commecialism so it makes sense that the park reflects that. Its not my cup of tea -- as you noted the lines are too long to be worthwhile and I'd rather take my DD on a less cool ride 20 times in a day at Adventureland than to make her stand in line an hour between each ride and only get to ride 5. I know some people love it but I just struggle to understand the appeal.

[bjl584]

I was there once. It was 1990. I was 12. It was cool to see everything, but probably not a place I'd go back to for me. If I ever have kids it may be a good trip to take.

[BuckyBadger]

We went in Janurary - off peak. We went on every ride we wanted to multiple times. Usually by the time we could speed walk/jog through the twisty turning lines we were able to get right back on the ride. We also stayed at Pop Century. One drawback to January? The pools weren't open, but we're not much into pools so we didn't mind.

We love Disney - and we're in our 30s and have no kids.

I wouldn't go near it with a 10 foot pole during spring break...

[rennigade]

You couldnt pay me to go back to Disney without a child. I was there as a kid...that was enough for me. I couldnt imagine visiting that place as an adult. Disney is like an all exclusive resort. You really dont have to leave...they provide everything at a price...which is convenient.

My idea of a vacation is not bumping elbows with thousands of other people. We just returned from Yosemite national park. Most of the hikes we went on...we didnt see another person for an hour or two. Sorry...but the commercialism pushed down most of our throats daily cannot compare to the beauty that nature has to offer. Forget about a fancy restaurant...our best meal was pb&j after hiking 5 hours on the top of half dome. You wont find a 3 star michelin restaurant with views like you'll find up there.

Ive yet to see a man made structure that comes anywhere close to the cool factor that nature has created on its own. And if you want to step it up a notch...take up scuba diving. The world underwater will blow your mind.

I dont have kids yet but when I do I will be visiting Disney for sure. That place is heaven to a child. I wont however be visiting disney during peak times such as summer.

[creditcardfree]

I went to WDW over Fourth of July week five years ago. I used a site, that now doesn't exist, to provide great insider tips for avoiding lines. We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything we wanted to do. I paid a small fee, less than $25 for this information. There are now sites that provide great information for free. There is also a Disney discussion boards to get all the information you need before you go!

I do hope you will consider going again, as it is so much more fun when you don't wait in line!! TRUST me.

[Goldy1]

Disney would have been lovely off peak if there is such a thing. It was such a madhouse it is hard for me to imagine going and it not being.

It's not snarky;it is commercial. lol

I like pools.
I can do pools at home in Michigan tho end of spring and summer and indoors year round.

[Like2Plan]

Disney would have been lovely off peak if there is such a thing. It was such a madhouse it is hard for me to imagine going and it not being.

You hit it pretty well for peak. Did you get a chance to go to Extra Magic Hours at any of the parks?

[dawnwes]

The only way to enjoy Disney during peak season is to do massive planning.

We go off-season. We go once per year. We ride every single ride we want to ride and many of them multiple times. Many of the rides have "single rider" and when as child turns 7, they qualify. Rides we really like and want to ride a lot, we do single rider for (Expedition Everest, Rockin' Roller Coaster, and a few others)

We stay off-site for the savings and so that we can get a 2 bedroom with a full kitchen. We eat a lot of our own food. I get sick if I eat out too much.

I am just suggesting you give it another go and get a book like Undercover Disney to do some big planning before you go. I don't use that book anymore, but I do go to EasyWDW to see which parks are not as busy which days. They have crowd Calendars.

Dawn

[creditcardfree]

OP, it sounds like Disney just isn't your type of vacation.

We went in October the first time with kids and it was not crowded at all. The weather was perfect, too. There are good times to go and avoid the crowds. Spring break season is not it. Anyone who goes needs to do their homework to have the best Disney World experience.

[Eagle]

I have been 3 times. Once as a kid, once as a teenager, and once as an adult. It was different each time. The fast pass is certainly an improvement.

I'd also recommend staying at a hotel inside the park and getting a meal plan. Honestly, it saves money and is a lot more convinient over the long haul.

I have known people who have gone there for their honeymoon. Not our cup of tea. I agree with another poster who said they don't see any reason to go without kids.

Going in the off season is the way to go. And prefereably in the fall. Spring and summers are typically a bit hot.

However, we'll probably take the kids once they are in th 6-9 range. My wife hasn't been yet either.

[JoeP]

Been there probably 12 times in my life, as far back as 1976 or so. Even for the opening of EPCOT. Went there during spring breaks, holidays, and a few times as a parent. Things have really changed as far as ticketing policy, rides/attractions, dining options and food plans, and the on-site accommodations beyond the default Contemporary.

Personally, you could not get me to step foot in that park now. There are simply too many people, I don't care for the food, and the overall costs have gotten out of hand. I'd much rather go on a nice cruise!

[Goldy1]

I did a ton of planning. I read a lot of disney books. I made lists from home of must see each day. I reserved rides from home.
I had a ton of problems booking baggage with spirit airlines. I spent literally hours on hold with them and with talking to customer service trying to fix minor problem due to forgetting to pay for my baggage to fly home bc I thought it was two way fee. They wanted to charge about $100 bucks a bag bc i didnt buy it at time of booking. It was so bad. They were quite rude to be me.
Depends on how much stimulation you like. My parents spent two days there with us. They love stimulation. They can't wait to go back. They burst into our hotel room at midnight wearing flashing mickey ears whooping it up replaying videos off their phone of the electrical parade planning the next trip out loud as we lay in bed tired from half the hours at the park. (We were back before parade began) mind you my dad in his fifties attends multiple rock concerts a week.
I was afraid of going to a parade after reading about nightmares of it taking hours to get back to hotel from.
Maybe go back in a few years. I appreciate all the advice from the board for my trip.

[BuckyBadger]

I did a ton of planning. I read a lot of disney books. I made lists from home of must see each day. I reserved rides from home.
I had a ton of problems booking baggage with spirit airlines. I spent literally hours on hold with them and with talking to customer service trying to fix minor problem due to forgetting to pay for my baggage to fly home bc I thought it was two way fee. They wanted to charge about $100 bucks a bag bc i didnt buy it at time of booking. It was so bad. They were quite rude to be me.
Depends on how much stimulation you like. My parents spent two days there with us. They love stimulation. They can't wait to go back. They burst into our hotel room at midnight wearing flashing mickey ears whooping it up replaying videos off their phone of the electrical parade planning the next trip out loud as we lay in bed tired from half the hours at the park. (We were back before parade began) mind you my dad in his fifties attends multiple rock concerts a week.
I was afraid of going to a parade after reading about nightmares of it taking hours to get back to hotel from.
Maybe go back in a few years. I appreciate all the advice from the board for my trip.

Spirit is the worst airline in EVER ;-) They even charge for carry on bags. Like - you can have a purse but not a bag. Spirit would put me in a bad mood for the rest of my vacation no matter *where* I went!

[disneysteve]

the overall costs have gotten out of hand. I'd much rather go on a nice cruise!

I love Disney. I love cruising. But if we're talking strictly financially speaking, Disney is cheaper. The 3 of us can do a week at Disney for under $2,500. We can't all do a 7-day cruise for that amount.