What is your Disney "Breaking Point"?

Sylvia;2456475 wrote: I feel like I've entered the twilight zone. No complaining or negativity - just many posters who appreciate the overall experience.

Yeah... this has been an issue for me here on the forums for quite a while. It used to be a "magical place" to visit. Not so much anymore.

I mentioned my feelings about this to the Admins a while back. It has tended to be a big pot of negativity as the verbose 'armchair quarterbacks' rant and rant about how bad Disney is in so many ways. In thread after thread. What amazes me is that these folks are still here on a Disney focused site. If it is so bad and so totally hopeless and so doomed to failure...... I wonder why they still hang around. Other than to rant.

Can Disney be better? Of course. Do they sometimes make mistakes? Yes. Are there some poor Cast members? Yes. Is it expensive? Yes. Does it get crowded? Yes. Has my family ever had a negative experience? Yes. Are they making a lot of money? Yes. Is it hot in Florida in the summer? Yes. Are some attractions outdated? Yes. Do we want them to update faster? Yes.

But you know...... it can also be a darn lot of fun. I think that the larger number of positives FAR outweigh the smaller amount of negatives. By FAR!

You often bring your own expectations with you wherever you go....... and if you are looking for certain things... you'll often find them. If you are looking for problems... you'll frequently find them. If you are looking for positive stuff... you'll likely find that stuff too.

So yes.. this thread basically started out as a nice breath of 'fresh air".

best,

...................john

It was about 3-4 years ago... We've been cruising now for a few years, no plans to stop. We didn't think we'd be on a cruise this year, change of plans.. We're going, again!

I totally understand what Gary wrote. I've kinda been feeling that way about WDW too. BUT (being a glass half-full type of gal) those feelings have pushed me to try out some NEW Disney destinations in order to get back that "magic". We went on our first Disney Cruise a couple years ago (and are looking at booking another one in the spring). AND we are going on our very first DISNEYLAND trip this fall. So while I may not have any plans to visit WDW in the foreseeable future, I'm definitely looking for the magic elsewhere! :mickey:

dpamac;2456712 wrote:

I think most of us would all agree that the main reason we go is that "feeling." Call it magic, call it an escape from reality, call it fantasy...the Disney experience calls a certain group of people back again and again because it makes us, well, happy. For some of us it makes us feel as though we're kids again. Others find it relaxing. Some find it thrilling. Some love watching their kids experience the magic. Others find luxury. There's no one thing that makes the place special. It's not a tangible thing you can point out. It seems to be a feeling.

.

Well said!

It would take very much for me to hit the point where WDW doesn't fit into my life anymore. I guess if you took away Spaceship Earth, the World Showcase, Space Mountain, the view of the castle from Main Street, Haunted Mansion, the Carousel of Progress, Splash Mountain, the TTA, and Big Thunder Mountain, maybe I'd stop coming.

The whole process of getting away from the real world, meaning, the flight, MCO, the drive to WDW, the feeling of going through the gates at MK for the first time, being at a WDW resort, driving up to Epcot, these are all things that I don't get anywhere nor can I put a price on. Not much else makes everything else go away like WDW. Even a message board or youtube video can do the trick on a bad day. Breaking point?

This guy is far from it. And is proud of it.

:mickey:

Since I'm a lifelong resident of Texas, and not especially wealthy, my trips are pretty few and far between (as you can see by my signature). Actually, though, this fact is somewhat of a blessing. I think if I went multiple times a year, or even once a year, I might get burned out. The way it is, however, I'm always excited about that next trip because it's such a BIG DEAL. Its a tradition that started at Disneyland with my grandparents, continued at WDW with my daughter, and is now further continuing with my grandchildren.
I have memories of my grandmother getting off the Matterhorn and taking a "stress pill," my daughter walking down Main Street U.S.A at night with the lights on her sneakers adding to the lights on the buildings, and my wife looking at me on Big Thunder Mountain with what she said was the "look of fear!" All these memories are years, even decades apart, and all are part of "The Magic." ...and there are hundreds more.
So will I ever get tired of Disney? I really don't think so. Because Disney isn't really a place for me, its an ideal. Its a feeling. And for me, its pretty rare.

Aurora;2456692 wrote:
One more thing. There are two BIG reasons I love WDW that really don't get talked about much: the plants/landscaping and the atmospheric music. Those are background features that I think are sorely underappreciated.

I agree.....when we go during the Flower & Garden Festival I really enjoy looking at all the displays and the gardening. I guess that is why The Land is my favorite attraction.

azcavalier;2456713 wrote: But this last time, as I found myself riding the Gran Fiesta Tour, looking at the (dated) video of tourist Mexico, I found myself thinking, "Man, i'd rather be in Mexico." And I then spent the rest of the weekend thinking about going to someplace tropical on vacation. Which is something that doesn't interest my wife *at all*. She loves WDW. And she is the breadwinner and has a high stress job. So, if it keeps her happy, I'll keep going. Because she needs the vacation more than I do. And it's still her happy place. I'd say that my tipping/breaking point for it being "magical" is much closer than hers is.

Ah, Mexican Small World. Oddly, the whole Mexico pavilion is one of my warm and fuzzy places. I think part of what's going on for me is wanderlust. We don't get a lot of opportunity to travel and maybe I'm feeling fenced in because we tend to repeat the same destinations. Plus I'm getting old and crabby.

My kids, especially my oldest daughter (to be fair, she's 20) are still huge Disney nuts, so they are filled to the brim with magic. The oldest is wanting to expand our reach. That may be just what I need to reinvigorate that magical feeling. Which leads me to...

jennsky;2456736 wrote: I totally understand what Gary wrote. I've kinda been feeling that way about WDW too. BUT (being a glass half-full type of gal) those feelings have pushed me to try out some NEW Disney destinations in order to get back that "magic". We went on our first Disney Cruise a couple years ago (and are looking at booking another one in the spring). AND we are going on our very first DISNEYLAND trip this fall. So while I may not have any plans to visit WDW in the foreseeable future, I'm definitely looking for the magic elsewhere! :mickey:

That is exactly what my daughter has been suggesting. We're looking at either DL or a cruise to celebrate her graduation from college. Still have a few years until that happens, but it may be the perfect remedy.

When quality decreases

azcavalier;2456443 wrote:
But at what point do you stop?

I am hoping this never happens and our family continues to enjoy WDW. As our children are growing up, the dynamic of trips continues to change......

I don't think I will ever reach the point that I don't go to Disney. I just returned from WDW Friday night. Our trip was 05-08-15 - 05-15-15. My husband surprised me with the trip several months ago as a way for us to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. He gave me options to choose from: A train trip through the Grand Canyon (never been), A week at the beach, A Disney Cruise (never did a Disney cruise before) or a week at Disney. I chose the Disney Cruise (a 3 night cruise). But of course I can't be that close to the Magic and not visit the World - So we did that too (4 nights at POFQ)!

The last time we went was last year to celebrate our DD's graduation from college. We had NO intention of going again so soon. I was a little afraid that it was too soon after just being there last year but I was also afraid that I would regret not doing both. It's only money, right?! lol!

Let me say that in no way, shape or form are we wealthy. Far from it. We try to go to Disney every 2-3 years. We save for it.

The biggest draw for me to celebrate our anniversary with Disney was because of the memories. We honeymooned at Disney 25 years ago and it really was a no-brainer that we should do that to celebrate our love for each other. I am one of those people that walks into the park (any one of them) and a smile comes across my face because I have just entered "The Happiest Place in MY World.":cloud9:

I am SO happy that I made that decision months ago. Not just because of the anniversary but because my sister died on 04-29-15. I don't know if I can express how much the "Disney Experience" helped me through what is a terrible time in my life right now. I escaped from the hustle and bustle of real life and I was able to relax and enjoy myself; and grieve. The cruise was so relaxing. (I want to live on Serenity Beach at Castaway Cay.) Even tho we did all our "planning" months ago with reservations and FP's for Disney, we took our time. We actually skipped Animal Kingdom to have down-time at DTD. We took every day and did it at our pace. That's what I needed. Seriously - no rushing. We didn't make it to a FP? Who care's. I really didn't.

I know my grieving isn't over but Disney helped tremendously. I have lost both my parents and 2 of my brothers. Each time it's been different with each loss. My one brother was a Disney fanatic so we took a trip to Disney months after he passed and spread his ashes at his favorite places in the World. It was as cathartic then just as it was cathartic now.

I apologize if this was too long-winded. I just wanted to share how the "Magic" has helped me more than I can express. Maybe some of you will get it or maybe not - just putting it out there.

According to an article on MSN this morning....... "As of Summer 2014, the Magic Kingdom is the world's most popular theme park. It's held the No. 1 spot for a few years now, followed closely by Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland."

Quoted under "Fair Use".

best,

.............john

We've been vacationing in Disney World since my kids were very little. They are now 25 and 23. I had to reply on this thread because we were just, last night, talking about another trip. The kids and I would go several times a year and still not get tired of the parks. My husband isn't so quick to head back. He enjoys things once he gets there but, at this time, he's probably reached his own, personal, breaking point. I think the only reason that he breaks down in the vacation planning and finally agrees to another trip to Disney is that he really loves the Food and Wine Festival. He and I have been able to attend this great event many times...alone. He really enjoys this and the quiet time we get to experience. We've also been fortunate that we get to travel to other places, as well. Hawaii is a favorite. So...I'm currently looking into Aulani. Hopefully, I can make everyone happy. The kids will get a Disney fix, and my husband will be able to get back to Hawaii. :papple::mickey::fingers:

I have to add that, as a family, we have so many wonderful memories (as we ALL do). We try and ignore all the changes to The World that we don't like, or find necessary. It's frustrating to us, but we remember how things used to be and we feel fortunate to have been able to visit the "old" Disney World.

I am hovering right on that line right now. I just got back from a week long stay there. While some things were very magical, there were others that I just can't ignore.

1) Theming - One night we were walking towards the exit in Magic Kingdom while MSEP was going on. We were diverted through a pathway that said castmembers only. We saw the backs of buildings and machines that were never supposed to be seen. There's a reason why I have never taken tours to see how things work in Disney - I want it to stay magical. This detour definitely ruined the magic and ruined my mood for a good while after seeing it. I mean really ruined it. My friend was going back to our hotel, and I had planned on staying in the park. After seeing the walk way, I considered walking out of the park and not ever returning. It was at least an hour before I could shake that off.
The last time I went to a different amusement park was in 2002. The only reason I went was that we were visiting in laws in Pennsylvania, and they wanted to go. I don't go to Sea World. I don't go to Six Flags. I don't go anywhere else, because they don't make me feel like I've walked into another place far from my every day life.
In addition to that, the area in front of the castle is a huge catastrophy. They have huge canvases with poorly painted trees to attempt to camouflage whatever they are doing. Pieces of equipment still stick out the top. The concrete area has green fences placed all around it. This is the first time I've never taken a picture of the castle. I was completely appalled at their lack of presentation. All the construction walls at Downtown Disney were annoying. In Magic Kingdom, it was completely disgusting.

2) Fastpass + - I didn't like this at all, and I said so as we did a survey on our way out of Animal Kingdom. I booked our fastpasses for the morning time. They couldn't overlap the times, so we would ride one ride and then have to wait to ride another. It wasn't long enough for us to really go do anything between rides, but it was long enough that we couldn't just walk straight over to that ride and ride it. We did a lot of standing around staring in shops. Not to mention that you have to criss cross everywhere to reach the rides. Big Thunder over there. Seven Dwarves Mine Train over here. Buzz Lightyear all the way in Tomorrowland. Then you have to trek to the fastpass kiosk and stand in line if you want a 4th one. There were times that I was exhausted but felt like I HAD to stay and get all the fastpasses in. Before, we could just start in one land, say Adventureland, grab a fastpass for PIrates then ride what we wanted to ride around there while waiting for our time to pop up. After we used our fastpass, we just moved on to the next area - get a fastpass for Big Thunder and go ride Splash while we waited, etc. If I was getting tired, I wasn't tied to a fastpass that I had planned 60 days ago. If I happened to be holding a fastpass and wanted to leave, I could just pick someone in the crowd and give it to them.

3)Some Castmembers - We met some amazing castmembers on the trip, but it ended on a very, very sour note. I used to go to WDW every year before I got sick - many times it was girls trips and my family stayed home. It was petty much a tradition that I would make a quick run to Epcot on my last day, use the shopping pass to grab some schoolbread for everyone and bring it home with me on the plane. This trip, I went to Epcot and waited in a line at guest services for an hour and a half to get the shopping pass. While I was in line, 3 different people asked me what I was there for, because they were sending people to other places if their needs could be fulfilled quicker there. Each one of them told me I was in the right line.
When I finally got to the window, the castmember told me that they didn't have such a thing. Thinking that she may be new, I explained to her that I had done it several times and that three other castmembers had told me I could get it in that particular line. She asked her Supervisor, and he said that they were 1 hour passes now. When I left MK, I had 2.5 hours to get the schoolbread and get back to the resort for the magical express bus to take me to the airport. By the time I got through the line, I only had 1 hour. The castmember at the window then proceeds to lecture me about how I shouldn't depend on the shopping pass, because it wasn't a guarantee. I was only supposed to use it if I had bought something that was only sold in one of the countries, and it needed to be returned. People had been abusing it, and it was under review about continuing it or not. I was the worst type of criminal for wanting to get into Epcot. blah, blah, blah. She was typing slow as molasses while she was busy lecturing me. She couldn't type, because she had to look at me to tell me what a lousy horrible human I was instead of hunting and pecking for each key. I really wanted to tell her several things that would have been inappropriate in front of children. Eventually, she finished with her tirade and said that I would have to pay for a full day ticket (mind you, I had my magic band on and she never asked what tickets I had on it) then come back and stand in line again to get a refund. I told her that my magical express bus would be picking me up in an hour, so I could not stand in another 1.5 hour long line. Her reply was "that's the way we do it." I was so angry that I just told her to forget it, went to a ticket line and added the park hopper option to my tickets. It was seriously pathetic that a guest thought of a cheaper, faster way to get what they wanted than what Disney guest services came up with. I had to run through Epcot to make it in time. I made sure to pay with my magic band, so they could see that all I did was buy the 7 schoolbread that I had told her about to begin with. Then I had to hop a cab to make it back to AKL in time.
Seriously, if all they had done was said "we don't offer that any more, but can I suggest you get the park hopper option to get entry to buy your schoolbread?", I would have happily done it and gotten out of there much quicker. As it was, it is a very good thing that there was glass between me and that woman. Yes, I would probably have been arrested and banned from Disney World for life, but in that moment, it would have been so worth it. Sitting here thinking about it again, I still think it would have been worth it.

We have been planning a family trip back to Walt Disney World in 2017. Normally, we stay for 9 days and never leave the property. In 2017, the idea was to spend two or three days at Universal and then switch to WDW for the nine days. Today I decided that we will stay at Universal Orlando for 5 days and then go to WDW for four. If Universal had more than a 4 day pass, we would probably make it 7 days at Universal and 2 days at Disney World instead. For us, Epcot and Magic Kingdom are the draw. We don't really HAVE to do DHS or AK.

Cinderelley,

From one past experience, I can likely tell you that if you take section #3 of your last posting there, clean it up into paragraphs and add an intro and a conclusion... and send that off to Disney Guest Services ........ something WILL get done to 'make that right'.

It certainly does not fix the moment....... but in my experience when something like this happens... and they learn about it...... they DO care.

best,

................john

Cinderelley;2457023 wrote: I am hovering right on that line right now. I just got back from a week long stay there. While some things were very magical, there were others that I just can't ignore.

1) Theming - One night we were walking towards the exit in Magic Kingdom while MSEP was going on. We were diverted through a pathway that said castmembers only. We saw the backs of buildings and machines that were never supposed to be seen. There's a reason why I have never taken tours to see how things work in Disney - I want it to stay magical. This detour definitely ruined the magic and ruined my mood for a good while after seeing it. I mean really ruined it. My friend was going back to our hotel, and I had planned on staying in the park. After seeing the walk way, I considered walking out of the park and not ever returning. It was at least an hour before I could shake that off.

I've been that way before. It does take the shine off the park a bit, doesn't it? We had to leave that way one evening in January. As we were walking out, my wife and I were talking about how Walt would *never* have allowed that.

Cinderelley;2457023 wrote: In addition to that, the area in front of the castle is a huge catastrophy. They have huge canvases with poorly painted trees to attempt to camouflage whatever they are doing. Pieces of equipment still stick out the top. The concrete area has green fences placed all around it.

Yeah, we thought that as well. What is going on there? We did, however, love the new garden areas in front of the Crystal Palace and the Plaza. When we were walking to the Plaza for lunch one day a few weeks ago, there was a young man proposing on that new grassy area. It was fun to watch.

Cinderelley;2457023 wrote: 2) Fastpass + - I didn't like this at all, and I said so as we did a survey on our way out of Animal Kingdom. I booked our fastpasses for the morning time. They couldn't overlap the times, so we would ride one ride and then have to wait to ride another. It wasn't long enough for us to really go do anything between rides, but it was long enough that we couldn't just walk straight over to that ride and ride it. We did a lot of standing around staring in shops. Not to mention that you have to criss cross everywhere to reach the rides. Big Thunder over there. Seven Dwarves Mine Train over here. Buzz Lightyear all the way in Tomorrowland. Then you have to trek to the fastpass kiosk and stand in line if you want a 4th one. There were times that I was exhausted but felt like I HAD to stay and get all the fastpasses in. Before, we could just start in one land, say Adventureland, grab a fastpass for PIrates then ride what we wanted to ride around there while waiting for our time to pop up. After we used our fastpass, we just moved on to the next area - get a fastpass for Big Thunder and go ride Splash while we waited, etc. If I was getting tired, I wasn't tied to a fastpass that I had planned 60 days ago. If I happened to be holding a fastpass and wanted to leave, I could just pick someone in the crowd and give it to them.

Agree and disagree. There is much to dislike about the new FP+ system. If that is your first time using it, you're bound to hate it. It messes with your "system". It did with us, as well. The main upside to the new system is that you can book FPs for the big rides in one park in the afternoon, but hit a completely different park in the morning. So, for example, we did the MK one morning and just hit 7DMT, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, left after lunch, and went to Epcot in the afternoon and still got to ride Soarin'. We couldn't have done that under the old system. Or we showed up to DHS one afternoon around 4pm, and still got to ride Toy Story Mania, where under the old system those FPs would have been long gone and we would have stood in a 120 minute line.

Cinderelley;2457023 wrote: 3)Some Castmembers - We met some amazing castmembers on the trip, but it ended on a very, very sour note. I used to go to WDW every year before I got sick - many times it was girls trips and my family stayed home. It was petty much a tradition that I would make a quick run to Epcot on my last day, use the shopping pass to grab some schoolbread for everyone and bring it home with me on the plane. This trip, I went to Epcot and waited in a line at guest services for an hour and a half to get the shopping pass. While I was in line, 3 different people asked me what I was there for, because they were sending people to other places if their needs could be fulfilled quicker there. Each one of them told me I was in the right line.
When I finally got to the window, the castmember told me that they didn't have such a thing. Thinking that she may be new, I explained to her that I had done it several times and that three other castmembers had told me I could get it in that particular line. She asked her Supervisor, and he said that they were 1 hour passes now. When I left MK, I had 2.5 hours to get the schoolbread and get back to the resort for the magical express bus to take me to the airport. By the time I got through the line, I only had 1 hour. The castmember at the window then proceeds to lecture me about how I shouldn't depend on the shopping pass, because it wasn't a guarantee. I was only supposed to use it if I had bought something that was only sold in one of the countries, and it needed to be returned. People had been abusing it, and it was under review about continuing it or not. I was the worst type of criminal for wanting to get into Epcot. blah, blah, blah. She was typing slow as molasses while she was busy lecturing me. She couldn't type, because she had to look at me to tell me what a lousy horrible human I was instead of hunting and pecking for each key. I really wanted to tell her several things that would have been inappropriate in front of children. Eventually, she finished with her tirade and said that I would have to pay for a full day ticket (mind you, I had my magic band on and she never asked what tickets I had on it) then come back and stand in line again to get a refund. I told her that my magical express bus would be picking me up in an hour, so I could not stand in another 1.5 hour long line. Her reply was "that's the way we do it." I was so angry that I just told her to forget it, went to a ticket line and added the park hopper option to my tickets. It was seriously pathetic that a guest thought of a cheaper, faster way to get what they wanted than what Disney guest services came up with. I had to run through Epcot to make it in time. I made sure to pay with my magic band, so they could see that all I did was buy the 7 schoolbread that I had told her about to begin with. Then I had to hop a cab to make it back to AKL in time.
Seriously, if all they had done was said "we don't offer that any more, but can I suggest you get the park hopper option to get entry to buy your schoolbread?", I would have happily done it and gotten out of there much quicker. As it was, it is a very good thing that there was glass between me and that woman. Yes, I would probably have been arrested and banned from Disney World for life, but in that moment, it would have been so worth it. Sitting here thinking about it again, I still think it would have been worth it.

I've never heard of a "Shopping Pass". Interesting. But we usually have Park Hoppers, so I guess this wouldn't affect me.

It does seem that those at Guest Services are not the fastest typers. But an hour and a half? Holy cow. We've had the rare bad experience with Cast Members. They can't ALL be happy and helpful ALL the time. I mean, in the 14 or so years we've been doing WDW, we've had only one truly bad experience with a CM. And, it was partly our fault. We broke a rule (that we didn't know about), but he was ovezealous in his reaction. To the point of absurdity. But, since we initiated it, I never followed up. In your case, I think it would be appropriate to complain to the management. I'm sure they'll make it right...as far as they can.