The Never Again Trip Report

[Dakota Rose]

We were on vacation 1/21-30, at WDW 1/24-27. There were 8 of us in our group. None of us have the desire to return to WDW after this trip.

Please be forewarned: I was severely disappointed on this trip. I realize each trip and experience are different. Mine was not good.

1- We visited MK on 1/24. Arrived to TTC at 9:17. Monorail down. Between the ferry line, the bag check line and the gate line, we did not get into MK until 10:41. I understand that things breakdown, but it appeared as there was NO contingency plan. There was 1 CM trying to corral hundreds of frustrated guests into a ferry line. It wasn't until we were in the boarding area that we saw additional CMs. Why didn't Disney tram or bus people over?

2- Tour groups. I get it. It's summer vacation in South America. But it seems as though the tour groups could be better organized/monitored. Maybe there should be a limit on how many tour groups are allowed in the park at once? Or maybe a limit to how large each group is? There were numerous groups of 30+ people clogging things up.

3- When did Peter Pan turn into a 'fast' ride? We zoomed through so fast (after a 55 minute wait) that I hardly remember anything. I believe I read somewhere that they speed rides up when the crowds are large...is this true?

4- What happened to MSEP? There was no Dwarves mine train. No blue fairy. No casey junior. It felt really, really short.

5- We got a 4-day pass. After spending the 1st 3 days at MK, AK and HS, my DH & I decided to go back to Epcot for 'date night.' But we were not allowed in because we didn't have the hopper. I know on previous trips if you didn't have a hopper, you could still go to another park but it counted as a "day" against your ticket. I was so disappointed (and confused), I started crying at the gate. The CM didn't so much as utter I'm sorry.

The good news is, my kids (mostly) had a great time. Poor DS6.5 was really disappointed he didn't get to do more or meet more characters as the lines were insane. An hour wait to see Woody, etc.

A few personal opinions made on this trip:

1- I hate autograph books. They take so long.

2- FP is only as good as the CM running the lines. Some CMs couldn't blend the lines very well resulting in longer waits for everyone. The CMs at EE and SM did a GREAT job with FP. The others stunk.

3- People don't listen. (not just at WDW) You know you have to close your stroller before boarding the tram or the bus. The time on your FP is the time you return. Not an hour earlier or an hour later. Move all the way to the end of the row. Board the tram/jeep/train into the row you are standing in line for; don't cross lanes. Etc Etc Etc.

4- Fantasyland expansion is MUCH, MUCH needed. Hooray they're finally doing it.

I've been a Disney fanatic since my first visit at 2 years old. (yes I remember that visit, I tried to join the parade) I've never been at the park and thought, "I just want to get out of here" until this visit. I've never come home from a WDW trip and thought, "Not going back there" until this visit.

I guess my dad put it best when I was crying on the tram leaving MK and he said, "So I guess the Disney bubble's burst for you?"

My slogan for this trip (besides "never again") is: Love the mouse. Hate his "house."

[Dakota Rose]

I forgot to say that I felt bad for the CMs because they seemed completely overwhelmed. I especially felt bad because it seemed as though a lot of them were struggling with the language barrier between them and the tour groups.

On the other hand I witnessed some really awful CM behavior including 2 CMs yelling at each other/arguing over the top of a crowd.

[Dakota Rose]

Oh! On a good note, we thought the weather was perfect! It was in the upper 60s and low 70s the days we were in the parks. And we were lucky enough to be done at the parks before the torrential rains.

Being from ND, we were in shorts and sandals all day. We only put on sweatshirts for the MSEP. It was GREAT!

And, thank you to the friendly guest who took a GREAT photo of our whole family in front of the castle. It's the best picture of the 8 of us ever!

And by sheer luck we were able to ride EE 3 times in one day! Twice in 10 minutes even.

Loved the Jedi academy even if DS's loser mom (that's me) failed to get him 'enrolled' in the class. He had grace on me and said, "It's ok mom, I'm still a Jedi."

Loved TSM queue and ride.

[momofaprincess]

First let me say that I am sorry you had a bad experience. As far as the monorail being down, was it just the express or all of them? If it was just the express, you could have taken the resort monorail to go to MK. I wouldn't have expected CMs to be herding people to the ferry since it's well known that it is there and available. As far as tour groups, I know it is aggravating but in reality Disney can't say how many of one group get in...what if they limited the number of families of 4 that came in? It would be discrimination. They really can only monitor number of people in the park not who they are. We have been there when character lines are long but we usually try to find out when a character will be back and get there early. As far as autograph books, we always try to have ours open to the page and pens ready but obviously not everyone will do that which can be a pain. I'm sorry you didn't get to do your date night, but the rules on a non-park hopper are pretty clear. We've heard MANY people argue that point with CMs but it is clearly stated "one park per day". I'm sure the CM hated that you didn't get to go in but you have to keep in mind that they hear that all the time and after awhile I'm sure they're less sympathetic. I really do hate you had a bad experience. I can't imagine leaving Disney and saying "never again"....

[kakn7294]

Sorry you had a bad trip. We were there on 1/24 (our last day), also at MK.

We saw that the monorail was down (but running by 10a as we were walking to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's) and our bus driver said they were busing in leiu of the - he told us which stops for which monorail locations.

There were huge crowds in MK that day but we were lucky enough to get everything we wanted to do done with the exception of being able to see Rapunzel and Flynn. TTA broke down on us twice though.

The Brazilian groups are frustrating because they are rude - they act as if we have no right to be there. I certainly could do without them myself!

I thought that you could not use another day to enter another park - you had to have the hopper if you wanted to go to 2 parks in 1 day. They should have told you that you could go to guest relations and add on the hopper option though - it would have been full price but it might have been worth it if you really wanted to go.

Maybe someday you'll change your mind and plan another trip. In the meantime, try to remember the good times and forget those bad ones!

[Mogie]

"Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays..."

That does stink though...I wouldn't give up on Disney though...It's pretty much a guarantee your next trip won't have so much go wrong! Maybe try a different time of year?

[Basket Mommy]

The time on your FP is the time you return. Not an hour earlier or an hour later.

While it's true you cannot return earlier than your FP time, you can return after your window has expired. We've done that a number of times; it is allowed.

I'm sorry you had a bad trip.

[Kwesty]

Can I just tell you that I sympathize totally with your experience? I was just going to write my trip report thinking to myself, "how can I tone this down so I'm not so negative."

We were there from the 26th through the 30th. Although we didn't have the same kinds of issues, I was TOTALLY overwhelmed by the Brazilian groups. RUDE!!!!! I can't tell you how many times we were cut in front of in line. Two times the group in front of us was assigned a car on a ride and then split up and took three cars, leaving my family scrambling to get in a seat. It was VERY, VERY frustrating.

Although this was not even close to being a great experience for me, I can't say that I won't go back. I miss it already. For me, no matter how bad things get at Disney, it is far better than not going Hope you feel that way again soon!

[Janmac]

It's unfortunate that your trip was not much fun. I had a trip like that. Most especially at Disney's Hollywood Studios tho it was not called that then. (trying to remember just which trip it was - it was such a bummer I apparently blocked that out)

Anyway, I think for me it was a combination of where I was, personally, emotionally, (ecumenically?!? ) at that time. The magic just wasn't working. Musta needed extra pixie dust and didn't get it.

Hopefully, for you and your family, you'll get your extra pixie dust and perhaps enjoy the World again, in the future.

Thanks for your report!

Jan

[princessgirls]

Sorry your trip was less than...Magical.

I heard about the Brazilian tour groups from a friend last week, while picking up the kids. She said it was out of control...

Maybe in a year or so, you'll find the urge to go back...I hope....

Julie

[faline]

Sorry you had some bad experiences but it sounds like you also had some good ones. Things do break down and sometimes that can be frustrating. The monorail was down one evening on our last trip and we were bussed from the Poly back to the Contemporary instead. While it took a bit longer, I looked at it as sort of an adventure!

Large groups come from all different places. Some individuals in those groups are rude. Not all indivdiuals from one place or country are rude. I've also found some large family reunions to be rather rude but I certainly wouldn't suggest that Disney limit the size of anyone's family gathering or how many folks can visit a park in one group.

We've sometimes experienced a parade which did not have all the components and just figure they were having some mechanical problems - these things, I'm sure happen.

Since the park hopping option was added to the ticket process, it has never been the case that you could use two passes on your ticket to visit two different parks in the same day. If that were so, everyone would do it, as it is certainly a less expensive option. If you were able, on past trips, to talk someone into letting you in at the gate at the second park when you did not have a hopper, that person was not following the rules.

Hopefully, the magic of Disney will find you again at some point in the future!

[I LoveJack]

I'm sure that it wasn't as crowded as when I was there for New Years. It took us over 3 hours trying to get herded out of the park that night and loaded on a bus to take us back to our resort. And yes, there were rude people trying to push their way through even though it is clear as day you are packed and it is not going to improve the situtaion by ramming people with your stroller. My daughter was ran over twice and she is 10 so not like so short you couldn't see. The lines were long, the parks were crowded, and we can hardly wait to go back again. Which will be during spring break, so once again long lines and crowds. But we also made some nice friends there with some of the CM's and can't wait to stop and say hello. You just chalk this up as experience and try again. The magic is still there, sometimes you just have to look harder for it now days. Sorry your trip wasn't quite what you had planned, but sometimes you just have to make lemonade from those sour lemons. I will take any day, no matter how bad or crowded at Disney as apposed to being stuck here at home. But then again, that's just me.

[megustamex]

We've been in your shoes. I remember 2 years ago, going with my young kids, and saying "never again", and I have been to Disney more times than I can possibly count. We took a trip to Mexico in between and discovered that was even harder with kids, so back to Disney we went. At that point, we realized that we just needed to go with the flow of the day, every day. Sometimes Disney is perfect - great crowds, wonderful weather, magic in full swing - sometimes it isn't. You just never know. We've been often enough that we don't worry if the lines are long for something - we go do something else. We tell our kids the lines are too long for certain characters or rides and we'll do something else fun instead (I know, it may seem heartless, but happy parents are necessary too). I still remember the trip we took for 2 weeks and never did Dumbo, but we were happy and relaxed. We take the path of least resistance instead of trying to fit it all in, and it's turned out to be a much more relaxing, DIFFERENT Disney vacation than we used to have in our single days. We like to repeat what travel host Rick Steves always says, assume you will return.

Try it again after a while - there's magic everywhere in the parks, sometimes you just have to get out of the crowds to find it!

[BrerGnat]

Sorry you came back on such a sour note. Although it seems like a lot of things that made you upset were out of your control, a few of them were normal things that maybe you were not aware of (the park hopping issue...it's never been allowed to be used the way you wanted). Peter Pan has always been just about the shortest ride in the park (it clocks in at under a minute). It's just frustrating that the line is always SO long, and the payoff is just not there.

As for operational stuff like the monorail being down, there were other options you could have tried, had you been better prepared. I would have walked through the Polynesian grounds and taken the boat launch from their dock!

And, I totally feel for you about the Brazilian Tour groups! SO frustrating dealing with them. While I know that there are tour groups from all different countries, the ones from Brazil are notorious for poor behavior. A lot of that can be explained by their culture: parents don't discipline thier children in Brazil. Raucous and rambunctious behavior in children is rewarded over there, and kids are doted on no matter their behavior. I know this because I have some good friends who are Brazilian, and I've had LONG conversations with them on this topic! So, really, those kids don't know that they are doing anything wrong, and probably think we're all a bunch of uptight Americans.

[Marionla]

Since when did wdw stop allowing one to use the Extra day ticket to enter another park on the same day? We always do this, last time dec 2008.

[SandmanGStefani24]

boy I hear you!

My 05 trip was good but still had lots of negatives. Brazilian groups, extreme heat, broken rides, very very crowded buses. I remember the good above all, as bad memories and WDW don't go together.

Here's the thing : I took it as a learning experience and used it for future trips. I dealt with the Brazil crowd and the heat buy going mid to late February. The crowded bus problem was solved with a rental car. Then I learned to take things a little more relaxed so if a ride was down I didn't hit the panic button. (if I missed a ride it was a good excuse to come back!)

My plan doesn't solve everything. Going when I like puts me in with Daytona 500 crowds, chances of bad weather, and ride rehabs. There's no one solution for everyone, you just have to find what works for you. Some people I know only go in summer, which I refuse to do. Others like Halloween time, and so on. Just take a few weeks to get away from the bad vibes and then think of a way to work around the stuff that didn't work for you.

I think almost all WDW fans have taken their "last trip". Mine was two trips ago and thinking about the next one! Hope your next trip goes much better!

[KylesMom]

I'm so sorry that after all of your planning and anticipation the trip was a bust for you and your family. I only hope that after some time has passed you remember the bright spots and are once again able to enjoy Disney World the way you once did.

Since when did wdw stop allowing one to use the Extra day ticket to enter another park on the same day? We always do this, last time dec 2008.

This question comes up frequently in both the Theme Park and Vacation Planning forums. Maybe you had a CM that was less diligent and allowed you to enter the park, but as others have suggested, Disney makes you pay that extra $50 or so per ticket for the park hopping option. Since they have gone to electronic media, the CM upon entry will be able to tell if you visited a park earlier in the day and should restrict entry without the hopping option.

[akaDisneyDreamer]

I had a less than perfect trip last August, mostly due to the heat. I will never again go in August! What was I thinking? I was hot, sweating and feeling gross for most of the trip, not to mention that my ankles were swelling and thus, my feet hurt a lot. I remember crying on the long walk to World Showcase! The crowds weren't bad during the day, no doubt most folks were taking advantage of the pools at the resorts or water parks. The evenings were horrible though with crowds. I remember people yelling at each other trying to get out of the park after Wishes ...

Now, with all that said, I've mostly pushed those bad feelings aside and remember the good times ... I had a lot of fun while doing things (getting to them was agony, however!), riding rides, seeing shows, shopping and dining! We bought the Deluxe Dining Plan and wow, that was worth it, to be able to have ressies for table service for every meal, a chance to get off my feet and cool off in an air conditioned restaurant, while eating some fabulous food!

My point, as time passes, I'm sure your good times will out-weigh the bad memories and you'll want to go back! We are hoping for a December trip next year. I realize we may still have to deal with crowds but at least not in swealtering heat!

[Ronni]

We visited 1/22 through 1/29. It was a very special trip with our 3 year old granddaughter. (Her first trip) Our group consisted of our little princess, her parents and both sets of grandparents. The high-lite of the trip was the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and the photo shoot after. The photographer, Lowell was wonderful. He made the whole experience perfect.
I have visited Disney this time of year many times over the past 30 years and have never encountered crowds like this before. I agree that most of the foreign tour groups we encountered were quite rude. I chocked it up to diversity and hoped they would not be going to the same park as me the next day.
As I stated, I've been coming to Disney for many years and have seen plenty of changes over the years. The one thing that stands out most is that the last few visits I seen rude or disinterested cast members. It has only been 3 or 4 but for many years I always remarked how wonderful ALL cast members were. Over all it was a great trip and we look forward to planning the next one.
One last note...Grandma Esther at Port Orleans French Quarter food court is great. Her pleasantness is what we have been used to over the years from cast members.

[arm00leg]

We just got back from DW (1/19 - 1/24), we too experienced the frustration of the Brazilian tour groups and will NEVER go back during certain months. We were even warned by our driver as to how rude certain groups are in the parks. We did have a good time but the lines were long (150 minutes for Soarin'), fast passes all gone by 10 am, and it was really difficult and frustrating getting around the parks filled with very large groups of rude teens. The weather was great, just one rainy day and a cool day - but we are from Michigan so the cool day was downright balmy to us, ha! We loved the Beach Club, beautiful place to stay. We had fun but learned a lesson - don't go in June/July and December-February if want to avoid the big tour groups.