Hard Learned Lessons at WDW -

[jennyincolo]

wow, has Disney changed since I was a kid! It went from upbeat happy to absolutely crazy. Trying to keep track of our family kind of took the magic out of it for me. My kids had a WONDERFUL time - my 5yo son want to move to Florida so he can go to Disney every day - but my DH has sworn never to return to FL. After it was all done, I just wanted to cry - after researching and planning for like 6 months (or more) I couldn't make my husband be happy with our trip.

Just got back a couple days ago - and we're spent - literally and figuratively. We had fun times, but ultimately my husband was just happy it was over.

Below are a few lessons learned for those planning the trip - Hopefully this will help someone else preserve the magic if you have the same situation as me (un-excited husband that works a stressful job and needs a break).

1. Less is more - especially if you have someone in your party that does not want to really "do" the trip. We have 3 small kids, so my husband really couldn't take a day to himself and let us go the park. Just because you have 5 days doesn't mean you should do them all. Make sure you have at least 36 hours to recover on the back end as well. We got like 24 hours (got home at 1 am).

2. Getting there for rope drop is totally worth it. That morning was our best in the park.

3. Rider switch made an awesome time for our older 2 kids - they got to ride headliner rides twice in a row.

4. People will completely ignore you - be prepared to get trampled or roadblocked constantly (and this was on a level 3/10 day - I can't imagine high crowd levels! This makes me nuts and it took a couple days to get over it.

5. Downtown Disney construction is a mess and takes as much planning to get around as the parks. We just skipped it (on a Tuesday at lunchtime).

6. Traveling late with small children is a real challenge. Get early flight times so you can recover for REAL and have a down evening at least before going to bed.

7. Every single major ride exits through the gift shop - which made me really NOT want to shop anywhere. I had big plans to buy fun gifts for people - or even just postcards! But after being forced through a gift shop EVERY SINGLE MAJOR RIDE I had no desire to go back in, honestly.

8. Rock N Roller coaster is awesome - and my 5 yo loved Tower of Terror. Never would have thought that!

9. Buying trinkets ahead of time was a good idea - since I didn't want to shop at the parks, and they were fun surprises for the kids.

10. Bring dollars and coins for the tolls if you are driving. Wow - toll roads everywhere!

Sorry to rant a bit - I know there are Disney die-hards that love it and go every year. I had so much fun as a kid, I kept hoping the magic would work on my husband - but it never did.

I think our personalities (Type A, but not OCD) didn't work with the Parks and the way you can enjoy them. A few more nights of sleep and we'll be better - we're still hurting from the rides and walking and carrying our 1 yo.

And looking at the pictures we had lots of smiles - it just took a toll on us every day. Happy travels to you all - and thanks to all the disboarders for the help ahead of time - I felt like I had a clue thanks to you all!

I think eventually we will go back - like maybe in 5 years when our kids can take care of themselves.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Thanks for your honest comments. We didn't head to WDW until my kids were 8, 6, and 3 - and that was still a handful! I give major props to those who do Disney with little ones and stay sane!

We haven't been back for a few years, and are in the middle of planning a surprise (to the kids - as well as to us - we thought we were going in June, but because of some job changes it will be December instead) - and I am trying to figure out how on earth to do Disney without a stroller for the first time!

I am also Type A - not quite to OCD - and I am trying to keep that under control.

Sad to hear that DTD is such a mess. We always love going there, and it sounds like we may need to rethink this time.

 

[Sparkly]

Don't do late nights and early mornings almost every day. We were not used to doing 5 days in a row of parks- normally we go for 10 nights offsite and do a lot of shopping/rest days in between, but as we were only there for 7 nights we felt we had to get the most out of our park tickets and didn't get to enjoy our hotel enough.

By the end of the trip I was grouchy and overtired and I'm an adult! We did have a great time though!

 

[MouseOfGold]

We've been going annually for the past few years. I end up breaking up park days and skipping entire parks on trips. Last year we did MK (2 full days), AK, DTD, MVMCP with pool days in between. This year were doing MK, DHS, MVMCP, DTD, pool days and just resort touring days to kind of keep it more spread out and relaxing with 2 lo's. I find not "going hard" works better for all of us.

And since my husband too hasn't been given a big dose of pixie dust yet I just vacation with my mom & the kids. I'll plan on taking my husband on a big, go-all-out Disney trip when my kids are a little older and more self sufficient.

 

[jennyincolo]

I think I was trying to do exactly that, Sparkly - we were only there 7 days, so I pushed it (too hard) trying to get the most out of our stay. We spent a lot of money on this trip (as does everyone - and we even tried to get all the deals we could) but I underestimated the amount of "down days" that we needed. we should have skipped hollywood studios maybe (though my 7yo and husband liked the RNR coaster the best of all the rides). In hindsight, I would have pushed my parents more to do the rope drop thing for the 2 days they were with us. Then we could have skipped the later part of the days (and the heat! It was like 85 last week). With the Halloween party schedule we had to see MK over 2 days (not a bad idea anyway) to see the fireworks.

We were home by 7 every night except 1, and only did 1 rope drop day. The others we got there at 9 or even 11 for the last day in Animal Kingdom. I'm sure we will think back when we look at the pictures and feel better about it - maybe the memories are just too fresh right now, LOL.

Hindsight is 20/20, right? Thanks for the nice replies - glad to know that I'm not way out in left field on this one.

Don't do late nights and early mornings almost every day. We were not used to doing 5 days in a row of parks- normally we go for 10 nights offsite and do a lot of shopping/rest days in between, but as we were only there for 7 nights we felt we had to get the most out of our park tickets and didn't get to enjoy our hotel enough.

By the end of the trip I was grouchy and overtired and I'm an adult! We did have a great time though!

 

[JoAnna525]

We just got back this weekend, as well, and I am spent too. I only have one little guy who will be three in December, but it was still hard. I think part of that was the fact that while the crowd levels were supposedly at a 3/10, I am convinced they were closer to 5-6/10 due to Halloween.

I am already planning our trip for next year, and the biggest change we will make is having more down days! In fact, I am extending the length of our trip so that we have the same number of park days, but more time to enjoy our beautiful resort. We definitely tried to do too much, which I swore I wouldn't do. All that being said, we had a great time.

 

[maxiesmom]

Don't do late nights and early mornings almost every day. We were not used to doing 5 days in a row of parks- normally we go for 10 nights offsite and do a lot of shopping/rest days in between, but as we were only there for 7 nights we felt we had to get the most out of our park tickets and didn't get to enjoy our hotel enough.

By the end of the trip I was grouchy and overtired and I'm an adult! We did have a great time though!

I was just on a trip with my 23 year old nephew, and we said the same thing! A break day every 2 or 3 days would have been great! We pushed hard for 7 days, and we were worn out!

 

[akl2004]

Our first trip with DS(14) came when he was 4. We fell into the "gotta get the most out of each day" trap and ran him into the ground. It was so bad that the last few days were resort days and half days at the parks. Went back the next year with a better plan and took my sister to help out. DW and I took turns going back to the resort with him while the other and my sister went and did something each night. Last year took DS(7) on his first trip and did the same thing. I went back to resort with him after lunch most days and hung out at the pool. It was actually like a vacation for me, he got to do what he wanted to do and DW and DS14 did what they wanted. As OP said, lessons learned the hard way.

 

[boltfan]

I completely understand. I haven't allowed my husband to go with us since our first trip! He complained the whole time and made everyone miserable. Not sure how old your kids are, but on our next trip, mine were 6, 8, and 10 and I was just fine by myself. We were much more relaxed and had a great time.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I use to be in your shoes. Then I started scheduling days off and taking midday breaks. Wow what a difference! Not only in our attitudes but my body and feet didn't hurt nearly as much. It made a "world" of difference. Before we would just do parks day in and day out. I mean why wouldn't you right? I learned my lesson big time. This time were staying 7 nights. We've got. 4 park days and 3 break days.

Luckily I have a DH who loves disney so it don't have to deal with trying to make him feel the magic. THAT would probably weigh pretty heavy on me. Glad you had a good time!

 

[kuhltiffany]

We switched from the Parks to cruises a few years ago, much better! Not so crowded or hectic, easy to go back to the room and relax on the balcony whenever, not to mention the ability to drop the kids off at the club and go to the adult-only restaurant…much better!!!

 

[lvillotta1]

BTDT too. My first trip with DD#1 by ourselves when she was 4 we did it all. Rushed around like crazy gals. I had just gotten home from China 2 weeks prior bringing 2nd DD home. Had the trip planned long ago and could not cancel. I thought if I had to get on another plane in the next 10 years I would cry. My girls are now 7&10 so we are going on a surprise trip in Jan. We take our time and get up when we want to and get to the parks. We take a day at DTD and just to hang out at our resort.

 

[NicoleLarson]

Yes, I learned the hard way our first big trip that I needed more down days. I now tell everyone that ask me, how many days do we need. I say double the amount that you want in the park, so if 4 park days, I recommend an 8 day stay. Currently we bought APs and like the convenience of going to a park for an hour or 2 and leaving.

To the OP- My dad sounds exactly like your DH. NOTHING, I do makes this man happy. Like one year, I have us at WL...it's too loud. Ok, next year OKW....too big, why aren't we at WL, I miss the boat to MK. OK, next year BW- Don't even remember his excuse but all I heard was how much nicer OKW was! Really?! So I'm trying one more time, I made my parents an itinerary. I told them you are free to come and go but if you want to spend time with us, this is where we will be. I'll report back on how that goes! I'm hoping that if he knows going in what the plan is, he'll be more likely to go along with it.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Sometimes I think Disney is a trip best enjoyed six months after the fact, once the exhaustion, crowds, and heat have worn off. I think our brains have a way of "polishing" our memories so that the good stuff stands out and the not-so-good fades into the background. Give yourself some time -- you may find yourself getting that Disney itch before you know it. (And maybe hubby will too!)

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I love Disney and always looked forward to planning and walking in the gates.
After this trip, I felt exhaustion and disappointment.
Sadly some of it was the Rudeness, most of it was spending so much on tickets and really not doing much. It was crazy making, changing, and managing FP+ everyday.
We had Rides break down, special events cancelled or it was too packed to enjoy. I was also disappointed in the MNSSHP this year.

Character Palooza cancelled after waiting two hours at HS.
Character lines were cut off just as you got to the front, why not put a rope up prior?
People mover broke, we were evacuated
Dinosaur broke, we were evacuated
Pirates of Caribbean broke FP cancelled (heads up, when we got on, the front row gets drenched head to toes)
Everest broke and FP was cancelled (so glad not to evacuate off that one)
Missed our window for FP on Haunted Mansion; the fifth day I finally got to ride once.
I grew tired of being evacuated or turned away, the kids too.

As far as the food, the only meal I really enjoyed was BOG lunch and 1900 Park Fare breakfast.
The Epcot food stands were not so good this year.
The cream puff in Norway was not edible and the manger just said, it wasn't her favorite. The cream was good, the puff was like grits of sand in my mouth.

I waited until the last night to decide whether to upgrade to the AP or not, and choose not to. Maybe we have just been there enough and it's no longer worth the long days and exhaustion. We did have down time, scheduled.

Time to leave the Park days behind and let a new generation go. I'm sure others will have a wonderful visit.

I'm saving the money by not making the AP upgrade toward a cruise. That's something I can relax and not need two days to recoup from.

 

[olwyngdh]

Sometimes I think Disney is a trip best enjoyed six months after the fact, once the exhaustion, crowds, and heat have worn off. I think our brains have a way of "polishing" our memories so that the good stuff stands out and the not-so-good fades into the background. Give yourself some time -- you may find yourself getting that Disney itch before you know it. (And maybe hubby will too!)

I think that is a brilliant idea! When I look back on trips, I am sure I felt at the time that I had to wait too long, didn't get the attention I wanted, had problems with this or that, but those aren't the things I remember. The only "bad" things I can remember are things over which Disney had no control--the weather, my husband, and other guests.

 

[luvmy2babies]

Pacing yourself is key on a Disney World trip. It is the type of vacation where you can come home and feel like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation. My two children and I generally have a relaxed style of touring, especially since we go in the summer. We do a lot of early mornings, with the exception of the day we see the night time stuff at MK, where we go in at 11am or later in the afternoon. Then the next day we sleep in. Most of our other days are rope drop to 3pm give or take an hour, then pool time before dinner. Our Epcot day is generally the day after we see Wishes and we are generally there from 10 or so to about 4.

 

[jennyincolo]

Sometimes I think Disney is a trip best enjoyed six months after the fact, once the exhaustion, crowds, and heat have worn off. I think our brains have a way of "polishing" our memories so that the good stuff stands out and the not-so-good fades into the background. Give yourself some time -- you may find yourself getting that Disney itch before you know it. (And maybe hubby will too!)

I think this is where we are - my husband and I did a trip to Korea a few years ago without kids are we were totally spent -though when we think back, it was awesome, right? I think we are too close in from our trip- by the end we had used up everything. It didn't help that my husband had a big work deadline right before our trip and another in 2 weeks - those were supposed to be WAY passed by the time we took our trip. But of course the deadlines got pushed back by 2 months. So instead of having a breather, he is in super-stress mode.

We did manage to do 1 day with the midday break. Made ALL the difference at MK. Our other day at MK was a MNSSHP - so they closed at 7. And we should have done that with Epcot day 2, but we were so tired from day 1 at MK the idea of getting up early was too daunting, LOL. Also - my parents were with me for only 2 days. That seemed like a great idea at the time - but instead it kind of turned into an unspoken power struggle between me and my mom.

I don't think DIsney is out of the picture for us forever - I'm thinking California will be a better destination for us - especially as we are in Colorado and a lot closer to the west coast. I also know now that we need to find an amusement park more than a theme park - apparently we are a bunch of thrill seakers, and I just wanted to "get through" to get to the roller coasters like Everest and RNRC.

I think that is a brilliant idea! When I look back on trips, I am sure I felt at the time that I had to wait too long, didn't get the attention I wanted, had problems with this or that, but those aren't the things I remember. The only "bad" things I can remember are things over which Disney had no control--the weather, my husband, and other guests.

We have been talking about a cruise for a while - I think we need to wait until our 1yo is old enough for those kid clubs - like 3? I'm hoping that a cruise will be our ticket to a vacation where we can relax. We are really bad at just "chilling". But having lots of options (as I hear from cruises) where "doing nothing" is an option might just fit the bill.

We switched from the Parks to cruises a few years ago, much better! Not so crowded or hectic, easy to go back to the room and relax on the balcony whenever, not to mention the ability to drop the kids off at the club and go to the adult-only restaurant…much better!!!

Thanks all and happy vacationing!!

 

[ftmtok]

thanks for the info!

 

[disneydude365]

Ok before I start I just wanna say sadly there is a lot of negativity emanating from this thread.. I mean it got to the point of making me feel sick in my stomach from all the bad experiences. To the point of skipping to the end. Now I understand you're all just showing the importance of break days but ouch lol

As for I usually go at least 1-2 times per year since mother has a condo about an hour away, so those trips are 1 days, then every 4 years we get to stay on site which are slightly longer trips but still short compared to others so honestly break days for us are wasted money. However we try for 1-2 parks but only because time and we don't feel a need for all four.

Tolls? We've only ever hit 1 so don't know what the so many tolls post was about. Yes DTD is under construction and a mess... If you drive, if you take the complementary transportation everything's fine. Love Down Town Disney

And then I try to add something a little special each year like an add on or something to make a meeting day magical

Sorry if my post comes off as rude but just saying from my view point hurts that some people don't get as good a trip as they planned