Trip to Disney

Paul B

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This week we went to Disney World with our two Grand Kids, Daughter and Son N Law.

They actually took us. We haven't gone to Disney in about 30 years when we took our Daughter a few times. A lot is changed as now they added more princesses, Buzz Lightyear, some Johnny Depp stuff in Pirates of the Caribbean and fingerprint machines.

So we get to the magic Kingdom and see Mickey, Minnie, the Duck, Princess this and that and had a great, but tiring day. That night we had reservations to have dinner with Minnie at Hollywood Studios so we head to the Monorail. My wife has MS and is riding in a scooter.

We get to the monorail and the thing isn't running so the guy says to take the boat. We get on this boat for the 20 minute ride then get on this line to get into Hollywood Studios. As you know, everything in Disney is fake except the lines. Now you have to go through security and get fingerprinted. I am not sure what the fingerprinting does or why they really need the fingerprints from three year old Teddy unless they feel he is a threat to Pluto or maybe will pull Minnie's tail. But we finally get to the front and find out we can't get in. It seems you can only go to one theme park on the same day unless you pay more. A lot more. The guard tells us to go to customer service to see what we can do.

After waiting on the line at customer service we are told we need to pay about $500.00 more plus the $300+ that we already paid for the dinner with Minnie. (that was for all 6 of us) We didn’t think it was prudent to pay $800.00+ to eat frankfurters with a Rat so we told them to forget it. Now we “only” have to pay $60.00 for not showing up. Like, is it me!

So we ask some guy sweeping the floor where we can eat because these kids, besides being disappointed at not seeing the mouse, are hungry. He tells us to go to France. He says, there is a lot of food in France. I am thinking the France in Europe but he means the France in Disney.

I worked with a guy who thought he was all over the world because he went to Disney every year, and even bought a brick on the sidewalk with his name on it. It’s not like he doesn’t have a life or anything.

So we get back on the boat to France for another 20 minute ride. In “France” we head to the first restaurant where we are told, “You can’t even scrape chewing gum off the sidewalk to eat without a reservation”. She also said, there is absolutely no place in France where we can eat. I don’t know how many people live in the “real” France, but I think most of them were there in Disney last night.

So we ask how to get back to the Hotel. We are on the other side of Disney so it is a very long walk. On the way we stop at popcorn stands, hot dog stands, French Fry stands, all with the same outcome. We couldn’t get a bite to eat as the lines were so long that the park would close before you got anything. So we are working our way back when my wife’s electric scooter croaks. It would go ten feet and stop, then go ten feet and stop. I started pushing the thing, which is not very easy. There is a big phone number on the front that I call figuring they would send a tow truck or something. Of course no one answers the phone; after all I am in France.

We finally are getting near the monorail and I see one coming so we start to run. We run and run, up the ramp, right up to the gate and the monorail pulls in and we wait. We wait some more, then we are waiting. Then nothing. The doors don’t open. The announcement comes on: THIS MONORAIL NEEDS TO GO INTO THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS. Of course it does, why wouldn’t it! So after about 30 minutes and two sleeping kids another one pulls up and we get on.

We eventually make it back to our hotel about 9:00PM where the only thing open is the ice cream parlor. We go up to the counter and are told: We are closing in 10 minutes. Great, just enough time to get an ice cream to take out.
We stayed for four days and when we checked out the guy at the hotel desk handed me the bill. We pre paid the hotel, Disney passes and transportation so I wasn't expecting to pay to much at check out. The bill was for about $2,000.00. After I got up from the floor I asked what the $2,000.00 was for and he told me, "For drinks". I said, if I drank two thousand dollars worth of alcohol in four days while staying with a 3 and 4 year old I wouldn't be standing here arguing with you now. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be standing. I would also probably be in jail as a lousy Grand Father. The drinks were good, but they weren't that good. I said I had maybe seven drinks and my wife had maybe five. Then he realized he added an extra zero to the bill. A zero doesn't come to much unless it is for drinks.

The rest of the trip went well and I hope I am now finished with Disney. But the Kids had a ball.

 

vertigo01

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Glad the little ones enjoyed it but sorry your portion was so lousy.
We have been going every year with the wife going sometimes twice a year and always have a good time.
Matter of fact, we will be making our anjual trek the week after Turkey day.
This time though, we will be dragging the fifth wheel and staying at Fort Wilderness.

However, we always go during the off season and take advantage of the discounts and free dining as well as Park Hopper Passes, which allows anyone with them, to go to any of the kingdoms/rezorts as many times a day as they want.
 

ReeferBob

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Yeah your trip about sums up Disney. I hated it beyond belief and will never, ever go back for any reason. Long lines for everything. High prices for everything (1 dinner for 2 people was $450). Ads for Disney and gift-shops as far as the eye can see. Rude people everywhere. I don't really blame them as they have to sit through the same Disney BS we all do/did. My ex told me "the kids have to go to Disney at least once!". I told her "good luck send a post card!".
 
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Paul B

Paul B

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The kids had a great time and I also enjoyed most of it. We stayed at the Four Seasons Resort which was fantastic. Expensive, but fantastic. The restaurant offered a great seafood dish but if you wanted to add a lobster to it, it was an additional $103.00 charge. $103.00 for a lobster which cost about eight bucks to buy, I bought one last week. My wife and I have been many places in the world so we have a lot to compare it to. Disney is what it is, a money sucking facility that kids love so you really need to go at least twice with them. I have been there maybe 6 times. The last time was when it just opened and I loved the back stage tour of EPCOT as I love mechanics. This obviously was not a trip for us, but for the kids.
We had Fast Passes for the rides which I would never go without. They cut the waiting times to about one tenth. But you need to reserve the rides you want to go on when you book Disney and you can only reserve 3 rides a day and you have to be there at the ride at that time that you booked or you lose it. The wait for Pirates of the Caribbean without the Fast pass was about an hour and a half, for a four or five minute ride. With the fast pass it was about 15 minutes.

What we really hate are those Mega cruise ships. We love cruising but we go on much smaller ships like the Windstar. The last time we went on a Mega cruise ship like Carnival I was praying for a torpedo to sink us. I don't do lines well and I hate to wait so Disney and Mega ships are not for me.
This was Bora Bora on the Windstar. My type of cruising
 

Areseebee

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This week we went to Disney World with our two Grand Kids, Daughter and Son N Law.
We didn’t think it was prudent to pay $800.00+ to eat frankfurters with a Rat so we told them to forget it. Now we “only” have to pay $60.00 for not showing up. Like, is it me!
You can eat a cheeseburger with a rat for substantially less at any burger joint in Orlando.
 

gcarroll

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Paul, I would suggest that you share your story with Disney corporate. They have a history of making things right. Especially share the fiasco with dining with the rat.
 
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Paul B

Paul B

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It was probably our fault for not realizing you can't go to two theme parks on the same day unless you book it like that. It was kind of deceiving that they let us make the reservations for the dinner when they knew we were not allowed to go there that day and charge us ten bucks for not showing up when we really couldn't.
It was four days out of my life and the kids enjoyed it so it wasn't bad. I knew what to expect having been there a few times.
The place is really something you really need to see at least once.
 

gcarroll

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Paul,
It won't hurt to try. You might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Your fault or not!
 

revsgirl

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I don't have to be reminded of why I'm not a fan of Disney! Took my daughter once when she was 4 and said it was the last time. We'll see about that when it's grand baby time for me. ;)
 

DED65

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I went to Disney World a few years back. I went to produce desserts for a food show and Disney footed the entire bill, food, airfare, hotel and spending money. It was great to go and see, but I don't think I would enjoy it when everything is so expensive and if I had to pay! It was definitely more interesting to see behind the scenes.
 
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Paul B

Paul B

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I think Disney does it all wrong and I have a plan to eliminate all the lines and problems. When you get to Disney, you first go to the monorail then go to the theme park you want to wait in line for. Then you go to Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pans ride, It's a Small World then wait to get an autograph from all the princesses etc.


I have a better Idea. Instead of all that, the monorail should be the attraction. In my world you would board the monorail, then the fun starts, Peter Pan would jump on the thing while Tinkerbell flew around you and spilled pixie dust all over the place, then the Pirates of the Caribbean would shoot some cannonballs through the windows, barely missing most of the people while Snow White, Belle, Rapunsel and Minnie Mouse run around screaming trying to wake up Sleeping Beauty who is being carried by Pluto.

Next the thing becomes 20,000 leagues under the sea and submerges in the lake that surrounds Cinderella's Castle. It doesn't remain underwater very long because of the holes in the windows that the cannonballs put in, but just long enough for Aerial the Mermaid to swim inside and sell you one of those plastic things that blow bubbles for $29,95 and another $7.50 for bubble soap. Then the monorail would surface and crash through the Capital where you could see the Presidents scrambling to get out of the way as a thousand dolls from all over the world sing that annoying song "It's a Small Small World". The fun is not over yet, just when you thought it was over, the monorail runs down the center of Main Street knocking over all the tourists trying to take a picture in front of the Castle. It then slows down so you can buy a cappuccino or Mickey Mouse ears. Now you are on your way to Epcot where it burst into flames just before it careens into the log flume ride and put out the fire before the paint burns off. After it climbs the Tree of Life it slows down and deposits you at the gate where you can call an Uber and go home.

No lines, no waiting for anything and you see everything in 3 minutes so you can go back to your hotel so you can sit in the Hot Tub and order a Pina Colada.
 

Maritimer

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I've never been to Disney.

After reading your travel report, I'm kind of glad about that. Bonus, I now have pretty much no desire to visit there.

I'll just keep moving South, and maybe go scuba diving underneath Blue Heron Bridge . . .

~Bruce
 

Chris Adams

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Well we all have bad experiences somewhere. Important thing is the kids had fun. After all Disney is really for the kids!
I have been many many times and always have good memories
If you do not like crowds or kids or spending lots of needless money then you need to go lie on the beach :)
 

Hyde2406

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Been to Disney since we only live 2 hours away but prefer bush gardens way cheeper and the kids still have tons of fun at 1/3 the cost, we will Def go again for my 2 and 7 year old but our favorite character was the talking trash can. Wish they had those skip the line passes still they were awesome, grab a few tickets kill time with travel food then hit the rides quick at your scheduled times loved it, now it is some wierd crazy expensive thing you have to prepay for :/
Glad the grandkids had fun but next time try bush gardens they will still love it and so will your wallet
 
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Paul B

Paul B

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I go for the kids and they had a really good time as did my Daughter when she was young. It's a place you have to take them to and the fun is seeing them in awe at all the sights. We really did have a good time.
For vacations for my wife and myself we do much different things. We live in New York and I worked in Manhattan for 40 years so we normally go places to get away from crowds. :D
 

ReeferBob

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I go for the kids and they had a really good time as did my Daughter when she was young. It's a place you have to take them to and the fun is seeing them in awe at all the sights. We really did have a good time.
For vacations for my wife and myself we do much different things. We live in New York and I worked in Manhattan for 40 years so we normally go places to get away from crowds. :D

This is a good point as I really hate beyond belief being in those massive crowds of people. I will take a quiet lake-front cabin vacation at least a mile away from anyone else over am amusement park any day.
 

Chris Adams

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Disney Character breakfast/lunches etc are so over priced(total rip off don't do it). You can get times and places for all the characters for free signatures and pictures. Well at the price of park ticket maybe not really free! But not 80.00+ per person for a picture and some fruit they call breakfast :)

3 day park hopper is plenty of time to hit All the parks. Go back to hotel for nap then go out to either same park or another. Do not kill yourself trying to get everything out of a park in 1 day.
a week is brutal
Other parks you can go to with hopper
Planet Hollywood is not bad but we go here the least.
Epcot I like (Italy has good pizza in restaurant) You need reservations for 99.9% of the places
Don't get caught up in the themed restaurants just paying extra money.
If you are staying in park hotels and don't mind paying a little more The Wilderness Lodge is where we stay. Very convenient.

A day at seaworld is a nice break
A day at a water park also. Sometimes they have bundle deal with day at sea world and day at aquatica(not 1 of the disney water parks but my kids enjoyed it)
Bush Gardens in Tampa as mentioned previously is not bad and yes you save a ton.

Don't forget people WWC is only about 20 minutes away :).

I would rather have a log cabin :)
 
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Paul B

Paul B

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The resort we stayed in was great. The Four Seasons. It is on Disney property but it is not part of Disney. Lots of pools, great food etc. Here is a partial view from our room. Disneyworld is in the far background. All the pools and lakes are hotel property along with a lot more on the left out of the picture

 
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