Originally Posted By DDMAN26 The morning sports guy I listen to just made his first trip to WDW. He gave a little report and what he liked and didn't like. Read and enjoy: Conquering Disney, One Happy Fiasco At A Time "Back from the place “Where Dreams Come True†(trademark, Walt Disney Corporation) and “Your Wallet Is Our B****.†(trademark pending, Steve Czaban). Overall verdict. Fantastic time. No really, that’s not sarcastic. The kids dug it, which you knew they would. It’s all about them. And unless your dad is Aaron Spelling or something, Disneyworld is about the coolest thing your parents will ever do for you prior to your 16th birthday. I’d give everybody a long winded “Do’s and Don’ts†but you can go to the bookstore and get huge published tomes on all of that. Let me give you a quick checklist. Top 7 Czabe Tips on Disneyworld 1. If It Ain’t Disney, Don’t Go. All you hear about Disney’s legendary cleanliness, customer service, etc. is true. And then some. I’m personally never going to another Theme Park that ain’t something Disney. Why bother. Sure, they get premium dollars. But I didn’t resent it one bit. I gladly pay top dollar when resorts like Disney deliver a top shelf experience. 2. If You Go To Disney, Stay At the Resort. Oh sure, you could save a lot of money staying elsewhere. But it will suck. Save up your pennies and go first class. 3. Bring Grandparents. If you can’t, then rent some at the stroller rental. I think they are $169 a day, but well worth it. Okay, I don’t think they “rent†grandparents, but it would be a helluva a concept, wouldn’t it? Get some kidless retirees from nearby Ocala to spend a day doing all the invaluable grandparent things mine did for me this week. 4. Never Go When The Temperature Is Above 80 Degrees. I gotta tell ya, we had 60’s all week, and the 60’s are a severely UNDER-rated temperature zone. Even 70’s can get too hot. It was so darn nice to be able to roll around in complete coolness without a layer of slime and stank all over you. All I could think about this week was: “Holy crap do people really come here in the summer?†5. Apply The A.L.E. Theory. It works everywhere else with kids, it works especially well at Disney. Always Leave Early. It doesn’t matter what you are leaving, but leave it a little early. With kids, they are always on the verge of either losing bodily fluids in the worst possible place, or having a complete emotional meltdown. Leave bleeping early. Seriously. When you think you have time for “one more†thing. No. Get out. Now. You’ll be glad you did. 6. They Don’t Charge You For Everything You Missed Seeing. Sometimes, it’s easy to think the exact opposite. “Oh my god! We never saw the Main Street Parade!†So what. There won’t be a room charge. It’s impossible to see it and do it all, so be realistic. 7. Enjoy The Pool. Everyday, you and the kids will pretty much wear out around 2 p.m. So get back to the resort, and get wet. Chill out. Take naps. Get some “underwear time†as this daddy likes to say. Then you can roll out again at 5 or 6 for dinner and some nite action. If you do all that, you can’t go wrong. Everything else is predicated on preference, the age and sexes of your kids, how often you have been to Disney, etc. etc. etc. I can see myself doing Disney with the kids twice more in my lifetime – every four years, sort of like the Olympics. My girls are 3 and 6 now. They’ll go again at 7 and 10, where they’ll still need supervision, but don’t have to be “schlepped†everywhere. Plus, they’ll be big enough and old enough to go on all the scary rides with daddy. Mo’ fun for me. Then when they are 14 and 11 we’ll go one last time. I call this the “last trip where my daughters still like me†before we enter the dark and hateful puberty years where I become the anti-christ. At that point, they can pretty much have their run of the parks with minimal check-ins during the day. Daddy sees golf in his distant Disney future. I do think that for the next trip, the way to go would be to team-up with a comparable family with a fellow dad who I can play golf with. That way, we can split the day with the women folk, and hit the links early, and then run around after the kids while the wives hit the spa or something. Seems like a very good division of labor sort of thing. A couple of quick random notes and then I’ll stop boring everyone. - Saw a guy puke on the docks of our Resort Transport Boat one day. He just bolted off the boat real quick as we were about to leave, and then hurled repeatedly. A bit un-nerving. Here’s what’s weird. The captain of the ship calmly grabbed this bucket on a rope from inside the cabin, pulled up a few scoops of water, and washed the puke away. Like it happens all the time. Surreal. I bet at any other theme park, that puke would sit there for days, drying up and being eaten by seagulls. - Like an idiot, I lost my park pass/room key while swimming in the pool. I thought it was both a goner, and getting a new one would be an ordeal. Well, I was wrong. The card was right there on the lifeguard stand, and even if it wasn’t, I was assured getting a new one would be no problem. These guys… they are good! They’re.. goooood! - The beds in our room were great. Very solid, firm, and with quality mattresses. I can’t tell you how many “expensive†hotels I’ve been to where the beds were sheer crap. Not at the Wilderness Lodge. - Epcot? One word: “Schlep-cot.†Geesus god! Could there be LESS to do, spread out over a larger area? I think not. - Trip MVPs. My in-laws. God bless ‘em. Kept up with everything, didn’t try to micromanage the trip, even paid for two expensive dinners. And my mother-in-law, I don’t know how she does it. My feet were dragging after Day 2, and yet she never complained once about all the hoofin’ – and she’s got TWO artificial knees and surgically repaired bunions on her feet! What a warrior! Big ups, Ma! (Chest pound, point…) Okay, one last, LAST note. Yes, that’s my “Jacka** Jacket†in the photo above. Go ahead, make your wisecracks. I know, I look like a reject from Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom.†But let me tell you, that stupid safari vest was the best $48 I spent all week. Seriously. When you are “Super Dad†running around a theme park, packing a digital still camera, a digital video camera, maps, walkie talkies, cash, wallet, and who knows what the hell else, you NEED a vest like this. It’s freakin’ money! Everything I needed right there on my body. No open pockets, no clunky camera bags, no lame 90’s “fanny packs.†Jungle vest baby. Good enough for Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler, good enough for me! Oh yeah, I look stupid. Right. Unlike every other harried dad at a theme park who somehow looks “cool†while carrying a crying kid on his shoulder. Uh huh.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN First and foremost... his trip report is flawed. Go to WDW for the first time without kids, then come back to tell me how you liked it... because most parents will go there and are willing to put up with bad service and lack of manners (not necesarily something that happens often at WDW mind you) and still come back with a radiant look just because their little babies' faces lit up upon seeing Mickey up close.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Funny TDLFAN I never feel like I get bad service and lack of manners. Oh wait, wait, yes I do, whenever I go up Interstate 4 to the "other place."
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Along with Grandparent rental I think a stellar kiosk would be a "kid" rental so us (well over 30) folks can go on the rides in fantasyland without feeling conspicuously old. Peter Pan, Pooh, Dumbo and the rest are way less stressful with a child in tow.
Originally Posted By danyoung >First and foremost... his trip report is flawed.< Huh? His trip report is flawed because his experience didn't match yours? Silly TDLFAN!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 If this was this reporters first time trip , I marvel at his sense of perception --- except for the EPCOT slam I think he nailed a whole lot right on. Also I love a writer who can slip in some humor and be witty about it, rent a grandparent - LOL !!
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 What a great and happy report. Sounds like he will be a Disney fan forever. Just like the rest of us.
Originally Posted By Labuda I don't see how he thought there wasn't much to do in Epcot, but aside fromt hat, I think he pretty well nailed it. IMPRESSIVE for a first-timer... you can tell he did some research ahead of time! Now, we just need to make sure he takes the family more than once every FOUR YEARS! egads! lol
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Makes me wonder what this person would think if he had visited TDR for the first time, then be at WDW right after that the following week... Hmmm...
Originally Posted By RSN1616 Glad you had a good time!!! But you thought 60's was hot???? Where do you live, the north pole?? LOL JK, but it's not that bad above 80's, there are many indoor places with the AC blasting. After going 6 straight times in April and then going in August last year, it's not that much of a difference in my opinion.
Originally Posted By Labuda IIRC, DDMAN is in Wisconsin, so stands to reason the guy who wrote this would be there, too.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 ^^^^Actually the writer is from D.C. but the morning show I listen to is from Milwaukee. Steve Czaban is his name and he has a nationally syndicated show on Fox Sports Radio.
