Originally Posted By mainstfan5 I'm a long-time major fan of Disney Parks (first trip to Disneyland was 1963), but had been limited to 5 - 6 trips to Disneyland over the last 20 years (believe me, I'd go every year if I could). Just returned from my first trip to WDW since the mid-1970's (yes, back when the Magic Kingdom was the only park, and there were two hotels). Thought I would post some initial thoughts from a person's first-time trip…These are just some random things that stick in my mind a few days after arriving back home. - Downtown Disney felt way too close to the I4 freeway, and as a result I never felt like I had 'entered' WDW. Took away a LOT of the 'magic' from the area, and made it feel like just another shopping center. - I did very much enjoy the Boardwalk area (much more than I expected). It's beatiful … except for the incredibly ugly eyesores that are the Swan and Dolphin. Can't believe these were actually built in this area. - My God, Pop Century is hideous. Whoever designed this should be ashamed; there's really no excuse for anything to be this ugly. I can' t imagine ever staying here (and it's not because I'm a snob; I was staying at a cheap motel outside of WDW for my trip). I didn't get a chance to see the other budget resorts, but they can't be this bad. - The Comtemporary Resort really looks pretty bad; I can't believe this is a deluxe resort. Except for the monorail, there's nothing appealing. It looks ugly, feels sterile, and just doesn't seem like Disney at all. Something needs to be done here. You can't blame the age, since the Polynesian Resort still looks great. - Loved EPCOT and really enjoyed walking around the World Showcase … MUCH more fun than I expected. EPCOT is definitely a 2-day park and was a highlight of the trip. Only drawback -with the failure of Mission:Space, it really needs an 'expedition Everest'-style major ride (NOT a simulator). - Didn't care for Disney-MGM Studios much. The theming is good at the entrance, but pretty much ruined by the giant Sorcerer's hat. The rest of the park looks like attractions were just dumped in any random place. The park has some good attractions, but it's a pretty poor excuse of a Disney 'theme' park. (Loved Tower of Terror, though) - Animal Kingdom was the exact opposite of D-MGM Studios. Theming here is SPECTACULAR, by far the best job Disney has done since the original Disneyland. Attractions were better than I expected, and I could see how this could be a very fun full day park (esp. with Expedition Everest - GREAT, GREAT ride, a major success for Disney and worth the visit to AK all by itself). - Very disappointed with the food selection. I know a lot of people talk about the great food at WDW. That may be if you want to spend $30+ per person for each lunch and dinner. WDW has a very bad selection of mid-price reasonably healthy meals. Counter service food consisted of pretty much cheap fried foods, pre-packaged cheeseburgers, pizza, and turkey legs. These were everwhere, in every park. That's perfectly fine, and I don't expect anything else when I go to a one-day amusement park. But this is a resort area where people stay on-site for multiple days. If I were staying in WDW for 8 - 10 days, I would get VERY sick of this poor selection. - At at the Biergarten in EPCOT, and was a bit disappointed. I didn't think the food was that great, and the entertainment was no better than the various street performers that you could see throughout the park. (Might have enjoyed this a bit more if I hadn't been seated so far to the side that all I could see was the profile of one musician…. They REALLY need to fix this so all the guests can see). - After initially being against the idea, I'm now convinced that Fastpass is a great idea. I was able to use it 3 - 4 times a day for major attractions, going to the smaller ones in the meantime, and never really had to wait in any line more than 15 - 20 minutes. It worked very nicely. - (I feel like I'm being sacriligeous with this one ….) All things considered, I have to say that I believe the Magic Kingdom is better than Disneyland. I never thought I would say that, but the greater amount of space really allows for an improved experience in each themed area. Tomorrowland is SO much better than Disneyland's. Major areas where Disneyland still wins out -- Main Street is slightly better in DL, and I really missed seeing the Mark Twain riverboat. HIGHLIGHTS: Mickey's Philharmagic - LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this, and really made me wish I could see remakes of the old Disney classics in 3D. A classic show, with the best 3D effects I've seen. (and Tinkerbell broke my heart ….) Expedition Everest - best 'E' ticket ride since Splash Mountain Tower of Terror - Lived up to my expectations; lots of fun, and not too extreme Splash Mountain - still one of the best rides ever Low Points Stitch's Great Escape - man, was this a waste of prime real estate in Tomorrowland Great Movie Ride - what a big disappointment Voyage of Little Mermaid - I love stage shows, and love the music in this movie… but this show was boring (kind of liked the bubbles, though) All over the parks - Lots of hot, tired people yelling at their kids. Kind of depressing. I have some other comments that I'll post in more detail in separate topics.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Welcome back. <<Downtown Disney felt way too close to the I4 freeway, and as a result I never felt like I had 'entered' WDW.>> I really think this has to do with your staying offsite. Had you been staying onsite, you probably wouldn't noticed I-4's proximity. <<My God, Pop Century is hideous.>> It's a personal preference thing. FWIW, all the value resorts are designed essentially the same way. <<The Comtemporary Resort really looks pretty bad; I can't believe this is a deluxe resort. Except for the monorail, there's nothing appealing. It looks ugly, feels sterile, and just doesn't seem like Disney at all.>> You have to take into account when the Comtemporary was designed, and the fact that today's modern is yesterday's old. <<Loved EPCOT... Only drawback -with the failure of Mission:Space, it really needs an 'expedition Everest'-style major ride (NOT a simulator).>> TT is supposed to be that ride. <<WDW has a very bad selection of mid-price reasonably healthy meals. Counter service food consisted of pretty much cheap fried foods, pre-packaged cheeseburgers, pizza, and turkey legs.>> I think if you look at all the menus posted on allerasnet.com you'll find there are some very good non fast-foodish places to eat. One of my favorites is Tusker House at DAK. <<I believe the Magic Kingdom is better than Disneyland. I never thought I would say that, but the greater amount of space really allows for an improved experience in each themed area.>> I take an opposing view. I think there is too much open space in places. Adventureland doesn't have the jungle-like feel as DL's... it's one giant pad of concrete. Great for crowds, not so great for theming. <<Tomorrowland is SO much better than Disneyland's.>> Disney pretty much ruined DL's TL in 98.
Originally Posted By Marzy <<Great Movie Ride - what a big disappointment>> Wow, am I the only one who still enjoys this ride? I've been on it hundreds of times and I'm not sick of it, but everyone else always complains about it!
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 I think that it is great that we all have our opinions about what they think of WDW. That is what makes us great, so when I desagree with what you said on just about everything, that's just my thought.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN mainstfan5, your comments and observations are right on! Glad you had fun while at the same time as a disney "customer" who spent $$ to go there ("guest" my ...back) you could clearly identify the problem areas as well... Now take a trip to Tokyo Disney so you can get your every penny's worth.
Originally Posted By mainstfan5 Ugh, I hope I didn't sound like I was really griping. I had a GREAT time and would love to go back again soon. It really reminded me how much I enjoy Disney's parks. I guess to a certain extent the 'negatives' stuck out only because they were the exceptions to what was otherwise a really, really terrific place. In general, I was very impressed. ...and 'Marzy' -- I guess I was just really disappointed in the Great Movie Ride because I expected more. Maybe that was a problem with my expectations. It wasn't a BAD ride, just didn't seem like the showpiece I expected.
Originally Posted By Marzy ^ Most people I talk to are just sick of hearing the same words everytime they get on
Originally Posted By mrichmondj I don't remember eating a single fried meal at the counter service restaurants. Overall, I was pretty satisfied with the food at WDW. The best meal overall was the counter service restaurant in Morocco -- I wish I could get some of that stuff in my hometown.
Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct <<Animal Kingdom was the exact opposite of D-MGM Studios. Theming here is SPECTACULAR, by far the best job Disney has done since the original Disneyland.>> The reason I bought my first AP and I live in Connecticut. The place is so well done.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>The reason I bought my first AP and I live in Connecticut. The place is so well done.<< You need to get to TDS Dennis.
Originally Posted By pixiedust1 <<Most people I talk to are just sick of hearing the same words everytime they get on >> Yeah I feel the same way when I walk down Main St... Darn Castle, same old thing year after year... <mainstfan5> You could have saved yourself alot of heart ache and US a lot of aggravation from TDLFAN by just going to TDL.. LOL...
Originally Posted By TDLFAN You got that^^^ right, girlfriend!!! >>Ugh, I hope I didn't sound like I was really griping. I had a GREAT time and would love to go back again soon.<< You did not come thru that way at all sir. Your comments were very valid and rounded, and I appreciate your posting your honest thoughts as opposed to others who will just say how great WDW is because "darn it, it was my vacation and I will have fun no matter what!"
Originally Posted By dsnygrl4evr Hi all, I am new to this board (been a looky lou for a while!) I wanted to say I agree with almost EVERY statement made! There are so many things about WDW that need to change! And though I am a HUGE fan of ALL things Disney, and I make numerous trips per year to WDW resort, I can be objective as well. I have been going to WDW since 1981, and I have seen such downfall in everything from maintenence to CM attitudes, to the cleanliness of the parks! You cannot be a true fan if you cannot be objective about everything! Those are my two cents, if they are worth that much to you guys! By the way, I love this board!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<I have seen such downfall in everything from maintenence to CM attitudes, to the cleanliness of the parks!>> But you'll notice the OP didn't have any complaints about those things.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Your comments were very valid and rounded, and I appreciate your posting your honest thoughts as opposed to others who will just say how great WDW is because "darn it, it was my vacation and I will have fun no matter what!">> Just because someone doesn't complain about things doesn't make their viewpoint less valid. If someone chooses to only have a good time on their vacation, is that somehow wrong?
Originally Posted By mainstfan5 >>I have seen such downfall in everything from maintenence to CM attitudes, to the cleanliness of the parks!<< You know, the funny thing is that I didn't really think there was any major problem with any of these. ...And believe me, I was looking. For years I have read stories on the Web about the growing problems, but while I could occasionally point to trash and worn paint and burned-out light bulbs, they weren't at the stage where it was really obvious. I'm not disagreeing with you at all, there definitely could and should be improvements made. But I was pleased in general. I guess they aren't quite meeting Disney standards (or the standards I wish they would meet), but they are still WAY above everybody else.
Originally Posted By NJFIREGUY <<- My God, Pop Century is hideous. Whoever designed this should be ashamed; there's really no excuse for anything to be this ugly. I can' t imagine ever staying here (and it's not because I'm a snob; I was staying at a cheap motel outside of WDW for my trip). I didn't get a chance to see the other budget resorts, but they can't be this bad >> You Know I was a "POP Hater" too until I stayed there...Granted you have to be in the right state of mind to live by Giant Bowling Pins, Yo Yo's and Rubiks Cubes for a week but hey its good fun. And I was Very Pleased for a budget hotel There is good Counter service in WDW problem is its not easy to find all the time. I'm all for planning but you shouldn't have to Research your lunch just cause you dont want burgers again. <<I know a lot of people talk about the great food at WDW. That may be if you want to spend $30+ per person for each lunch and dinner.>> <<But this is a resort area where people stay on-site for multiple days. If I were staying in WDW for 8 - 10 days, I would get VERY sick of this poor selection.>> If you were staying at the resort you could get the meal plan and eat very well for $35.00 a day. What exactly did you expect as a Counter serivce lunch selection?
Originally Posted By pixiedust1 <<<You did not come thru that way at all sir. Your comments were very valid and rounded, and I appreciate your posting your honest thoughts as opposed to others who will just say how great WDW is because "darn it, it was my vacation and I will have fun no matter what!">> I just don't know how all of us fans survive Disney World when we have to wade thru piles of garbage, endure rude cast members, mingle with the trailer trash, hillbillies, NY's (they all smell like paint from recent graffiti binges.. I guess we need to look in the mirror and say, we hate it here, TDLFAN is right, we need to stay home... Disney World is a dump, full of no class garbage dumping fools... Someday, if we try real hard we can be more like TDLFAN and have the wisdom that he has.. Let the truth be had... HAIL TO TDLFAN, OH GREAT ONE!!!!!! : )
Originally Posted By TDLFAN ^^^Why Thank you. Some overdue praise at last! >>You cannot be a true fan if you cannot be objective about everything!<< Very true. Sadly most people do not get that. And welcome to LP. >>If someone chooses to only have a good time on their vacation, is that somehow wrong?<< Yes. It means you are a robot.
