Best…of the Worst…of 2016

It’s the end of the year, and that means every blog goes into autopilot mode, rehashing its most popular posts that everyone probably already read. Not that we are above that sort of thing–to the contrary, as soon as science builds me a computer that automatically churns out content, I am retiring from this!

In the meantime, we thought it would be more worthwhile to share the good (more good-ish) posts you probably did not read. So basically, what I did was go through Google Analytics to find some of our least popular posts of the year that I think were under-appreciated. This top 10 list is the intersection of a value judgment (“good posts”) on my part and statistic unpopularity (“fewest views”).

I know, not the most exciting idea for a blog post, but I think it’s at least somewhat interesting, and perhaps will help you find something you missed. And in any event, why should I put a ton of effort into a new post on one of the internet’s slowest days of the year? And let’s be real, many of you are probably already drunk, anyway…

Top 20 Themed Restaurants at Walt Disney World – I was surprised that this post was so unpopular, especially given that I think this is a really good basis for choosing where to dine at Walt Disney World…and also given the popularity of our top 10 list covering the same topic.

Disney Dream Cruise Ship Info – If you missed this post, you might’ve missed the precise moment in 2016 when this blog jumped the shark, as I made a tortured comparison between Godzilla’s urine output and a cruise ship in one of the worst attempts at a “joke” in this site’s history. Yeah, it’s every bit as weird (and unfunny) as it sounds…

Tips for Photographing Disney Fireworks – Posting this the Friday before July 4th Weekend was a stupid move on my part, and one that probably resulted in a post I put a lot of work into being read by very few people. As a bonus, this one has relevance tonight if you’re going somewhere that has a fireworks display.

Walt Disney World Half Marathon Report – My 5K report was popular…my 10K report was popular…my Marathon report was popular…for some reason, though, you readers are prejudiced against half marathons? That, or I made a poor choice in picking my sweaty mug as the thumbnail preview for this one. In any case, this merits a mention, especially as some of you are probably about to run the Half Marathon in the near future.

Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside – I was surprised that this post wasn’t more popular, as we had received a lot of questions about these rooms prior to reviewing them, and we did this stay for you (FOR YOU!). It’s definitely a post worth reading if you haven’t, especially if you have kids.

Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen Review – How could a topic that has all the trappings of a classic blog post (1) pondering the morbidity of Sebastian in cooking his own; 2) Hannibal Lector; and, 3) theming based on The Little Mermaid, one of Disney’s most beloved films) be a flop? Oh yeah, it’s about a restaurant in Tokyo DisneySea. The photos of Mermaid Lagoon should make this worth your time, even if my jokes are dumb and you don’t care about the parks in Japan.

1-Day Epcot “No Rides” Itinerary – Based on response to this post, it turns out that not many readers go to Epcot and do pretty much nothing. This makes some sense given that a lot of readers are infrequent visitors to Walt Disney World, but anyone who has an Annual Pass–and some people who visit only once per year–should really give this a try. It’s a truly sublime experience (and not a waste of a day, like you might fear).

Typhoon Lagoon Beach Bash Report – I know most people are not Disney Vacation Club Members and/or do not go to the Walt Disney World water parks, so I can understand the lack of popularity of this post, but if you’re a WDW diehard, please at least skim through the photos in this. They are some of my favorite shots of the year and offer a perspective of Typhoon Lagoon you’ll rarely find elsewhere. Oh, and if you do read the text, you might understand why I love Typhoon Lagoon, and think it is way underrated.

When to Visit Tokyo Disneyland – This is the single most important topic when it comes to planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort. Crowds there vary widely, with slow season being slower than Disneyland in January and busy weekends being incomprehensible to anyone who hasn’t done New Year’s Eve in Magic Kingdom.

Shanghai Disneyland Trip Report – Part 4 – I have (hopefully) learned my lesson about long gaps between trip report installments thanks to the month-plus delay in posting this that resulted in interest for the later installments plummeting. With that said, in reviewing your written feedback, I also learned a lot about doing trip reports the right way that I plan on putting to use in early 2017…

While not all of those posts are going to be for everyone, I promise you that they are all better than the Top 10 Toilets at Walt Disney World post, which a shockingly large number of you read. (It was literally one of our most popular posts of the year.) And on that note, we’ll close the book on 2016 at DisneyTouristBlog.com. All in all, it was a pretty fun year of writing new blog posts and updating old ones. I’m also really looking forward to 2017. I think we’re starting to hit our stride with a good balance of content and style and we have a bunch of post ideas for the first few months. Your feedback earlier this month was instrumental in a lot of these ideas, so thanks again. In the meantime, have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve!