10 Things We’ll Never Do Again at Disney World
Much like every fan has a bucket list, there are things that we never want to do again at Walt Disney World. This isn’t like our list of easy first-timer blunders. This list is personal, containing things we’ve done and after which said to one another, “wow, that was a mistake.” (Updated December 2, 2019.)
Truthfully, there are very few things at Walt Disney World that we’d never do again. Not only are our bucket lists far longer than our “never again” lists, but most things are worth of a second chance. Menus at restaurants change, hotels are redecorated, and attractions are tweaked or re-imagined over time.
In fact, since we originally published this a few years ago, a lot has changed. Perhaps we should take the immortal words of celebrated thinker Justin Bieber to heart and “never say never.” On our last version of this list, we included “Christmas in November” and “Epcot on New Year’s Eve.” Those are two things we did last year, and had a blast with both…
In our defense, Walt Disney World has started celebrating Christmas earlier during the last couple of years, so it’s now possible to get almost the full holiday experience in mid-November. Previously, you’d only experience Magic Kingdom and maybe one other park–definitely no trees up at the resorts, among other things.
As for Epcot on New Year’s Eve…we still wouldn’t recommend it to the vast majority of readers, but we went in with a strong plan, low expectations, and had an absolute blast. However, we didn’t do a single attraction. We weren’t really interested in waiting 3-4 hours for Soarin, Test Track, or Frozen Ever After.
What won’t we do again at Walt Disney World? Here are the top 10 things in no particular order…
10. Pandora or Star Wars Lands Midday & Without FastPass+ – Nothing struck me as a more “important” new entry than visiting Pandora without FastPass+. We know the importance of making FastPass+ in advance, so we usually don’t mess with popular attractions without FastPass+ as it’s just not worth it to us.
Nevertheless, there have been times when we couldn’t score Flight of Passage FastPasses, so we decided to do the attraction at rope drop or at the end of the night. Both experiences were chaotic, and not something we intend upon doing again. While it is possible to experience Flight of Passage with minimal wait at the beginning of the morning, it’s just too much of a hassle. We’d rather be more dedicated to playing the My Disney Experience “refresh game.”
We no longer will mess with Pandora during the middle of the day, aside from Satu’li Canteen for lunch. The warning sign outside of Flight of Passage that there aren’t restrooms in the line should be enough of a clue that it’s not worth it. This is doubly true when it’s the summer months and the line spills out into the outdoor queue, which seems like it’d be a brutal experience.
The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge half of this is somewhat preemptive. As of our December 2019 update to this list, crowds for Star Wars Land have not been terrible. However, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens later this week, and that’s the land’s flagship attraction that is almost certain to pull in huge crowds and have astronomical wait times.
Between the lack of shade in Galaxy’s Edge, some narrow areas that are a recipe for congestion, and the lack of FastPass+ at both Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance, this land will be rope drop or end of night (when I absolutely love it–see below!) for us going forward. It helps tremendously that Disney’s Hollywood Studios has multiple nighttime spectaculars that pull crowds away from the other lands, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge included. Hopping in line at the end of the night is far and away the best strategy–and did we mention that Batuu looks beautiful at night?!
9. Summit Plummet – This is the only attraction on this list, and the reason for that is that we think people should judge attractions for themselves, because everyone has different preferences. (For example, there are probably a few of you who don’t like Country Bear Jamboree. That’s fine–some people don’t like masterpieces like The Godfather and Citizen Kane, either.)
For me, Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach water park is something that’s moderately enjoyable and I’m glad it exists, because it looks really cool and is a great water slide concept…but once was enough. From the insanely long line to the feeling of pure terror to the crazy wedgie, I’m good on it for one lifetime. Actually, I’ll probably do it again when I’m 65 just to fool myself into thinking I’m a badass. 😉
8. “Improperly Pack” – This is somewhat of a blanket statement because it’s a mistake I’ve made repeatedly in different ways. Basically, I have a propensity to simultaneously under and over-pack, and bring clothing for the weather I want rather than the weather that’s actually forecast.
For example, I have a tendency to pack shorts and polos for winter trips–a mistake I’ve made as recently as last year, even despite having written our Winter Packing Tips for Disney. For early fall trips, I’ve been known to bring jeans and button-downs, even when the weather is still sweltering. Beyond that, I leave behind practical items I end up missing to avoid overpacking, while bringing pointless stuff “just in case” that I never use.
Unfortunately, I don’t have an elephant-caliber memory…or I try to convince myself that “it’ll be different this time” (for reasons unknown), only to have history repeat itself. In other words, I say this is a mistake I’ll never make again…but I almost certainly will. Fortunately, there’s now a UNIQLO at Disney Springs, and that store has bailed me out many times!
7. Food & Wine Festival on a Weekend – We want to start out by saying that we really enjoy Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival…but we don’t love it on weekends. Ever been to a UCF frat party? Well, if you answered “no”, it’s not too late!
Weekend evenings are prime time for college students with disposable incomes to descend upon the Festival to get sloshed. For them, it sure beats drinking Old Style in a dank basement (like we did in college), but that atmosphere plus the huge crowds can make this the least pleasant time to be at Food & Wine Festival.
Weekdays during the festival are far more enjoyable. It’s also far more enjoyable to attend Food & Wine in mid-November when the temperatures and humidity are more bearable, but we invariably attend in September because that’s usually when we visit for Halloween.
6. Rainforest Cafe – How this restaurant still has multiple locations around the United States, much less multiple locations in Walt Disney World, defies logic. The food is awful, and the ambiance reminds me of 1980s-relic ShowBiz Pizza Place, but “modernized” for the 1990s and devoid of character/charm.
The dark cloud that hangs over Rainforest Cafe almost extended to cast a shadow over T-Rex Cafe for me. Fortunately, I gave that a chance because dinosaurs, and was pleasantly surprised. If you are thinking, “but our kids love Rainforest Cafe!” consider taking them to T-Rex instead.
5. Overpay – There’s no denying that Walt Disney World is an expensive vacation, but we’ve learned so many ways to make it cheaper since our first time going as adults. This is such a vague one, but it’s really important to us now, especially as costs rise across the board at Walt Disney World.
In terms of specific things we do or recommend doing now, purchasing park tickets from an authorized vendor and buying discounted Disney gift cards to save 10% off all vacation costs and renting Disney Vacation Club points, and much more are all highly recommended. While it’s not “Disney” directly, we also use Airfarewatchdog alerts for airfare, and pretty much plan our travel dates around when we can find bargains on airfare. That has enabled us to effectively fly for half price (as compared to average fares).
4. Chef Mickey’s – We do a lot of things that we’d otherwise have no interest for the sake of blogging about them. Sometimes–like with Cinderella’s Royal Table–we are pleasantly surprised. Other times, the experience defies our lowest expectations and manages to be even worse than anticipated.
Such was the case with dinner at Chef Mickey’s. We rarely feel ripped off at Walt Disney World, but we certainly did with this meal. If we ever give this restaurant another shot, it’ll be at breakfast.
3. Magic Kingdom on New Year’s Eve – As noted above, we no longer include Epcot here, and we actually love New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World. However, Magic Kingdom is one park we won’t do again on NYE and we actually mean it this time!
The reason we can be confident in this assessment is because Magic Kingdom actually does its New Year’s Eve fireworks show, Fantasy in the Sky, on December 30. On that night, Magic Kingdom will still be very busy, but not nearly as busy as it will be on New Year’s Eve.
We’ve done December 30 at Magic Kingdom several times (and will likely do it again this year!) and have made the mistake of doing actual New Year’s Eve there once. It was a pronounced difference, and from now on, we’ll do December 30 at Magic Kingdom and do the day of New Year’s Eve at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (which is usually far less crowded) and the night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or maybe Epcot.
2. Go to Bed Early – Nighttime is when the parks come alive with beautiful lighting and enchanting ambiance. It’s also when the weather starts to cool and lines start to die down. One of my favorite “attractions” is strolling through World Showcase after Epcot’s fireworks end, just soaking up the ambiance, listening to the background music, and seeing the stunning architecture.
If I had to choose, I’d rather do this for an hour than spend 8 daylight hours in the park. Same goes for wandering along the Rivers of America in Magic Kingdom or seeing the fireworks in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge followed by slowly making my way out to hear all of the audio you normally miss (there are some funny conversations coming from the shops!).
The corollary to this is “sleep in,” but we seem to stress that so much on the blog that it’s probably becoming cliche. Basically, we would never not be tired at Walt Disney World again. 😉
1. Value Resort During Pop Warner – When the Pop Warner Championship is in town (first weekend of December), there are literally thousands of teen football players and cheerleaders staying at the Value Resorts. Assembling this many under-supervised teens in one location is like feeding a Gremlin after midnight.
There’s some sort of chemical or hormonal “thing” that happens, and then all hell breaks loose. Due to the reputation and complaints over the years, Disney security has done a better job in dealing with the teens in recent years (midnight football games are quickly broken up so I no longer have the need to literally yell “get off my lawn” to the kids), but this is still a scene to be avoided.
Beyond a couple of other restaurants that are blacklisted (for now), attractions we avoid for personal reasons, and lands that are dead to me *cought*Dino-Rama*cough* that’s about it. Hopefully you can learn from some of our mistakes…or find solace in knowing that we have made these same mistakes as you. Think of this as a support group for those who have been awoken at 2 a.m. at All Star Sports during Pop Warner or who have dropped $200 on a family “dinner” at Chef Mickey’s. Share your own “NEVER AGAIN!” items in the comments–venting can be therapeutic!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What things at Walt Disney World would you never do again? Is any restaurant, resort, or ride beyond redemption for you? Any time of year you’d never visit? Do you agree or disagree with our list? Would you do any of these things again? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Our never-agains:
1. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Total waste of money! No FastPasses because theory is you don’t need them. Wrong! With many rides closed for the party, there were still rides with hour wait times. Trust me, the crowds aren’t any less during the party than on normal park nights. We parked for a good view of the parade, then shortly before it started, the crowds moved in and cut right in front of us. We ended up not seeing any of it. We also didn’t see any of the characters at any meet-and-greets. We just couldn’t justify spending the entire evening waiting in the incredibly long lines for them.
2. Chef Mickey’s. Agree with you on that. We’ve tried it for dinner, brunch, and breakfast. All three meals had equally bad food. I’d rather eat at Rainforest Cafe, which isn’t saying a lot.
3. Also agree with the value resorts during Pop Warner week. We made that mistake last year. Everyone says how low the crowds are the 1st week in December. They lied. We didn’t have problems with them at the resort, but there were just so many! We’d have to wait for the 3rd or 4th bus to the parks in the morning. Had an ADR for T-Rex’s Breakfast with Santa but they were having a difficult time keeping the buffet stocked. Place was filled with cheerleaders. Manager said they’d had 250 the day before for the the breakfast.
4. Also agree with weekends at Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. We made that mistake, too. It’s NOT a kid-friendly park during that time. Very annoying. One guy was sloshing his drink all over the place. He couldn’t stand upright. So when the 9 year old asked me why Disney was still serving him alcohol since he was drunk, I knew it was time to leave the park.
5. Take a late flight to Disney. We made that mistake on our first trip there years ago. We got to the resort in time for bed. That’s like paying for a day that you don’t get.
6. Go to Disney without first reading all of Tom’s new reviews of anything dealing with WDW. Way easier than using Yelp & a lot more informative.
I only have one thing on my never list: I will never return to Disney World. I honestly do not fathom in the least why people pay for the experience of:
– dripping with sweat for 10 solid hours (I went in October when it was “cooler”),
– being jostled in stadium-like crowds (school was in session so there were “less people”, – waiting in line for hours (we meticulously planned and had fast passes galore),
– eating extremely expensive, mediocre, unhealthy food (we had meal plans),
– listening to other people’s children throw epic tantrums several times a day (my own daughter wanted me to put her down in a sea of people so that she could “run away from this place”), or
– buying overpriced trinkets, clothes, and other crap that is now torn to shreds or rotting in a closet (grandparents paid for it).
Never. I will never return. I wouldn’t go if Bob Iger promised me an all-expenses paid premium experience. I would burn my money before spending it on such an awful experience.
Wow! We go every year (when possible) because we have so much fun there. But we never go during the unseasonably hot months & never when the crowds are high. We’ve never had to wait an hour for a ride that we’ve had FastPasses for.
Kids throwing a tantrum is anywhere you go. Disney hasn’t cornered the market on that. But I’ve never seen what you’ve described. At best, we’ve listened to maybe one. And I’m not sure why expensive souvenirs would ruin a trip. Go anywhere touristy and you’re going to find expensive souvenirs that aren’t worth what they’re priced at most of the time. Simple solution? Don’t buy them. But it’s even more confusing why it’s upset you so much since you even admit you didn’t buy them; someone else did.
Maybe next time you’ll have a more pleasant vacation if you properly research your destination before going to it, wherever that may be. Had you done that for Disney, you would have chosen different restaurants that offered healthy meals & you’d know which ones are good & which ones aren’t. Tom has reviewed most of them on the Dining page of his blog. It also would have solved your wait times for rides and when the best months to visit are. Proper planning really does make a world of difference
Well said, Peg!
Yep, we planned/researched this thing meticulously. Started planning probably a year in advance. Had all the fast passes, restaurant reservations, everything. Had each day, each hour planned out to a T. Watched countless hours of recommendations from the “pros”. Read all the guidance on how to do things best. We’ve never spent more time planning a vacation. That’s part of what makes this so bad.
Also saw that Disney laid off tens of thousands of people due to the virus. This is a company making profit hand over fist for decades, billions and billions of dollars a quarter, and now they cut off their minimum-wage labor force from salaries and benefits.
Not cool, Disney. Not cool at all.
Actually, I know several people who work for Disney, some family. All in different positions and some on the lower level (think, “How many? Row number 1 please”). They have all been furloughed not laid off. Disney is also continuing to pay for their healthcare and for whom it applies, college tuition. They have also filed in such a way as they can apply for unemployment if they choose.
Disney is not for everyone for sure. Not sure how, with all your research, you missed the mark so much. In any case, now you know!
I agree, Aimee. IF he’d done as much research as he claims, he wouldn’t have chosen restaurants serving non-healthy meals over the ones that serve the healthy choices. He also wouldn’t have gone at a time of year when it’s super crowded.
But the point knocking Disney for expensive souvenirs when he didn’t even buy them made me realize he just hates Disney for some reason other than what he’s claiming.
Disney only recently furloughed their cast members. They shut down in March & paid their employees for a month, even though they weren’t working. They also took all of the foods from their 400+ restaurants and donated the food to Orlando food banks. They’ve been having “Imagineers” do online classes for the kids out of school because of the virus. There’s classes for drawing and engineering, etc all for free.
I won’t trash Disney. I appreciate what Disney does for the military. We get substantially reduced ticket prices, plus discounts on resorts that are above what the general public gets. They also discount the Memory Maker and tickets for special events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
They may make billions, but with every park in all the countries they have a park in closed as well as their cruise lines, they’re also losing billions. And yet they’re still taking the time to care about those quarantined in their homes. You can even cook with Disney via their app. Today’s recipe is for the Dole Pineapple Whip
We will never visit WDW over New Years. We went there many years ago just after Christmas until January 2. December 27 through 29/30 was somewhat quiet. Then…it was as if they let people in for free. There were wall-to-wall people. I went to purchase an ice cream at one of the carts in EPCOT. I turned around and had people within inches of me in every direction. It was a bit overwhelming! That was in 2006. Maybe it isn’t that way now, but I wouldn’t try it again. Other than that, we LOVE going to WDW. I feel like a kid just thinking about going back!! 🙂
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We went to this on 12/12/2019. When I had called a Disney reservations cast member several weeks prior and asked about FastPass for it I was told they do not have them for the Party because the crowds were so low compared to normal park hours. Let’s just say they were very wrong.
We were at the Magic Kingdom Park that day from 9:00am until around 10:30pm and it seemed like there were twice as many people for the Party as there had been throughout the day. No FastPass system and there were long lines everywhere. It’s a money grab for Disney and they sell WAY too many tickets to it.
The Dining plan. It’s just me and my husband and it just doesn’t work well for us. Our appetites always do weird things when we’re on vacation so often times we aren’t eating as much anyway and we end up feeling frustrated that we fell we have to plan so much of our food ahead of time. My husband is also a bit of a picky eater, and tends to avoid the most expensive stuff on the menu. The value for us isn’t there.
However, I know some people really enjoy it- we have good friends that go to Disney all the time, and they swear by it. They plan their trips around free dining, and they love planning out all their meals and working it for all it’s worth. I don’t get it, but I’m happy they’re happy.
Your #3 is my #1! Had a lady throw her mocha in my face because we wouldn’t move from our prime viewing spots.
Sorry but the Rainforest Cafe is my favorite restaurant! It may not be for some of you, but I love it! We live in Ohio and there are no Rainforest Cafe’s here, so it is a treat to go there in Orlando!
Your #3 is my #1! Had a lady throw her mocha in my face because we wouldn’t move from our prime viewing spots.
We first ate at Chef Mickey’s in 1978 and 3-tines after that. As I got older eating at the buffet was not appealing. We chose Ohana over the next few trips. This year we had breakfast at Ohana and tried the breakfast at Garden Grill at Epcot. The kids (great grands first time) loved both. With exception of the sweet abresd, juice nd potatoes, it’s the same menu. Epcot was also very entertaining for the boys.
Hey Tom, don’t waste your time trying breakfast at Chef Mickey’s! It is loud, chaotic, subpar food and the characters are in such a hurry. We do lots of character meals on our trips, but this was by far the worst one ever. The dishes even looked dirty.
The Disney Memory Maker was a one and done for my family. I think it has a TON of potential for big groups, or people who love character photos, or… can’t think of other reasons at the moment, but I still think it can be great. It just wasn’t a hit for my family. I could put that $169 to better use at a nice restaurant, or more snacks throughout the trip.
Dessert Parties: I think we did almost all of them last year and the only one I enjoyed was the Frozen one. In general, the desserts are Costco type treats which are just blah. The drinks are alright but it is just not worth it in my opinion. Even the one on the boat was just alright.
Chef Mickeys is almost a must-do for us. The food isn’t so great but with the buffet, there’s usually something there that’s edible. But the kids live seeing the characters. When we stop going there it will definitely be the best nd if an era for us.
One place I can’t do again is the Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom. With a few exceptions, I find the dining at MK to be a little weak, but this place is the worst. Bad food, grumpy wait staff and it always seems like they are running behind schedule on their reservation list. This could have changed as I probably haven’t been there in over 10 years, but the thought of eating there makes me lose my appetite.
BE OUR GUEST!!! This was by far one of the experiences I was looking forward to the most in November and it was so disappointing. It is so not worth 2 Dining Credits a piece and the food was in my opinion horrible and not described well on the menu. I ordered chicken and it said on the menu that it had some sort of sauce on it and it came with green beans and fingerling potatoes. It came with absolutely NO sauce and the waiter said they use thw word sauce “liberally” and the green beans were full of capers which was not on the menu and I despise capers! The chicken was fatty as well. Then you get a trio of deserts(no choice) in little sample sizes and they just weren’t good. Our waiter was fantastic and offered to get me something new, REALLY fast he said. I said no thank you and tried to make the best of it. There menu is very limited and I think they are trying to be to fancy with it and it just isn’t good. Even the bread was bad. Cool place, but definitely not worth the hype of the 2 dining credits. Especially when Jungle Navigation/Skipper Canteen is in the park(which is fabulous!)
I will NEVER, EVER eat at Tusker House again. The characters were wonderful, but the food was inedible and the service left me wanting to leave a $.01 tip. My grandson & I ended up having bread for dinner, so we had to spend more money for something actually edible. We booked it for dinner and the Light show ticket but I am so glad we were on a dining plan. I would have felt even more ripped off if I had paid cash for the slop, sludge they serve. And no, it is not the African influence, I’ve eaten at Boma & the food is delicious. In the future I will simply get a fast pass or wait in line.
We have done the Deluxe Dining plan the last couple of times down. Going with quick service dining plan from now on. Just can’t see taking time away from the rest of the park to sit down and waste an hour or two eating dinner. Quick serve and right back out. Never again with dinner at Cinderella’s table or Be Our Guest. Food was meh. And don’t ask the dishes. The grey stuff. No taste. Never again will we eat dinner at Tusker House. God awful food. I have been during the two weeks that straddle Easter. Never again. Matter of fact we will avoid any holiday because of the crowds.
Please be advised don’t ever spend the money for the Halloween firework viewing at tomorrow land. We tried it this year and the view was terrible. The only thing worse was the desserts served. It was cheap quality at best. We spent close to $500 for the experience and it was not worth it. Next year will watch the show from Main Street.
The desert party was incredibly underwhelming for us too. It as sub par food at best.