10 Things We’ll Never Do Again at Disney World
Every Walt Disney World fan has a bucket list, but the smart ones also have lists of things we’ll never do again. This isn’t like our list of easy first-timer mistakes. Rather, these are things we’ve done and said to one another: “Wow, that was a stupid move on our part. Let’s avoid that at all costs in the future.” (Updated November 27, 2022.)
Truthfully, there are very few things at Walt Disney World that we’d never do again. Our bucket lists far longer than our “never again” lists, because most things at Walt Disney World are worth of a second chance. Menus at restaurants change, hotels are overhauled, 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.” Thankfully, Walt Disney World tends to listen to guest feedback and correct mistakes and experiences that score poorly on guest satisfaction surveys. Over the years, we’ve had to remove several things from this list because we’ve done them again (sometimes inadvertently or not by choice) and had dramatically different–and better–experiences…
To that point, the 2022 update to our list removes four different entries from the list:
- Dinner at Chef Mickey’s – With the family style dinner apparently sticking around for the long haul, the cuisine quality at Chef Mickey’s has taken a notable step forward. Sure, there’s less variety–but the food is actually edible. That’s a big win!
- Pay to Stay at Grand Floridian – The price is still absurd, so it’s likely we won’t be doing this much (especially given that we can use DVC points instead). With that said, our reason for not paying to stay at Grand Floridian was the mid-tier Marriott caliber rooms. Those are currently in the process of being transformed into something far, far nicer.
- Genie+ at EPCOT – At this time last year, paid FastPass was fairly useless at EPCOT, not including Frozen Ever After or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. It does now.
- New Year’s Eve at Magic Kingdom – We did this last year, and it was far better than expected. Of course, things were weird last year with limited reservations amidst a huge wave of cases from the Delta variant, so perhaps this was the exception rather than the new rule? Either way, it’s off the list (for now!).
Another thing to note is that this list only covers things that are within our control to never do again at Walt Disney World. Over the years, the company has made the “choice” for us, by eliminating a lot of things that we’d otherwise love to do again. For example, we’d love to see a night parade or winter icicle lights on Cinderella Castle, but it seems that Disney might deny us the opportunity. We’ve also now taken our final ride on Disney’s Magical Express and redeemed our last FastPass.
Those are things we will technically never do again at Walt Disney World, but are very much not in the spirit of this list, which is more like “NEVER AGAIN!” What won’t we do again at Walt Disney World? Here are the top 10 things…
10. Wait for Busy Buses to or from Coronado Springs – Longtime Walt Disney World fans likely have horror stories about the buses. I know we do, with long-lasting scars from waiting at a resort for a Magic Kingdom bus for (literally) over an hour while seeing a half-dozen pass for Animal Kingdom. Many fans still avoid buses as a result, always using a rental car, Uber, Lyft, or Minnie Vans.
In large part, I think the poor reputations of Walt Disney World’s bus service are relics of the past, an inaccurate reflection of reality on the ground right now. Throughout 2022, our experiences with buses have been very, very positive. For all of the things Walt Disney World is currently doing wrong, bus transportation is absolutely not one of them.
The one exception to this is Coronado Springs Resort. In the last year, we’ve stayed there more than anywhere else, and have had issues with long lines and packed buses early and late in the day. This isn’t a new thing and I’m also fairly confident our negative experiences are not outliers. (The dead giveaway that this is a common issue is Coronado Springs being the one resort with an ‘overflow’ queue at the Magic Kingdom bus stop–see above.)
The big issue is that Walt Disney World added Gran Destino Tower without expanding bus capacity. The end result is many more hotel rooms, but not more bus service–meaning more people crammed into the same number of buses. The thing is, even this is not always a problem. When Gran Destino Tower is primarily being used for conventions, those visitors are less likely to visit the parks and there aren’t issues. When there are no events and it’s booked by normal guests, the strain all of those rooms puts on the buses is significant.
One solution that has worked for us is heading to the parks very early in the morning, waiting until midday, and leaving the parks super late. If the bus returning to the hotel is packed, another is getting off at the first stop and walking to our building–that’s almost always faster (or at least more pleasant) than riding the full route.
9. Pandora or Star Wars Lands Midday – There are a few components to this. First is crowds, which are always chaotic and take away from enjoying the details that define both Pandora – World of Avatar and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. These two lands absolutely beg to be explored, and stressed out crowds and people going in every which way impede anyone’s ability to truly soak up these lands. The environments and layers of lived-in detail and storytelling are so key for appreciating both. Plus, the long lines during the middle of the day certainly don’t help. We’re not fans of triple-digit wait times for anyone.
Second, you’re running a risk if rain is in the forecast. Both lands are huge, but also have few indoor areas that are large and easily accessible if the weather takes a turn for the worse. Adding insult to injury, they are a bit isolated from the rest of their respective parks (or in the case of Galaxy’s Edge, right next door to another popular land with very little covered space). In short, if it starts raining in either and you’re not already inside, you will get wet. Your options for quickly ducking indoors are limited if not nonexistent.
Finally, there’s the simple reality that Pandora and Galaxy’s Edge are better at night. In the case of the latter, there’s a practical side of this, as there’s a total lack of shade in the Star Wars land. That can made the midday sun feel doubly unbearable (fitting for Batuu) and those afternoon rain showers even more soaking.
More importantly, both lands take on new dimensions once the sun goes down. Pandora’s bioluminescence and organic life comes alive in the evening, and it truly feels like another planet. The setting is enchanted, and evokes what I can only imagine an alien forest is like. At night, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has a spooky and serene sense to it, except in the marketplace where a variety of beautiful light fixtures give added texture and depth to everything.
8. Summit Plummet – Despite my claim for years that I’m good on this, when we visited Blizzard Beach this year, I did Summit Plummet again. Almost as soon as it began, the realization washed over me like water that I had made a terrible mistake. To borrow the immortal words of Roger Murtaugh: I’m too old for this slide.
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 when I’m 65, against my better judgment once more, just to feel young and reckless again. 😉
7. “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!
6. 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.
BONUS: If not “required” for the sake of research, we’d never do the Italy booth at any festival ever again. The kiosk is notorious for high prices, elementary school cafeteria-inspired cuisine, and just a startling lack of ambition. If you enjoy paying $10 for a sample-sized version of microwaved TV dinners, Italy is a great option. If not, stay far away.
5. 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.
4. Midday Standby at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Wait time inflation at Walt Disney World is a real thing, and we think it has gotten worse with the launch of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Whether that has nefarious motivations or not is a different debate for another day. For now, we can safely say that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is notorious for having the least-accurate wait times in all of Walt Disney World.
Quite often, especially around park opening and late in the day, the wait times are significantly inflated. We’ve experienced posted wait times that are more than double the actual wait times we’ve experienced. (There have been instances of triple posted v. actual wait times!) However, that is not always the case.
One thing we’ve learned is that doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance via standby during the middle of the day is playing with fire. This is especially true when the posted wait time is over 120 minutes, we’ve found. The reason for this is because the Galaxy’s Edge headliner–and #1 attraction in all of Walt Disney World–is still prone to breakdowns. The longer the line, the higher the likelihood of a ride breakdown.
But that isn’t the only issue. After all, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has been unreliable since opening, so you’d think that Walt Disney World could build a ‘cushion’ into posted wait times to account for the downtime to some degree, right? (They do. That’s precisely why the wait times are often significantly inflated!)
The real problem is that Disney sells Individual Lightning Lane access to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and that does not take downtime into account. Meaning that when the ride reopens, there is a huge backlog of guests who have paid $20+ per person to skip the line at the attraction. And guess what? They are still entitled to that, resulting in a Lightning Lane to standby ratio that is way more skewed to Lightning Lane than normal. This causes the actual standby wait time to skyrocket…and that’s on top of whatever downtime you might’ve endured.
There are two takeaways here. First, don’t do Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance during the middle of the day when wait times are the highest as you’re betting big when it comes to ride breakdowns. Second, if the ride does go down while you’re in the standby line, get out unless you’re very close to the front of the line (you’ve already spent at least 30 minutes in the caves). Don’t make yourself a victim of the sunk-cost fallacy! For more advice to doing the attraction with lower wait times, see our Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Guide.
3. Genie+ at Animal Kingdom – This replaces Genie+ at EPCOT, which I still wouldn’t purchase or recommend to the vast majority of guests due to the ridiculous amount of backtracking it requires (and among attractions that are incredibly spread out). However, the inclusion of Frozen Ever After or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure does remove it from ‘worst things you can do at Walt Disney World’ status.
I’m now setting my sights on Animal Kingdom, where Genie+ was equally useless before. The key difference is that nothing of value has been added to paid FastPass there over the course of the last year and the price has gone up! On top of that, it’s incredibly easy to beat the crowds at Animal Kingdom: Early Entry, regular rope drop, or staying late all work! Animal Kingdom opens extra early, is still viewed by most guests as a half-day park due to its lack of real rides, and doesn’t have a nighttime spectacular. Unless you arrive at 10 am and leave by 3 pm (which is what most guests do!), you can still beat the crowds without Lightning Lanes.
2. Leave 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. From a practical perspective, nights are now more advantageous than mornings, with lower wait times in the last couple of hours of the night than in the first couple hours after rope drop.
On top of that, one of my favorite “attractions” is strolling through World Showcase after Epcot’s fireworks end, just soaking up the ambiance, listening to the music, and seeing the stunning architecture. 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 being bathed in the neon glow of Tomorrowland.
BONUS: Sleep In – We stress this so much on the blog that it’s probably becoming cliche. However, it’s good advice–especially if you’re staying on-site and are eligible for Early Entry. There’s no better way to beat the crowds at most parks (see our Top Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World for a rundown of the best & worst ways to avoid long lines.) Basically, we would never not be tired at Walt Disney World again. Well, that’s not true–midday naps are a game-changer if you can manage them.
1. All Stars During Youth Events – This is another big change, as it used to be no Value Resorts when the Pop Warner Championship is in town (first weekend of December). That event draws literally thousands of teen football players and cheerleaders…but it’s been moved to Universal Orlando for at least the next several years.
Now, we expand our parameters to any major youth sporting event at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. While Pop Warner was worst, the Cheerleading Worlds and Dance Worlds are also bad. Basically, if you’re thinking of booking a Value Resort between February and May, consult this calendar–it can be a planner’s best friend and help “save your sleep schedule.”
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 (impromptu midnight practices 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 *cough*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 by a cheer practice or who have dropped $200 on a family “dinner” at Rainforest Cafe. 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!
I have been to Disney World many times since first opening when all that stood were the MK, Contemporary and Polynesian. My most memorable REALLY “fun” experience occurred on my 3rd visit in 1977 at the age of 14 and the opening of River Country! It was fantastic and at that time I had never seen or heard of a “water park”; it was magic and the most fun I had ever had! Tragically it closed but was replaced by Typhoon and Blizzard, Typhoon Lagoon quickly became my favorite water park EVER but can’t replace that original “shock and awe” of my initial reaction to RC. I am so thankful that we just happened to land at WDW with our 5 and 9 y/o daughters in tow on the LAST DAY of it’s operation many years later. It was very poignant and also my children’s first water park experience which all of us will remember forever! Walt Disney has enriched all of our lives, created magic, mystery, excitement, happiness, taught us valuable lessons about relationships and life and has remained the single most important goal of any parent to get their kids there at any cost! It is sad to me that the price structure, customer service, quality and aesthetics are failing; Disney has ALWAYS made it right on the rare occasion when anything went wrong. In my opinion the Fast Pass/Genie+ should be eliminated IMMEDIATELY, at EVERY theme park EVERYWHERE!….and any program that costs a customer more to jump the line is sickening and needs to be done away with, it is morally wrong in the case of WDW and DL as it is next to impossible for most families to get there in the first place…making them wait longer because they can’t afford to add expensive “premier” costs for faster access is wrong, PERIOD!!(and YES, I can afford this option). First come, first served has worked for ions. If you have a special needs child and/or a disability then by all means, I have no problem with you going to the head of the line.
Disney is a money making machine and always has been but we have received countless advantages and wonderful memories for our money…hands down the largest contributor of happiness, wonder, magic and joy to children everywhere. Perhaps the return of Bob Iger as CEO will help to get Disney back on track and it will once again be “the happiest place on earth”☺️
Just came back from. staying a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge and have to admit disappointment. We’ve been visiting WDW since before we married in 1995 and had our family. Always wanted to stay at AKL but price always held us back. Managed to get a fantastic deal on a Deluxe Studio room with Savanah View. Loved seeing all the animals but the room needed some remodeling as the carpet was very worn and everything was pretty dinged up, definitely not Disney standards. Plus, one of the restaurants was closed making the others super crowded nd honestly, the food wasn’t very good. I’ll be back to WDW but I’m hoping some attention is paid to the resorts after obvious neglect from previous management.
so I clicked to get notifications of replies, I thought it was just to my comment but it isn’t, it’s to the whole thread…and I’m seeing SEVERAL comments from people saying they’re never going to Disney world again followed by the same complaints. I can’t resist asking…why are so many people reading Tom’s (very good) blog I’d you’re so anti Disney? it’s very silly to me to insert yourself only to complain. if you won’t return, stop following Disney blogs. makes no sense. I have similar complaints but I’m for sure going back, call me a sucker, but that’s why I read
these blogs. it’s relevant to me. if you hate Disney so much, vow to never go back, stop reading about it. that’s my rant.
I’ve been wondering the same thing. If you dislike Disney so much, why bother reading blogs? If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing.
While a lot of the complaints are longtime readers and fans venting, it’s definitely not all that.
This post went viral (I’m not sure where) and has resulted in an influx of random responses from people who, I assume, have never been to Walt Disney World in the first place. Lots of weirdos, too–but most of that is being flagged for moderation and a lot of it isn’t been posted because it’s…disturbing, to say the least.
Understanding the overpriced GF how do you compare that to Marriott?
Which Marriott are you referring to here? “being remodeled paying to stay at Grand Floridian was the mid-tier Marriott caliber rooms.” Those are currently in the process of being transformed into something far, far nicer”
o know one thing I’ll never do at Disney World again and that attend. it’s over priced and a waste of time. Plainly said it sucks big time
I have the most foolproof way of beating all that!
stop going to Disney so much. with the amount of incredible sightseeing adventures just in the USA alone, there is no need for so many to drop a college tuition on a weeks vacation where most of your time is spent in giant crowds, waiting in lines and eating mediocre (at best) food. It is no longer the Disney of our youth. you need a spreadsheet and a degree to map out every second of your time with zero ability to go with the flow. Plus, just paying a king’s ransom s no longer enough. Now you have to pay even more if you want a chañce of getting on the popular rides. It is a huge money grab.
Disney is cool, something to see. But one could expand their vacation options to cheaper, less crowded, more enjoyable places and show ones kids more of the world than Florida.
Definitely agree DISNEYWORLD is a money trap . I don’t know why we put ourselves through the torture of these theme parks .
But somehow DISNEYWORLD stands out with creativity and new attractions , interesting restaurants etc. The kids of today don’t know the old DISNEYWORLD so they have nothing to miss or compare to the past. But I agree. I probably won’t be going to DISNEYWORLD as often as I used to mainly due to it being very expensive and everything needs to be over planned . No Spontaneity anymore sadly .
Four of us in my family ate at the Rainforest in October of this year, 2022, and it was delightful. The food was some of the best I’ve ever had, and since it was our first time we gratefully enjoyed the atmosphere of the animals and the rainstorms.
I am hoping both locations, Disney springs and animal kingdom are equally good or bad lol
Having dinner there in Animal Kingdom Monday . Hopefully a good experience.
I’ve been eating at various Rainforest Cafe locations at least a few times a year since I worked at WDW in 1997. The food has always been fresh with well designed, healthy-ish menus. I’ve never had a bad meal there. Most people I know who don’t enjoy it prefer the kind meals that come with a side of fries.
Yeah I had a decent experience at Rainforest. Most of the menu was pretty Applebees-esque but I will say that I got a pasta dish that was fantastic and I still remember how good it was over 5 years later. It was loaded with fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes. Who knows if it is even still on the menu but certainly wasn’t my worst Disney meal.
One thing I will never do is……go again. I’m 70 now, after 26 visits from PA, and after all the changes, price gouging, and decreasing quality of the rides and attractions I will never give them another dime.
David I absolutely agree. I used to go Disney World with my kids and recently moved to Florida so I thought it would be even more fun but after last visit I am very disappointed Epcot has more construction than attractions the major rides you have to pay extra and the Chevy one was down. I went to guest relations and was absolutely ignored. Waste of money and time. Never again.
It’s definitely not the same DISNEYWORLD we once loved in the past. Sad it’s gotten to this point .
amen david
I agree and am sad. We just came back from 8 days. I felt the parks were just not getting the love they richly deserved and once had.
Any never again list that mentions the terrible Italian festival food kiosk is a winner in my book. Some of my nevers not mentioned include 1) requesting to eat in the SEA Room at Skippers Canteen at prime lunch or dinner dining times and being yelled at by the seat manager that solo guests get nothing and sit where you’re told. Tip: if you are a solo or party of two, def make your ADR for restaurant opening or late dining for a funner and less stressful dining experience; 2) just don’t stay at the huge mod resorts like Port Orleans Riverside, Coronado Springs or DVC Old Key West unless you really enjoy riding the internal bus. The less expensive All Stars and POP are so much more efficient for park travel; 3) forgetting to pack my ear plugs for the less expensive All Stars and POP. When international guests need to be up and rolling luggage down the hallways at 1am to catch bus rides for first flights, ear plugs are essential kit for all resorts and 4) get your adult dino fix at the T-Rex bar to save $ and sanity. Bonus if the big fish tank springs a leak again and you get a freebie floor show. Would love to read a save list of what to do to save and survive a bad WDW experience. Because we’ve all been there.
Old Style, are you from Wisconsin? That’s brewed in my home town.
LOL, my wife is from La Crosse. In Madison it was Pabst.
Tom
I hear that Rise of the Resistance has two modes, A and B. Rumor is that with all the downtime on the ride they are not running g it in A mode anymore?
Is that rumor or is there some thread of reality to it?
Thanks
Mark
This is true. We experienced both on our trip last August. First ride it broke down, we were stuck on the ride for 45 minutes. Second ride was B mode, the Kylo animatronic was not working so he was projected on a screen like he was outside the ship. Third ride we finally saw how the ride is supposed to be.
Tom, have you eaten at Rainforest Cafe recently? We’ve had some really good meals there in the last couple years that were more unique. I think they’ve added some things to the menu that they didn’t offer before and I’m always looking for something different on vacation so I’m not always eating the same thing. A couple of their dishes reminded me of things I’ve had at Yak and Yeti, which is one of our favorites. Rainforest is our “if we can’t get into somewhere else” go to. Not at the top of the list, but it’s certainly not the worst restaurant at Disney!
We have a rule in our family that when we are on vacation we cannot eat at any restaurant that we have access to at home unless there are no other options. Unique experiences are what makes it fun!
I had your Summit Plummet experience on Guardians of the Galaxy: the second that thing shot backwards, I knew I’d made a mistake. I was too old for it. I hated every second of that experience and it took me half an hour just to be able to move about properly again. The funny thing is that I’m not even that old but this ride exposed the underbelly of the beast that is middle age and forced me to acknowledge the vulnerability of my years. Much like those ultraviolet photos revealing unseen sun damage in all its horrific glory, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Fast Forward gave me a great glimpse of how crap I’m going to feel when I’m old. Never again.
HA! tis made me laugh. tragic th! I’m 36 and hate big drops, even splash mountain I could do without, but I loved guardians! I had a smile on the whole time…thought it was amazing and helped the sting of finally getting on 7 dwarves and thinking what a waste of time in that line. my 7 year old, however, hated guardians too. I was sitting next to him having the time of my life and he was frozen in fear. ha.
Gretchen, you made me laugh so hard!!! I fear I’ll probably have the same experience as you when I finally ride Cosmic Rewind, but I really have to try because I love the Guardians so darn much…
Gretchen,
As a 65 yr-old who loves roller coasters, I have to agree with Guardians of the Galaxy. I’ve never felt so uncomfortable on a ride last month. I really thought I was going to lose my lunch (literally). I can handle the backwards acceleration on Everest, though maybe only once a visit vs. 3-4 times in a row like I used to. I could handle Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster last time I rode it a few years ago, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as it was 15 years ago.
We’ll be attending both the Halloween and Christmas parties in 2023 (two trips from Houston). We’re more excited to get to ride the train in Magic Kingdom vs. Tron. I’ll give Tron a try, though.
Love this and sure I’m in the same boat. Really want to love it but just hope I survive it. Thanks for the giggle and solidarity.
Being just about 60 here, still love roller coasters and found Guardians of the Galaxy the surprise of our trip a few weeks ago. My wife, however, was like you and needed to sit down after we finished and before we headed up the stairs. Liked it so much, did it again a few days later. I find it a modern version of Space Mountain, more twists but a lot smoother. I found myself smiling ear to ear. I have to say it was more enjoyable than Rise of the Resistance.
Al, I applaud you, sir. I read a comment where someone described Guardians as the love child of Space Mountain and the Teacups. For me it was like the love child of Space Mountain and the Teacups on a Kamikaze mission to permanently scramble my chakras. I’m glad to hear that people a little older than me are doing well on this ride. That means it’s not my age that’s the problem, it’s me. Then again, I white knuckled my way through the Magic Carpets of Aladdin so there’s probably no hope for me. Glad you had a great time!
we just returned from Disney and I loved Gaurdians!! and even though everyone thinks I’m much younger I am definitely not! It was the best! Space Mtn was rough for me and needs some smoothing out! Everest is great, Thunder Mtn always fun and Aerosmith always a good time but Guardians was so different it was the highlight of my 22 yo daughter and my time for rides!!
I would scratch Be Our Guest off our list. We’ve been many times and it was just a bit letdown for the price this year.
quick mini rant…I’m done with T-Rex! we went for the 2nd time this past September with my dino loving 7 year old and 5 year old. we arrived shortly after they opened but luckily we had a reservation because it was already packed. main gripe…..place was packed…the dinos weren’t turned on! I waited for them to move for about 20 minutes then told the waitress, who somehow…didn’t notice? and had them turned on. they then did their mediocre dino movements here and there (the meteor shower parts are kinda cool) but geeze. very odd there were already tons of customers and no one noticed.the food sucks and is way overpriced, so I at least wanted the kids to be mildly amused by the dinos moving. ugh. anyway. go there once if your kids like dinosaurs but avoid it from then on. ripoff. END RANT 😀
I would never stay off site at Disney world again. While it may seem cheaper, it meant the lack of a lot of benefits and just magic in general.
agreed. just take my money for that magic Disney feeling! even though I’ll complain a little. ha!
What benefits are left? I actually recommend staying off site these days because the main benefit of the advanced FP+ booking is gone.
Sleeping in at Disney is a challenge. This past trip we did MVMCP and I didn’t get to sleep until almost 2:30 and our OKW neighbor inexplicably took their crying baby outside at 5:14 am and atood basically in front of our door. Needless to say, my next day was shot. I have to remember to bring my Bose Sleepbuds so I can enjoy evenings at the parks and also get some rest the next day.
I always bring ear plugs and a sleep mask!!
Just got back from a trip to Disney. Paid for a 3 day park hopper that we didn’t use because we weren’t allowed to hop till 2:00. Genie+ is a money making scam and keeps you on your phone all day. I can’t imagine trying to do this with children, it was tough enough with 4 adults. I don’t appreciate having to get up at 6:45 am in order to pick our first ride on my vacation! Fast passes were great, you could plan your whole day ahead of time. We went back in February just as covid was hitting California. This is our first trip back since then and it’s just completely changed. Especially at Be Our Guest restaurant. No more magic there. We won’t be going back to any of the parks, as long as Disney world continues down this path. So glad we didn’t throw away our magic bands. You don’t get them for free anymore. The magic is gone. Mr Walt Disney is turning over in his grave. He wanted his parks to stay affordable for everyone. What’s happening there now was not his dream and shame on the people that have allowed this dream of his to become one big money grab.
I completely agree. I can’t stand Genie+ and living on my phone all day plus having to get up early to grab the first one and the stress that ensues all day is beyond unenjoyable. I miss FastPass so much. The magic is gone and it’s so upsetting
I’m 60 and went to DISNEYWORLD for the first time when I was 13 with my parents and brother. We stayed in the Polynesian Hotel for a week and it was such a fantastic memory , taking the monorail to the Contemporary for dinner . Epcot wasn’t even built yet , and somehow magic kingdom was plenty enough . to enjoy . Now it’s all chaotic with Park Reservations and genie +. Always feel like you’re planning and rushing . Walt would not be happy .
Thanks for this post! We head out in 5 days and will be crossing time zones, so our circadian rhythms will be an hour later than Disney World time. I’ve been mulling and thinking seriously about how we’ll manage to do rope-drop when it will mean getting up at what feels like 5:30 a.m.-ish. How will we manage that?! The kids will be so grumpy. And then they’ll be staying up so late… #2 really made me reconsider this plan. Won’t it make so much more sense to get up when it feels right, get to the parks, take it easy and maybe hit up some of the lower-popularity rides, and then stay late and hit the big rides in the evening? Plus when the park closes at 10:00, it will only feel like 9:00 to us… DUH. So obvious but all the pressure to rope drop had me confused. Ha. This was super helpful!
P.S. You also confirmed my decision to only get Genie+ for MK and HS. I was really doubting the benefits at Epcot/AK. Thanks again!
Stack Genie+ reservations and then get to the parks whenever you feel like it. I would be the one to wake up early to get the first booking, and everyone else would sleep til 9am. We’d eat breakfast and head over to the park around 10:30 and would do a few things while waiting to stack a 2nd and 3rd reservation. The afternoon was then spent riding the rides one after another via the bookings (including child swaps)
We’ve been going to Disney for 25+ years. We’ve rarely done rope drop. Would much rather go into parks when we want (even after lunch) and stay till all the pretty lights come on in the evening.
We’re going in 10 days and will only go in early if we have a reservation. Otherwise, we go in later and can stay till later with all the beautiful lights.
My family started vacationing in Disney in 1996 and our last visit in 2019 as a retired couple. It started as a great experience with customer satisfaction in mind. As the years have gone by not getting what you paid for with too many Disney employees untrained and rude. Never again!
Couldn’t agree more Connie. We had been going for 2 weeks every year for over 20 years. First with our children (Carib Beach) then as a retired couple (OKW).. We noticed a slow deterioration in the “magic” over the years and a not so slow acceleration of the cost until in 2018 (before the pandemic struck) we decided to stop going. The charm of Carib Beach was destroyed by the new food court, the cable cars and the huge new resort block overshadowing it. OKW retained its charm but costs rose significantly. Any thoughts of changing our minds were squashed by the outrageous charging for parking at resorts which for somebody staying 2 weeks represented a substantial cost and the removal of Fastpass and Dining Plan. With the endless expansion to resorts but no new parks the result is inevitable – ever more crowds. Maybe the magic will return one day but frankly I am not confident. Share price is all that matters these days.
We first visited in 1978. Our last visit was in 2019. it haschanged but so have I. i’m older, less patient and find it hard to tolerate certain behavior by children and adults.
Everything is different especially people. It was fun and exciting. I find some people rude and entitled. The biggest gripe for me is Disney itself. The number of guests in the parks at once is too great. It is hard to move and standing in line for hours for a 12 minute ride stinks! But truth be told there is another generation that must experience Disney (and they know it).