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 December 10, 2023.)
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, we’ve removed different entries from the list:
- Dinner at Chef Mickey’s – We have a daughter now. There isn’t a single character meal at Walt Disney World that we won’t be doing in the near future. And you know what? I’m looking forward to (over)paying ~$150 for the three of us to do dinner at Chef Mickey’s again!
- 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 – The addition of Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to the Genie+ service, plus better availability for other attractions and a lower price at EPCOT takes this off the list. We still favor Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours, but we’re no longer as ardently anti-Genie+ at EPCOT.
- New Year’s Eve at Magic Kingdom – The last two times we did NYE or December 30 (basically the same) at Magic Kingdom, it went far better than expected. Of course, reservations are going away in 2024, so this could change again for the worse, but we wouldn’t hesitate to do it again…for now.
- Busy Buses at Coronado Springs – This was a huge problem in 2020-2022, due to a mixture of staffing shortages, reduced capacity on transportation, and Gran Destino Tower adding a ton of rooms to the resort. Thankfully, we didn’t experience the issue this year, presumably because pent-up demand is exhausted and resort occupancy is down. It could still be a problem from time-to-time, but not enough of one to make this list.
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…
BONUS: All Stars During Youth Events – This is one we’d still strongly recommend that you avoid, so we’re not fully removing it from the list. However, in the last year-plus, I’ve stayed at All Star Sports during two youth events (couldn’t pass up the price, even if I knew I was playing with fire) and it honestly wasn’t that bad.
Part of this is probably that the worst youth event, the Pop Warner Championship, is no longer hosted at Walt Disney World. Another component is that we’ve heard Disney has become more ‘diligent’ about communicating to chaperones that groups need to be quiet after a certain hour. Maybe another is that the kids these days are better behaved??? (Nah.)
In any case, this becomes a ‘do as we say, not as we do’ entry on the list. If there’s a major youth sporting event at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, you should probably avoid all of the All Stars, but Sports at the very least. 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.
10. Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along – This is a tricky one. We came of age during the Disney Renaissance and are huge fans of Beauty and the Beast as a result. On top of that, we’re new parents who cannot wait to share the movie with our daughter. However, we also hate the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. I’ll spare you that rant again, but there’s a reason the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along made our list of Things We Skip at EPCOT and is dead last on our rankings of all 91 attractions at Walt Disney World.
So this is a delicate needle to thread–making Megatron a big fan of Beauty and the Beast, while preventing her from ever learning of this atrocious show’s existence. One of my big fears is that we will suceed at the first, but fail at the second…which is a recipe for disaster. Instead of never doing this show again, we will do it every single time we visit EPCOT. It’ll become the attraction we do more than anything else at Walt Disney World. Our frequent viewership alone will single-handedly prop up guest utilization numbers and inadvertently help keep this show around. We will become the villains.
Here’s hoping that Walt Disney World has the good sense to retire this abomination before Megatron is of age to become “addicted” to entertainment and starts calling the shots, forcing us to see this sing-along endlessly. In the meantime, other parents, you’ve been warned: avoid Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along at all costs. It’s worse than the worst direct-to-video sequel, and even the authors of bad fanfic could’ve penned a better script.
9. Magic Kingdom on Monday During Party Season – This actually isn’t only Monday, that’s just the most succinct way of wording this. Magic Kingdom crowd dynamics during Party Season have been one of the key discussion points of our August through December crowd calendars for several years.
We’ve been strongly recommending that readers visit Magic Kingdom during the day on Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights, and then bouncing to another park at around 4 pm. Conversely, we’ve recommended avoiding Magic Kingdom on non-party days. The rationale for all of this is laid out in Least Crowded Days at Magic Kingdom, we aren’t going to belabor that point yet again.
One point we haven’t made nearly as much is the “danger” of visiting Magic Kingdom on a Monday (the busiest day of the week) at points during Party Season when it’s the only day during a 3-4 day stretch without MNSSHP or MVMCP. This is a double-whammy. Not only are the crowds consolidated away from the party-shortened days, but it’s also what’s regularly the busiest day of the week at Magic Kingdom. (See Best & Worst Days of the Week for Each Park at Walt Disney World.)
This happened on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, and it was an absolute nightmare. But we actually experienced it earlier during the Party Season on a Wednesday, which was the only day in a 5 day stretch without an event. Same can happen on select Saturdays. All of those days are absolutely brutal, and should be avoided.
If you do make the mistake of going–perhaps even on purpose as you want to see Magic Kingdom at night and it’s your only option–at least heed this one piece of advice: stay far away from Main Street before, during, and after the fireworks! It’s the only opportunity in a several day stretch to watch Happily Ever After, meaning that about 10x the number of guests who can safely fit on Main Street for the fireworks will want to watch from there. Seriously. It can get downright uncomfortable and feel unsafe. Watch from behind Cinderella Castle instead.
8. Genie+ at Animal Kingdom – This replaces Genie+ at EPCOT on this list, 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.
Genie+ has become more popular at Animal Kingdom in the second half of 2023 due to the introduction of per-park pricing. Consequently, Animal Kingdom is now the “cheapest” park and many guests view it as a “good deal” as a result. We beg of you: do not be fooled by this.
Even on busier days, you do not need Genie+ at Animal Kingdom with even a scintilla of strategizing. Regular readers of this site know this, as we’ve hammered home time and time again that Genie+ is a waste of money at Animal Kingdom. This is discussed in countless posts, including in our Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World, which says all you need to know for DAK is “don’t go during the middle of the day and stand in long lines.”
Seriously, that’s about it. Arriving early or staying late work perfectly fine for beating the crowds because most guests still treat it like a half-day park and attendance is significantly lower at Animal Kingdom than any other park at Walt Disney World. As a result, a lower advertised base price for Genie+ by virtue of Animal Kingdom is almost meaningless. This is especially true on days when Animal Kingdom is under $20–crowd levels are never bad enough on those dates to justify Genie+ in the first place!
6. 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. This isn’t just triple-digit waits for the attractions, either. Walkways and shops become congested, and it’s more difficult to see everything as a result. At Galaxy’s Edge, good luck meeting the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda if you’re trying to do so midday!
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 best at the beginning and end of the day. The morning light flitters through the trees, kisses the mountains, and gives greater depth and dimension to the rockwork. It’s like going from standard television to high definition, as all of the details are clearer and stand out.
Both lands also take on new dimension 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.
This might seem like an exaggeration, but you truly have not experienced Pandora or Galaxy’s Edge if you’ve never done them at night. It’s not just like standard to high def–it’s more like going from listening to the radio to watching in IMAX.
BONUS: Midday Standby at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Similar idea as the above, but the problem here is unique enough to warrant its own (bonus) entry. 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. (See Why Certain Walt Disney World Rides Can Have WORSE Actual Wait Times Than Posted.)
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 vs. 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.
5. 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. 😉
4. “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!
3. 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: Italy Booth – 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.
2. 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.
1. 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.
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!
This past year we did the Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno at Boardwalk this past September. Our trip started out “cursed” during FP selection 60 days before our vacation so our expectations were pretty low considering the week we had (swollen feet, cc misunderstanding, raging mom with stroller making us miss the boat, the stomach flu that passed from member to member of our family while in a pop up camper and the list goes on and on! This was our checkout day and afterwards we were leaving to go home so we were all feeling a little better and ready for a fun breakfast. It was highly disappointing….. Not only did Flynn Ryder get replaced with Merida, but the characters were so quick at our table and did almost no interacting with my girls save for taking a picture. Prince Eric gets props for actually talking to them for a minute! The food was so-so but nothing to write home about (except for the table pastry plate which had a few gems). We won’t be doing that again!
Avoid 24 hour events. The park is overcrowded and good luck getting onto a ride even with a fast pass.
Steer clear of the Japanese restaurant in Epcot. Not worth the money or time. Basicly they throw a bag of salad on the hibachi table. Crack a few tired and lame jokes. Make the obligatory volcano, toss a few shrimp in their chef hat and then very miniscule shrimp and chicken chunks in, there you go. Salad? Extra. Complaining fall on deaf ears. Or all the sudden speak no English. Contacted credit card company and you think we asked for a new car. Customer service is very rude when it comes to their participation. Stay away, far away.
While I typically follow your suggestions, I strongly disagree about Rain Forest Cafe. We loved it! We are returning this summer, we chose not to update our free dining plan & won’t be doing table service. All four of my kids asked that we pay out of pocket to go to Rain Forest Cafe. The food was good, they loved the waterfall, the animals & hearing “VOLCANO” every couple of minutes.
I would say no to breakfast at Chef Mickey’s too. We used to love it. We had eaten breakfast there every time we had been…..with toddlers and/or on the dining plan. The last time we went my boys were 11. They were past caring about characters and were full paying “adults”. Yep, we had a $200 breakfast for myself (and I am vegan), my husband and 2 just turned 11 year olds. Those were VERY expensive tator tots. Never again…….. 🙁
I love Disney. We have vacationed 6 years running now. We usually go in Oct but this year we decided to try the week before Christmas. The parks were beautiful and our room at All Star Sports was excellent. We tried the quick service plan this time and glad we did, worked out well.
We had good fast passes and enjoyed them all. But That’s all we could do. The wait times for every thing else was horrible. I guess three rides is all your going to get if you don’t want to wait 2 hours or more. Toy Land could have been larger. What I mean is there is no room to walk, it’s so narrow. A few more feet wider would have been great. We purchased the Mickey Very Merry Christmas party and we did have a good time. We were able to pick up the rides we missed out on earlier. Thunder Mountain is a different ride in the dark. The parade was wonderful. We were able to find a spot close to it’s beginnings.
I’m just so surprised that every year the crowds have become more rude. We all pay pretty much the same as every one to attend, I didn’t know some folks money was better than mine. It can’t be helped, it’s just the way people are now. I kept wanting to tell people, slow down. The amount of Photo Pass photographers down the center of Main Street has gotten out of hand. The congestion it has caused is horrible. I know every one wants a picture in front of the Castle, but what a mess.
I won’t be coming back for awhile, pretty sure a break is needed, and that’s okay. And try another time to visit. I still love Disney.
I agree with Chef Mickeys, but I would also add Hollywood & Vine and Garden Grill to that. Those three were the worst restaurants we had the misfortune to dine in. We barely ate the food at Garden Grill. It was that bad. The other two aren’t far behind. We went back to both Chef Mickey’s and Hollywood & Vine for a 2nd and 3rd chance. Didn’t matter which meal or which year, they were bad every time. Never again.
I also agree with the Pop Warner week, but I wouldn’t limit it to just the Value resorts. Those teenagers will be at the parks and at Disney Springs, too. We went to the T-Rex breakfast with Santa buffet this past December. There were (I kid you not) 150 cheerleaders of all ages there. It was a mess. We barely got any food…at a buffet!
And DEFINITELY have to agree with Food & Wine Festival on the weekend! We made that mistake in 2017. When they’re walking past your sloshing their drinks all over the place because they can barely stand upright, and your 9 year old asks why Disney’s still serving them because they’re drunk, you know it’s time to leave the “family friendly” park.
My husband and I wrnt to Disneyworld this Nov. It was our third time. The first two times were so wonderful! We are both 66 years old. Our biggest complaint was there wasn’t enough signs to tell you where to go in each park!! There wasn’t one employee that spoke english!!! We didn’t land in Florida, we landed in Mexico!! We would ask them where to find this ride,etc. They would just look at us! At our age it is very painful to keep walking when you don’t know where to go. Walt Disney would NEVER let this happen! One day they sent us around in a circle for over an hour! The Safari ride we stood in line for 3 hours! They should have closed the line well before. When we got to the ride it was dark! Never saw one animal nor get pictures.The sign at the beginning of the ride said wait time 1 hour! The french restaurant cost us $110.00 for two. You couldn’t cut though the bread. We went though 3 loaves and couldn’t cut though them. The pastry was horrifying! They only had one boat at Epcot going across the lake. Very painful to walk all that eay. There wasn’t enough smoking areas. Smokers pay money too to go to Disneyworld. But alcohol was everywhere! The tshirts were horrible, Very poor quality! 90percent of everything in the stores were for girls! Poor Walt would turn over in his grave if he could see what’s happening.I am a shareholder, and am selling my shares now and not coming back. This is Florida not Mexico. Please remember that!
Not sure of what do you mean by “This is Florida, not Mexico”. Let me begin by saying that not every Spanish speaking person is Mexican, Disney has people from all over the world and one of the requirements to work as CM at WDW is to speak English, although some accents might be harder to understand (that happens a lot with non native speakers!)
You were at the happiest place on earth, next time I suggest you take the time to enjoy the journey, you might learn from different cultures!
Thank you for saying something to these old cranks. They do need to stay away from WDW where so many cultures come together. I was just at WDW with my husband and my son’s family. We have been there many, many times and really don’t know what the heck this person was talking about. I feel I can speak to these issues since I am a senior who had knee replacement surgery just four months prior to my visit.
Oh Annette, your Mexico comments are awful. I’m so thankful there’s few places for smoking. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult to walk at your age, which isn’t old at all at 66, if you stopped smoking. Disneyworld hires cast members from around the world. They also have paper maps as well as incredibly detailed maps on your phone. Please remember that!
Yikes. I didn’t see Annette’s comment when it was originally posted, or I would’ve marked it as spam for the thinly-veiled racism it is. I can’t delete it at this point without the contextless replies remaining, but I’m glad to see the responses have tactfully admonished it as such.
Smoking is not only something that is basically outlawed from every workplace, public space and even company properties, Disney world is full of children and children who don’t deserve to be exposed to cancerous cigarette smoking.
Maybe you have gone when you were younger, more open minded, kinder, more tolerant, etc. I went for the 11th time with my great grands last week and you must have been one of the rude people we encountered. I need felt such hostility and territorial behavior. You comment about non English speaking people is despicable and paints a awful yet sad picture prevalent in this country at the moment. Don’t ruin for everyone else.
Can someone tell me what the Pop Warmer thing is that everyone keeps referring to? I’m curious because it’s referenced A LOT in the comments. Thanks!
Hi Molly — ESPN Complex hosts many events and competitions throughout the year, in particular cheerleading (pop warner) and dance competitions. You can google for the schedule. Some resorts are more popular for the teams/groups than others.
Pop Warner is youth football, prior to high. Like Little League is to baseball.
We just ended our most recent visit leaving Pop Century on Saturday, Dec 1. What surprised me was how quickly the pop warner people showed up and took over the resort starting on Friday. I’m so happy that we only had to experience this for one night. In that span of time I started to see many roving security guards who I had never seen in previous days. The resort dining became even more congested and chaotic. There were kids and adults alike outside their rooms with doors open. The worst was seeing an adult clearly over intoxicated struggling to walk down the side walk, at times veering into the parking lot, apparently on the way to his room. All this is to say heed the words and stay far away from the value resorts during pop warner. We had considered staying during pop warner and are so very thankful we didn’t. It’s amazing how quickly the resort has the feeling of not as family friendly once it starts.
We accidentally stayed during Pop Warner. My niece’s Birthday is Dec. 1st, my brother took his family down then my mother and I drove down to meet them. Four months ahead of time I could only find a Disney property reservation at the Animal Kingdom Resort in a room with a lanai looking out at the animals and for four nights it was going to cost me over $3000. I decided to take my chances at Disney Springs at a chain hotel. I easily got a room at the Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs. Another, never stay there again place. It is a Disney comparable resort, so they do have buses running to the parks every thirty minutes. Disney Springs is across a bridge.
When we checked into the Whyndham, our bathroom was infested with small bugs. I notified the front desk who said they would send someone up to look. I said no, I want another room. After waiting for someone to call me back, my mom went to the front desk, butted in front of people waiting to check in and asked what they were going to do about the infestation of bugs in our room. The attendants said they had no idea what she was talking about. So, who did I talk with that answered the phone “Wyndham Gardens Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs, how may I help you?” ? Immediately, they started working on getting us a new room, “an upgrade.” My mom told them she didn’t want another room in that building. So they did put us in another building on the second floor. To get there from the lobby, we had to go down one elevator to the parking deck, walk around a corner, then take another elevator up to the second floor to our “upgraded” room that looked exactly like the old one, just no bugs. Someone did come to the room to look at the bugs, he told me they were roaches. They were not. Not like any I’ve ever seen. Still, he admitted they were roaches. Ugh. My mom did find a different bug in one of the beds.
I do not recommend going this time of year to the parks. The Pop Warner kids, their parents, grandparents, siblings, cheerleaders, and all of the supporters are there. It’s packed. Even if you have fast passes, you still wait a while. My husband and I went during the second week of September, we were able to walk on Flight of Passage in Pandora without a fast pass. A much better time to go. Not too hot either.
Table service meals. Maybe it’s because I’ve travelled for business, staying away at hotels where eating out is a necessity rather than something special.
The Food and Wine Festival from late afternoon and into the evening is horrible, awful, terrible. It’s impossible to navigate through the huge crowds of drinkers to get to anything in the “World”. Absolute wall-to-wall people! The sheer number of intoxicated people sucks all the fun out of being at Epcot. This event absolutely ruined my first experience at Epcot.
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ!!! So appalling I can’t even begin to describe it. Character interactions were good, but the rest was worse than terrible. We left without seeing all the characters, because we just couldn’t wait to get away.
We saw Pandora on passholder preview. While there wasn’t a line to go through, we still had to trek the entirety of the queue. I cannot fathom going through those lines with people when the wait is 1.5+ hours. My husband loves playing the fast pass refresh game and we always manage to nab one for either attraction.
Only other thing I’ll (probably) never do again is the turf club restaurant. I know it was probably a bad idea going as a vegan (we were crossing it off the list of places we’ve been), but that was the least accommodating restaurant I’ve been to since going vegan (which isn’t too many yet, but I’ve read great things). Their allergen menu made no sense, and they made no offers to modify any plausible dishes. The ambiance and service were lackluster as well. Didn’t think I could ever be disappointed by a Disney restaurant.
Also the bug’s life ride. Never again. Don’t like bugs, don’t like feeling like they’re crawling on me.
I would never do Minnie Halloween party at Hollywood and Vine again. We had to wait half an hour after our reservation to be seated. The food was truly awful, cast members were miserable and the organisation to get a photo with Minnie was chaotic. I couldn’t wait to leave.
The rides at Toy Story Land were so totally worth the wait. Hubby and I went without kids on 9/19 and waited 45 minutes in line for each ride. However, I agree with not waiting for the rides at Pandora. We waited 1 hour for the N’avi River Ride. I will never wait that long again for another visually stunning, yet boring boat ride.
Agreed. Waiting for the N’avi River Ride for over an hour and a half was so depressing. Some of it was pretty cool, but it was otherwise boring after just getting off of the Flight of Passage ride that was so unbelievable. One cannot begin to compare the two.
Cinderella’s royal table was NOT that impressive. We thought she came tablet to table, she did no. No princess did. In fact Cinderella came to the room once … say ‘hi’ to everyone and then she left. The food was over priced but you could forgive that if you got to see her and get pictures, never again. Not worth it I promise…
Every time we’ve been to CRT each princess has come to our table and while we found the food just ok, the interaction with the princesses has always been priceless.
You meet Cinderella as you enter the castle and get a photo, then as you eat you typically have 4 Princesses, usually Snow White, Ariel, Aurora, and Jasmine each come to your table. I’ve heard a few complaints that sometimes only 3 princesses go around to the tables (which means a character cast member probably called in, etc), but I’ve never heard of your complaint. I’d think the Disney blogs would blow up if NO princesses came Table to table at CRT. Are you sure you weren’t at a different character meal? We eat here every time, and not because the food is good, but because of the character interactions and early park admission.
Oh man, we loved the food! And all of the princesses came to our table, after we met Cinderella in the lobby. Someone even came to check that we had seen all of them.
I have trouble believing this actually happened. We did CRT for breakfast and the food was really good but the characters were amazing. It was two years ago and my daughter still talks about it. You meet Cinderella on the way in not in the dining room and then the others come around while you eat. A staff member came around as well to make sure they had all visited our table. I just really doubt this is true and if it is then you should have spoken with a management person to see what was going on.
Is spring break insane to think of? Better in June? OUr kids are 10 and 13. too old?
We are 70-ish. Never too old for Disney!
June and July are hot hot hot, if you are able to go in May I suggest it, but June over July for sure, July is one of the busiest I’ve seen. I’m 25 and I LOVE going, I plan a trip every two years now.
We did spring break last year. Definitely doable. Just make sure you use your fast passes wisely and as soon as you can and get ADRs as soon as they’re open for your dates. Just walk around the plethora of clueless folk and know where you’re going and you’ll be fine.
We will never for Brown Derby again. Food quality was not worth 2 credits and quantity was so small it was silly. After spending all those credits, we left hungry. Never again.
We always use the Deluxe Dining plan. On our last trip, we decided to try Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios. This is a Signature Dining restaurant, which costs 2 dining credits — signature dining experiences are usually more than worth the extra dining credit. Unfortunately, Hollywood Brown Derby was an incredible disappointment. The food was mediocre and the drinks were awful. Signature restaurants usually requires tasteful attire, flip-flops and tanks are not permitted for example, and are generally more sophisticated experiences than counter-service dining. At the table next to ours, they sat a family with a man wearing a white tank top and a baseball hat with a hand-towel over his head. We won’t be wasting our dining credits here, again.