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!
We are planning a trip apparently during the Pop Warner time. How are the parks then? Do the same annoyances plague the parks as well?
I can’t agree with your 4th of July assessment. I’ve been to Independence Day fireworks around this country, including Washington, D.C. and Magic Kingdom fireworks are the best by far. Despite the horrible crowds, going early when it first opens means smaller crowds because everyone waits to get there in the afternoon. We usually get all the rides done by 2 and are able to relax the rest of the day and find a great spot to sit. After the fireworks, we don’t leave with the crowds, instead we take pictures or relax while everyone leaves. Fireworks are definitely worth it.
This list is so good. My family and I were laughing in agreement. Well done.
I take the grandkids to disney every year and last morning we always have breakfast at Chef Mickey’s. Its a great way to end our trip and the breakfast is good. Have never been for any other meal. As far as the Royal banquet at the castle- breakfast was a total rip off. Not a Buffett and the adult meals were way over priced for portions way smaller than the kids meals. Had a great lunch and dinner there though. Also at times it’s great to sleep in or go to bed early at disney! With the new fast pass system I have done both and still had fun. Of course I do live in Florida and have annual pass so I don’t feel like I have to do everything in one trip. Lunch at Be Our Guest not so good, dinner was great.
I’m glad to hear that part about Be Our Guest. We went in Jan and did BOG for lunch and I hated the experience. We’ve been talking about another trip in a few years when my newborn nephew is a little older and I think I might give it another try but for dinner.
Every trip we take to Disney we go to chef mickeys for breakfast, it is a tradition. The food is really good, and we love to be able to see the characters when we eat. I am going to be 21 in August and I still absolutely love to meet the characters. Of course the summer months are always the busiest and one huge downfalls of going in the summer are the huge tour groups that go. The chanting, and screaming, and cutting in line drives me crazy! Although they are not actually allowed to chant, they do it anyways because the cast members don’t say anything. For me that is the biggest downfall of going in the summer. We always have to go in the summer, because that is usually the only time everyone can get together.
Sorry for all of the grammar mistakes!
Pirates league/Bibbidibobbidi boutique. We found that the full face pirate make up was hit and itchy. After 2 hrs my son looked like he had two black eyes from smearing the itchy face paint. My daughter opted for the Mermaid treatment. She was more into the nail polish, lip gloss, and copious amounts if glitter. But we felt that they lost hour in the park, $$$, and discomfort were not worth the awesome pictures and how cute they looked. It was nice to try once but, never again.
I have been to WDW six times over the last few years and do agree with most of your observances – particularly about the Rain Forest Cafe (thought my granddaughter would love it and she was begging to go before we even ordered!) and not staying at a value resort during Pop Warner (utter chaos, especially at meal time-I wouldn’t do it again if Disney comped me a vacation!). Question- what is this Tables in Wonder Land discount you speak of so often and how does one obtain it? I am taking my grown-up granddaughter in December and would love a chance to save a little money this time. P.S. Love your reviews. Keep up the good work!
Tables in wonderland is a discount card Yu can purchase that gives You 20% off your entire meal including alcohol. It is available to DVC members, annual pass holder, and I believe Florida residents only
As a whole I don’t mind Rainforest Cafe (sure it’s a bit over priced but so is Hard Rock and Planet Hollywood and the like) but I couldn’t figure out why you’d waste time with it at Disney when they are in just about any descent sized city in America?
The best place for New Years Eve at Disney is Animal Kingdom, they don’t pass out the noisemakers or even allow them there. Hallelujah! Hollywood Studios was a miniEpcot on that night, alcohol and noisemakers did not mix well there either.
Amen to #7. My friend and I took our kids to WDW for the first trip a few years back. We visited EPCOT on the weekend, during F&W–bad idea.
We’re traveling in Sept again and rearrange our trip to avoid EPCOT all weekend because of it.
#6
I have to agree. Sometimes, you just want a simple, clean, light breakfast that doesn’t weigh you down or make you feel gross.
Big fan of your blog!
are you considering a Friday at Epcot a weekend? we’re going September 18-25 and I was thinking about doing Epcot on Friday based on a crowd calendar I looked at
Friday at EPCOT will be considerably better than either Saturday or Sunday. The evening time will see the crowd grow a bit due to locals who come out to enjoy Food and Wine that evening, but overall Friday is a far superior choice to the rest of the weekend. In my experience.
Just not Friday night
This list is so ridiculous that I don’t know why these people go to Disney, EVER. If I was new to Disney on would read someone else’s blog as this information is down right insane!
Chef Mickeys has good food and is fun for kids, well worth it. It’s also a fun experience for adults.
I was recently at Disney World in May. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and the quick service breakfast was so good! The waffles were delicious and custom egg bowls were so good! The diss of the food made no sense at all.
Disney Quest is fun and less expensive than the parks. It’s a great place to go when too hot or raining. It’s entertaining for what it is. Kids also love it.
And the Rainforest Cafe is good, no wonder they have successful chains. The food is yummy, the atmosphere is what one would expect and it’s very kid friendly.
Save yourself new Disney people and read about Disney from someone else.
Idk, I think “good” food is so subjective. My husband and I were told what wonderful food they serve on cruises, and we found it plentiful but not very good. I actually agree with the Rainforest Cafe assessment…it seemed to me like everything had been previously frozen, and the “entertainment” was hokey at best. But to each his own! I’m a new Disney person and appreciate all these perspectives…we will only get to go once, and do not want to waste time on anything!
I’ve been following this blog for years, and their advice is both experiential and intuitive. To each their own, indeed.
I would disagree about the Rainforest Cafe. We went to the Disney Springs one. The place was so dark you couldn’t see what you are eating except that you remembered what you ordered. The atmosphere is way over the top-loud and pretentious. Got a headache. The food was nothing special for what you would expect. We’ve had 2 close in the area where I live.
I find the information on this blog useful, even as someone who has visited both Disney parks with frequency. The opinions given are just that, opinions, and Tom always states so clearly. No harm in disagreeing, but to imply that this blog is not useful to a newby is simply inaccurate.
This blog is probably the most informative and honest Disney blog out there. To say this blog isnt useful to Disney newbies just because you disagree with something said about restaurants is pretty narrow minded. Have you even looked at the variety of posts on here? These people literally live Disney. You need to calm down- you sound like a jerk.
My wife, myself and our grandchildren disagree with your rating of Chef Mickeys. We have probably been to Disney World 85 times and always book a dinner at Chef Mickeys.
My family of four did chef Mickey as well back in 2014. Food was amazing, fresh, all around good! Characters were great with the kids and the mono rail zipping by was awesome! Sorry I think your off base on this one ! As for everything else on your blog I think all of your strikers are great and you have guided me through 3 successful Disney trips. I will be using your tips and tricks for Epcot this holiday season and will be going to Mickey merry Christmas party for the first time! Keep the advice comming!
I’ve read quite a few of your blogs about Disney World and have agreed so whole-heartedly with most of your opinions that I felt like I could’ve written them myself–except the one about Chef Mickey’s dinner being a “never again”. We’ve enjoyed the dinner food at that one so much that it has been a staple of our last three trips. My wife and I thought it was outstanding. We’re from south Louisiana and consider ourselves to be a bit snobby when it comes to food but we have really enjoyed the menu at Chef Mickey’s each time.
I definitely do still value the insight you give in all of your blogs but that one surprised me a little.
PS–we’re scheduled to eat there again during our next trip in November and can’t wait!
I will never go to WDW the week of Christmas again. When I was in high school we went for a choir/band trip. You could barely move around and we waited for 45 minutes just to get a monorail back to the transportation and ticket center to meet our Bus ( the ferry wasn’t any faster either).
our enjoys (most) quick service b-fasts; especially POFQ, PORS, AKL & Contemporary …
Totally agree on EPCOT F&W but I’d add after 4pm any day except Monday’s & Tuesdays, especially if traveling with children. I’m actually surprised Disney doesn’t do more to avoid what is becoming, as you so appropriately put it, a frat party. We’ve seen drunken girls stumbling through world showcase. Somehow that was omitted from the promos.
And value resorts during pop warner. We’ve made that mistake twice! People– always Google “Disney” + your planned travel time! Trust me, you do not want the guilt that comes with being at Disney World and wanting to strangle someone else’s children.
We would not do the dining plan again at Disney World. Being a family of six, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to your bill and service suffers because of it. Most of our sit down dining meals were not high quality and we were lucky to get out of a restaurant in an hour and a half. I have never experienced such slow or poor service any where else. We were very disappointed in the food.
Never heard this complaint before. Disney has great food and everyone knows reservations are needed or pub will wait forever. Also the dining plan actually saves you money.
You will wait forever*
The dining plan does NOT ways save you money. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say for most families who use the dining plan, Disney comes out ahead. I run the numbers before each trip we go on, and it has never made sense to do it. Heck, I ran the numbers once with a CM discount when I worked there, and we still wouldn’t have come out ahead. You have to have a bunch of pretty big eaters to make it cost-effective.
We loved Chef Mickey’s for breakfast! It was s great experience. I think I enjoyed the character visits more than my daughter! The breakfast was good .
Thanks for the advice. As for us, we will never again do WDW during Christmas. We have never encountered more rude people at our beloved happy place than we did then. The shoving and elbow jabs were too much. I can’t even count how many times we waited in line for an attraction, just to have some kid come snake his/her way through the crowd as though looking for his family, and an hour later have his huge family join him in line. When confronted, they would just look away.
Our family loves Rainforest Cafe and especially T-Rex! I think the theming and ambiance is so cool. And I really like the food! Kids especially enjoy all the special effects and over-the -top theming.
Photopass service – 2 batches of photos were lost. One of which was the only ones taken of my son with Mickey. This interaction was the primary reason for the weeklong vacation to celebrate my sons 5th birthday. He talked about meeting Mickey for an entire year leading up to it. Be warned , after spending an exorbitant amount on this service…… Wdw will lose photos and have no more than a *shoulder shrug & apology to offer.
NEVER AGAIN! Just hand the photographer your own camera for free & buy one or two Disney photos alla carte.
*Disney made good on giving us a partial refund after 3 emails and 4 phone calls were made. Honestly i’d rather just have the photos.
We will never eat at the Diamond Horseshoe again. We did because we could get reservations the day before (should have been a clue… haha). The food was mediocre, at best, and lukewarm. And it was roughly $150 for our family of 4.