The Never Again Trip Report

[Dakota Rose]

We were on vacation 1/21-30, at WDW 1/24-27. There were 8 of us in our group. None of us have the desire to return to WDW after this trip.

Please be forewarned: I was severely disappointed on this trip. I realize each trip and experience are different. Mine was not good.

1- We visited MK on 1/24. Arrived to TTC at 9:17. Monorail down. Between the ferry line, the bag check line and the gate line, we did not get into MK until 10:41. I understand that things breakdown, but it appeared as there was NO contingency plan. There was 1 CM trying to corral hundreds of frustrated guests into a ferry line. It wasn't until we were in the boarding area that we saw additional CMs. Why didn't Disney tram or bus people over?

2- Tour groups. I get it. It's summer vacation in South America. But it seems as though the tour groups could be better organized/monitored. Maybe there should be a limit on how many tour groups are allowed in the park at once? Or maybe a limit to how large each group is? There were numerous groups of 30+ people clogging things up.

3- When did Peter Pan turn into a 'fast' ride? We zoomed through so fast (after a 55 minute wait) that I hardly remember anything. I believe I read somewhere that they speed rides up when the crowds are large...is this true?

4- What happened to MSEP? There was no Dwarves mine train. No blue fairy. No casey junior. It felt really, really short.

5- We got a 4-day pass. After spending the 1st 3 days at MK, AK and HS, my DH & I decided to go back to Epcot for 'date night.' But we were not allowed in because we didn't have the hopper. I know on previous trips if you didn't have a hopper, you could still go to another park but it counted as a "day" against your ticket. I was so disappointed (and confused), I started crying at the gate. The CM didn't so much as utter I'm sorry.

The good news is, my kids (mostly) had a great time. Poor DS6.5 was really disappointed he didn't get to do more or meet more characters as the lines were insane. An hour wait to see Woody, etc.

A few personal opinions made on this trip:

1- I hate autograph books. They take so long.

2- FP is only as good as the CM running the lines. Some CMs couldn't blend the lines very well resulting in longer waits for everyone. The CMs at EE and SM did a GREAT job with FP. The others stunk.

3- People don't listen. (not just at WDW) You know you have to close your stroller before boarding the tram or the bus. The time on your FP is the time you return. Not an hour earlier or an hour later. Move all the way to the end of the row. Board the tram/jeep/train into the row you are standing in line for; don't cross lanes. Etc Etc Etc.

4- Fantasyland expansion is MUCH, MUCH needed. Hooray they're finally doing it.

I've been a Disney fanatic since my first visit at 2 years old. (yes I remember that visit, I tried to join the parade) I've never been at the park and thought, "I just want to get out of here" until this visit. I've never come home from a WDW trip and thought, "Not going back there" until this visit.

I guess my dad put it best when I was crying on the tram leaving MK and he said, "So I guess the Disney bubble's burst for you?"

My slogan for this trip (besides "never again") is: Love the mouse. Hate his "house."

[Dakota Rose]

I forgot to say that I felt bad for the CMs because they seemed completely overwhelmed. I especially felt bad because it seemed as though a lot of them were struggling with the language barrier between them and the tour groups.

On the other hand I witnessed some really awful CM behavior including 2 CMs yelling at each other/arguing over the top of a crowd.

[Dakota Rose]

Oh! On a good note, we thought the weather was perfect! It was in the upper 60s and low 70s the days we were in the parks. And we were lucky enough to be done at the parks before the torrential rains.

Being from ND, we were in shorts and sandals all day. We only put on sweatshirts for the MSEP. It was GREAT!

And, thank you to the friendly guest who took a GREAT photo of our whole family in front of the castle. It's the best picture of the 8 of us ever!

And by sheer luck we were able to ride EE 3 times in one day! Twice in 10 minutes even.

Loved the Jedi academy even if DS's loser mom (that's me) failed to get him 'enrolled' in the class. He had grace on me and said, "It's ok mom, I'm still a Jedi."

Loved TSM queue and ride.

[momofaprincess]

First let me say that I am sorry you had a bad experience. As far as the monorail being down, was it just the express or all of them? If it was just the express, you could have taken the resort monorail to go to MK. I wouldn't have expected CMs to be herding people to the ferry since it's well known that it is there and available. As far as tour groups, I know it is aggravating but in reality Disney can't say how many of one group get in...what if they limited the number of families of 4 that came in? It would be discrimination. They really can only monitor number of people in the park not who they are. We have been there when character lines are long but we usually try to find out when a character will be back and get there early. As far as autograph books, we always try to have ours open to the page and pens ready but obviously not everyone will do that which can be a pain. I'm sorry you didn't get to do your date night, but the rules on a non-park hopper are pretty clear. We've heard MANY people argue that point with CMs but it is clearly stated "one park per day". I'm sure the CM hated that you didn't get to go in but you have to keep in mind that they hear that all the time and after awhile I'm sure they're less sympathetic. I really do hate you had a bad experience. I can't imagine leaving Disney and saying "never again"....:(

[kakn7294]

Sorry you had a bad trip. We were there on 1/24 (our last day), also at MK.

We saw that the monorail was down (but running by 10a as we were walking to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's) and our bus driver said they were busing in leiu of the - he told us which stops for which monorail locations.

There were huge crowds in MK that day but we were lucky enough to get everything we wanted to do done with the exception of being able to see Rapunzel and Flynn. TTA broke down on us twice though. :D

The Brazilian groups are frustrating because they are rude - they act as if we have no right to be there. I certainly could do without them myself!

I thought that you could not use another day to enter another park - you had to have the hopper if you wanted to go to 2 parks in 1 day. They should have told you that you could go to guest relations and add on the hopper option though - it would have been full price but it might have been worth it if you really wanted to go.

Maybe someday you'll change your mind and plan another trip. In the meantime, try to remember the good times and forget those bad ones!

[Mogie]

"Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays..." :secret:

That does stink though...I wouldn't give up on Disney though...It's pretty much a guarantee your next trip won't have so much go wrong! Maybe try a different time of year?

[Basket Mommy]

The time on your FP is the time you return. Not an hour earlier or an hour later.

While it's true you cannot return earlier than your FP time, you can return after your window has expired. We've done that a number of times; it is allowed.

I'm sorry you had a bad trip.

[Kwesty]

Can I just tell you that I sympathize totally with your experience? I was just going to write my trip report thinking to myself, "how can I tone this down so I'm not so negative."

We were there from the 26th through the 30th. Although we didn't have the same kinds of issues, I was TOTALLY overwhelmed by the Brazilian groups. RUDE!!!!! I can't tell you how many times we were cut in front of in line. Two times the group in front of us was assigned a car on a ride and then split up and took three cars, leaving my family scrambling to get in a seat. It was VERY, VERY frustrating.

Although this was not even close to being a great experience for me, I can't say that I won't go back. I miss it already. For me, no matter how bad things get at Disney, it is far better than not going :mickey: Hope you feel that way again soon!:thumbsup:

[Janmac]

It's unfortunate that your trip was not much fun. I had a trip like that. Most especially at Disney's Hollywood Studios tho it was not called that then. (trying to remember just which trip it was - it was such a bummer I apparently blocked that out)

Anyway, I think for me it was a combination of where I was, personally, emotionally, (ecumenically?!? :pirate: ) at that time. The magic just wasn't working. Musta needed extra pixie dust and didn't get it.

Hopefully, for you and your family, you'll get your extra pixie dust and perhaps enjoy the World again, in the future.

Thanks for your report!

Jan

[princessgirls]

Sorry your trip was less than...Magical.

I heard about the Brazilian tour groups from a friend last week, while picking up the kids. She said it was out of control...

Maybe in a year or so, you'll find the urge to go back...I hope....

Julie:mickey:

[faline]

Sorry you had some bad experiences but it sounds like you also had some good ones. Things do break down and sometimes that can be frustrating. The monorail was down one evening on our last trip and we were bussed from the Poly back to the Contemporary instead. While it took a bit longer, I looked at it as sort of an adventure!

Large groups come from all different places. Some individuals in those groups are rude. Not all indivdiuals from one place or country are rude. I've also found some large family reunions to be rather rude but I certainly wouldn't suggest that Disney limit the size of anyone's family gathering or how many folks can visit a park in one group.

We've sometimes experienced a parade which did not have all the components and just figure they were having some mechanical problems - these things, I'm sure happen.

Since the park hopping option was added to the ticket process, it has never been the case that you could use two passes on your ticket to visit two different parks in the same day. If that were so, everyone would do it, as it is certainly a less expensive option. If you were able, on past trips, to talk someone into letting you in at the gate at the second park when you did not have a hopper, that person was not following the rules.

Hopefully, the magic of Disney will find you again at some point in the future!

[I LoveJack]

I'm sure that it wasn't as crowded as when I was there for New Years. It took us over 3 hours trying to get herded out of the park that night and loaded on a bus to take us back to our resort. And yes, there were rude people trying to push their way through even though it is clear as day you are packed and it is not going to improve the situtaion by ramming people with your stroller. My daughter was ran over twice and she is 10 so not like so short you couldn't see. The lines were long, the parks were crowded, and we can hardly wait to go back again. :mickey: Which will be during spring break, so once again long lines and crowds. But we also made some nice friends there with some of the CM's and can't wait to stop and say hello. You just chalk this up as experience and try again. The magic is still there, sometimes you just have to look harder for it now days. Sorry your trip wasn't quite what you had planned, but sometimes you just have to make lemonade from those sour lemons. I will take any day, no matter how bad or crowded at Disney as apposed to being stuck here at home. But then again, that's just me. :hatter:

[megustamex]

We've been in your shoes. I remember 2 years ago, going with my young kids, and saying "never again", and I have been to Disney more times than I can possibly count. We took a trip to Mexico in between and discovered that was even harder with kids, so back to Disney we went. At that point, we realized that we just needed to go with the flow of the day, every day. Sometimes Disney is perfect - great crowds, wonderful weather, magic in full swing - sometimes it isn't. You just never know. We've been often enough that we don't worry if the lines are long for something - we go do something else. We tell our kids the lines are too long for certain characters or rides and we'll do something else fun instead (I know, it may seem heartless, but happy parents are necessary too). I still remember the trip we took for 2 weeks and never did Dumbo, but we were happy and relaxed. We take the path of least resistance instead of trying to fit it all in, and it's turned out to be a much more relaxing, DIFFERENT Disney vacation than we used to have in our single days. We like to repeat what travel host Rick Steves always says, assume you will return.

Try it again after a while - there's magic everywhere in the parks, sometimes you just have to get out of the crowds to find it!

[BrerGnat]

Sorry you came back on such a sour note. Although it seems like a lot of things that made you upset were out of your control, a few of them were normal things that maybe you were not aware of (the park hopping issue...it's never been allowed to be used the way you wanted). Peter Pan has always been just about the shortest ride in the park (it clocks in at under a minute). It's just frustrating that the line is always SO long, and the payoff is just not there.

As for operational stuff like the monorail being down, there were other options you could have tried, had you been better prepared. I would have walked through the Polynesian grounds and taken the boat launch from their dock!

And, I totally feel for you about the Brazilian Tour groups! SO frustrating dealing with them. While I know that there are tour groups from all different countries, the ones from Brazil are notorious for poor behavior. A lot of that can be explained by their culture: parents don't discipline thier children in Brazil. Raucous and rambunctious behavior in children is rewarded over there, and kids are doted on no matter their behavior. I know this because I have some good friends who are Brazilian, and I've had LONG conversations with them on this topic! So, really, those kids don't know that they are doing anything wrong, and probably think we're all a bunch of uptight Americans. ;)

[Marionla]

Since when did wdw stop allowing one to use the Extra day ticket to enter another park on the same day? We always do this, last time dec 2008.

[SandmanGStefani24]

boy I hear you!

My 05 trip was good but still had lots of negatives. Brazilian groups, extreme heat, broken rides, very very crowded buses. I remember the good above all, as bad memories and WDW don't go together.

Here's the thing : I took it as a learning experience and used it for future trips. I dealt with the Brazil crowd and the heat buy going mid to late February. The crowded bus problem was solved with a rental car. Then I learned to take things a little more relaxed so if a ride was down I didn't hit the panic button. (if I missed a ride it was a good excuse to come back!)

My plan doesn't solve everything. Going when I like puts me in with Daytona 500 crowds, chances of bad weather, and ride rehabs. There's no one solution for everyone, you just have to find what works for you. Some people I know only go in summer, which I refuse to do. Others like Halloween time, and so on. Just take a few weeks to get away from the bad vibes and then think of a way to work around the stuff that didn't work for you.

I think almost all WDW fans have taken their "last trip". Mine was two trips ago and thinking about the next one! Hope your next trip goes much better!
:beer::mickey:

[KylesMom]

I'm so sorry that after all of your planning and anticipation the trip was a bust for you and your family. I only hope that after some time has passed you remember the bright spots and are once again able to enjoy Disney World the way you once did.


Since when did wdw stop allowing one to use the Extra day ticket to enter another park on the same day? We always do this, last time dec 2008. This question comes up frequently in both the Theme Park and Vacation Planning forums. Maybe you had a CM that was less diligent and allowed you to enter the park, but as others have suggested, Disney makes you pay that extra $50 or so per ticket for the park hopping option. Since they have gone to electronic media, the CM upon entry will be able to tell if you visited a park earlier in the day and should restrict entry without the hopping option.

[akaDisneyDreamer]

I had a less than perfect trip last August, mostly due to the heat. I will never again go in August! What was I thinking? I was hot, sweating and feeling gross for most of the trip, not to mention that my ankles were swelling and thus, my feet hurt a lot. I remember crying on the long walk to World Showcase! The crowds weren't bad during the day, no doubt most folks were taking advantage of the pools at the resorts or water parks. The evenings were horrible though with crowds. I remember people yelling at each other trying to get out of the park after Wishes ...

Now, with all that said, I've mostly pushed those bad feelings aside and remember the good times ... I had a lot of fun while doing things (getting to them was agony, however!), riding rides, seeing shows, shopping and dining! We bought the Deluxe Dining Plan and wow, that was worth it, to be able to have ressies for table service for every meal, a chance to get off my feet and cool off in an air conditioned restaurant, while eating some fabulous food!

My point, as time passes, I'm sure your good times will out-weigh the bad memories and you'll want to go back! We are hoping for a December trip next year. I realize we may still have to deal with crowds but at least not in swealtering heat! :mickey:

[Ronni]

We visited 1/22 through 1/29. It was a very special trip with our 3 year old granddaughter. (Her first trip) Our group consisted of our little princess, her parents and both sets of grandparents. The high-lite of the trip was the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and the photo shoot after. The photographer, Lowell was wonderful. He made the whole experience perfect.
I have visited Disney this time of year many times over the past 30 years and have never encountered crowds like this before. I agree that most of the foreign tour groups we encountered were quite rude. I chocked it up to diversity and hoped they would not be going to the same park as me the next day.
As I stated, I've been coming to Disney for many years and have seen plenty of changes over the years. The one thing that stands out most is that the last few visits I seen rude or disinterested cast members. It has only been 3 or 4 but for many years I always remarked how wonderful ALL cast members were. Over all it was a great trip and we look forward to planning the next one.
One last note...Grandma Esther at Port Orleans French Quarter food court is great. Her pleasantness is what we have been used to over the years from cast members.

[arm00leg]

We just got back from DW (1/19 - 1/24), we too experienced the frustration of the Brazilian tour groups and will NEVER go back during certain months. We were even warned by our driver as to how rude certain groups are in the parks. We did have a good time but the lines were long (150 minutes for Soarin'), fast passes all gone by 10 am, and it was really difficult and frustrating getting around the parks filled with very large groups of rude teens. The weather was great, just one rainy day and a cool day - but we are from Michigan so the cool day was downright balmy to us, ha! We loved the Beach Club, beautiful place to stay. We had fun but learned a lesson - don't go in June/July and December-February if want to avoid the big tour groups.

[Genie1953]

So just when are these Brazilian groups there anyway. I would certainly like to avoid them if possible. As someone else pointed out you are always going to have your groups of rude people but I would still like to try to avoid these groups in particular.

[arm00leg]

Our driver told us that they are here June/July and December through the beginning of February. I strongly recommend NOT going these times because of the tour groups.

[TinkerbellT421]

To answer the question above regarding the tour groups. I dont know how long and how many times but I do know that they are there every January for the month. And I do say that yes they are very frustrating between the language barrier and the rudeness. But unfortunately they are not the only people I have found rude in the parks. :( Like someone else said Disney could not put a limit to how many in a group or in a park in general, that would be considered discrimination. We to were there this January 21-29th and experience a lot of those tour groups. One day I was bumbarded by them in a bathroom in Epcot where there was literally 30 girls in the bathroom I couldnt even get to a sink to wash my hands. But I had a bad experience on a boat ride from the BW to DHS when a womans child kept kicking me nonstop for the whole ride :mad: And she didnt tell him to stop, nor did she even say sorry. He was sitting on her lap and purposely kicking me in the thigh. And she looked, saw and noticed...it took everything I had not to flip out. But thats just an example as to unfortunately the tour groups are not the only rude people Ive come across. Sometimes its best to keep the Disney magic in its entirety and try to think of the good things. I am sorry you had a bad experience though :( I too get bummed when things dont work out the way I hope. We too had the Epcot monorail break down on us which almost made us late for a reservation but we ended up getting through it just in time. Unfortunately theres not much they can do to prevent these things from happening. And like others have said, in the rules, and I believe on the backs of the tickets it does state that you cannot use tickets to enter seperate parks without the park hopper option. I believe Faline stated, it would be cheaper for people to enter parks using a whole day than actually have the park hopper option, hence why they dont allow it. If you have used that in the past than you had a very nice CM that wasn't enforcing the rules. And Disney is very strict with there rules and a lot of times CM's are clearly scared in being written up or fired for not following the rules. We know a CM personally and theres a lot of times she has said "I can get in trouble" if we have asked her things figuratively as to well "what would happen if this"...so a lot of CM's wont chance there only job to bend the rules. Hopefully the Disney Magic returns to you and you plan another trip soon!! I would hate to feel that way and cant imagine how disappointed you truly felt to actually say the words "never again" :( Wish there was something I could do to have helped or change your mind! :grouphug:

[Tigerinvestigator]

Wow sorry you had a bad trip. I tell everyone I know that the time of year you go is the most important factor. We have had bad experiences over the years but never enough to ruin a trip. Thats one reason we don't go for 3 or 4 days. If you stay 6-10 days you can always overcome a bad experience or day by stepping away and relaxing a bit. I tell people who are planning a trip its better to save longer to stay longer than craming everything into a couple of days and having something go wrong. I know thats not always possible but things happen out of our control. I do hope you remember the good trips and realize that is not the norm although things can go wrong from time to time.:thumbsup:

[ncrohrs]

Hey there! Just got back ourselves Jan 31-Feb 6. Like everyone else I am so sorry for your bad experience and hope that some day you'll be able to go again and want to go again!

We saw some tour groups of young girls who would chant and march around the parks. VEry annoying! I don't know why they were there, they had matching shirts, back packs, etc. Seemed like a cheer or dance teams. As annyoning as this is you gotta wonder,how are things during peak season? Besides these groups, hindering you at times, it overall is a nice time to be there.

We did not get to do all we wanted to do and also experienced a monorail breakdown. Annoying, but we got through it. Late for our ressie but we still were seated at Tony's Town Square.

Rude people. I know. Sigh. They were around us plenty too! They are there in Disney and guess what, they are there everywhere else. I just think its more noticeable in Disney because when you think Disney you think "magical" and rudeness puts a damper on that! I agree with you! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

It stinks when things don't go the way you planned and even more when it affects you so badly like it did for you. But you can't help your feelings! Take a few months to think about it and decide if "never again' is truly what you want. Sounds like you know and love Disney and I hope you end up feeling this way again!

Hang in there! Focus on the good from your trip! Make a scrapbook of all those pics of your kids smiling faces! :mickey:

[arm00leg]

For us the large tour groups more than hindered our activities in the parks (January 2011). We ended up leaving the parks and trying less crowded places - like our hotel. It wasn't just one or two or even ten tour groups - it was 30 to 40 (with 20 to 30 members in a group):crowd: - it made the lines extremely long, the fast passes gone by 10 am, shopping impossible, and restaurant reservations a must. We found that the early mornings worked best, there wasn't as many of the big groups and we were able to get on the rides at least once. But by noon forget about it. And yes, we ran into rude behavior from people who were not part of the tour groups - but there was rampant bad behavior with the tour groups. Next time we are thinking about trying November, just after the food and wine festival.

[Jillirose]

... We take the path of least resistance instead of trying to fit it all in, and it's turned out to be a much more relaxing, DIFFERENT Disney vacation than we used to have in our single days. ....

:ditto:

[Jillirose]

Our driver told us that they are here June/July and December through the beginning of February. I strongly recommend NOT going these times because of the tour groups.

Maybe they could actively encourage the large groups to break up into smaller ones of maybe 10 or so..... I'm sure it would help improve their experience too.

[pamickeys]

Don't forget about the cheerleader groups.

[CanadaLovesDisney]

We arrived Feb 11th - 22nd and had the pleasure of experiencing both cheerleading groups AND the South American Tour groups. We will NEVER go again at this time. WHAT a complete disaster. Try waiting for a bus with 30-40 cheerleaders in line ahead of you, and their friends pop up every few second and run on board ahead of you. Want a seat while you eat your breakfast in the food court? Too bad, they either got there first or are pulling every available chair to make one massive 50 person table. The sound of dragging chairs bothers you? How about laying in a hammock trying to relax and hearing the screaming and chanting of at least 7 different cheer squads from all sides. You want to sleep at night? Too bad, the girls want to stay up late and scream and party outside. And there was no switching buildings in carribbean beach because the girls occupied at least EVERY BUILDING.

[Genie1953]

We arrived Feb 11th - 22nd and had the pleasure of experiencing both cheerleading groups AND the South American Tour groups. We will NEVER go again at this time. WHAT a complete disaster. Try waiting for a bus with 30-40 cheerleaders in line ahead of you, and their friends pop up every few second and run on board ahead of you. Want a seat while you eat your breakfast in the food court? Too bad, they either got there first or are pulling every available chair to make one massive 50 person table. The sound of dragging chairs bothers you? How about laying in a hammock trying to relax and hearing the screaming and chanting of at least 7 different cheer squads from all sides. You want to sleep at night? Too bad, the girls want to stay up late and scream and party outside. And there was no switching buildings in carribbean beach because the girls occupied at least EVERY BUILDING.

Oh MY!!! Note to self....never go to Disney during that time frame!

[AntMagsMom]

See, this is why I wish I read thse boards all along!! LOL..now I know IT'S NOT JUST ME!!!

we went last year, February, 2010 from the 5th to the 11th for my DH's 40th birthday. We dealt with the tour groups and the cheerleaders. My DH and I were shocked at how rude the tour groups were. Honestly, there weren't as many as some of you have seen, maybe becuase it was February and the "rush" was over but boy did it make a difference.

We're headed back to BLT this year in September/October so we're hoping for great, weather and a great time.

To the OP, hopefully you'll rethink it and regain the Magic again :mickey:

[jcvalenti]

I've learned to dread the Brazilian Tour Groups.

I love how - somehow - tourists from the USA have gotten the reputation as being "rude" when they travel abroad. I've done a lot of travelling in my life and never in my life have I seen anyone from the states behaving like I routinely see these tour groups behave - shoving in front of people, knocking kids over as they rush into rides, standing in huge groups blocking the walkways throughout the parks.

Disney needs to address this growing problem. Banning groups over 12 - 15 would be a nice start.

[Disney-4-Me]

Oh my goodness!:(

All I have to say is, "There's no crying at Disney!":shake::shake::shake:

[Ramblingman]

I have to admit I have noticed the same things with the Brazilian groups. I've been lucky to avoid the cheerleaders, though (thank goodness).

One of my personal pet peeves is the groups that will stand and block the walkway while they chat or look over a map or just decide what to do next. Meanwhile, everyone is either waiting to get through them or having to push their way through, earning dirty looks from the ones who are causing the pileups.

Okay, back on topic. I too am sorry for your bad experience. Sounds like you later found some good things to remember. We have been enough times that when we recognize a problem area, we simply move on to something else. If that means we miss one particular thing, so be it. We try not to let things like that bother us. It's Disney, after all, and there's enough there to be magical.

I hope you change your mind and make a return trip, even if that means it's just a bit more crowded on those days. :mickey: