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And again, my point, all that planning would not have help me enjoy it more. People can post it over and over again, if I planned better I would have enjoyed it more. It's simply not the case.
I guess we can agree to disagree but I see your point.
FYI, you CAN bring your own food and water into Disney. My family does it all the damn time. Sure it isn't full-on meals, BUT you do end up saving unless you really want a Lefou's Brew, Pork shank, etc.
Been to Disney, and it's cool and all, but give me Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio any day.
Lol, I live 30 minutes from Cedar Point and my daughter is a supervisor there! I've had season passes there for over 20 years and LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloweekends!
I would love to take my grandchildren but living on a fixed income and just cannot do it they have outpriced theirselves with my budget . I know a lot of low income people would love to take their kids but it is just not doable on a low income budget . I don't get how people can do it over and over again that is a lot of money .
They aren't "quirky" ... that's just how they work. And if you use and understand them, you save a ton of time waiting in lines.
So you spent part of a day and it sounds like you didn't plan. So yeah, you probably didn't get the most out of your experience.
I've been to Disney probably 20 times starting before Fast Pass and we have used the crap out of out of them. We are going again in November and the new system does sound worse than before they went to the bands. Sure, there was always one or two rides that ran out of passes early, but they are putting way more in the 3 per day limit than just those. So, for people like my wife and I, who will walk back and forth all over and work the fast pass system it will be interesting to see how it works.
But yes, it does sound like the OP did not work the system as much as they could have.
I would love to take my grandchildren but living on a fixed income and just cannot do it they have outpriced theirselves with my budget . I know a lot of low income people would love to take their kids but it is just not doable on a low income budget . I don't get how people can do it over and over again that is a lot of money .
You would be amazed how long some lower income people save to be able to go to Disney. The ones who go many times either live in Florida so they can get passes for cheap, or have a lot more money than I do. You can save a lot of money on lodging by pooling together with friends or family and renting a condo or house for a week or two, and 7 to 10 day tickets cost hardly more than 4 day tickets.
Actually, you can get front of the line passes for many museums and attractions in Europe. I've done this for the Eiffel tower, the Academia museum, and the Vatican museum among other places. You do have to plan, but not near as much in advance. My fast pass for the Eiffel tower I got the day before I went.
My children loved both Disney and Europe. Just as you can entertain children by looking for details in the Disney parks, they also love looking for details on the streets of Rome or Venice. They loved playing the post card game in museums. (Get the book of "greatest hits" postcards at the giftshop before you enter the museum, have them find them in the museum...) They liked posing like the statues for pictures. They wanted to spend hours at the Trevi fountain. They liked dancing to the musicians in St. Marks square, or finding gargoyls on cathedrals.
When traveling with children we did not dismiss the charm of amusement parks. If you like Disney you will be entralled with Gardaland on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. It is much like Disney at a fraction of the price. Tivoli in Copenhagen is another treat. Or even just rides, like the Eye in London. (And yes, get a fast pass for this.)
I think those that really love Disney go enough times that the planning is not as intimidating as it is for first timers. My sister knows when and where to get reservations for meals, and fastpasses, and makes the Disney experience pretty seamless. I went without meal reservations once, figuring we'd just find a food when we were hungry, and that did not work out.
Disney is also good at special needs. For those in who have allergy or need a wheelchair or have issues with standing in line Disney makes accomodations that you won't find in a lot of places. Even strollers would be a challenge in Venice. My vegetarian friends that speak French have trouble in Paris.
I think the Europe/Disney comparison is accurate. They are both going to be fairly expensive, there can be expensive food,lines, and crowds.
That's why you have to plan, plan, and plan some more. You need to go in a less crowded time and not pack it all in a few days for Europe or Disney.
I love both trips for different reasons.
Disney is so easy now. If you stay on property, a bus takes you to whatever park you want to visit. You have armbands that you charge everything to, so there is no fumbling with money or CC. You preplan your day with FAst pass plus. If you go during a slow time, open the park, use FPP, and eat early or late...wait times are minimized. The longest we waited in line was one 25 minute wait in the most crowded part of the day.
Going to Europe at the wrong time, eating at tourist traps, and staying in a terrible hotel can make you miserable. You have to be careful. Nothing is as miserable as standing in the rain in winter in the middle of the night in Paris, when the Metro is closed and the taxis won't stop. We learned to plan more on that trip. ;-)
Lol, I live 30 minutes from Cedar Point and my daughter is a supervisor there! I've had season passes there for over 20 years and LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloweekends!
Sadly... it's been a long time. I'm trying to talk my 12 year old in to eventually going. Unfortunately, he is in no hurry to ride roller coasters in any capacity, and therefore I'm not paying the price of admission that they're charging to not ride anything. It would be nice if Geauga Lake still existed, as it would have been a good place to start him, as the roller coasters there were not on the level of thrills as Cedar Point's. It's where I got my start as a kid.
The family finally did the Disney trip. I don't get it! Ridiculously expensive, two hour waits for most rides, crowded, cranky people everywhere. I can see doing this one time for the experience, but people who do this over and over again for days? I just don't get it!
The family finally did the Disney trip. I don't get it! Ridiculously expensive, two hour waits for most rides, crowded, cranky people everywhere. I can see doing this one time for the experience, but people who do this over and over again for days? I just don't get it!
check out disboards and mousesavers, that and 30 hours of research can make a hot crowded Disney trip into a much better vacation.
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I'm trying to talk my 12 year old in to eventually going. Unfortunately, he is in no hurry to ride roller coasters in any capacity, and therefore I'm not paying the price of admission that they're charging to not ride anything. It would be nice if Geauga Lake still existed, as it would have been a good place to start him, as the roller coasters there were not on the level of thrills as Cedar Point's. It's where I got my start as a kid.
