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Post by a1000monkeys on Apr 24, 2024 17:50:06 GMT -5
I think it's finally happened, I'm starting to lose interest in Disney and especially WDW.
We have had loads of fun family trips at DL, WDW, Aulani and even Tokyo DL since 2010. Back in the day I would watch the Disney vacation planning videos ad-nauseum until I discovered the Disney vloggers on YouTube. I would have multiple trips planned on my spread sheet years out.
But suddenly this year, after our NYE trip to WDW, I have little interest to go back. I'm now finding the Disney vloggers boring and at worse annoying. It no longer generates any excitement for me. As they say, familiarity breed contempt but I think it's more than that. I could always find value in our trips previously but on our last trip to WDW I frankly felt ripped off. Maybe part of that was having been at Tokyo Disneyland earlier in the year where everything was fairly priced (and sometimes downright cheap).
In addition to feeling nickel and dimed to death, with all the changes post-Fastpass, the crowds are getting harder to navigate. It's become too much work.
Another part is that my kids are now at a different part in their lives and I can no longer plan vacations years in advance. My oldest is off to college and the other two will be following in the next few years.
That said, we plan to head to DL for next NYE and I've realized that we like DL more than WDW. The fact that we can drive there also helps with vacation planning flexibility.
We have some comp tickets for WDW and I'm still holding onto my BWV points so we'll be back at some point. Probably just DW and me in a few more years. Hopefully changing up how we do the parks will reignite some passion for WDW but right now I'm just not feeling it.
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Post by Wiltony on Apr 24, 2024 18:00:08 GMT -5
I commiserate, but I'm not there yet. I definitely started to feel that way for a bit, but then it came back, especially as my wife and I started changing the nature of our trips. We sleep in, go back to the room early, go shopping, and do a lot of non-park activities. For instance, we'd never been to Coronado Springs Resort, so last time we visited, we spent the better part of a day walking around and checking it out. It was beautiful. We talked to so many people, crashed a convention going on, walked around the lake, and then ended up sitting in some Adirondack chairs for a couple of hours just hanging out and enjoying the spectacular weather that day.
There is SO much to do and see at WDW that isn't in one of the 4 theme parks. Try changing it up a little. See what's going on at the sports complex, play a round of golf (or mini golf), check out the water parks, ride some monorails/skyliner, enjoy the lounge at POFQ, take some boat rides to/from DS, etc.
We love going to WDW not just because of the parks, but because the entire bubble is so well manicured with so much infrastructure, activities, things to see and things to do.
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Post by WDWGoof on Apr 24, 2024 18:46:02 GMT -5
I’ve been there for quite some time. We’ve done five trips now not setting foot in the parks and I can’t believe I’m saying this (seeing I use to walk, talk and eat Disney 24/7) but I don’t miss them. I guess you can call it another stage of life. We’ve done what you and your wife did, explored a moderate, Port Orleans Riverside. So peaceful walking around in a beautifully landscaped area that you aren’t familiar with, ending up on lounge chairs at an empty pool, chatting away for hours. I guess we enjoyed being able to do our “go with the flow” vacation style again. We’ll hold on to our points for now as I love going to Florida, so I know what I’m getting cleanliness and safety wise, but we will use our resort as a base and do nonDisney stuff.
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Post by allanadale on Apr 24, 2024 21:30:23 GMT -5
We are pretty much there with you - for Spring Break, the kids actually asked not to go to Florida! We drove to Myrtle Beach instead.
My wife and I miss the resorts greatly. But the parks just don't captivate us, at least for their cost. $650 for a day for a family of 4 is a Lot. And flight costs are up too - what used to be 800 max is now 1200, and that's not nothing.
I have a room booked for Labor Day weekend, and we aren't selling our contract or anything. But it just isn't the priority it once was.
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Apr 24, 2024 22:00:37 GMT -5
I have felt this way too. We'd go and I'd be like "okay let's not come again for a while." But recently, wife and I stepped it up to one-bedroom at OKW for just the two of us. Suddenly the vacation is all about us sleeping late and making fried eggs and toast and we eat it at the table, looking out at the golf course or whatever. Then go to the pool, or go the park, all while thinking about what fun place we are going for lunch or dinner. I tell everyone that we treat OKW like an all-inclusive that happens to have Disney Parks nearby.
Granted, the crowds! And everyone is all about G+ and spreadsheets to maximize your trip. I prefer to wander around and enjoy the place. Ironically the stress is higher if we try to plan a weekend at tourist trap near home.
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Post by applegrcoug on Apr 25, 2024 1:55:23 GMT -5
You obviously aren't alone...
Have you checked out the availability for DVC rooms this summer? Not that difficult to find stuff.
And I am somewhat there with you too. I think the biggest downer is the feeling of being nickeled and dimed and subsequently ripped off. It just really makes it no fun.
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Post by BWV Dreamin on Apr 25, 2024 6:39:37 GMT -5
So I suggest renting your points for a couple of years. Take a step back with other types of vacations ( highly recommended cruising). We have done this for the past three years. We won’t be back until September 2025.
We have taken the approach of just enjoying the Florida weather and resorts. We go into a park once in a seven day trip. We have food delivered by Instacart. We have taken day trips thru Viator instead of going to a park.
Next year will really cost us as we are taking my son’s family to WDW ( family of five). This will be a different trip for us but one we have been waiting for. We won’t be taking them every year.
Things change for better and worse. We will just roll with it until we can’t. You have made an investment with time and money with Disney. Take a good break. You may feel a little different afterwards.
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Post by melk on Apr 25, 2024 6:58:33 GMT -5
I agree with all the sentiments here. We’ve been traveling to different spots in the US and in Europe for the past several years and have enjoyed that more. Our last WDW trip, just the two of us, we only spent two out of five days in the parks. Enjoyed that trip. But our adult kids wanted a big Disney trip this year so we’ll all be there, seven of us, this fall. The ticket costs are staggering and I hate paying more for genie+ or LL.
While we’re looking forward to this trip DH and I have discussed possibly listing our contract for sale when we get back. Now if any grandchildren enter the picture in the meantime all bets are off.
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Post by tomandrobin on Apr 25, 2024 8:12:10 GMT -5
I get it. We don't have that feeling, but I can see it around the various Disney sites. We certainly see the impacts from the politics, the prices, the inflexibility, the static nature in the parks, etc. All of these things are adding up. I go back to the Disney image problem, I keep bringing up. Disney was always a top 5 brand in the us/world. Over the past 6-7 years they have been falling in the rankings and continue to fall. Many people keep brushing it off, including Disney execs, but your actions and/or inactions matter.
With all the costs, restrictions, staleness, etc.....people are looking elsewhere. Taking a cruise or going to Europe is cheaper than a week at Disney World, without all the crap.
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M2JRA
One Bedroom
Posts: 231
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Post by M2JRA on Apr 25, 2024 8:12:15 GMT -5
Like melk , I agree with what pps have said here, and am chiming in just to lend another voice. You are not alone, and I think with the long-term investment of DVC it is natural to go through stages as life circumstances change. Just as my family for an example, we bought in when our girls were 6, 8, and 10. After our first trip, where my mother joined, we could see the value as all six of us loved it and added on via resale (which we didn't know existed at initial purchase). We've held steady with those points and now my girls are all grown (nearly) and scheduling everyone is impossible (nearly). But we've adjusted our travel and do what others have said about enjoying the non-park time so much more. We've been enough times that getting on all the rides isn't our priority, so we don't bother with G+ or ILL (though we do try for VQs) and thus don't have that one particular case of nickel&diming. We're also much more into the food now -- we aren't sophisticated or adventurous eaters, so the dining at Disney is fun for us and we're really enjoying new (to us) restaurants the past couple of trips. Bank or rent points for a bit, and then see how you feel. Life may take another twist or turn where you're feeling it again. |
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Post by thecrusher on Apr 25, 2024 8:43:18 GMT -5
When we first bought into DVC, it was a vehicle for us to escape a New York winter for some warmth, with the kids, at a great destination. The kids are all grown and married now and we have retired and relocated to St Augustine. The change in location and family flow allowed us to shift gears a bit. We get to the 3 festivals every year and also get a trip in at the beginning of December to see the Christmas decorations at the resorts. We’ve been to Aulani numerous times, once with a large (12 people) family trip, and we hit HHI and Vero at least once a year. Our home location allows us to take short car trips to Disney properties and it allows us to be spontaneous if a room vacancy pops up. We have Florida resident Pixie Dust annual passes which make park visits very reasonable - we don’t feel the pressure to get the maximum return on our ticket “investment”. With the Pixie Dust annual, we can’t get into the parks on weekends or holidays - that’s fine with us. We also enjoy resort hopping and branching out into the area surrounding WDW. We’ll hit a new resort area on a trip and get our steps in as we explore. Recently, we’ve cut back on dining at WDW, aside from nibbling and quick serve spots. Too much good outside the WDW boundaries. We bank points when necessary to fund a large family trip and gift them to the kids for their family vacations. Everyone’s situation is specific to their needs and I do know the Disney exhaustion syndrome. We were able to shift gears and found a way to enjoy Disney despite our concerns with the company’s recent stances and image problems. And, we’ve never even considered Genie or LL. I give enough $ to the Mouse and it’s my little way of saying “no more”. Besides, we’ve been on all of the rides dozens of times. We can hunt and peck for a short wait time, or we can grab another pint of liquid gold and watch the show pass by……
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Post by MinnieMom on Apr 25, 2024 9:01:01 GMT -5
Chiming in to agree - while I still enjoy some park time, that does not need to be a Disney park for me on an Orlando trip. Because my park time is now usually a couple of hours and done, AP works well. My current Legoland AP includes attractions on I-drive and will be fun for several visits over the next 12 months. Total cost - about $300 for the year. No planning required; Legoland really is the easiest of the Orlando parks.
DD and DH have been done with Disney for years, so these trips are almost always some variation of solo with friends tagging in and out. While I've tried different VRBOs for these trips, there's nothing like booking a DVC room. This last trip where I deliberately booked a studio to enjoy eating out was eye opening. I had such a relaxing and productive trip! Mixing in time at different resorts for meals also meant enjoying the water view from Geyser Point, the gondolas just because while at Rivera and walking around parts of SSR that were new to me still.
I totally get the attraction of other vacations. (May I suggest a week at Standing Pines Resort in SC could be a fantastic, dramatically lower cost, option for families in 2025?? LOL!) Still, there's something to the Disney bubble. Like others mentioned, life changes. I guess one upside for DVC is the flexibility to use the points in a way that makes sense for many different seasons of life.
a1000monkeys, I hope ya'll enjoy DL for NYE! And maybe another trip to Tokoyo sometime? From what I recall of your comments on that trip, it was a real hit!
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Post by baymaxfan on Apr 25, 2024 10:06:15 GMT -5
This is a common sentiment that has been going on for years. There are many reasons for this, but I still strongly believe that familiarity breeds contempt. If you go enough, you notice things or it becomes stale. Of course, this doesn't happen to everyone but it does seem quite prevalent. Here is the benefit of DVC -
1. You could rent points for a while until you are ready to go again
2. You could sell your DVC and likely break even or make a profit
3. You could splurge on grand villas
4. You could use your points at Aulani, Vero Beach, Hilton Head, or Anaheim (don't even need to go to DL - just use it as your hotel in the LA area)
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Post by fuzzylogic on Apr 25, 2024 10:56:00 GMT -5
That's all it is -- too much of a good thing. You see it all the time especially on MO. LOL, if I had a nickel for every time someone gripes about how there's nothing new or Disney World isn't what it used to be. Well that's cuz ppl go so much. We went 42 nights on our last AP which was... wow.  In comparison, there are ppl in RL just experiencing Cosmic Rewind for the first time! And most folks plan trips for 4 or 5 days not like ours. We took a year off between APs, and that's important too. It builds anticipation... spending the year at school thinking about the next time you get to go. I do think we'll have trips for life... maybe not as many days, but definitely a trip each summer where we get a 2B or 3B for a week and let the kids drop in as their schedules permit. We'll have to make trips that are flexible and accommodating, but we already do that. The bloggers are not interesting for the most part cuz I know more than them. And some are just clickbait, which we all know. They do have a place tho and I enjoy a few of them, especially when it comes to recommending things for ppl who will go with us but aren't experts to spark their curiosity about the vast scope that is Disney World. |
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Post by baymaxfan on Apr 25, 2024 11:13:37 GMT -5
That's all it is -- too much of a good thing. You see it all the time especially on MO. LOL, if I had a nickel for every time someone gripes about how there's nothing new or Disney World isn't what it used to be. Well that's cuz ppl go so much. We went 42 nights on our last AP which was... wow. In comparison, there are ppl in RL just experiencing Cosmic Rewind for the first time! And most folks plan trips for 4 or 5 days not like ours. We took a year off between APs, and that's important too. It builds anticipation... spending the year at school thinking about the next time you get to go. I do think we'll have trips for life... maybe not as many days, but definitely a trip each summer where we get a 2B or 3B for a week and let the kids drop in as their schedules permit. We'll have to make trips that are flexible and accommodating, but we already do that. The bloggers are not interesting for the most part cuz I know more than them. And some are just clickbait, which we all know. They do have a place tho and I enjoy a few of them, especially when it comes to recommending things for ppl who will go with us but aren't experts to spark their curiosity about the vast scope that is Disney World. It's probably my age, but in general, I don't like bloggers of any type. When blogging started, it was helpful to get out some very useful information. Now, however, the information is out there in multiple forms. Most all new content (not just for Disney, but for all) is repetitive, misinformed, or click bait. Bloggers also tend to sensationalize everything, contributing to FOMO. |
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In comparison, there are ppl in RL just experiencing Cosmic Rewind for the first time! And most folks plan trips for 4 or 5 days not like ours.