Trip Reports

WDW Trip Report: Introduction.

I've written an extremely long trip report for a recent WDW visit from 7/29-8/5/97. It deviates from the standard form in two significant ways. First, it is not chronological at all but organized by topic. Second, it is frequently critical of WDW, hopefully in a way that is thoughtful, constructive, and helpful to those now planning trips to Orlando. My report is NOT comprehensive, it only covers what I saw or did. Nor is it objective, rather, it is highly subjective and opinionated.

Our family trip consisted of myself, my brother, and our parents, four adults meeting in Orlando for a vacation together. Please keep our perspective in mind while reading: there were no children in our party, so much of what appeals to that age group, we skipped.

I welcome disagreement, and I understand the nature of the net, but I ask that the level of debate stay civil. I know that to some I'm posting heresy to r.a.d.p. by criticizing WDW, but I hope you see that my criticism comes from a love of what the place was and still can be.

The report may be copied for non-commercial use providing it is copied in its entirety and contains this notice. This report may not be copied for any commercial use without written consent of the author. All rights reserved.

TOPICS:

Good and Bad at Disney Parks.
Disney Outside the (major) Parks.
The Best Theme Park We Visited.
Food, Prices, and Service at Disney.
What I Wish I Had Known Before Going.
Summary and Thoughts on WDW Today.
Section 1: The Good and the Bad in the (major) Disney Parks:

Our last visit was in (I believe) 1990, so my focus will be on improvements and changes since then that made a strong positive or negative impression on me this trip.

Disney Studios: The Good:

*Tower of Terror. Wow! One of the top three disney rides ever in my opinion, after Indiana Jones Adventure and Splash Mtn. And the cast members are fabulous, "dropping" puns that Haunted Mation CMs can only dream about. I only wish the story had an ending. (What's in "The Twilight Zone?" Three drops?) Overall, however, a technical tour de force.

*Muppetvision 4-D. Funniest attraction by far. A step behind the other 3-D shows in Orlando (HISTA, T23D) in technology, but ahead of them by far in humor. Easily the best pre-show I've ever seen, worth refusing direct entry into the theater to see at least once.

*Voyage of the Little Mermaid. By far the best show I saw this trip. Puppetry, lasers, water, live actors. What a neat show. It would be a shame to overlook it in favor of the big outdoor shows at MGM.

Disney Studios: The Bad:

*The Tram Tour. Was bad, now it's shorter and worse. They should try Jungle Cruise-style narration or something.

*Beauty and The Beast/Hunchback of ND. OK but not great shows. Hunchback was the better of the two, surprising considering that I didn't like the film very much. BATB just seemed flat for some reason. HOND had good (live) singing, that helped, but the material is weaker.

*Superstar Television. Sloppy version of blue screen stuff that's done in every tourist trap in america. No humor, and some of the "parts" are quick still shots of guests with little point.

*Queue Control. Bad throughout the property, but I'll include it here because it was the worst at the Studios: Disney used to do this better than anyone. Ever changing human vistas, sharp turns so guests don't see the entire line, things to look at and talk about while waiting. What happened? During our entire stay the Honey I Shrunk The Audience queue at Epcot was a massive herd snaking out of the building, completely self-guided (no ropes or chains in sight) and blocking walkways and the entrance to the Journey Into Imagination ride. The queue for the Tower of Terror, which Disney must have known would incur massive waits, is a single wide pathway that induces a pushing herd mentality as it winds through the hotel yard.

However, our worst experience came waiting for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show late one hot, hot morning, when the entire queue was simply shoved under a building overhang with little circulation. One woman passed out from the heat, and I had to inform the CM at the front of the line before any medical help came for her. Credit to Disney, a wheelchair and water for this woman arrived instantly once it was brought to their attention. Then, only a few moments before the show began, we were taken into a nice air-conditioned pre-show room, which I can only assume had been empty and waiting for the duration of the previous show, right? Even if Disney had a good reason for not letting is into this air conditioned room earlier, there has to be a better way to manage this queue. Poor, poor show, Disney.

EPCOT: The Good:

*Honey I Shrunk The Audience. A lot of fun, amazing stuff. Very convincing effects, and the design of the show is such that you just might believe there really is a live presentation going on in front of you.

*Ellen's Energy Adventure. Fun, long attraction that makes a good point without rhapsodizing about the wonders of Shale, as the old one did. Depends on your reaction to Ellen, I suppose, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's great to see a quirky premise pulled off in such a grandiose setting.

*Horizons. Man, am I gonna miss this one. Glad I got to ride it again. Film, animation, animatronics, entertainment, humor, education, optimism, crystal ball-gazing, it's like a culmination of everything Walt Disney worked on and enjoyed in his life. Must it go?

*Living With The Land. Major major improvement over the old version and the lines show it. I never thought I'd see the day when the line for The Land's boat ride was always longer than the Journey Into Imagination line!

*The American Adventure. One of the best theatrical presentations of any sort I've ever seen. And the Voices of Liberty make it worthwhile to arrive early, enjoy the air conditioning, and hear some amazing music.

*World Showcase. For god's sake, at least one day of your trip skip the mad touring plan and stroll around this beautiful collection of tributes to other nations. Talk to the CMs, try the native specialties. As great as Disney thrill rides are, they're still similar to what other parks have. But nobody else has anything remotely like World Showcase.

EPCOT: The Bad:

*Innoventions. Once a haven to interesting new technologies, this area of the park is now like a big Circuit City store. Good only to occupy pre-teens with Sega while adults walk around World Showcase. Yawn.

*Food Rocks. Nothing is worse than a half-full theatre, people sitting on their hands, listening to recorded cheering for two-dimensional cutouts with little animation or personality. Kitchen Kabaret was not the greatest thing in the world but it was better than this.

*HISTA Pre-Show: Multiple viewings of this outstanding attraction unfortunately require repeated viewings of a very long pre-show that's annoying once, simply excruciating after that. I stopped bying Kodak products after multiple exposures (ha) to this overdone commercial.

*The Living Seas Guest Flow. I love this aquarium, but the painful process they make you go through to enter is awful. A film, then a pretend elevator ride, then a 90 second omnimover ride before you get to the good part. An improvement would be to take out the omnimover and let us walk through the tunnel and enjoy it. Better yet, put in a more exciting film or show at the start. I'll grant the hydrolators, for theme reasons. They can stay.

*Lack of Guests in the Journey Into Imagination. Wow. This was the grand dean of EPCOT rides, and now its a walk-on anytime. I still think it's great fun, and it was sad to see it empty. I guess it could stand an update, but I hope any update includes Figment and Dreamfinder in new settings.

Magic Kingdom: The Good:

*Splash Mountain. What an epic improvement on an already fabulous ride from Disneyland! Great animatronics, wonderful storytelling, thrilling views, this one has everything you could ask for in a ride. I wish they had a way to shorten the entrance for the rare times when this is a walk-on (I love 10pm during a rainstorm, don't you?)

*Tomorrowland Transit Authority. You get to spend a lot of time inside Space Mountain now, and it's great fun. I wish the spiel still talked about the magnetic induction technology that propells you along the track. The crude goodyear-tire edition of this ride is sorely missed at Disneyland these days.

*The Hall of Presidents. A stunning show. Not better or worse than the American Adventure, just different, regal. The details are spectacular.

*The Timekeeper. Very funny, touching, awe-inspiring show. As wonderful as the attraction across the street is bad (see below.) It's unfortunate that this attraction isn't being duplicated in California. A truly creative and fascinating use of the Circle-Vision format.

Magic Kingdom: The Bad:

Only one "bad" entry for the MK, but boy is it a doozy.

*Alien Encounter. Before going into a long diatribe, I'll say simply that the Alien Encounter is the single worst theme park attraction to which I've ever been subjected. Period. That covers Disney, Universal, Six Flags, Paramount, you name it. It promises a lot and fails to deliver.

The idea of Alien Encounter is an interesting one. A "theater of the mind" attraction in which you are convinced you are having an experience not through moving simulators or visual images but primarily through the senses of sound and touch. Based on that, I looked forward to the attraction.

In the end, I did not feel terrified or convinced of anything. Rather I had the same sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that accompanies witnessing something morally repugnant, such as a film about child abuse.

The rest of this post is a spoiler. I suggest you read it anyway, as this attraction is so awful that, if you plan to take it in out of curiousity, you may want to know what you're getting yourself into (and what you may be doing to anyone, regardless of age, who finds cruelty and graphic violence repulsive and yet still goes to this attraction.) My only other pre-spoiler advice: if you wait more than 10 minutes for the Alien Encounter you will only be more upset afterwards.

At the beginning of this attraction you are asked to witness an initial demonstration of "teleportation" technology. A cute fuzzy alien, "Skippy," is introduced, sitting in a clear tube while a robot prepares to teleport him to another clear tube. In a child's voice, Skippy begs to be let out of the tube, crying. The robot snickers and presses the button anyway. Skippy reappears in the other tube, severely burned and shaking. The robot then decides to vaporize him completely, leaving him hanging in the teleportation process. Sound good so far? Well, this is only the pre-show.

In the main chamber, as you may have guessed, the teleportation process goes awry yet again and a carnivorous alien is loosed in the room. The animatronics on the alien are Small World-quality (the alien mostly "spins," without moving its legs) and most of the subsequent special effects are given away before the presentation begins (i.e., my seat was already wet so the "blood" effect was expected, and the way the harnesses are adjusted gives away that they will touch your shoulders again.) The speed of the presentation muddles the "story," such as it is, and more likely than not the chamber will contain at least one guest so disturbed that you will hear his or her screaming or crying over the sound effects. (How violently does someone need to be crying before Disney shuts this thing off? The young woman next to me was not, apparently, sobbing hard enough.) And yes, you are ultimately "breathed on," "licked," and "blood" is splattered all over you.

I can only imagine the Disney people were aiming for black humor, but using a child's voice for an alien and then maiming it wasn't funny or scary, just uncomfortable and repugnant. The Terminator show at Universal has a remarkably similar premise- a frightening company demonstrates an ominous technology that goes awry during the performance- and yet that attraction has a dazzling mix of action, dark humor, and state of the art effects that causes audiences to break into spontaneous applause after the show. After the Alien Encounter, we all got up and left, shaking our heads. Near the exit Disney sells adorable dolls of the tortured and maimed "Skippy" alien.

See this one at your own risk.

Section 2: Disney Outside the (major) Parks.

This is largely complaints. Sorry to say, I found WDW problematic outside the major parks.

Blizzard Beach.
This is a truly beautiful water park styled to look like a melted-down ski resort, with some original and exciting slides as well as some slower rides for the timid.

Unfortunately, I did not have as good a time here as I would have liked. First of all, we decided to be good resort guests and not take hotel towels to the park. As a thank you for our behavior, Disney charged a dollar each for the towel rentals at the park. Not much, but incredibly cheap on Disney's part. Lesson: Take your resort towels to the water parks.

Second of all, there is a $3 charge to use a tiny locker (you know, the kind that usually uses quarters.) They actually take $5 and refund $2 when you return the key. Lesson: Drive and leave valuables in the trunk or glove compartment. At this point I just felt Disney was nickel-and-diming the guests and was wishing I had known about this in advance.

It was in line to get towels and a locker key that I had the worst experience with a Cast Member in all my dealings with Disney. After waiting ten minutes in a line, and being next to be served, the CM yelled at us for being in the wrong place and promptly walked to another counter, saying, "the line should be over here." A herd of guests ran to her new position and I was left there dumbfounded. I asked her politely if she could help me next, that I had been waiting, and she literally snapped at me: "I can't handle you over there."

I then asked her less politely, using her name, walking toward her new position, and she yelled at me, "the line is over here."

I would have left right then and there but we calmed down, decided to stay, and found a helpful cast member. I felt cheated by the company and mistreated by the employee. That's a first for me at Disney. I was in no mood to track down supervisors, I was just stunned that this could happen.

WDW Transportation.
After spending some time at BB, we needed to meet family at Pleasure Island by 4:30. It was 3:20. I asked a BB Cast Member which was the quickest way to Pleasure Island by bus. After spending a couple of minutes on the phone asking people, she told me to take any bus to a resort and transfer. A bus came marked "Old Key West." I knew that was close to PI, so we got on.

I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that almost 90 minutes later (40 of them waiting for the connecting bus) we arrived at Pleasure Island, late, cranky and annoyed at a transportation system so inefficient it makes many metropolitan bus lines look good. This in a resort named after a man who so loved innovative means of transit?

Merchandise.
The same day of the above 2 incidents, the plush Figment I bought at the Journey Into Imagination store was delivered to our room. I felt shabbily treated by Disney, so I decided to return Figment for a refund and instead buy something non-Disney as a souvenir.

Now, I know that my return of a single plush isn't going to make a dent in the flow of cash to Disney's coffers. But in my mind, I reduce or eliminate spending at a company when I'm treated poorly. Eliminating spending is not an option when you're in the 5th day of a vacation, but returning this plush was one thing I could do.

Here's the irony: In attempting to return this stuffed animal, I encountered the same level of incompetence that drove me to return it in the first place. The clerk couldn't believe I was serious about returning the item, then claimed I didn't use my Visa card (odd considering the visa number was on the receipt.) Next she began to give me a cash refund, but changed her mind and started over, crediting my account. When I asked for my copy of the credit, she told me that was never done, that it was too late for that. I told her I couldn't leave without a credit receipt or the merchandise. Finally, she got on the phone with someone and I interrupted her and asked if the person on the phone was her supervisor. She said yes, and I asked her to give me the phone. By now there's a large line behind me of people waiting to pay for purchases. On the phone, I told the supervisor that I was staring at a credit slip with two parts, and I was going to tear it in half and take one copy for myself and leave the clerk with the other. I asked if that was ok and to the supervisor's credit she said that would be fine, she would straighten it out with the clerk. I ripped the receipt in half, gave the clerk back the phone, told her it was all taken care of, and walked away. As I walked away I could hear the clerk excitedly telling her supervisor "He just tore it in half, and he's WALKING AWAY!" I feel lucky that no Mouse Security folks stopped me as I walked out of Epcot.

The Village.
I liked the quaintness of the old village. And if people expect to find a Rainforest Cafe, giant Disney Store, and All-Star store at every place they go on vacation, I have no problem with that. I just wish Disney hadn't chosen to combine the two. The World of Disney and All-Star Cafe store aren't as much of a problem as the ugly, ugly volcano they built for the Rainforest Cafe. That really destroys the village.

The whole "Downtown Disney" idea must hold a lot of appeal to someone, but the fact is that many major cities and vacation destinations already have a Planet Hollywood/Virgin Megastore/24 Screen Theater/Rainforest Cafe/etc/etc. These aren't things I would usually spend WDW vacation time attending when they're available at other vacation resorts. (This trip we were given a free meal at Planet Hollywood as part of our package. If you've been to one of these... well, you know the rest)

I don't begrudge the presence of these places on Disney property, just their location. Why these additions had to destroy the quiet pleasantness of the Village I do not know. I don't even mind the crab house moving into the Empress Lily, but I do mind that they no longer call it the Empress Lily.

With the current disregard for original names which honor Disney family and friends, I wonder if the entire Orlando complex will soon be known as EisnerWorld.

I generally enjoyed Pleasure Island. Although for the most part the clubs are pale imitations of the real thing (bad jazz, weak improv comedy,) they're still fun. And to end on an up-note: the most fun is the one club that is truly original, the Adventurer's Club. There is an entire Adventurer's Club FAQ floating around the net, and I steer you to it for any questions, but I will say that the AC is among the most fun experiences to be had at WDW. Would a (non alcohol-serving) version of this work in the Disneyland Tahitian Terrace space? That would be a great addition to the California park.

Section 3: The Best Theme Park We Visited:

Universal Studios Florida. (GASP!)

I know, not something you want to post to r.a.d.p., but if you continue reading I'll explain. As I said above, we were four adults (all older than 22) so a lot of the Disney appeal for younger visitors is no longer aimed at us. Let me also say that my one visit to Universal Hollywood was a disaster. I hated it! It didn't hold a candle to Disneyland. But I had heard good things about USF, so...

We visited USF on the 4th day of our trip. We didn't expect this, but after 3 days at WDW, USF served to point out what was missing from WDW this trip. The big difference: the employees. For example...

We were standing on a street corner at USF, looking at a map, when a Universal street sweeper walked up to us and asked, out of the blue, if we needed help finding anything. That sort of thing used to happen at WDW. (Not to us, this time.) Contrast this with the Disney Studios employee in Guest Relations (Guest Relations!) who we asked for the location of a phone, and he mumbled something about all the phones being in use. We tried to explain we just wanted the location of either a public or house phone, and he was further confused. (No, it wasn't a language barrier.)

Eating at a counter service burger joint during peak meal time, a Universal employee was right on top of wiping down our table when we sat down to eat. Every counter- service experience at WDW involved us finding napkins to wipe down our own tables. (Food quality and price is in section 4 of this report.)

Asking an employee at the end of the "Terminator 2 3-D" line when the best time to ride the attraction would be led to a pleasant conversation, about trying it late in the day, and how the attraction takes huge numbers of guests inside for each performance. Suddently, with no warning, she pointed us to the secret side entrance (used for disabled guests, celebrities, etc.)

"Go in there, you'll be all set, tell them I sent you."

Out of nowhere, letting us skip a 50 min. line! I don't know if she was breaking the rules, but boy did she make us feel like honored guests, for no better reason than that we were laughing and talking to her. Contrast that with the Disney CM, hanging on a "you must be this tall" sign, who looked contemptuous toward us for wanting to ride Splash Mountain at all and said, "75 minute wait" without pleasantries or even a smile, let alone a conversation or advice on a better time to ride. I'm not saying Disney employees should let people skip lines regularly, I'm saying we had a pleasant conversation with a Universal employee, and she did us a nice favor.

Generalizations are dangerous. Maybe we caught Universal on a good day and WDW on a bad week. And certainly there were wonderful CMs at WDW. I'll point them out as I go along. But overall, the contrast was striking. Both the contrast between the WDW of yesterday and today, and between USF and WDW.

But aside from the quality of the cast members vs. studio guides, there are a lot of other reasons to like USF.

T2-3D. Simply the best attraction in Orlando. If you've seen it you know what I mean, if you haven't, I can't spoil it for you, just trust me, it's a complete experience. Of all the attractions that promise to put the guest "in the middle of" a battle, an adventure, whatever, this is the first that was really provided that feeling.
Back to the Future. Incredibly rough, I think more so than USH, but real-seeming because of that and a lot of fun. Pay attention to the warnings on this attraction! More convincing than Star Tours or Body Wars, but lacking the nostalgia factor of ST.
JAWS and Kongfrontation. What I liked about these rides (and T23D) was the human involvement in the production. They aren't entirely automated. USF depends on human players much much more than WDW. Not every guide is a great actor, but in each ride involving live performers they were enthusiastic and exciting (not easy, I'm sure, after your 40th shark attack of the day!) Even the Hercules and Xena show, which was the weakest attraction we saw (by far) at USF, had enthusiastic human players that kept us entertained. Kudos to Universal for recognizing that human players make attractions more exciting, and kudos, without exception, to the guides and actors in the attractions.
Theming. Wow. The New York area really looks like New York. (Check out the grafitti in the Kong line.) The San Francisco area, amazing! (and I live in the Bay area.) Very cool looking park. The rides are in these "set" areas, not separate from them. I was shocked to see that Universal's theming was on a par with, if not better than, Disney's.
Section 4: Food, Service and Prices at Disney

I'll just point out the high- and low-lights we experienced.

50's Prime Time Cafe (Studios): Plan your meal here as a dinner show more than a quality dining experience and you'll have a great time. The actresses/ waitresses are hysterical and I refuse to give away any of their schtick, but the more you give here, the more fun you'll have. If you're looking for outstanding food or a quiet meal you will find neither here, but you will find some of the best cast members in WDW to make up for the mediocre, overpriced food (fascinating concept at work here; part of the schtick is that the food WILL BE bland and mediocre, like it was made by Donna Reed. One of Disney's greatest ploys, up there with incorporating merchandising into the plot of the Hercules film.)
Bonfamille's (PO): The table service restaurant for Port Orleans was wonderful for breakfast two mornings. The wonderful bagatelle cinnamon-sugar French Toast at Bonfamille's was not much more expensive than stale French Toast with plastic utensils at the food court next door, and the experience was immensely more enjoyable. The CMs here were uniformly outstanding, warm, friendly, and attentive. The free hot beignets we were served both mornings were reason enough to visit.
Narcoosee's (Grand Floridian): Some of you may remember me asking a couple of months ago for a good romantic seafood restaurant to send my parents to for their anniversary. Well, thanks for all the suggestions, Narcoosee's was the winner. Expensive, but what a beautiful setting. I got them a window table in time for both the Electric Water Pageant and the Fireworks during their meal.
Yet I still have a nit to pick, and once again it's about the lack of quality service at WDW. The day before the meal, I set up that the meal was to include anything they wanted to order (appetizers, entrees) plus two glasses of champagne (my parents could never finish a bottle,) a dessert for their anniversary, and 18% gratuity. A nice, romantic, no worries dinner for the two of them. They said 'no problem' and took my Visa number.

When I dropped my parents off as a surprise, I double-checked everything and asked if I should stop by after the meal to sign the credit card receipt. The "manager" told me that was not necessary, he could take an imprint now and everything would be all set. I made it clear (both times I talked to the staff) that I did not want my parents presented with a bill or worrying in any way about the cost. I know the prices are on the menu but they shouldn't have to see the total. I left, thinking everything was fine.

You guessed it, they were presented with a bill and told they had to sign the credit card receipt. The card, of course, was not in either of their names, and my father wound up signing my name on the receipt. I spent almost $40 per person here, and the staff still managed to screw it up. My parents said the food was fine. To sum up, nice looking restaurant, but really bad show.

*Hills' Bros Plaza Restaurant (MK): Here, in this wonderful little place, we experienced the sort of fun and service I remember from past WDW trips. My brother and I went here while my parents enjoyed their romantic dinner at Narcoosee's. I know it was going to be fun when I asked to see a menu and the greeter held a menu up and said, "here's one." Then I asked to see the inside, and she obliged.
The food was OK, not quite as overpriced as other places, especially for large portions and table service. But the upbeat attitude from the servers, even at 9:30pm, was the best part. In the end just about every server in the place had stopped by our table to make a joke, or to suggest a dessert (DO NOT pass it up, the ice cream is by far the best I tried in WDW.)

An interesting comment: One of the servers asked if we were cast members. We said no, but it was the second time that day I had been asked if I was a cast member (the first was by a worker at Narcoosee's.) I asked why the server thought so. She said it was because we were so cheerful and pleasant and talkative. Quite an insight into what these servers must see from day to day. I would've thought _most_ people on vacation in WDW would be cheerful and pleasant, wouldn't you? Maybe the constant wear from miserable guests is a reason for the decline in quality service from cast members.

These three places sum up Disney Counter Service:
ABC Commissary (Studios)

Mile Long Bar (MK)

Port Orleans Food Court:

It's really, really bad. Incredibly expensive and not as good as a typical fast food joint (Burger King, Wendys, etc.) When four people pay $35 for a light lunch and you're still crowding onto a dirty table and finding the food anywhere from bland to inedible, you give up pretty quick. We ate at these three places the first two days of our stay. After that, if we wanted a quick or inexpensive meal we went to chain places at or near the Crossroads shopping center. Four people can eat at a Friday's or Chili's restaurant for the same price as bad bus-your-own-table food on Disney property.

For comparison purposes: we ate at "Richter's Burgers" at Universal, a counter-service restaurant located in the San Francisco area. In general, the food was comparably priced to Disney food but much much better. I remember that the pricing scale felt odd. A pretty good milk shake was cheaper than a small bottle of water, and other oddities like that. But overall, it was a positive experience. And the service and cleanliness beat Disney hands down (see part 3 of this trip report for more on that.)

Section 5: What I Wish I Had Known Before Going.

If you've read any advice at all about WDW (the Birnbaum and Sehlinger books or the wonderful on-line WDWIG) you already know the basics: ride early or late, spend the heat of the afternoon at your hotel pool, etc. I refer you to these resources first and foremost. However, these are my highly opinionated additions to that valuable standard advice, things I did not know before my recent visit.

Strongly consider staying off the property. If you read below, you will find that I didn't find many of the on-property "advantages" to be worthwhile (use of WDW tranportation, continued "magic" after you leave the park, etc.)
The only advantage was in the admission media offered to Disney resort guests.

If I had it to do over again, I would stay off property, drive everywhere, and buy a five-day all-inclusive Disney pass. One day at Universal, one day at other attractions, that's a full 7 day vacation. You may find the flexibility of the passes available on-site to be worth it, and that's up to each guest.

Remember, though, that there's a huge cost for those on-site advantages: paying higher prices for lower quality lodging.

WDW Transportation is not what it used to be. I strongly strongly advise anyone, whether staying on property or not, to rent a car and use it, almost all the time! You'll usually be glad you did, but especially on trips to "lesser" attractions such as Blizzard Beach, the Marketplace, or any resort. Buses to these attractions can take 90 min!
The only place to which it may be worthwhile to take WDW transit is to the Magic Kingdom, where the parking lot is across the lagoon and still requires a monorail or ferry ride. Of course, if you're in a monorail resort the monorail is convenient to Epcot or the MK, but in my opinion Disney is purposely overloading the monorail system these days and making it slow and creaky, especially on the "resorts" rail. During our entire stay I rarely saw a monorail on this circuit go between two stops without holding for a few minutes on the rail. We began to call it the "hold-way in the sky." I guess guests are happier sitting still on the beam rather than at the station. The express and Epcot beams don't seem to be as bad with respect to this.

And there are other exceptions; the boat ride from Port Orleans to the Marketplace area was nice and relaxing. But it stopped running at midnight, which meant after enjoying Pleasure Island until 1am I had a crowded, slow bus ride to contend with. Other resorts have particular destinations which are very easy to reach by Disney transportation. But one advantage to having your car handy at a park is outlined in below: it makes eating off property easier.

Especially make sure you drive to water parks. With overpriced locker rentals, limited food options at the parks, and LONG bus rides in chlorine-smelling swimsuits, it's just not worth it to use WDW transportation when you can have your car right outside.

Don't ever, ever eat at Disney's food courts. That they are overpriced is obvious but the food quality is so low that even at "reasonable" prices they would be poor values. After the first day we gave up on the Port Orleans food court, which fed me the worst hamburger I ever tried to eat in my life. On our last trip we felt the same about the Carribean Beach's food court.
Many guests feel trapped at their resort for breakfast: for continental breakfasts, the Fountainview Cafe in Epcot or Main Street's bakery in the MK are much better and no more expensive. Many off-site chain places have buffets that satisfy everybody (from fruit to pancakes to eggs.) And take careful note, Disney's table-service restaurants for breakfast might be only a tiny bit pricier than food courts, and the difference can be worth it for a relaxing start to your day and much more edible food.

Rarely eat on property unless it's for the entertainment. WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, DISNEY'S STRENGTH IS ENTERTAINMENT, NOT QUALITY FOOD!!!!! So unless you're paying for the entertainment (50's Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine In Theater) or Disney atmosphere, it's usually not worth it to eat at Disney.
Get off the property! There are many popular chain restaurants just outside the gates. If you take your car to the parks (see above) then going off property for lunch or dinner is probably not the huge time sink you think it is. Eating on the property can be a lot of fun at some places, but done habitually it can be more expensive than you dream and often tremendously disappointing.

DO try non-Disney attractions. If you've read this whole report, you'll know what a (surprisingly) great time I had at Universal Studios. In past trips we found Church Street Station to be a blast as well. The fact that Disney equivalents are "included" in many packages makes them tempting, but "included" admission to Pleasure Island doesn't include the outrageous drink prices. "Included" admission to Blizzard Beach doesn't include ridiculously expensive towel and locker rentals. There are hidden costs to both Disney-owned and non-Disney attractions, but since, in my opinion, being a WDW attraction no longer means "automatic quality," I advise sampling other places.
If you do go to Universal, which I strongly advise, your local AAA office will sell you Studio Passes at a huge discount, but I believe you need to take advantage of this before you leave home (i.e., not available at the gate.) We did this and were glad we did!

Bring your own ponchos/lightweight raingear.
This is for two reasons. First, Disney charges $5 for fifty cents' worth of yellow plastic with a Mickey on the back, thus ensuring you'll probably never use it anywhere else. But much more importantly, during a rainstorm you'll be in a park with tens of thousands of others wearing bright yellow Mickey ponchos. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be following the wrong group of yellow ponchos around the park, losing your own party in the process? Bring your own! Your very identity is at stake!

Section 6: Summary and Thoughts on WDW Today.

I truly love Walt Disney World as a fun place, a dream. Unfortunately, the class and service has dropped dramatically, especially outside the parks. What was once Walt's grandest idea has changed deeply, and not for the better. I don't like the "Walt would/wouldn't have" game, and I'm not playing that here. I simply believe that the very reason Disney bought so much land in Florida is no longer important to the company.

"Believe me, if I ever built another Disneyland, I would make sure I could control the class and the theme of the enterprises around it." Walt Disney, as quoted on p.292, "Walt Disney: An American Original" by Bob Thomas. The outside of Disneyland is a shock after being inside the Magic Kingdom. Scattered motels, fast food and chain restaurants, and tacky souvenir shops line Harbor Bvd. and Ball Rd, just a few meters from the borders of the park.

I'll be the first to agree that it's unfortunate the Disney Company doesn't own more development space to buffer the park in California.

What I never would have expected is the fact that quality has taken such a dive outside park borders at WDW. While the area across the street from Disneyland isn't as pretty as across the street from Florida's Magic Kingdom, I've found better value and service in the highly competitive establishments in Anaheim.

For significantly less per night than Port Orleans, I've stayed in relative luxury in Anaheim, in a mini-suite with full hotel amenities, a view of Disneyland, and an extremely efficient shuttle to take us back and forth to the park. Disney charged more for a tiny room, low on the amenities (tiny bathroom, pizza-only room service (?!?), no exercise facilities, and that god-awful combination bodywash/shampoo crud that had us begging for bar soap and shampoo after one day.) As for the "magic," sorry, I didn't find it at Port Orleans. Nor did I find the "class" Walt wanted to maintain.

The only reason to stay in a Disney resort is to get exclusive admission media to the parks, if you find that worthwhile. If I were to replan my vacation, I would not stay on the property. Even with the cost of a multi-day pass, paying for parking each day, and the loss of early entry, I still think the quality and class of a good non-Disney resort would be worth it (and the hotel rates would likely be cheaper.) And when Universal City opens Islands of Adventure and Citywalk, becoming a multi-day destination, the decision will become obvious to me; stay between the two places, or possibly on Universal property. After all, Citywalk will then be within stumbling distance, unlike Pleasure Island, not even a bus required!

As for theming, well, WDW maintains a pleasant theme better than the streets outside Disneyland, of course, but WDW is not as far ahead in this department as it should be. The mish-mash that was once the Village is, to my eyes, as ugly as anything outside Disneyland, and Disney has only itself to blame, as it controlled all development in the Village area. "Class" and "theme"? This area has neither anymore.

The most egregious problems at WDW, in my opinion, are the Dolphin and Swan. I'm sure these places have their fans, but to me they mark the point at which WDW started to go way downhill.

Even fans of these places must agree with one point- the Dolphin and Swan would be at home on the Las Vegas Strip. (If you've been to the Strip in the last ten years, you've probably already realized this. The trend in Vegas is not neon, but places that look like the Dolphin and Swan.)

As oversized art deco enormities that lie on the border between pretty and gaudy, the Dolphin and Swan destroy the World Showcase skyline (and now they also ruin the otherwise pleasant ambiance of the Yacht, Beach, and Boardwalk resort areas.) This is controlling the theme outside the park? Forget about it- they even destroy the theme INSIDE Epcot.

As major, high-priced destination resorts on property but lacking monorail service, they set the precedent for bus-based transportation at WDW. (Boats to Epcot only seem to be only a minor part of the system, as few guests take an Epcot boat, walk to the monorail station, and take the monorail to the MK.) It used to be that only Village hotels were entirely bus dependent.

Now, with the monorail-less Studios, few Disney guests can avoid a bus, and nothing snaps me back to the real world like waiting under a shelter for a smog-belching bus.

In short, what has happened to WDW mirrors problems in many communities. Unchecked growth has not been followed up with infrastructure investments.

A crazy variety of architectural styles and businesses have created eyesores in some places. If a single giant corporation like Disney can't avoid these problems, what chance do city governments have?

I still love WDW, and I know I'll be back, but next time I'll no longer expect the Disney property to be a bubble, shielded from the real world and worth staying inside during the entire vacation. Too bad, because it used to be that way.

End of Long-Winded Report. (It's about time, eh?)

Bill Jackson

wtjackson@rocketmail.com

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