Disney Hell

[Imindisneyhell]

”enjoying” a once in a lifetime trip to Disney Florida. We thought we were being so clever going the week before our Easter school holidays. The weather for March looked perfect (it is to be fair) but we had absolutely no idea it was spring break here and the travel agent never mentioned it either.

the queues and the crowds have been horrific. Some rides had wait times of over 4 hours 😡

my kids have enjoyed seeing the characters etc but we’ve actually managed to do a small fraction of the rides that we wanted to do

I’m aware of Genie + and Lightning Lane but having already spent over £3k on tickets for a family of 4 - never mind what we’ve already spent on flights and accommodation it sticks in the gullet to be asked to pay yet more money

plus every single car park charges a parking fee or $30 ($55 if you want to park a bit nearer to the entrance 😡)

I mean how fucking grabby and greedy can one company be.

my children have enjoyed it but absolutely insisted on not going out today. They’ve been in and out of the pool all day and also watching Netflix.

we fly back in a few days but honestly I just feel robbed (quite literally)

how do people do this more than once or every year? (I know of at least one couple with their child who does this trip at least every 18 months). I never want to come back 😂

Rookie error OP.

I made sure we had genie plus and meticulously planned out the order in which to do rides, on a weekday, outside of peak season.

So yes, in those conditions I would absolutely go back. But not in what you’ve described. Shame the agent didn’t mention it being peak season either, perhaps they assumed you knew.

How gutting OP. Maybe worth spending more on the speedy pass things just to rescue the last couple of days?

I mean how fucking grabby and greedy can one company be.

Well clearly the demand is there. Nobody tricked you into going.

Everything you have written above is exactly why I am never ever going, no matter how much my kids beg me 😬 just utter daylight robbery. I’m sorry OP. Hope you manage to enjoy the last couple of days.

Yeah never go at spring break. The last two weeks of August into September as US schools are back then or the October half term as US schools don't break then. I think you really have to do a lot of planning in advance of a disney holiday to avoid spending hours in queues.

What is the point in spending all that money and not getting Genie plus etc … it is a once in a lifetime trip so best to pay a bit extra to make queues bearable, if you arrive at parks for rope drop (very early) the queues tend to be minimal, just literally run to your favourite ride to get on first!! You need to plan Disney like a military operation or you are wasting your money

It's an expensive holiday overseas during one of the busiest times, Spring Break. Complaining only puts a damper on the experience. 🤷‍♀️

Said like a true consumer.

Well, yes. As is the OP.

This is a classic "Oh noes, look at all these other people here!" thread.

Sounds awful. A military operation at a theme park...or you're wasting your money.
No thanks.

That's not a holiday, that's an ordeal.op hopefully enjoy the last few days.

Sounds awful op, I’m sorry

a couple of days hanging round the pool sounds nice if the weather is good. Concerntrate on making sure the kids enjoy the last few days and never go back

i’m going to Disney Paris in June and dreading it.

You've spent all that money and don't sound like you're having a great time. I would buy the pass and do a final push to see how many rides you can do in the next couple of days. Lesson learnt.

Good marketing.

DD likes swimming, unlimited crap food, spending time with us, playing games in the evening and vaguely interesting things to look at. Disney is shit. Literally any hotel with a beach nearby and pizza makes her happier. Happiest Place on Earth my arse.

God that's awful OP. It's just pure greed but what else have we come to expect from the likes of Disney. Charging for car parking is just disgraceful. If the queues are too long it's because they have allowed too many in, it seems to be a daily problem there. I couldn't deal with the queues, I have never and will never go to a Disney park for that exact reason. Hope the kids enjoy the pool!

yeah maybe we should have researched it better, I did Google spring break but it said that it would be over by the time we arrived. I had no idea I was looking at a particular state and each state staggers so it so it runs throughout March & April 🤦‍♀️

the best days we’ve had was animal kingdom and discovery cove. Discovery Cove only allow 1300 people in per day and it was just amazing. The rest of it has just been frustrating 😢

Enjoy your pool day but get online and read up on all the tips for this time of year. And buy the passes to salvage your final days.

Sorry you're not enjoying it. It is a holiday that unfortunately does require an element of research and planning.

I used a crowd calendar and thought I was going the least busy times for Paris Disneyland and it was still mobbed and all tickets sold out so even in “off peak” you’ll still be in queues waiting for a while. Granted not for 4 hours.

Sorry it’s not been as you imagined.

It is a holiday that unfortunately does require an element of research and planning.

I expect a lot of planning and thinking for cheap holidays. Whatever, I want to get a deal so I will. But when they charge as much as they do, THEY should make sure people have a great time. It's actually all about squeezing the most money for the least effort.

OMG pay for a fast pass. It's not a waste of money if it means you can actually enjoy yourself.

You lost me at Discovery Cove...maybe watch Blackfish on your day in the hotel? Going to any other country requires some googling and local knowledge. There are entire Facebook groups and websites dedicated to planning Disney. This really isn't hidden. Your travel agent is utterly shit for not telling you it was spring break. I love Disney but no way would I go during spring break. You really should stump for the Genie. Just because you've paid loads of money for holiday doesn't mean you don't need to research and plan.

Car park charge used to p** me off too

It was $20 then I think

I went in 1990 in March and it was fine but may have been earlier in the season

For those that might find it helpful...

I'm here at the moment too OP, and the crowds are incredible. We've been a lot (my DC are 18 and 16 and their first time was when they were 2 and 8mth. I grew up in Florida, so have been more times that I know), and I don't ever recall it as busy as this. We're only in Orlando for a few days (leave tomorrow) and off for our 'real' holiday at the beach, Disney is NOT relaxing 😂.

Hope you can salvage the last of your few days here. Best just to accept what it is, with the knowledge you'll never tick everything off, it's designed to make you want to come back.