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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Disneyland/Orlando = Awful

225 replies

YellowTulips · 08/08/2014 23:29

Just got back from 2 weeks in Orlando.

I know I am a miserable bugger but I HATED it.

Hot humid weather, stupidly high fees to enter the parks (legoland was especially shit).

Kids loved it, but I surely can't be the only person who disliked it ......

OP posts:
Goofymum · 09/08/2014 22:48

I am going to Florida next week with DH and DDs and we all cannot wait. We will be doing Disney while we are there and I don't understand the Disney bashing. Is it snobbery? Fair enough if you don't enjoy theme parks but how can you say those that do are brain dead? My family enjoy all sorts of travel. And anyway, there is far more to Florida than Orlando and theme parks. OP, maybe you should have got onto Google or got a guidebook and travelled a little out of Orlando if you hated the theme parks? It seems a little daft to stay in 1 little part of the state, especially if you hate it.

Haggismcbaggis · 09/08/2014 22:57

Really? Really? bunchoffives Disneyworld is just a load of promotion for the film industry. Shock You don't say???? . This surely wins a special Mumsnet award for statement of the bleeding obvious...

And as for the OP - anyone who goes to Florida in August and complains about the weather needs to have their passport confiscated. I can completely understand about the whole Disney thing, you won't know if you love it or you hate it, until you try it. But the weather is a known quantity. Which is why anyone with any sense goes at Easter or October.

We went this Easter. Did it to the max. Loved it for what it was. Would I go again? not a mission! But brilliant as a one off if you plan it properly, prebook lots of stuff and don't arrive into the parks at about 11 and wonder why it's crowded as all hell.

Madeyemoodysmum · 09/08/2014 23:36

I'm going next year and can't wait.
Been to DL Paris. Enjoyed it. Kids loved it. Time to step up to the big one!

However I'm not brain dead thank you
In last few years been to hotel skiing in Slovenia, self catered in Lake District, rural France, Norfolk, Derbyshire

I've travelled to over 26 country's (worked it out on a Facebook quiz) so I consider myself unbraindead and if we want to go to Disney we will.

PhaedraIsMyName · 09/08/2014 23:49

I don't get the food is rubbish claims. I was there in 1993 and what impressed me was the huge variety of food. If you don't eat rubbish at home there really is no reason to eat rubbish there.

Yes there are stalls in the theme parks selling cookies and doughnuts and ice-cream but what impressed me was the fact there were so many selling fabulous selections of fruit and fruit juice as well

Hulababy · 10/08/2014 01:53

Tiredemma - sorry! Misread and was reading on phone whilst sat in a queue for one of the rides :)

I am another who also doesnt agree with the only fast food comment. There are plenty of restaurants serving other types of food, even in the parks.

Tomorrow we are having Tapanyaki in the Epcot park. I guess it's fast food in that Tapanyaki is quick to cook. But there won't be a burger in sight and it will be a proper sit down restaurant with good fresh and even healthy food.

Hulababy · 10/08/2014 02:04

Groovee - it was great :) A very similar concept to the Spider-main ride, complete with the 3d glasses. Very well done and Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley are amazing; the attention to detail is even more so than Hogsmeade.
We enjoyed the Hogswarts Exoress to Hogsmeade too; will do the return trip next time we visit as we will go back to universal another 2-3 times this holiday.

Busy but fun day today. First day so was there very easily. Jet lag!!!

For those visiting soon and not in a UNiversal hotel...

Get there well before opening time. It opened at 9am today but due to jet lag we arrived just after 8am. The park gates are open and hotel guests get to go in early. But the non guests can either mill about or join the queue for Diagon alley - queue starts down the first Main Street to the right after entry - past terminator and just before the junction for ET/Crustyland/animal actors. We just sat on the kerb. Then at various intervals the staff nice the queue orderly towards Diagon alley. Then at 9am the queue reaches DA and you're free to go in. There is a little bit of a rush from some but it's all very organised and no queue jumping before DA. Once in you are free to go your own way though only one route to Gringotts.
When we got to the ride it said 135 minutes but it was less than that. It took us 100 minutes tops inc a short wait at the end to go on the front row.
There's not as much inside Gringotts and there is inside Hogwarts so the inside queue goes pretty quick. The bank hall is fab though with the goblins :)

mathanxiety · 10/08/2014 02:28

If you want a theme park truly with great rides, try Six Flags when your children are older.

In the meantime, if you want a nice holiday in the US that won't break the bank, there are a million other places that young children would love.

Mandyandme · 10/08/2014 02:51

I go to the US at every opportunity. Love it out there . I have been to Orlando Disney twice and after entry to the parks the food was so cheap. We went to really lovely restaurants, not fast food joints, and were eating out for £20 for 4 of us. Granted we are vegetarian and do not drink alcohol but we also found that we only needed to, in some cases, order one course that we would all share because of the sheer size of the meals.

Mandyandme · 10/08/2014 02:58

Just reminded me of the time we ordered hummus and pitta bread as a starter. If I remember it was $5. There was 36 halfs of pitta bread and a bowl of hummus equivalent to at least 5 large tubs of hummus you get in the supermarket over here. We ordered one pudding and still ended up taking a doggy bag home.

lettertoherms · 10/08/2014 03:00

Rides at Six Flags are fantastic if you're looking for real roller coasters. And MUCH cheaper.

I would choose Disneyland in California over Disney World any day, even if there's more to see in Disney World.

Florida is America's damp, sweaty penis.

combust22 · 10/08/2014 06:51

But if you travel to California there are so many more amazing places to visit than some theme park- why would you want to even go there? Some manufactured highly marketed consumer designed experience.

Not a patch on Californias real experiences.

JustAShopGirl · 10/08/2014 07:57

"what is the appeal?"

It is a holiday.
It is in a country where they speak English (I like to understand where I am going and with allergies in the family, like to 100% understand what we are eating) .
The food is not so different.
The weather is fab - if you choose your time of year wisely.
There is tons of stuff to do. From busy days at the parks and shopping malls, to drifting down a river at one of the natural springs seeing manatees.

It is a whole load of fun.

Whereas to me an all inclusive trip to a beach resort is boring. Seafood brings me out in hives. Cold wet weather in this country does not a "holiday" make. Going round old buildings is a drag after the first couple - especially for the kids - and usually only done to get out of the heat or the wet...

Everyone is different - we like different stuff.

combust22 · 10/08/2014 07:59

"Whereas to me an all inclusive trip to a beach resort is boring. Seafood brings me out in hives. Cold wet weather in this country does not a "holiday" make. Going round old buildings is a drag after the first couple - especially for the kids - and usually only done to get out of the heat or the wet..."

If that is the alternative then maybe you are right to choose a theme park.

JustAShopGirl · 10/08/2014 08:01

I don't choose a theme park - I choose Florida.

combust22 · 10/08/2014 08:05

I thought this thread was about theme parks?

JustAShopGirl · 10/08/2014 08:17

it includes theme parks.

the OP says " just got back from 2 weeks in Orlando"

pedantically, I guess I should say I choose Orlando then... Orlando is not just about theme parks but is also a great central location to "do Florida"

CiderwithBuda · 10/08/2014 08:17

I don't get the hate and nasty comments just because people like things that others don't. Comments like 'holiday for the brain dead' are just rude.

We have been to Florida 3 times - 20 years ago without children - did Epcot and Cape Canaveral and the Keys. Then twice with DS - once Easter and once in July. July was hot but we expected that. It was busy. We expected that too. Its commercial and aimed at getting you to spend money. We expected that too!

We found people were friendly. Lots of fast food but not the only options.

We also did a week at a resort on the Gulf Coast which was lovely and we will do it again hopefully. Just need to fit it all in both time wise and budget wise with all the other places we want to go.

In fact we have just been to a resort in Portugal and I thought that was more of a rip off than Olrando.

JustAShopGirl · 10/08/2014 08:23

It is AIBU - here people are generally mean, condescending and PA about things they don't personally rate... you get used to it.

TalcumPowder · 10/08/2014 08:32

Jesus, do people really queue for two hours to go on a ride and still consider the experience enjoyable?

combust22 · 10/08/2014 08:35

talcum I agree.

JustAShopGirl · 10/08/2014 08:39

the 2 hour queue is for the new Harry Potter ride - Gringotts

there were queues all day long for the new Harry Potter books on release day,

there were even 3 hour queues to get into the Vatican last time I was in Rome...

think of the joy of a child anticipating Christmas.

so yes , people queue for things they want to do and do find them enjoyable.

Madeyemoodysmum · 10/08/2014 08:39

I would queue 2 hrs for a harry potter ride but not any other types.

Some people were queuing 5 hrs to meet the frozen princesses. This I would not do.

But I'm going mainly for harry potter not Disney though I know I will enjoy it all.

Theme park in US are NOTHiNG like parks in UK.
They are well organised have shaded or air conditioned queues its a completely different experience.

CiderwithBuda · 10/08/2014 09:04

Justashopgirl - I know - have been around long enough to remember life before AIBU! Smile. I just don't get why people have to be so nasty. Some people do things that I would hate but I would just say it would be my idea of hell but each to their own. The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things but AIBU would be a nicer place if people weren't so quick to be rude.

Anyway....... I agree that people queue for all sorts of things. I hated Rome when we were there years ago! DH's wallet was stolen as we left Naples and we spent Saturday morning in Rome trying to cancel travellers cheques and get more cash and cancel credit cards. Our hotel was horrible. But we were driving so just drove on out of Rome! Never did get to the Vatican!

weatherall · 10/08/2014 09:06

I went 20 years ago and it was the best holiday ever.

Yabu.

alemci · 10/08/2014 09:36

I love the USA and will continue to go:

pound is strong
accommodation to high standard dishwasher etc
easy to drive and navigate
could self cater
great shopping and service
nice people
no litter, clean loos
great beaches
good value in Busch gdns with dine in all day option on ticket for $30 approx and 2 for 1 on snacks