To ask if you’ve ever been to Walt Disney world florida?

[Idlovetoknow]

I’m not a Disney fanatic but I’d absolutely love to go back with my kids. Reception and preschool age. I went in the late 90s and recall it been infinitely better than sliced bread and crying every time we left. I’m worried it won’t live up to the hype in my head and too much of the parks has changed.

some of my favourite things seem to have gone; honey I shrunk the kids show and playground, voyage of the little mermaid, discovery island, the swimming with sharks in one of the water parks and Mickey’s house seems to be gone too!

ive been to DLP with the kids and that brought some of the magic back, as I’d been as an adult and found it a bit lacking.

anyone been? Anyone been in the 90s and then recently?

i know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s ok

I went in 1992 when I was a teen and loved it, always wanted to take my own children. However last Summer I went to Disneyland Paris and hands down it was the worst three days of my life. We queued. We queued. We queued a bit more and rides broke down after queuing for two hours. The food they served was just junk. It was just awful. It’s put me off ever going to Florida.

Yes!
Went in late 90s too, when I was a child. I know what you mean re: honey i shrank the kids, and the shark swim thing (I didn't do it but remember watching my brother do it!)
I went again when I was an adult, in 2018. I still loved it the same, even with the changes. Can't wait to take my own children in the future!

Skip universal with kids that young. It’s mostly thrill rides and Harry Potter.

if you have princess fans, highly recommend splurging on a princess meal to get multiple princess visits knocked out in one block while sitting in air conditioning. It saves a lot of time and energy.

We went in 2019. It was just amazing and we all adored it. But people who say it takes panning are right. It's vast and there's so much going on you have to plan and prioritise. I think fast passes etc have changed since I went but I'm sure whatever has replaced takes equal planning. We stayed in the Polynesian and it was truly wonderful.

I used to dream about the poly as a kid!

as a 30 year old child, I think it still looks great! But wildnerness lodge too looks utterly lovely! If only I could afford it! Don’t quite the fuss with the contemporary and the Rivera resort (that was £20k for 2 weeks just accommodation- mind blowing)

We went last summer too and it just gave us the bug! We didn’t find we queued too heavily, anything that looked too much we got a fast pass. Youngest was only a baby then, still enjoyed the sensory aspect. Stayed off property in villages natures and yes it was nice but I felt we missed out with the self drive option

We’re booked to go for the first time next Easter - DC will be 10 and 6.

Get yourself on forums like DIBB to see what people have to say about going now and the level of planning needed - there are changes coming for 2024 so some stuff is still up in the air.

Follow blogs like Ziggy Does Disney, Disney Food Blog and All Ears so you can keep up to date on everything.

If you are looking at staying in one of the Value resorts then consider Art of Animation/Pop Century because it has the Skyliner station.

We got back in June and the magic for me was the same as when I was a child- my kids loved universal more and seaworld to see the animals but the whole thing was magical!
we also did a dinner show of knights and horses and the kids loved that so much

my kids loved universal more and seaworld to see the animals but the whole thing was magical!

Why in 2023 would you go to somewhere that keeps orcas and dolphins captive? It's utterly barbaric.

Went on our once in a life time holiday there in 2019. Loved it so much booked to go back again then covid hit but made up for it by spending last August there. The only reason we're not going this year is because we're going to Japan (Tokyo Disney ) instead. Definitely going again soon though! After reading @Ponderingwindow's post I wonder if it's a ND thing. My entire family is ND and even my teenage boys absolutely love Disney. They love the layouts, cleanliness, organisation, schedules etc... of Disney Parks. They literally spent hours watching YouTube videos of Disney bloggers and planning our itinerary using Microsoft spreadsheet.

I've been twice in 5 years and hated it. Kids hated it. Too hot, too much walking, queues were very long and it was very busy.

The first time was ok bit we thought it would be better so we tried a second time and it was worse. Genie+ was rubbish compared to fastpass system and doesnt cover the all the rides.

We were so disappointed we have thought about trying Paris and hoping it is better. Shame as I went as a kid and it was much much better.

Filter TripAdviser by recent reviews for a flavour of the issues.

You sound miserable to be honest and most of your problems were due to lack of planning

If you don't like hot weather then you should think about the fact that you're going to Florida and go in cooler months. Queueing can be mostly avoided with proper planning.

Pop Century and Art of Animation are identical buildings next door to each other, just with different themes. They are basic but fine as a base. Good location though with the skyline to a couple of the parks and buses to the others. We thought we would stay at the Caribbean beach one if we went again, it had slightly better food options and a nicer pool. We found the food pretty dire throughout though to be honest!
I've only been once to Florida and once to Paris, both as an adult. Paris is similar to the main park in Florida but if you liked it you will get that plus more in Florida as Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are all a different feel. The Star Wars bit was amazing (although your kids are possibly too young for that, you might appreciate it if you are a fan!).

I think I stayed there as a kid! I recall cannons in the pool!

i think the theming of the value resorts will be more omg wow for young children, lady and the tramp, jungle book etc. Theming at AoA looks better but not sure if it’s worth the extra cost, about £1k.

that’s interesting about the food, people seem to rave about it!

i did see one review that said some of the worst and overpriced food was chef Mickey and the dining with the cars and outdoor cinema- which is such a shame, they were proper highlights for me back in the day!

I’ve done it once as a kid 1991 universal was just previewing it was amazing, magical and exciting we did 3 weeks I went on the bees with my sister in honey I shrunk the kids. Loved typhoon lagoon.

I’ve done it then 2007 with my own kids then 2013/14 when they were a bit older and with my 2 younger kids. they loved the Disney jr areas and all the characters. We did a villa then old key west which was really amazing. We are doing it all again next year. V excited.
doing the sports accommodation and on-site at universal. Saving begins.

Why is this in AIBU?

I ent in the 90s and returned for a family holiday a few years ago. It's a very expensive holiday and requires a shit load of planning to make the most of, but we had a brilliant time. It's a lot busier than it was back in the day I thought. Despite going at a busy time, careful planning around maximising early entry (we stayed on site), rope drops and fast pass organisation we didn't queue for a long time for any of our must-do rides. I think it's all changed just in these last couple of years, so worth consulting the Dibb for advice if you go. I can't emphasise the planning enough, our holiday was fairly relaxed with no stress, but it was all down to the work in advance.

My friends are just back.

they were away for just over 2 weeks and it’s cost them over £15k. As much as I’d love to go I couldn’t spend that money on it.

We went in 2018. I also went as a kid in the early 90's. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy it going back as an adult. Perhaps it was the fact I had paid nearly £12,000?! Don't know - but I was expecting it to be fabulous and found it was a lot busier, more commercialised, more expensive and with worse food. Maybe rose tinted glasses, but I wont be returning. The world is a big place.

I went around 12 years ago with a friend and found an old invoice which shows I paid £1500 for two people for two weeks at the Pop Century with free (full) dining plan and tickets - I could cry looking at the prices now as I'm desperate to take our children. We last went as a couple almost 10 years ago now.

The Disney Springs hotel are worth a look. I've stayed at 5 different resorts - value, moderate and deluxe - and I'm actually not sure staying onsite is as big a draw these days, the perks are definitely reduced!

Last time we went was in 2019. Going next year. Can’t wait !!!

OP I have been in both the mid 90's, most recently in 2019, and many times in between.

Firstly it's either a love it or hate it experience- if you loved it then you'll love it now, the Disney magic, the incredibly slick organisation, the whole Have A Great Day vibe is still there. If you have been to DLP and loved it you'll love WDW

The main difference between now and the 90s is the eye watering cost, and the planning. It is like a military operation. You simply have to pay extra for some experiences (lightning lanes etc) to be able to realistically do them. However there are still many things that are less popular and can take a lot of people so not such big queues (shows etc)

You need to plan everything in advance, there is no more spontaneously going with the flow. If you like planning you'll love it as things really do go to plan, in a way no other organisation seems to have mastered! I find the Merlin parks in the U.K. such a disappointment after the slickness of Disney.

Yes with the ages of your children stay on site - free transportation and all the magic. Car hire and parking is an absolute fortune now, research it if you do think of staying off site to cut costs so you can be sure it's not a false economy

Check out www.thedibb.co.uk for more information and advice these I could possibly provide here

Yes it’s still brilliant and much better than universal. Worth every penny. The only park that comes close here is Legoland…it’s nice to go somewhere that the staff all look happy to be doing what they’re doing and treat you nicely! You don’t get that much in the UK

We’ve been a few times but not recently as I no longer fly , I’m one of the rare people who prefers Paris mainly because I find the weather more to my liking and prefer short holidays . ( we’ve been to Paris dozens of times since it opened ) . My adult son is going this summer and as pp said you need to book absolutely everything although you can change things when you are there . He went to the California park and universal a couple of years ago . We always stay onsite wherever we do Disney.

I never went as a kid but took DD(4) at Easter and loved it. We stayed in one of the Disney Springs hotels which gave us the best of both worlds I think, on property so we had early access, great shuttle busses, but also reasonably priced and close to off property dining options. I planned the hell out of our trip and still came back wishing I’d done more research!! I never went as a kid so I have nothing to compare it to! I absolutely loved Epcot and Animal Kingdom. I think if we go again I’m going to try and convince DH we should do a couple of nights at Animal Kingdom lodge! Mammoth Club is my favourite YouTube channel, they have some really good videos on how to make the most of genie plus.