Has anyone regretted going to Disney Florida?

[ForthethingsIdo]

I feel I want to take my child but am so put off by the crowds and queues.

I’ve read people often stand in queues for 60-90min to ride.

Is it really worth it?

Thank you

Can someone please give a ball-park figure for how much it costs for a family of 4, around school holidays (either April, summer or Oct)?

Are we talking £10k? More?

@AuContraire that sounds about right possibly more depending on accommodation choice/car hire choice and obviously variable like eating out.

I've only done DLP and never again. Kids have never mentioned it since.

Ok
The crowds are horrendous.
Maximum capacity is up to 100,000 people at Magic kingdom and we were there when it was maximum capacity.
Queuing in 35 degree heat for over 2 hours for a 2 minute ride was hellish. Some rides broke down so the waiting was even longer.
The ADDITIONAL cost once there, so parking at each park was $20-30 per park per day.
They tip for everything and tax is not included in any of the displayed goods it’s added on at the till. So add on a chunk to every thing.
Merchandise, which of course is EVERYWHERE at all of the parks is extortionate. EXTORTIONATE.
Food, drinks, icecream is EXTORTIONATE in the parks.
If you go at the time of the American holidays, there are huge groups from one place all wearing matching T shirts and back packs. These groups can be 100 or more people/kids who join queues for rides. They swamp the place.
The whole theme of it is to get your money, that’s it.

We were hot, tired, irritated and very disappointed. Definitely did not get any value for money at all.
I don’t recommend it and would not go back.

12k to get there probably another £3k while there. (Fast passes or whatever it is they call them) for eating, parking, ice creams etc.

And that’s taking our own snacks and bottles of frozen water etc from Walmart. The pull on ice boxes are banned so you have to fit it all into your back packs.

@AuContraire
At least £10K probably more.
We went pre Covid when it was cheaper and they had the free dinning offer. I can't believe how much it has gone up since then. Our youngest was only 1 and yes I did regret taking him at this age. We'd like to go back now they are older but it has become so incredibly expensive

I took my DC many years ago, when they were 8 and 10. I don’t regret it, but I wouldn’t rush back.

Our favourite days were Discovery Cove, Blizzard Beach and lazing by our hotel
pool all day. The days at the parks were quite stressful, mainly because we were with another family who marched everywhere and we could barely keep up.

My DC enjoyed themselves, but they don’t rate it as one of their best holidays.

I’ve heard the cost is extortionate these days too, so I’m glad we did when it was more affordable for us.

Did a day in Disney Paris, and really hated it. Never even considered Florida. It's not compulsory, so why bother to spend so much money when you don't have an urge to? My DS did not love it either which helped.

I went as an 11 year old and absolutely loved it so part of me wants my kids to have the same but it’s so extortionately expensive and I can’t bear crowds or queuing these days. And not good in the heat either(when I went it was February and the weather was lovely!).

However we did do Efteling and Billund in recent years and enjoyed them a lot so are upgrading to Disneyland Paris this summer, but only for 2 days as part of a longer holiday in France. We’ll see, but I can’t see myself parting with £10k plus to take them to Florida when most of our holidays cost £3-4K.

It’s brilliant: I’ve been at Easter and August, both times off site, and in May on site.

Easter was the busiest, May the quietest. August wasn’t so bad but it was like stepping into an oven, followed by showering with all my clothes on, then back into the oven, and repeat. Chucked it down in May too but the heat was more manageable. Planning my next few trips, this time with kids and will do May and onsite again.

I don’t regret it but wouldn’t go back. But I LOVE Disneyland in California. I’m not a Disney adult, but I found Florida all a bit uninspiring whereas at least around California there was a lot to do and see.

And I spend most of my holidays doing capitalist American activities and with a detailed spreadsheet to plan the trip, so it should’ve been right up my street!

Ooh I’d highly recommend Billund. We went for 4 days last summer (very late August when the Danish kids have gone back
so not that busy). Loved it though 4 days was enough. Food etc is very expensive when there but Ryanair flights cheap if you book ahead and accommodation and theme park costs were all reasonable.

Haha! I thought the same. I don't want to take activities to pass the time in a queue either.. a nightmare holiday for me!

We had a great time but didn't do it like I think most people do. We went with what suited and fitted us better. So we had 10 days in the Easter holidays (not as hot as summer), one day each at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Universal, Kennedy Space Centre - staying at a Villa through Airbnb in Orlando, parkrunned at Clermont Water and Depot Park (Gainesville - which had fab Gatorade museum next door so we had a great day), and a long weekend at Ocala National Park in an RV (Airbnb) with its own golf buggy. Access to pool in both locations. If we could have five one more thing it would have been the other Universal.

We deliberately waited until our kids were teens as dh visited at 8 and 14 and enjoyed it much better as a teen.

Yes and no. Orlando is a pretty depressing place. I went as a child and then in 2017 and it felt like it hadn't evolved. Disney itself is pretty dated

I’m a fully paid up Bad Parent as I refused to take DC to Disney or theme parks. I caved once as went to Paris and took DD to Disney for the day from there. I had a friend who’s husband worked there so she got us free jump the queue passes.

It was still urgh, as expected. We queued for an hour for DD to have a hug with a person dressed up as Thumper. What I couldn’t believe is nearly everyone else in the queue was an adult. Not there with kids, but with some weird autograph book they got the gap year student dressed up as a rabbit to sign, after queuing for an hour.

WTF?! I just don’t get it 😂

@TiaSeeya 😂 what the hell? I honestly don't understand this 🤣

I was sceptical whether I would enjoy it or not. But it was a holiday of a lifetime. We stayed on site so no driving. We got genie plus for the week due to a deal so queue time was minimised and we could relax and enjoy the park and Aircon. Children 11 and 9, perfect age for excitement but stretched to do adult rides. A whole week of Disney and we didn't do it all. The pool at the hotel d used every day.

We had a week outside Orlando too so saw a bit of America too. That was important to the overall greatness of the trip (first time in the US for us)

It was bloody expensive, but I don't regret it for the memories.

I'm in the no camp. My DC know that we will never go!

Some friends of ours went and it was 2 years of spreadsheets and booking restaurants and meets etc and fast passes and forums and....genuinely hideous for me! They spent £££. If I had money, that is not what I would do with it.

Other friends went, taken by grandparents with all all the cousins and every single photo has them in a poncho due to the tropical storms, and most of their pictures are them queuing.

We went for 2 weeks last October/November over Halloween. I really, really didn’t want to go.
It was the best holiday we have ever been on, and we have already booked to go back for two weeks this October.
We went to Disney for 10 days and Universal for 4. We stayed in a Disney moderate hotel for the ten days at Disney then moved to the Endless Summer hotel at universal for the last 4 days.
Our DC are 9 and 14 and they both loved it. Weather was perfect in October, had to buy jumpers one day as it got relatively chilly. Halloween decorations/activities were amazing (the free Halloween parties at Disney hotels are fantastic) then we got to see the start of the Christmas decorations.
We bought genie plus passes most days in Disney and used the virtual queues. Don’t think we queued more than an hour for anything and the theming is so good in the queues on most rides it keeps the kids entertained anyway.
I went kicking and screaming practically, and came away a total concert.

I took our children on our 1st visit to Orlando. We did 4 of the 5 Disney parks. Honestly the children were completely underwhelmed. They loved Universal though. I guess it really depends on your family. I saw so many children having meltdowns and devastated parents who thought they were bringing their children to the happiest place but all the kids wanted to do was go splash in the pool.
If they are mad for all things Disney then great. If they hate crowds and waiting then I really wouldn't bother.
I think Orlando is great as a base though.

But, it’s not a holiday to go on if you don’t want to do quite a lot of pre-planning and research to get the most out of it.
It’s not really the sort of place you can rock up with no plan.

I loved it but we went to Florida for 2 weeks and just did 1 day at the Magic Kingdom then 2 at Universal, then headed to the coast. I don't understand how people cope staying on site for 2 weeks and doing every day - it is very very expensive.

It’s like it’s ‘cool’ to say you hate Florida 😂

It’s amazing. Yes it’s expensive, yes it’s crowded. But there’s a reason, it’s because it’s so good.

To the posters saying it’s dated and run down, are you blind? It’s absolutely beautiful and pristine in terms of cleanliness and the theming and immersion is next level.

I don’t know anyone who has ever regretted it. I truly believe those who say ‘I hate it, my kids don’t care, wouldn’t like it’ would secretly love to go but can’t afford it.

Go OP, you’ll have a fab time.

I reluctantly booked a Disney holiday for last July. I thought hard about it as I’m not really a Disney fan and Florida is not my idea of a great place to visit.

We had a blast!!!!!!

The queues were not bad at all. We were so lucky. Didn’t have to purchase lightening lanes or use genie plus.

We stayed in a Disney affiliate hotel so got free shuttles to the parks and early entry. We also got free breakfasts so didn’t really need to eat during the day as we were full up and it was hot.

We couldn’t stop talking about the holiday for weeks after.

And the best thing is - we managed to come in under budget!!!!!

Go for it. You’ll have a great time