What Makes Disney World Such a Complicated Vacation?

 

For many vacations, including other theme parks, you can plan when you're going to go, book your hotel and then just show up each day.  For guests visiting Walt Disney World, this is absolutely not true.  Blogs like this one (and many others!) wouldn't exist if it were really that simple.  With all the rules and exception to rules, planning a trip to Walt Disney World is one of the most complicated things you can get yourself into.  Combined with how tiring it is, the running joke when you return is that you need a "vacation from your vacation."

Does it have to be this way?  What makes Walt Disney World different from other similar destinations (in large part including Disneyland in California, though that has some of these issues we'll discuss below as well)?  What does Disney gain from making guests jump through so many hoops just to visit?  We'll take a look at these questions in this post and see if we can make things simpler for everyone.

How Can Dinoland USA Be Fixed?

Most lands inside Disney theme parks are exquisitely themed, making you feel like you are part of the story being told.  There are often jaw-dropping attractions, great restaurants and colorful characters.  Some of these are classics, like Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom.  Some are more recent inventions, showcasing the best of Imagineering, like Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.

And then there's Dinoland USA.  This section of Animal Kingdom has never been the best as far as attractions go, the theming and backstory have left a lot to be desired (and are often ridiculed by Disney fans) and most recently, attractions have been cut without any replacements.  It largely sticks out from the lands around it, most notably the beautiful Pandora: The World of Avatar on the other side of the park.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Returns

As announced today, Disney is bringing back Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for the 2022 holiday season.  We're going to talk about what is being offered, when it's happening and why it's back this year for the first time since 2019.

All of the basic information is on the page I linked above, but essentially Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) is back for 24 select nights between November 8 and December 22, 2022.  Prices range from $149 to $199 per person, with discounts for annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members.  The parties take place from 7:00 p.m. to midnight each night they are offered.  But a ticket to this event will allow you to enter the park at 4:00 p.m., without needing a day ticket or park reservation.  This is a good way to spend eight hours in Magic Kingdom if you have limited time otherwise.

 

Disney World News: More Meet and Greets Return!

 

Photo from Disney Parks Blog

 Traditional meet and greets began returning to Disney World in April (and by traditional, I mean where guests could interact with the characters directly instead of the pandemic-era distancing rules) and at the time, this was promised to be a gradual process.  Little by little things have returned to normal, and according to this post today from Disney Parks Blog, a whole bunch of more meet and greets are coming soon!

This post will look at what's coming back and talk a little about some of the things that still haven't returned, with some possible explanations.  More normalcy equals a better park experience, and all of these announced additions made me nod my head and smile.

Stop and Smell the Roses at Disney World

When I think about going to Walt Disney World, what's the one thing I wish I had more of?  If you said "money", you would be ... well, correct.  It's hard to dispute that one.  As we've discussed (and common sense would dictate), these trips can be expensive.  But I wanted to talk about a different finite resource today - time.

As someone who isn't a Florida local, a trip to Walt Disney World is a BIG deal, something that has to be planned many months in advance, something that requires a lot of energy and devotion in order to get things done.  That was part of the reason I wanted to start this blog, really - I was hoping to provide that perspective, as someone who doesn't live there.  Many (great) Disney blogs are filled with people who live in or around Orlando, and can visit the parks anytime they want.  This is not my perspective, and therefore one I can't write from

Disney Creates a 24 Day, $110,000 Trip Around The World

 

Adventures By Disney just announced a new "exclusive" trip that would take 75 guests in a private jet on a 24 day trip around the world.  This would include stops in every one of the twelve Disney parks on the planet, as well as visits to the Taj Mahal, Pyramids of Giza and the Eiffel Tower.  All this can be yours, starting at $109,995 per person (not a typo).

I saw this news yesterday and decided against writing a post on it, but I can't stop thinking about it.  I know plenty of blogs and vlogs have already dunked on this, and cries about Disney only catering to rich clientele have been renewed.  I get all that.  But this is so outlandish that I had to put down some thoughts on it.  Let's dig in.

Harmonious Live! to Livestream on Disney Plus

 

To help celebrate World Music Day (I guess this is a thing?) Disney announced today that it will livestream a performance of Epcot's nighttime spectacular, Harmonious, on Tuesday June 21 at 9:00 ET. (and available for replay starting the next day). This isn't just any performance of Harmonious, though - it will feature "a culturally diverse group of 240 artists from all around the world, all performed by a live orchestra and ensemble of international vocalists." 

I wrote a review of the new nighttime spectaculars a while back and was kind of down on Harmonious.  I revised that opinion a bit after seeing it in person.  And while I still don't think this is the awe-inspiring phenomenon that Disney wishes it were, it's still a worthy show in their canon.  

What Percentage of Guests at Walt Disney World Are First Timers?

 

One of the little magical touches I appreciate at WDW is seeing others guests wearing commemorative buttons celebrating special occasions.  There are ones that say Happily Ever After (often applies to couples who were just married, but also anniversaries), Happy Birthday (I recently broke out of my introvert shell to wear one of these in Animal Kingdom and it was a great, uplifting experience) and ones that simply say "Celebrating" with a blank underneath where you can fill in whatever important event is happening in your lift.

The most common buttons by far, though, are ones that simply say First Visit.  You'll often see kids wearing these but I especially love seeing adults with them, as it means they finally got around to that trip they always wanted to take.  These buttons are a signal to cast members (and sometimes other guests) that you are celebrating, and cast members go out of their way to pay special attention to First Visit buttons.  That really adds that extra Disney magic on top of a trip that hopefully is already fun and magical.

How to Pace Yourself For a Long Day at the Parks

 

When our family does Walt Disney World, we like to "hit the ground running" (an expression I use a lot and makes my wife tired just thinking about it).  I consider us to be "park warriors", who can spend basically all day, every day at the parks for a week long vacation.  In general, this is the strategy I recommend - if you're taking a pool day, you're spending the same amount of money on your resort.  You might as well make the most of it.

Not all park days are created equally, however, and on our last trip we had a couple of particularly long, marathon-like days in the parks.  Part of this was due to the hours being extended during the Spring/Easter season, and part of it was trying to take advantage of both going early and staying late to beat the crowds.  This post will talk about both of these days (which cover around 17-18 hours from the time we woke up until we left the parks) and discuss the similarities and differences between them, how and when to take breaks and how these days fit in the larger vacation time we had.