There are some things that might come as a surprise to you or not live up to expectations on your Disney World trip. I have 8 of those for you today.
I also have a quick tip about why you might not be able to get FastPass+ reservations right when they open.
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8 things that could be disappointing
1. Ride closures
Attractions can close at any point and sometimes there are lots of closures all at once. They usually open up later in the day but it can throw off your touring plans.
2. Weather
Florida weather can be volatile with extreme heat, cool temperatures, and sometimes torrential rain. Be sure to check the forecast beforehand so you'll know what to expect.
3. Transportation
Disney transportation can often take a long time which is why I usually recommend allowing an hour each way.
4. Wait times (even though you have reservations)
Even if you've made dining or FastPass+ reservations, you can end up having a bit of a wait. This varies by attraction and the time that you're eating.
5. Strollers
Although strollers are very helpful with alleviating kids from 10+ miles per day of walking, they can be a pain to fold up every time you get on a bus, to park outside of each attraction, and to track down after exiting an attraction (especially since Cast Members often move them).
6. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
The newest ride at Disney World is one that everybody wants to ride, and it's beautifully themed and charming, but it doesn't last very long and may not live up to expectations.
7. Illuminations
This show doesn't pack the same punch that Wishes or Fantasmic do, although understanding the story is helpful in appreciating it.
8. Be Our Guest dinner
This is probably the most difficult dining reservation to get and experiences here vary a lot. Some come away having loved it, but many find the food and service disappointing.
Quick tip of the day
If any of the parks are open after midnight eastern time on the night that you're scheduled to begin making your FastPass+ reservations, you'll have to wait until they are closed to begin making them. Update - You can now make your FastPass+ reservations at 7 a.m. eastern time.
Have a quick tip of your own? Call it in at https://www.speakpipe.com/WDWPrepToGo
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What an interesting perspective. It’s good to know you can’t do everything at Disney. Being a local passholder I would have to agree with most of this list. I was not that impressed with BOG either compared to the hype. went for lunch and I thought the desserts were tiny compared to what you can get at the bakery for a cupcake.
It’s so important to do your research. Being from California, we were Disneyland experts. Our first trip to WDW was a single day in February 1983. It was dark and rainy. It was familiar, but different, and we were disappointed. We didn’t go back for 20 years. Now, thanks to the internet, I learn all I can before I go someplace, and live out my vacation ahead of time! We’ve had 4 wonderful vacations to WDW, and I consider myself an expert!
What a fun post! We just returned from our first trip in December so I couldn’t help but laugh when you mentioned weather. We’re in Southern California so I couldn’t believe how widely the temps varied over our ten day trip. The forecast would say “mostly sunny,” and then it rained for 5 hours! Never a dull moment… keep up the great work!
Me, hubby and our twin 7 year old girls LOVED the 7 dwarfs mine train its adorable and fun, so we went on twice
Totally agree with everything EXCEPT Illuminations which is by far my favorite nighttime extravaganza! love love love it.
I’m just curious, have you eaten dinner at BOG more than once? I know you wrote about the time you went with your family and had a bad time (the tiny dollop of the Grey stuff for 2 was particularly WTF) but maybe it was an off night? Or have you had or heard of similar experiences? As someone with a trip starting March 28 I think the stuff that’s going on with lunch is particularly eye-roll worthy, but that’s probably more of the timing of switching from the Fast Pass to reservations system. In any event, if I decide to wake up at 6 to make the reservation on 2/25 it would be earlier that the other method. I had a calendar alert set for 3/1.
I don’t know if it helps, but we went to BOG for both dinner and lunch on our trip (I got a 7:35 pm reservation 3 weeks prior, got lucky), and both were very nice. The food and atmosphere were amazing and the Beast was so funny we had a blast with him. For lunch we walked by at around 2 pm later int he week and there was a 10 minute wait so we decided to go back. Was great too.
How do people compare the New Mine Train to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Big Thunder Mnt Railroad is a favorite with my kids. Both times we’ve gone to Disney, we’ve ridden it repeatedly late at night when you can just walk on.
We took our 4 1/2 year old on both rides and hands down the 7 Dwarfs was her favorite over Thunder. She complained it was a little too jerky and bumpy compared to the smoothness of 7 Dwarfs.
My favorite ride has been Thunder Mountain, but our 3 yr old son was not tall enough, plus we worried about it being too rough. So we gladly went on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I suggest doing Fast Pass+ for ANY time that you can get it for…well worth not having to wait. The ride was so quick that from the time we “stopped” to wait at the back of the very short FP+ line to walking out and done with ride was less than 6 minutes. Everyone else in stand by was waiting 60+ minutes. Would not have been worth the wait with 3 yr old, unless we had had a fast pass….so grateful for that option. And it’s very pretty. A new fave, will just make sure we do FP+ again.
In my opinion the New Mine Train is just too short! The wait was an hour plus every single time I checked it on our trip in February. We had 2 Fast Passes for it, so we were able to ride it twice. It’s super cute and fun, but I wouldn’t wait over an hour for it, just doesn’t seem worth it to me. I would say for a younger kid it’s probably less scary than Big Thunder.
I agree re the Mine Train. It’s cute, but doesn’t live up to the hype. Thanks to you, Shannon, I planned well so I didn’t have to stand in line. If I had to stand in line, I’d pass it by. Honestly, I enjoyed the queue more than the ride. The Dwarf’s cottage was really cute.