Disney Newbies....

[Amy]

Glad to know I'm not alone. I can't tell you how often I've had to reign in my Disney love when someone asks me a question. I've already given someone that wide eyed look just by asking them a few questions. They had asked where they should dine in the parks to make the most of their dining package. I started to ask a few questions about what their family likes to eat, if they want to eat and run or sit for a while, etc. About 3 questions in I realized that all they wanted to hear was my favorite restaurant and not looking for a personalized pro and con list for each park. Thankfully I have a fellow Disney lover to talk with so that we can obsess over every details of each other's upcoming trips.

My fellow Disney lovers live here on Subsonic

[Goofyfan]

Has anyone else had this happen to them?

A person will tell another person that I am the "Disney Guy" if they are planning a trip to Disney. So, they look me up and I start to tell them as much as I can about Disney and you all know there is SOOOOO much to tell a person to get them ready for their first trip. The problem is that I sometimes OVERLOAD them on info and I see the look on their face turn to one of being over-whelmed. They think Disney is like a day trip to an amusement park and are blown away to find out all the other STUFF. So, I've gotten very defensive about being the "Disney Guy" because I don't want to ruin anyone's trip planning by telling them the truth. I tend to let them find it out rather than me try to help them-that way, they can't blame me for establishing all these wonderful expectations and then they don't follow my instructions and/or choose not to do all of them and have an "average" trip and then blame me. I try to just tell them some minor details and gauge their true interest and If they are "A Disney Family or destined to be a Disney family" then they will ask questions and enjoy my answers and we will connect but often they are just not a "Disney Family" and will ask something like "Well, what else is there to do that day after we get done at Disney?" to which I of course cringe. So has anyone else found that sometimes your knowledge of Disney is too much info for a new person?


The problems newbies often run into are:

1. They get to the park too late in the morning and are in the heat of the day and the largest crowds.
2. They don't understand the "FastPass" system at all and are turned off by the "terrible lines".
3. They completely don't understand dining and the reservations system.
4. They get the park hopper and then run themselves crazy trying to hit 3 or 4 parks a day.
5. They tire themselves out, go to the hotel and miss the night stuff.

You hit the nail right on the head!!!!

[theBIGyowski]

I have some close friends who just came back from WDW...and they had a blast because they followed touring plans that I made for them...and they listened to my advice about dining and all that. Those same friends have relatives who went back in January...who had no plan whatsoever and just tried to "do Disney" and they were miserable.

Unless you are a seasoned vet...you need to have some kind of plan. Heck...even us vets have plans...they are just in our heads.

[Cardinals314]

I haven't been able to experience this yet. But if I do, I would give my opinion about my favorite places to eat and what not. I would also forward them to websites that are very useful like easywdw.com

[Sharonofwindham]

A friend and former colleague of mine made a Facebook post last week, something to the tune of "Leaving for Disney World in 2 days and haven't been there for 11 years. What are your tips?" I just about fell out of my chair from fatigue after typing. They are staying off-property so 2/3 of what I would have recommended didn't apply. I was able to stifle my incredulity over not having planned sooner and give some good information, but GEEZ! This person and her husband are quite intelligent so I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they were being so casual about this.

As a side note, they rented a house with a pool, and got there yesterday to discover the A/C was not working and it was 90 degrees on the second story. When they called the rental agency, no one answered the phone. Shoulda, coulda, wish they woulda stayed on property... C'est la vie. To each his own, I guess.

I understand that it is very expensive to stay on property, however, to me it's worth saving longer, or looking into unconventional ways to book a stay like buying points from DVC members, etc. Once we even flew to Florida with a tent and sleeping bags to stay at Ft. Wilderness just to be on property, (hey, those "comfort stations" are pretty comfy). I swear I could never stay off property...ever!

[Wizzard419]

I wonder what impact AirBnB has on the Orlando market? It has been banned in NYC.

[Amy]

I wonder what impact AirBnB has on the Orlando market? It has been banned in NYC.

I had never heard of this AirBnB before so I looked it up online. Looks like it is very much a case of buyer or short term renter beware

[Wizzard419]

They have been around for a few years I think, and they have a "reputation" system but they have had a problem with robberies and I think rape (possibly murder) since you are giving a physical key to your home to a stranger.

[rphillips14]

I had a good friend of mine Email me today and say "We are going to Cocoa Beach for 7 days and thought we might go to Disney for 1 of those days in September." I bit my lip and tried to follow the good advice of my Disney brothers and sisters on subsonic and told her, very gently, "You know, September is free dining at Disney. They will feed your whole family, for free, if you'd stay on site and commute to Cocoa a couple of days. Well, apparently, they are very attached to Cocoa Beach (I've been there it was OK but kinda boring unless you area beach crazed family) anyway, she thanked me and that was it. Oh well, at least I didn't overload her about Disney this time.

[Amy]

I had a good friend of mine Email me today and say "We are going to Cocoa Beach for 7 days and thought we might go to Disney for 1 of those days in September." I bit my lip and tried to follow the good advice of my Disney brothers and sisters on subsonic and told her, very gently, "You know, September is free dining at Disney. They will feed your whole family, for free, if you'd stay on site and commute to Cocoa a couple of days. Well, apparently, they are very attached to Cocoa Beach (I've been there it was OK but kinda boring unless you area beach crazed family) anyway, she thanked me and that was it. Oh well, at least I didn't overload her about Disney this time.

At least you tried. One of my piano families is going to Cocoa Beach this coming week. I wouldn't mind going to the beach for a day or two, but can't imagine just lounging on the beach when I could be at WDW!

[cy1229]

I had a good friend of mine Email me today and say "We are going to Cocoa Beach for 7 days and thought we might go to Disney for 1 of those days in September." I bit my lip and tried to follow the good advice of my Disney brothers and sisters on subsonic and told her, very gently, "You know, September is free dining at Disney. They will feed your whole family, for free, if you'd stay on site and commute to Cocoa a couple of days. Well, apparently, they are very attached to Cocoa Beach (I've been there it was OK but kinda boring unless you area beach crazed family) anyway, she thanked me and that was it. Oh well, at least I didn't overload her about Disney this time.

At least you tried. One of my piano families is going to Cocoa Beach this coming week. I wouldn't mind going to the beach for a day or two, but can't imagine just lounging on the beach when I could be at WDW!

We actually do the opposite of what the family in question, rphillips14, did with you. We spend a week at Disney and then head to Cocoa Beach for a couple of days. Cocoa Beach is a lot of fun, and if you add in the Kennedy Space Center tour, a lot of fun. We found a great dive for seafood and had a great time watching the sun come up. But a week on the beach? Ugh.

[Thumper1]

WOW!!! So many people claim they want to go to Disney world and they don't really want to go. My sister went in April, asked for suggestions from me and then proceeded to tell me when she got home she thinks I'm crazy! She HATED her trip. They stayed at the pool 95% of the time and didn't even really see much. They did stay on property and she did like that.( You have to stay on property, I feel like I'm totally at home while doing that!! )I told her to get the dinning plan and all they did was eat at the resort the whole time,what?!!! I even told her I'd book her reservations for her and suggested the places to eat. She didn't want to take the time to do the reservation thing , so she proceeded to tell me how bad the food was when they got back. How do you hate the happiest place on earth? I still don't get it 2 months later!!

[Sharonofwindham]

WOW!!! So many people claim they want to go to Disney world and they don't really want to go. My sister went in April, asked for suggestions from me and then proceeded to tell me when she got home she thinks I'm crazy! She HATED her trip. They stayed at the pool 95% of the time and didn't even really see much. They did stay on property and she did like that.( You have to stay on property, I feel like I'm totally at home while doing that!! )I told her to get the dinning plan and all they did was eat at the resort the whole time,what?!!! I even told her I'd book her reservations for her and suggested the places to eat. She didn't want to take the time to do the reservation thing , so she proceeded to tell me how bad the food was when they got back. How do you hate the happiest place on earth? I still don't get it 2 months later!!

Human nature can sure be weird...I find that if people know YOU really love something, they are for some reason determined to find all the negative things they can. They go into the experience with a bad attitude, and are so eager to tell you how much they disliked the very thing you love. This hurts even more with Disney for some reason...I think 'cause it is so close to our hearts. Don't let it get to you to much...she is the one who is missing out. You have so many others who feel the same as you. We have the magic in our hearts & souls forever