Disney Newbies....

[rphillips14]

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.

[Amy]

Yup, been there, experienced this. I try to do my best not to overwhelm someone who asks, but I do try my best to get some of the important things across. It is funny to see their eyes get wider, and wider, and then you can sort of see a click where it just becomes too much information and they can't handle anymore.

[rphillips14]

True True True!!! I've honestly seen the eye thing but they just don't understand-Disney is not 6 flags over Orlando-it's a whole different experience. A Disneyite friend and I were talking the other day about staying on property verses not and he said "It's a whole different experience off property-When I stay on property, I feel like I'm at home!" I thought he couldn't of said it better!!

[sfein]

For most newbies, I try to find out what they do know (even if it is a little) and pick what I think is the most helpful thing that they don't know anything about and just tell them that. For example if they have a basic concept of getting to the park early and going on rides during parades (if they don't want to watch parades), I just tell them about the fastpass. I then leave all that other information up to them to learn about. But I try to limit it to one thing. Getting around the park or times or "touring plans" or park days, etc. Otherwise, just blank stares.

[Wizzard419]

Has anyone else had this happen to them?

3. They completely don't understand dining and the reservations system.

If they don't care about having the plush stuffers around them (character dining) then they might not need to be as concerned with the system. It heavily depends on where they want to eat (also when they are going) and if that place is also where a lot of people also want to eat at the same time. If they are content with the quick service places then reservations won't matter. The concierge and reservations service also will offer alternatives of the same type if an establishment is full.

The "reservation" system is generally the same as any establishment, you don't actually have a table reserved (unless you are a huge party or a very specific location is requested), you simply get priority for the next open table. The only difference is that some places have longer wait-lists than places Michelin stars.

[Amy]

Has anyone else had this happen to them?

3. They completely don't understand dining and the reservations system.

If they don't care about having the plush stuffers around them (character dining) then they might not need to be as concerned with the system. It heavily depends on where they want to eat (also when they are going) and if that place is also where a lot of people also want to eat at the same time. If they are content with the quick service places then reservations won't matter. The concierge and reservations service also will offer alternatives of the same type if an establishment is full.

The "reservation" system is generally the same as any establishment, you don't actually have a table reserved (unless you are a huge party or a very specific location is requested), you simply get priority for the next open table. The only difference is that some places have longer wait-lists than places Michelin stars.

Some restaurants are not going to be available without a reservation no matter what time of day you are looking at though. I think even the character buffets probably don't have walk-up capacity unless they have last minute cancellations.

[Wizzard419]

Exactly, so if they don't have to dine with the characters or at a very specific establishment (such as le cellier) they can still get same day reservations or walk ups.

[Len90]

I think another problem I have is when there are people who are newbies and think they can see it all within 3-4 days. They don't realize how much there is to do and that you can be there for a week and still miss a lot of stuff.

Exactly, so if they don't have to dine with the characters or at a very specific establishment (such as le cellier) they can still get same day reservations or walk ups.

Nope. More popular restaurants like O'hana, Be Our Guest, etc will not take walk ups. Even a place like Prime Time Cafe you can walk up and maybe be put in for a very late time slot if you are lucky. You pretty much need to have ADRs in WDW.

[Wizzard419]

Hence why I said not at very specific establishments. If you go during the super busy times there will be fewer options, but they will still be there. Plus, considering they have never gone before, they may have no idea what places they want to eat at. If they want a "family" establishment like PTC or BOG they may need one since those places are higher traffic areas, but if they are looking for something else, like flying fish for example, then same day reservations are possible.

At the same time they also may be content just eating from the quick service locations and that is fine too.

Because some of the places just get such huge crowds they end up having 6 month waiting lists, which is insane when you consider that this is because of the show not the food. If they are traveling with kids that want to do that, then they should try and call ASAP.

[Sharonofwindham]

This actually just happened to me...in a way. A friend asked me if she should go to Hollywood Studios or "United Kingdom", because they were not going to get a "hopper pass", and were only going to "fantasyworld" one day, and had to choose between these two for the other . I said, "Do you mean Universal"? She said, "No I've been there". So I said, "You probably mean Animal Kingdom." Since she said she doesn't really like thrill rides I suggested Animal Kingdom...they went to Hollywood Studios . You're asking me what you should do...why?

[Amy]

This actually just happened to me...in a way. A friend asked me if she should go to Hollywood Studios or "United Kingdom", because they were not going to get a "hopper pass", and were only going to "fantasyworld" one day, and had to choose between these two for the other . I said, "Do you mean Universal"? She said, "No I've been there". So I said, "You probably mean Animal Kingdom." Since she said she doesn't really like thrill rides I suggested Animal Kingdom...they went to Hollywood Studios . You're asking me what you should do...why?

Oh my goodness! I think I might have had to had to excuse myself from that conversation so I could go laugh, roll my eyes in 360 circles and not make them feel bad. Wow ~ so many things wrong with that conversation!

[Len90]

Wizz, you are right that places in resorts and DTD don't book up as quickly. However, most families who go probably want to just stay around the park so I would anticipate them wanting one of those restaurants.

This actually just happened to me...in a way. A friend asked me if she should go to Hollywood Studios or "United Kingdom", because they were not going to get a "hopper pass", and were only going to "fantasyworld" one day, and had to choose between these two for the other . I said, "Do you mean Universal"? She said, "No I've been there". So I said, "You probably mean Animal Kingdom." Since she said she doesn't really like thrill rides I suggested Animal Kingdom...they went to Hollywood Studios . You're asking me what you should do...why?

I actually had someone I know recently go to Disney World. They ended up doing two days at the parks and one day at Blizzard Beach. They skipped Animal Kingdom, spent a whole day at MK, and the other day was split between DHS and EPCOT. I personally looked at them like they were crazy for doing that.

[Wizzard419]

It depends on their interests I would imagine. AK for me is only a quick trip to go on a few of their rides since their zoo aspect does not impress compared to what I can get locally.

Though I am always surprised when someone notes how they just relaxed by the pool (not just on a Disney vacation) I am shocked. If I were going to do that I wouldn't fly across the country for that.

[dsnymommy]

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.

[cy1229]

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.