Walt Disney World can be overwhelming when you put all the “strategies” to the test.
The goal will be to showcase all the un-truths that you can deal with while planning your vacation and to share what the statement is actually referring to.
Disney Transportation is Reliable
The concept of taking a bus from Point A to Point B is easy on paper, but the realization that you’ll discover is that you’ll be resorting to alternate plans throughout the trip to avoid Disney Transportation.
It’s not bad, but I’ve been stuck for 30+ minutes midday at the Disney Springs bus station and stuck in a line that rivalled certain attractions at the Magic Kingdom at the end of the night.
The main issue comes that buses ride loops, which doesn’t work when you have two buses going from Disney Springs to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Laws of frequency will come into effect when you see 10x more buses for Old Key West because of the distance travelled.
That being said, I’ve waited for 20-25 minutes more for a Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge bus from Disney’s Animal Kingdom (literally a 5-minute trip up the road) because the buses are re-routed.
Not reliable – sorry Disney.
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You have to stay on property
At one point, staying on property had it’s benefits.
There is no more “Extra Magic Hours”, no more free Magicband, and definitely a lack of enticing offers to pay a significant mark-up for less.
The suggestion is to look at all options and see what’s best for your party, but the days of having to stay on property because of all the added perks are in the rearview mirror and not coming back.
Plus, with UBER and LYFT, the savings for staying off-property can be used for added dining reservations and reallocation of funds for snacks and merchandise.
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You can’t drink at Disney
At one point in time, this was true…and some folks still believe it.
Beer is available all over the parks, resorts and everywhere. You can drink at 8am (Oga’s Cantina literally has breakfast reservations), so the days of having to secure a reservation to Be Our Guest for a drink in the Magic Kingdom are over.
The suggestion would be to research the Disney-exclusive drinks and put those on your to-do list and skip the $12-$17 beers that you can get back home.
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Disney is only for kids
Disney World is for everyone. Deal with it.
Even if you’re not a Disney fan, you can still have a great vacation at Walt Disney World!
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Disney Food is theme park food
This is hard to dispute when you look at the offerings in the Magic Kingdom, but I will definitely stand behind the statement that Walt Disney World has memorable dining experiences that you won’t find anywhere else.
Want a burger? Want a corn dog? Want popcorn or Mickey Waffles? Sure, but remember that you can get a Prime Rib Sandwich with Parmesan Fries for $20 within a 5-minute walk of the Magic Kingdom at Steakhouse 71.
You can also go to Victoria & Alberts…but I digress.
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Don’t get Starbucks
Oh, this is a fun one. Who are you fooling?
If you want Starbucks, get Starbucks.
There are other options, like Joffrey’s, but there are exclusive snacks and drinks that only exist at the Starbucks locations on property – and why not grab what you want?
I will share that you get a better value at the corporate Starbucks locations (at Disney Springs) than in the theme parks, but that’s because you can use your rewards.
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There’s nothing to do at Disney Springs
I have an entire article on the fun things to do at Disney Springs, but you can plan a full day at the shopping district without actually shopping.
If I had a part in the planning, I wouldn’t spend a full day at Disney Springs, but you can definitely run through a few hours without even thinking about it.
Art of Disney, World of Disney, Splitsville, Aerophile, Gideons Bakery, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Chef Art Smith….just to name a few.
Hollywood studios is a half day park
I’ve been a part of this crowd for the better part of a decade, and it’s can be tough to dispute under certain circumstances.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a number of e-ticket attractions that can cause a huge backlog of lines when they go down. If Rise of the Resistance goes down, the rest of the park doubles the wait times. When you add that Tower of Terror and Rock n Rollercoaster are finicky as well, you’re making the park a half-day park because no one wants to wait more than two-hours for a 90-second ride.
Even with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, DHS is the park with the most outdated and underdeveloped areas that need attention. The former Star Wars Launch Bay, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the former Pixar Place, Star Tours….that’s just OUTSIDE of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
And does anyone actually know what Gertie the Dinosaur is and why ECHO lake is still a thing?
All of this to say that you can still have a great day at the studios, as long as everything stays online and doesn’t break.
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All of the animals at Disney are fake
You know that Kilimanjaro Safari’s opened in 1998, right? That’s almost 25 years of real animals at Walt Disney World.
And one time, I saw a real life bird on Jungle Cruise. True story.
You won’t cry
Everyone cries at Walt Disney World.
- Fireworks
- Soundtracks
- Heat exhaustion
- Dole Whip
Shall I go on? Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.
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Everything is Mickey Mouse
This is a fun one, as there are classic “Mickey” items that have been transformed into other non-Mickey things.
- Mickey Ears are just the category – lots of random hats to find.
- Mickey Pretzels are made in different characters (Simba, etc)
- There’s a Hidden Donald on the Haunted Mansion
But yes, you can find a lot of Mickey at Disney. Remember, it’s the only company that started with a Mouse.
Hope this was fun for you! I had a blast putting the list together – and lots more coming!