What did you do that you thought was a waste of money?

[calismic]

Definitely Mickey's Very Crowded Christmas Party. They limit the amount of people in the park...I believe they limit it to the occupancy allowed by the state fire marshal! It would be worth it if you were actually able to move.

BBB on the other hand, the makeover they do it totally NOT worth it. However, the way your child is treated by CMs the rest of the day IS worth it. Make sure to do it as early in the day as possible and plan to do your character meet and greets that day. The CMs in the parade will even wave and point to your child if the are in BBB garb. I guess the severe hair style makes them easy to spot. Consider buying the dress before you come to make sure it is comfortable.

Like others said you don't really need that many extras for a trip.

Where were you in the park?! I keep hearing people complaining about this but I've never experienced large crowds at limited ticket events, even on sell-out nights. Most rides cap at a 15 minute wait time. Maybe since I avoid the parade route I've been lucky. *shrug*

 

[smiths02]

I'm planning our first WDW vacation for January. I am trying very hard to keep it within budget, but there are so many things I want to do that just keep pushing our cost higher and higher. Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique or Pirate's League, Pirate and Pals Firework Cruise, Firework Dessert Party, Memory Maker, Hoop Dee Doo Revue, etc, not to mention the character meals.

What did you do during one of your trips that you thought was a complete waste of money?

I don't think park hoppers, water parks, dinner shows, dessert parties/Pirates and Pals, makeovers (BBB, Pirate's League) are really necessary to have fun. You already pay a big chunk of money for tickets and hotel (if onsite) that there is plenty to do with just those costs. We did 2 trips with only staying on-site and character dining (dining plan) as our "extras." One trip with did stay on-site, character dining, and photo pass plus/memory maker.
So without BBB, Hoop de Doo, Dessert party, Pirates and Pals, park hoppers, water parks, etc., we managed to fill 16 nights between those 3 trips. This last trip was 8 nights, we did do Memory Maker, Pirates and Pals, and some character dining. Again, no makeovers, no dinner shows, no water parks, and we still had a great trip.

So we've now spent 24 nights at Disney without water parks, Disney Quest, BBB, Pirates League, a dessert party, a hard ticket event, a dinner show. I haven't even seen Fantasmic. I've only seen Wishes once and Illuminations once.

 

[muenginerd]

DDP (Delux Dining Plan) was our biggest waste of money. It's just downright too much food. The dining plan works for DH and I. We would do it again. Just next time we go a step down or two to a more manageable level.

AK Safari Room - I loved the hotel and the room. We just were never there. WE were out from when we woke up to when we crashed. We could stay in a small motel room for all we cared. I don't think delux resorts are worth it if you are not going to spend time at the hotel. If you are spending time at your hotel. Then sure, they could be fun! Animal Kingdom Lodge was also so far from everything else...

 

[tlmadden73]

A lot of it is relative.
You get what you pay for usually .. just not in something you can easily quantify.
While you may not "physically" get your money's worth (compared to prices back home) .. you are also paying for the experience. Was "Be Our Guest" expensive for a "quick service" lunch? Yes .. but the food (and dessert) was exceptional (wasn't just burger and fries) and the atmosphere and character of the restaurant is a value you can't put a price on.

There are things I wouldn't do more than once due to the cost (like character meals at certain restaurants). But there are some things that the "experience" (for you and the child) are worth it. I bought my niece a makeover at the Ice Palace Boutique at DHS. Expensive for what the child physically gets? Yes. But for the looks on her (and my wife and sister-in-laws face) as she got done up .. worth every penny for the "experience".

On the flip side .. something I thought would be a waste of money that wasn't:
Refillable Resort Mug. I was only there for 5 days/4 nights, and thought $17 was way too much for a mug I could only fill up at the resorts. I saved cost by only getting one for my wife and I, but the rest of my family got one for each family and we were using them a lot. Filling them up in the morning, during afternoon breaks and in the evenings was good enough. We filled them up when we visited other resorts for meals ... The mug itself was handy to have IN the park for just filling up with ice and water. We carried them with us everywhere we went and it seemed like almost everyone at our resort was using them.
Sure .. I could have saved some money and brought my own soda and put in my fridge .. but this was handy and a fun souvenir to remember the trip by.

 

[Princess Merida]

For my family.....I only have one NEVER again

Park Hoppers....Bought them the first trip and used them one time and it was not easy to park hop at all with kids in tow. We haven't purchased them since and with a small amount of planning don't need them for any reason. On AK or HWS day we just go hang out at hotel or DTD

I have two girls so we looooove the BBB, but I would never pay for the large package. We bring our own dresses from the Disney store which I purchase at a discounted rate every year online when they have their Twice Upon A Year sale or soon after Halloween. I think we pay for the $65 package that includes hair nails and makeup and my daughters get to keep the leftover make up and polish as well as a sash and bag that says BBB. They love it!!

We also like Character Meals. Our favorite is 'Ohana breakfast. It's so much easier for us than standing in line for characters all day. We usually do the resort meals or if we do CRT or any other in park meal we try to do it before park opening so we can be in an empty park for pictures.

Other than these two and MNSSHP we don't really feel we need to add to our trip. It's hard enough to pack these things in and we have been four times so far. For a first trip I wouldn't choose much to add if you do and you really don't NEED to add anything at all. I'm still trying to see things I haven't!!

 

[dakotajeanmarie]

Park Hoppers. Bought them in 2008, used once just to get to an Epcot restaurant for dinner one night, never used them again. Haven't bought them since and have never missed having them.

We wouldn't go to Disney World WITHOUT having park hopper passes. It works for the way we tour the parks. So it depends on your touring style.

 

[Ava]

Like other posters have said, YMMV on what you think is worth the cost. For a first trip, I'd forgo most of the extras especially if you have young kids and don't know how they will handle everything. If you want to try a character meal, book it for later in the week & try some meet & greets in the parks first to see how they react. That way, if they end up being afraid of the characters you will have time to cancel the ADR without penalty.

The only thing on your list that I'd recommend is Memory Maker. I'm not much of a photographer & neither is my DW, so I like having someone else to take photos of my kids with the characters or our whole family together in various spots. Plus you get all your ride photos/videos included, and can get fun "magic shots" done. The price may seem high, but you'll likely end up with a few hundred photos from a week-long trip, can add borders & decorations that make for nice framing/albums, and once you download the photos they are yours forever to print as many times as you want.

For us:

Park Hoppers - We didn't get them on our prior two trips (only trips since having kids) so I wanted to try it out, but we only ended up hopping on one day. Between ADRs & FP+ we found we didn't really have the flexibility that Park Hoppers should provide, and planning for two parks in one day made us feel too scheduled.

DDP - I've gotten it "free" on our last two trips, but would not pay for it. It's just too much food for us, and having an ADR to get to every day also gets to be a bit much by the end of the trip. The best part about it to me is the convenience of having everything pre-paid, but we wasted a lot of food and/or ended up getting things we didn't really want/need just because it was included.

Hoop de Doo Review - We used "free" DDP credits for it, so I'm not nearly as disappointed as I would've been had I paid OOP, but it was not worth it for us. The vegetarian dish that my DW & I were given was not good at all; I'd read several good reports on what they offer for vegetarians, but both of us thought the pasta was overcooked there were only small bits of vegetables in what was supposed to be a pasta primavera dish. And the show was just alright. My 6-year-old enjoyed parts of it, but its not something I'd do again.

 

[WDW Dad 23]

I would agree with many who have posted that things are definitely different the first time you visit. The first time we went, everything was new, tried to hop once and felt like we lost a ton of time. Now, 10 trips later, we wouldn't dream of not having it. Same with the water parks fun and more. First time we went, we didn't have it and certainly didn't miss it. Our last trip we went to the water parks 3 times and played miniature golf twice. We also like the Memory Maker, as its nice to get everyone in some of the most memorable pictures, plus we are not good at taking pictures ourselves. That said, I am sure many people could easily get away with not having it. Also, while we love the character meals, one or two is more than enough for a single trip. You really want to enjoy each unique eperience and if you do too many you will miss really seeing and enjoying the parks...especially on your first visit. Of everything on the OP list, the one that I thought was the biggest waste was the fireworks dessert party. Not a great view and would rather get an ice cream from the plaza...for a lot less $$.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

You have a lot planed for a first trip. We did have a trip once where we took my niece to BBB and she complained about the dress and the shoes so a few days later my SIL dressed her up herself and she was much happier and so was my brother.Chef Mickey food was bad but loved watching my boys with the characters. Now that both my boys are old enough for pirates league I plan on doing that on our next trip.MM is a must for us not having to find the camera to takes pictures is worth it to me and I know with MM we will all be in a lot pf pictures together.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

The Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party.

Dinner at Chef Mickey's

Dinner at Rose and Crown

Face painting. UGH! That was the worst idea ever, but my daughter begged and pleaded to have her face painted into a beautiful blue butterfly at one of those stands in DHS. $20 or so later, she looked lovely....for all of 5 minutes. Then, it began to itch and melt off of her face. In 15 minutes that paint was everywhere but her face, she looked so awful I found and bathroom and we scrubbed the remnants off. Facepaint in 90plus degree heat with high humidity is a terrible idea. I can make $20 last longer in a casino than that face paint lasted.

I have never done the face painting because my youngest is sensitive to everything and I am afraid he will break out in hives. Paint melting off $20 face paint would upset me too.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

NOW they are $78 cookies and hot chocolate!

I love MVMCP but they just keep increasing the price of the tickets with nothing added to the party at all! This may be the last time I go to this party.

We love MVMCP but its not for the cookies and hot cocoa. I can make way better cookies and hot cocoa at home. Its the other party fun that we enjoy. And yes its pricey so I have my husband buy the tickets so I don't have to see the total price lol

 

[ChimCher-ee]

Just FYI, the dinner package seating is now in the center. It still may feel like a waste to some, as FP+ is usually readily available, but the view for the show is wonderful.

I agree with PP, Fantasmic! dining package not worth it. We did it last year. We ate at Hollywood and Vine, and we didn't love the buffet. Too much $$ and not enough quality.

And just a note to add to this one, about seating. We were seated in the middle(ish) section but -- and this is no one's fault -- we were in the very last row because of disability seating. We probably could have had that without paying for the package.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We love MVMCP but its not for the cookies and hot cocoa. I can make way better cookies and hot cocoa at home. Its the other party fun that we enjoy. And yes its pricey so I have my husband buy the tickets so I don't have to see the total price lol

Yeah that was a joke, I don't even eat the cookies but I do enjoy the hot chocolate. I do love the nearly empty park and walking on all the rides, the parade and fireworks. My biggest gripe is the price increase with nothing added! Same things every year for more money.

 

[texasgingerbread]

We went for the first time with kids this past May. We wanted to do it all. We did Pirates League, MM, Dining Plan, and a ton of character meals. We would recommend Pirates League if doing at 3:00 appointment. This would allow you to join the Pirate (or Mermaid) Parade at 4 and just have your makeup on the rest of the evening. Every where my boys walked they got special attention. There are princesses everywhere but not many Pirates or mermaids. During the electrical Parade they got so much attention from the characters walking by. Tons and tons came right up to them with interaction. Lots of pointing and ooos and ahhha from the ones on the float. Worth every penny!

Character meals...we did H&V Jedi Mickey Fantasmic Pkg, BOG breakfast and dinner, Ohana breakfast, SciFi Star Wars, 1900 Park Fare Breakfast, and Akershus. We would do all of these for first trip except both BOGs. Not impressed! For future trips we will for sure do 1900 and Ohana. We love the characters and this was great not having to wait in a line to meet them and focus on rides and FP for other characters. I wish there was a Pixar breakfast! With all these character meals we came out $228 ahead on dining plan (and paid for one out of pocket). If we went back again it wouldn't make financial sense since we'll just do the 2 character meals so we would not get the DP.

MM...again as first trip worth every penny. We knew ahead about magic shots and got over 600 pics. Future trips I would save the money.

This is where I differ from most...and we will always stay at Polynesian...we have to have park hoppers because we love the night shows. We want to be able to pop back to Fantasmic again to see a second time, see the Fireworks at Epcot and go see Wishes at MK with late parade. We also spend mornings in Epcot and hop to HS for afternoon. And with AK not having nighttime we like to pop over somewhere else for the evening. Staying at the Poly makes it super easy because you walk to TTC and pop to MK very easily.

Again if its not in your budget...don't so it. But if its in your budget these are my recommendations.

 

[texasgingerbread]

PS....if you don't have a girl and don't love Princesses you could skip Akershus. They enjoyed it but its definitely not a "must" and very expensive with least interaction from characters. They're a snapshot and gone. We had really good interaction at 1900 and Ohana. And we love Stitch!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

In retrospect CRT dinner was a huge waste of money for us...but it's hard to tell people not to try it once for themselves. In my opinion the food was not nearly the quality that it should have been. If you have girls it might be worth it to dodge princess meet and greets, but that's the only scenario where I could envision someone walking out of there and saying to themselves "you know, I feel like I got my money's worth..."

I agree. I think it may be worth doing once- I've actually done it a few times ( since the 1970's that is), and almost every time we had the same thought. Pre DDP, one lunch was okay there.


We MUCH prefer the character meal at 1900 Park Fare. The food is way better, and the characters there are the best of any at any meal on property. the host staff can be a little less than stellar, but the food is the best character meal anywhere by a mile.

I also second the poster who said you'll be better off doing your own version of BBB. PLEASE though, have an alternate outfit on hand that is PRACTICAL for that day's weather. I've seen many little girls crying because an adult FORCES them to wear a costume. (especially the Etsy kind.) The plastic costume shoes are horrible in the parks. Unless you kid really begs for a costume, plan only one partial day wearing one- like the meal and a few photos on the Carrousel, then change.

We often bring glitter hairspray and call it pixie dust. Easy to find until Halloween. DO step outside your room to spray it. DO know it will stick in hair past bedtime.

Then again, we get huge mileage from just one can of glitter spray- and they are only $.99! Kids' Pedi's and mani's before the trip are inexpensive.

Also, in the list of regrets- maybe not so much of what we spent $ on, but what we didn't bring. If you regular need certain medicines, be sure to pack them. Many are NOT sold at WDW. Maybe not everything under the sun packing, but DO bring things like swim diapers, swim suits, and sunscreen. Items like that can be $$$ at WDW. If you have a car though, the area has tons of Walgreens, Walmarts, grocery stores, etc.

If you are onsite, and you like table service meals- eating at your hotel s often a great idea. Even the food courts at the values are decent for meals. We love dinner at AoA, if we are staying there. It is also fun to visit a few of the deluxes- and that doesn't cost anything. We LOVE visiting the Boardwalk area. It is very pretty at night.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would not do all those extras on a first trip. There is so much to do that the extras may wind up being too restrictive

 

[Imamom2]

Waste: Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose. Food just not good and we moved to better seats in theater.

Priceless: Park Hoppers. We always do one park a.m then take a break and do a different park at night. We have done water parks and loved them, too.

Toss-up: Renting a car. We have used it in some trips and not so much on others. We did rent one for our trip this September and may do Universal... I still prefer to have it.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I never said the FP area was in the center. I'm saying if you arrive early enough, you can sit on the far right of the FP area so you're literally less than 5 feet away from the dining section. Thus as close as possible to the center without paying for the dining package.

The dining package is good for those who already plan on eating at a restaurant within HS. If someone doesn't have plans to eat there beforehand, there's no need for the dining package.

This is my view from the FP area. Rope on the right is dining area.

Just pointing out that you can very well be ALMOST front and center without doing the dining plan

You are absolutely correct. My misunderstanding...

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Also, in the list of regrets- maybe not so much of what we spent $ on, but what we didn't bring. If you regular need certain medicines, be sure to pack them. Many are NOT sold at WDW. Maybe not everything under the sun packing, but DO bring things like swim diapers, swim suits, and sunscreen. Items like that can be $$$ at WDW. If you have a car though, the area has tons of Walgreens, Walmarts, grocery stores, etc.
.

There is a pharmacy (I think it's called Turner's) that delivers any order over $10 of whatever they have on hand in their store.