In your opinion what is the most overrated thing in WDW?

[William Ades]

Oh, this is easy: Every Disney-owned hotel. All of them. They are all overpriced by a ridiculous margin and offer worse amenities than any major international hotel chain, like Marriott or Hyatt -- even the so-called "deluxe" hotels. (I refuse to call them "resorts." I prefer accuracy.)

I understand the appeal of staying at a Disney hotel. It's fun to be constantly enveloped in the magic throughout a vacation. It ensures total isolation from the real world. I appreciate that and always recommend to first-timers to do just that for the full Disney experience. But I think it's important to set expectations at an appropriate level. Disney is good at a lot of things. Running hotels is not one of them. So if you stay at the Grand Floridian expecting a true deluxe experience, you will be sorely disappointed. (The Swan and Dolphin, properties owned by an established hotel brand, are much better options and usually cost considerably less than the Disney hotels.)

There's a reason why the company initially wanted to outsource all of its hotels before assuming control later. Maybe Disney should've stuck with that plan.

I agree on the pricing, particularly during peak times. I am a bit curious to which amenities you are referring to? Ones offered at Disney resorts v. the more well known chain hotels and/or resorts you refereed to? Obviously, if you are referring to anything All-Inclusive then that is certainly a trump card...

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So I may need to go hide in a corner after I say this, but 'Ohanas bread pudding is sooo overrated! It was okay.

If you want amazing bread pudding that will blow you away, go to Raglan Road.

I like 'Ohanas bread pudding quite a bit (though if one really wants it you can get it for dessert at Kona Cafe if you ask) .... but I agree with you on Raglan Road's - I like that one better than 'Ohanas

 

[TheMaxRebo]

BTW - congrats on this thread getting mentioned on today's DISunplugged Podcast ... and then led to the podcasters arguing over what was over/underrated

 

[OB1]

Dining Plans

totally agree.

 

[William Ades]

I quickly jotted down everyone’s answer. The OP asked for ONE thing so if you posted multiple, I took the first item thinking it was your top pick. Interesting list. There are 14 repeat items:

Dole Whip 10
Be Our Guest 8
Parades 5
Poly 4
Pandora 4
Jungle Cruise 3
Fantasmic 3
Peter Pan 3
Monorail 3
Dining Plans 3
Test Track 3
Meet and Greets 3
Dessert Parties 2
Frozen Ever After 2
Storm Along Bay 1
Tree of Life Lighting 1
Small World 1
Festival of the Lion King 1
Illuminations 1
Figment 1
Zebra Domes 1
Boma 1
60 Minute Waits 1
Tiki Room 1
Victoria and Alberts 1
Ohana 1
Epcot 1
Akershus 1
Contemporary 1
Tony's 1
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique 1
Chef Mickey's 1
Via Napoli 1
Star Wars 1
Haunted Mansion 1
Turkey Legs 1
Rivers of Light 1
MVMCP 1
Art of Animation 1
Mission Space 1

Well since it made the show, we need and updated count. I tried to do it, but lost track several times...

 

[William Ades]

I quickly jotted down everyone’s answer. The OP asked for ONE thing so if you posted multiple, I took the first item thinking it was your top pick. Interesting list. There are 14 repeat items:

Dole Whip 10
Be Our Guest 8
Parades 5
Poly 4
Pandora 4
Jungle Cruise 3
Fantasmic 3
Peter Pan 3
Monorail 3
Dining Plans 3
Test Track 3
Meet and Greets 3
Dessert Parties 2
Frozen Ever After 2
Storm Along Bay 1
Tree of Life Lighting 1
Small World 1
Festival of the Lion King 1
Illuminations 1
Figment 1
Zebra Domes 1
Boma 1
60 Minute Waits 1
Tiki Room 1
Victoria and Alberts 1
Ohana 1
Epcot 1
Akershus 1
Contemporary 1
Tony's 1
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique 1
Chef Mickey's 1
Via Napoli 1
Star Wars 1
Haunted Mansion 1
Turkey Legs 1
Rivers of Light 1
MVMCP 1
Art of Animation 1
Mission Space 1

Looks like BOG is the front runner though. Not at all surprised!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh, this is easy: Every Disney-owned hotel. All of them. They are all overpriced by a ridiculous margin and offer worse amenities than any major international hotel chain, like Marriott or Hyatt -- even the so-called "deluxe" hotels. (I refuse to call them "resorts." I prefer accuracy.)

I understand the appeal of staying at a Disney hotel. It's fun to be constantly enveloped in the magic throughout a vacation. It ensures total isolation from the real world. I appreciate that and always recommend to first-timers to do just that for the full Disney experience. But I think it's important to set expectations at an appropriate level. Disney is good at a lot of things. Running hotels is not one of them. So if you stay at the Grand Floridian expecting a true deluxe experience, you will be sorely disappointed. (The Swan and Dolphin, properties owned by an established hotel brand, are much better options and usually cost considerably less than the Disney hotels.)

There's a reason why the company initially wanted to outsource all of its hotels before assuming control later. Maybe Disney should've stuck with that plan.

I very much agree if you are just thinking of the hotels themselves, but I think there is enough other value to staying on property that I don't think staying on property is overrated. for example, my last trip I paid $114/night for Pop - was the hotel itself worth that? No way, but I got included transportation to/from the airport , magic band included, and got 2 extra hours in Pandora by staying on site - so all in, I think it was worth it

 

[Tonyz]

BTW - congrats on this thread getting mentioned on today's DISunplugged Podcast ... and then led to the podcasters arguing over what was over/underrated

Haha oh my god I had no idea! That is amazing!

 

[bryanb]

I went through a phase in life, after I finished working as a Cast Member at Disneyland, when I was tired of the "fake" world of Disney where people were artificially happy and everything was saccharinely magical. Until I rediscovered the parks again and eventually became a passholder. I fell in love again with theme parks as a form of storytelling. On this board, we don't need to justify why we enjoy this vacation setting.

Epcot is not a substitute for visiting China or France. The Yacht Club does not replace New England. Frontierland doesn't replace seeing national parks. Harambe is not a real safari in Africa. So, people should definitely travel and see the world and enjoy new experiences. Disney World might even inspire some of those real life adventures. And the idea of recreating some of those adventures in a family setting is, for me, a very exciting form of art that is no less valid than any form of storytelling.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I went through a phase in life, after I finished working as a Cast Member at Disneyland, when I was tired of the "fake" world of Disney where people were artificially happy and everything was saccharinely magical. Until I rediscovered the parks again and eventually became a passholder. I fell in love again with theme parks as a form of storytelling. On this board, we don't need to justify why we enjoy this vacation setting.

Epcot is not a substitute for visiting China or France. The Yacht Club does not replace New England. Frontierland doesn't replace seeing national parks. Harambe is not a real safari in Africa. So, people should definitely travel and see the world and enjoy new experiences. Disney World might even inspire some of those real life adventures. And the idea of recreating some of those adventures in a family setting is, for me, a very exciting form of art that is no less valid than any form of storytelling.

I always look at the parks (especially the Castle parks) as an idealized version of things. Main St. is supposedly based on Marceline, MO - but it is really more an idealized version of small town America - and with it, all the promise that comes with it and all the best of the American Spirit. And Tomorrowland is an idealized version of the future and how technology will help solve today's issues and bring humanity closer together

I think that is why I like the parks so much in that it reminds me of the positives of humanity (the parks, not the guests) and to focus on trying to make the world a better place. And it (and especially EPCOT) I think is a reminder of how the world is bigger than us but that at the same time it is a small world after all

 

[ucfknight]

I very much agree if you are just thinking of the hotels themselves, but I think there is enough other value to staying on property that I don't think staying on property is overrated. for example, my last trip I paid $114/night for Pop - was the hotel itself worth that? No way, but I got included transportation to/from the airport , magic band included, and got 2 extra hours in Pandora by staying on site - so all in, I think it was worth it

Exactly. You could have stayed offsite at a nearby Marriott or Hilton brand for similar money and had a slightly bigger room, queen beds instead of doubles, and maybe a free breakfast. But everything you mentioned adds value to staying on property. You also forgot daily transportation in there as a benefit. If you stay offsite you have to either get a rental car and pay $20 per day parking at WDW or use a taxi/Uber/Lyft, etc. Plus you have to factor in the additional time it would take to get to the parks if you stayed offsite. That means either less sleep or less park time.

 

[bryanb]

Oh, this is easy: Every Disney-owned hotel. All of them. They are all overpriced by a ridiculous margin and offer worse amenities than any major international hotel chain, like Marriott or Hyatt -- even the so-called "deluxe" hotels. (I refuse to call them "resorts." I prefer accuracy.)

So ironic, that there are such different perspectives! For me, resort is accurate because it is a place where people go for recreation. I think "resort" is more accurate than "hotel" for value properties. They don't have the full-service amenities of most hotels that price, and they have motel-style room layouts. That said, I'm making an argument of semantics. Are they overpriced? Maybe to many people, but the correct value of any room is what the market will bear. Given Disney's impressive occupancy rate, there are enough people out there who think that the experience is worth it.

I understand the appeal of staying at a Disney hotel. It's fun to be constantly enveloped in the magic throughout a vacation. It ensures total isolation from the real world. I appreciate that and always recommend to first-timers to do just that for the full Disney experience. But I think it's important to set expectations at an appropriate level. Disney is good at a lot of things. Running hotels is not one of them. So if you stay at the Grand Floridian expecting a true deluxe experience, you will be sorely disappointed. (The Swan and Dolphin, properties owned by an established hotel brand, are much better options and usually cost considerably less than the Disney hotels.)

There's a reason why the company initially wanted to outsource all of its hotels before assuming control later. Maybe Disney should've stuck with that plan.

I love the Swan and Dolphin, and it's my property of choice. I've spent as little as $100/night (that was unusual!) and no more than $180/night there in the off-season, including resort fees before taxes. I've never paid $200 for a moderate room or $300-$400 for a standard deluxe room. Maybe someday for a special occasion on the monorail loop, but I can't argue that Disney is charging too much as a business. Those $400 rooms are booked up most of the year. Even though there's a perfectly good Swan/Dolphin right on property!

I think they made the smart move of assuming control of their hotels and timeshares, and are enjoying the rich rewards for having done so.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

BTW - congrats on this thread getting mentioned on today's DISunplugged Podcast ... and then led to the podcasters arguing over what was over/underrated

And what an interesting talk it was to hear lol.

---
For those that want to see it here's the link and the topic of this thread starts right around the 46:00 minute part of the show

 

[JimmyBean42]

The most overrated thing for me is the Electrical Water Pageant. It's like 5 things lit up. I've seen better ones in my town. If I'm on the ferry heading over to MK and see it...ok fine. But waiting to see it? Never again.

And the one that I'll get killed for here.....Magical Express. Yes it's awesome that we get a free ride to and from the airport. It's still just a bus, even if it plays Disney cartoons. And I know it's the excitement of "almost being there" but still just a bus.

 

[Elle23]

Oh, this is easy: Every Disney-owned hotel. All of them. They are all overpriced by a ridiculous margin and offer worse amenities than any major international hotel chain, like Marriott or Hyatt -- even the so-called "deluxe" hotels. (I refuse to call them "resorts." I prefer accuracy.)

I think the values are a great deal. $100 per night for a clean, comfortable room is a great deal, especially to be on Disney property with the benefits that offers.

It's the cost of park tickets that are the killer to me.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So ironic, that there are such different perspectives! For me, resort is accurate because it is a place where people go for recreation. I think "resort" is more accurate than "hotel" for value properties. They don't have the full-service amenities of most hotels that price, and they have motel-style room layouts. That said, I'm making an argument of semantics. Are they overpriced? Maybe to many people, but the correct value of any room is what the market will bear. Given Disney's impressive occupancy rate, there are enough people out there who think that the experience is worth it.

You know what I find interesting is that you actually separate the Values from the rest of the options with respects of resort vs hotel

Here's the definition of Resort according to Dictionary(.com):



Here's the definition of Resort according to Merriam-Webster:


Here's the definition of Hotel according to Dictionary(.com):


Here's the definition of Hotel according to Merriam-Webster:


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So call me crazy but I'm not sure how you can consider the Values a hotel but not a resort but the Mods and the Deluxes and the other on-site like Swan & Dolphin as Resorts. And not that's not semantics speaking. That's actual definitions of the words.

ETA: Apologies if I'm misunderstanding what you were saying-I had the podcast going on in the background and I'm not sure if my attention was fully there with this post lol.

 

[DLgal]

So I may need to go hide in a corner after I say this, but 'Ohanas bread pudding is sooo overrated! It was okay.

If you want amazing bread pudding that will blow you away, go to Raglan Road.

But...RR one has raisins. YUCK! Gonna have to disagree with you on this one.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

And what an interesting talk it was to hear lol.

---
For those that want to see it here's the link and the topic of this thread starts right around the 46:00 minute part of the show

I still think that when they talk overrated/underrated they use the terms wrong. Like, just because they think something is amazing doesn't make it underrated - John was trying to say Big Thunder Mountain is underrated and just not sure how to come to that conclusion with how popular it is and how much basically everyone loves it

 

[ArwenMarie]

Soarin. It's a sad indictment of Epcot that this dumb ride is a top attraction.

Epcot in general is overrated. It isn't rated that highly to begin with, but whatever it is rated is way too high. BORING.

To be honest, WDW is pretty overrated in general. If you go at the right time of year and do it right, it can be worth the money. But, speaking as parent of three young children, we may visit once every three years, tops. At the end of the day, it's still just an overpriced amusement park. There is so much more to LIFE to be experienced!!! I'll never understand the folks who make this their one vacation a year. It's actually a little sad.

I've seen the flip side of this too...I know parents who won't take their kids to Disney even once because they think it is too lowbrow when I know the kids would love it

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The most overrated thing for me is the Electrical Water Pageant. It's like 5 things lit up. I've seen better ones in my town. If I'm on the ferry heading over to MK and see it...ok fine. But waiting to see it? Never again.

And the one that I'll get killed for here.....Magical Express. Yes it's awesome that we get a free ride to and from the airport. It's still just a bus, even if it plays Disney cartoons. And I know it's the excitement of "almost being there" but still just a bus.

Well, the Electric Water P agent is just a classic and cheesy and old and it is totally the nostalgia factors. If you went into it expecting something amazing then, yeah, it is overrated.

I agree about the ME buses themselves. It's cute they are themed but the new movie is more of a commercial than anything. I think the service, as a service, is nice though and reduces the need for having a car, etc.