Voice of Travel

Last week I came across an article on another blog, titled “Four Reasons Why I Hate Walt Disney World”. It turns out it was written in June, but I hadn’t seen it until now.

When I saw the title, I was intrigued. I mean, I love Walt Disney World, and while I know that not everyone feels like I do, I really didn’t think someone would actually write a list on the reasons they hated it!

So I read the article, and there were so many things I wish I could say to the author, that I decided to give my reply here. Feel free to read the whole article but I’ll list his 4 reasons below, and then go through and give my responses.

While I don’t expect to change his mind, I’m just hoping that maybe he’ll realize that it is possible to have a fun vacation at Walt Disney World, and that it doesn’t have to be stressful and you don’t have to spend all of your time waiting in lines.

The 4 reasons that the author of the post, hates Walt Disney World:

1. Food Fit for a Princess? Hardly
2. Crowded House
3. Mickey Doesn’t Do Green?
4. Enough with the Lectures

Now here is my response. Now don’t get me wrong. Not everyone has to have the same opinion that I do…but I just wish he could have seen Disney in a different light, as it can be so much fun for the whole family!

Food

Obviously, the author was not impressed with the food. My question to him though, would be where did he eat? I agree there are plenty of regular, fast food type locations at Disney World, but that’s what most kids (and many adults) want. Give them chicken fingers, pizza, a hamburger, some spaghetti, or grilled cheese, and they’re happy. So these types of foods are available at a lot of locations.

But for those of us that love food? You just need to know where to look. He mentions he wasn’t happy with the food choices at the Magic Kingdom. I bet he didn’t try Columbia Harbour House. It’s a counter service location, meaning it will cost less than a table service. Some of the food choices? Grilled Salmon, New England Clam Chowder, a Lobster Roll, Fried Shrimp, a sandwich with Hummus, and more.

These are definitely not your typical dining choices…and when I was last at Disney World, I ate there myself, so I can tell you that it was a great meal. Both kids and adults will be able to find something they like, and it’s good quality food (in my opinion.)

The other park that the author mentioned was Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While he might have only seen the same old choices, I found a lot more that were bolder, and a little more exotic foods instead of the same old food. For example, at the ABC Commissary, you can get Chicken Curry. At the Studio Catering Company, you can get one of a number of different types of sandwiches such as the Pressed Tuscan Deli, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Turkey Club, and more. While I have still not had the chance to go, I’ve heard great things about Starring Rolls Cafe, both about the sandwiches and the desserts.

I won’t go into the food at Epcot, or I’ll be here all day. But let’s just say that there are a lot of different choices, and they are of high quality in my book.  Even the author admits that Epcot has good, and different food.

The rest of the resort? While I haven’t been to every single hotel, I’ve had the chance to dine at quite a few of them, and was very happy. At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I ate at Sanaa, and enjoyed both the food and the view! My favorite counter service of my last trip (and there were some really good ones!) was at the Gasparilla Grill and Games at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, where I had a Cobb Salad with Lobster (minus the avocado), and it was really good. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing the cupcake I had for dessert was, but when I got home I asked Disney for the recipe, but unfortunately they weren’t able to give it out.

Were those not enough? Ok, here are a few more. Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort is always one of my favorites. I ate at the Captain’s Grill at the Yacht Club my last trip, and that was a great meal as well. I could keep going on and on…but I’ve had both counter service and table service meals all over Walt Disney World, and while yes I have had some eh meals, most of them have been very enjoyable.

As far as spending a lot of time researching them, all I did was go to a website and look at the menus. It didn’t take long, and I was really happy with my choices.

Crowds

I’m not going to talk to him about having a plan, or using FastPass. Of course those will help, but the truth is I don’t usually do any of that either. I like just walking around and doing what I’m in the mood to each day. Instead, I’m going to ask one simple question. Did the author take into consideration when he was going? Being a theme park, it is crowded…a lot. But there are also plenty of times when the crowds are minimal.

I try to go in September. When I do, I don’t have to worry about crowds at all (except for Toy Story Mania. There is ALWAYS a long line for Toy Story Mania.) I think that the only FastPass I used in the past 3 trips (all in September) were all for Toy Story Mania. Sure, I might have waited 5-15 minutes for a ride, but that was it. Also, the park didn’t feel crowded (except for parades and nightly fireworks) so it was a great time to go.

Whenever I tell people this, inevitably they say that their kids are in school, and can only go during school breaks. Ok. I get that the whole world is off the week between Christmas and New Years, so that’s probably a bad time to go. But what about your kids winter or spring vacation? Many times these are spread out with different schools having off at different times. Will it be as empty as it is in September? No, but it’ll be a whole lot better than the week of Easter when everyone else is off as well. Again with summer. Sure, kids are off of school in the summer, but I bet if you do a little bit of research, some weeks are a lot more crowded than others. For one, I wouldn’t go the last week of August. I bet that week is a lot more crowded than some of the others. A little research here, and you could avoid many crowds and still be able to wander around from park to park, without having to plan ahead.

Is Mickey Green?

While it may not have been obvious walking around the parks, Disney is very into conservation and being green. I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about how green Walt Disney was – except for things like they grow their own vegetables in The Land at Epcot and use them in their restaurants. So here is an article I found from 2010 showing how green Walt Disney World is.

I was sure impressed! The entire Disney corporation does a lot, and some of it even takes place at Disney World!

If that article wasn’t enough, here is a section on the Walt Disney Company’s own website talking about their environment and conservation goals.

Cast Member Issue

Since I wasn’t there, I don’t know exactly what happened. It’s possible that a cast member was having an off day, and said something that they shouldn’t have. It’s also possible that the woman was speaking a little too loudly, and the cast member was just trying to get her not to spoil the magic of others around her.

Either way, I agree that the cast member shouldn’t have said anything. But usually, cast members do the opposite and are very nice to children in particular, and will try to help make their stay more magical if at all possible.

Again, these are all my opinions, and I am just replying in hopes that if the author ever goes back to Walt Disney World (hey…with 2 kids, he might not end up with much of a choice!) that he’ll look at things differently, and hopefully have a more magical trip.

Thanks,