The appeal of Disney parks

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually just going with a group of friends.

I'm a total foodie, and know Citricos is the superior choice, but I've been wanting to go to Chef Mickey's for the longest time, possibly because it's so hard to get into (dumb reason), but also because I thought a character meal would be fun for the first dinner of the trip (even though it's one of those buffets).

I booked this all two weeks ago. And it took me one weekend, with a few adjustments throughout the week. It wasn't stressful at all. It was fun more than anything.

It took you an entire weekend to do this? We must have different ideas of fun.

You're right, the idea of going to Disney is fun to me. That doesn't seem to be the case for you.

I love planning vacations. It is what I would call "fun" also.

I have a funny picture in my head of you Bill. I know that's not a nice thing to say, and I know that my idea is probably wrong, and I know that some people here probably have a funny (but probably wrong) picture in their heads of me too, but I think it's still funny.

And I am laughing with you, and not at you, even though you are not laughing.

d_port_12E said:
You're right, the idea of going to Disney is fun to me. That doesn't seem to be the case for you.

The idea is fun? Thinking about it is fun? I guess I'm not that easy to entertain.

I'm betting you own at least one article of clothing with a Disney character on it.

I would guess over 90% of those who have ever visited a Disney park has a Disney shirt. Your point is...

Look, we've given you lots of advice that we have proven *works*, but you seem dead-set on discarding every single bit of it. I have personally approached the parks and food in many ways, a lot of them similar to what the others have mentioned, and they all work. You don't want to have fun, you're doing it because you "have to." Its a recipe for disaster, plain and simple. If your wife and kids are looking forward to it, maybe you should hand them the planning "keys," since you obviously have no interest in even attempting to enjoy it.

Bill, stop acting like you're in high school and grow the hell up.

I'm an admitted daydreamer. Thinking about a lot of things is fun, especially things that have to do with my amusement park hobby.

bill -- You said you are going to Disney in part because you came across some money. What is your idea for the money rather than going to Disney?

billb7581 said:

The idea is fun? Thinking about it is fun? I guess I'm not that easy to entertain.

Ok, since you're so down about this trip, I decided to look up a few reservations for you. Of your top 3, these are all available...

11/9 - Lunch - Via Napoli (12:45pm)
11/9 - Dinner - 'Ohana (8:20pm)

11/10 - Lunch - Via Napoli (12:45pm)
11/10 - Dinner - Le Cellier (8:50pm)

11/11 - Lunch - Via Napoli (12:45pm)
11/11 - Dinner - 'Ohana (8:40pm)

11/12 - Breakfast - 'Ohana (10:40am)
11/12 - Dinner - Via Napoli (7:00pm)

There's more options, too, these were just compiled during a quick search.

I'm not sure what you mean by "2nd tier" restaurants. ALL of the signature dinning experiences are available. They're definitely NOT "2nd tier."

We go to Walt Disney World every year and have never made reservations, but we've had wonderful meals every time.

If you don't want to bother with making reservations, don't make reservations.

If you're going to Le Cellier or Via Napoli because you've been told you should go there or because they're popular -- I don't get it. I go to restaurants because I want to eat a particular type of food or because the cuisine sounds interesting, not because I think they're popular.

My kids need to eat at 7, 12, and 6 or their behavior deteriorates rapidly. Dinner at 9 PM just isn't going to work for us.

For the record, I enjoy planning trips. It's fun to put them together. But I guess Im Also a loser because I have at least two items of clothing with Disney on it, mouse ears from both US resorts.

Bur at least I have fun.

Bill meant to say, "I need to be miserable at all times, or my behavior deteriorates rapidly. A Disney vacation just isn't going to work for us."

I find vacation planning to be one of my absolute favorite hobbies. I go to Orlando multiple times a year, though, but even still, there is so much down there that I haven't done. I've never eaten at Le Cellier, Via Napoli, or any of those. Heck, dinner most nights for me consists of an off-site visit to Longhorn Steakhouse or something.

Then again, I try not to focus on what I can't do on my vacations. I tried not to focus on the fact that I had to wait until two years after it opened to ride Manta despite driving by it numerous times to and from the airport or my hotel. I tried not to focus on all the stories I heard about the delicious steak at Le Cellier knowing that it might be years before I can try it. I tried not to focus on the fact that I lost $120 during my last big vacation down there and thus skipped the Magic Kingdom to save money. I choose to focus on what I can do. Ultimately, you can miss out on tons of stuff and still do more than you could probably do anywhere else. Sure, you may not get to go back right away, but it's good to have a reason to go back at some point.

And honestly, I've missed out on Disney's fine dining despite going at least once every other year (and now multiple times yearly) for the last twelve years, and yet I'm not broken up about it. Even worse, I don't always have the benefit of having somebody down there with me (which is something I wish would never be the case), but I can still have a good time, and if I can have a good time alone, you can have a good time with your kids, even if you do have to miss out on some things.

slithernoggin said:
If you're going to Le Cellier or Via Napoli because you've been told you should go there or because they're popular -- I don't get it..

How else do you suggest you even begin selecting resturants if not asking someone who's been there?

Can we please just give this up? It's OK that we don't enjoy the same activities.

I have kids, who like in Bill's case, need to eat at relatively structured times or else it has a negative impact on their behavior. I don't like it but it is reality. We were on vacation this week and they were absolute nutjobs when we were about an hour late for dinner. Got some food in them and they were fine.

The problem is, not everyone visiting Walt Disney World can eat at 6pm. (Though, if they could then I'd do some major power riding during that hour.)

I see a pattern forming here of Bill vs everyone else. I suspect he enjoys the attention and the challenge of debating so many other posters at once. But the real question to me is not why he does this. The real question is why everyone else takes his bait over and over again. Let it alone people and quit feeding this stuff.

Tyler's right. Everyone likes what they like and they don't have to be the same things. Disney is not for everyone. And there's nothing wrong with the folks who love it, either. Debating a purely subjective thread is pointless.

billb7581 said:
My kids need to eat at 7, 12, and 6 or their behavior deteriorates rapidly. Dinner at 9 PM just isn't going to work for us.

I'll say it...

"...but thanks anyway, d_port_12E--you didn't have to do that."