I happened upon this article.

And I read it.

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=440080&GT1=10845

It is my opinion that this guy does not exist in the same dimension that I do.
Not only that, but he comes off big time snooty to me.

For one, I can never see a time when, even if I could afford it, I will be willing to pay the price of deluxe.
Secondly, I like the All Stars and Pop.
Third, I am happy to let Disney do the driving.

What do you think?

I think he's just not a Disney person. He probably yells at his kids for singing. ;) I know people that go to Disney and say, it's just for kids or worse, it's boring. To me, it's the same as people who hate dogs. You are either a dog person or you're not.

Renting a car is probably quicker for a lot of people. What it doesn't do is give you that immersive all Disney experience that I love and the extra wait is so worth it to me. He doesn't want that and if he had it he probably wouldn't know it or like it.

Did he actually stay at a value or moderate resort?? Didn't sound like it from the article. While I love the deluxe resorts and would stay there given the opportunity, I certainly wouldn't sneeze at any Disney resort. It's Disney. :)

I think this says it all about him:Many folks have had their fill after a long weekend
He doesn't live on our planet.

Um, Magical Express (the "free airport shuttle") is provided to all resorts, not just the Deluxes. And those "few bucks" per discounted ticket can add up with a family. Why not get cheaper passes, and use the savings for something fun? He really has no clue. My parents will be going on their first trip, in a few weeks, and will understand what I meant when I told them that, in all the trips we've done, in the past four years, there are still many things we are just getting around to, on-property.

He's a writer for Travel + Leisure, so that right there tells you the clientèle he writes for: Higher end travelers, generally speaking.

I loved my stay at the Polynesian. It was spendy, but I got a great deal on the room and I loved every minute of it. I wouldn't do it every trip in my current situation, but if I could afford it, sure I'd do it more often than not.

Um, Magical Express (the "free airport shuttle") is provided to all resorts, not just the Deluxes. He did say that: "They’re fancifully designed, well-situated, and, like all on-campus hotels, offer guests early entrée to a different park each day, free parking and free airport shuttles." (emphasis mine.)

Made sense to me--except for the "deluxe resorts." I never take the buses. I don't think his column was bad at all.

As a teacher, most of my students that go to Orlando do exactly what this guy describes--they never spend the whole week at WDW, they like to go to SeaWorld as well as Universal. Sometimes (GASP!) they even venture to the BEACH! In fact, many of my students only spend a few days at WDW--usually MK and AK.

As I've said before--the average family going to WDW is NOT a person that posts on one of these boards. They don't really live for the magic as most do here. My wife and I have ventured to Universal and Seaworld once. Didn't much care for it, so I doubt we'll go back.

I think this says it all about him:
He doesn't live on our planet.

Thank you Drince.

This is what really blows me away...


Jason Cochran is the author of Pauline Frommer’s Walt Disney World. He writes T+L Family’s Deals column

A WDW guide author?
He writes a Family's Deals column?

If my family had waited until we could do WDW his way, we would not have been yet; actually we probably could never afford his way.

And he seems to have such an elitist attitude I cannot imagine what his guide book would be like.

He complains about the crowded buses at closing time.
Do you think that he even knows the "buses will run for at least another hour so don't rush to the bus stop" strategy?

Shake it off....Just kidding. I agree that this guy just doesn't feel the love like we do.

However, unless I hit the lottery (which is highly unlikely since I don't play it), I don't foresee a time when a deluxe will be in my game plan. I like the moderates, and even enjoyed my trip to Pop. It was great!

I read a book on the luxurious side of staying at WDW. It was a fun read to see how the other half lives and to see how some people think that $500 is a "budget room."

It was a riot. Get the book from the library--fun read! Kinda like Robin Leach's "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."

many folks have had their fill after the weekend

WHAT? HE'S MAD.

Did he actually stay at a value or moderate resort?? Didn't sound like it from the article.

Exactly. This article sucked. Do stay at a Deluxe resort, but to "curb lodging costs", rent a house? Moderates are pretty reasonably priced. Way to not even bring that up as an option! And can you get EMH or purchase the DDP if you rent a house? He mentions, "like all on-campus hotels, offer guests early entrée to a different park each day," but he doesn't go into much detail about the benefits of staying onsite. Is this article for businessmen or families? The MK is pretty much 'kiddie rides and a castle'? Nice summation. :rolleyes:

I don't mind non-Disney people writing articles about Disney. But they can be kind of annoying, and at times condescending. Phrases like "costumed favories" and "rodent-shaped waffles" irk me.

This is what really blows me away...

Jason Cochran is the author of Pauline Frommer’s Walt Disney World. He writes T+L Family’s Deals column

A WDW guide author?
He writes a Family's Deals column?

If my family had waited until we could do WDW his way, we would not have been yet; actually we probably could never afford his way.

And he seems to have such an elitist attitude I cannot imagine what his guide book would be like.

Agreed. I have never stayed at a Value resort before, but my sister has, and she said her boy loved it. Where do you think kids would rather stay? Some random house a few miles away, or a place with a 2-story Buzz Lightyear?

IMO his article would have made more sense if it was tailored to people without kids. I understand in the "do's/don'ts" format you can only write so much, but in this case his article wasn't very helpful. If someone I knew was going to WDW for the first time and asked for some helpful articles to read, I certainly wouldn't show them that one, which is sort of the opposite effect you want your "helpful" article to have.

reading that article was actually painful. It makes me wonder if he has ever Actually been to WDW or reserached anything.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with the article either, short and not too informative. But he gave other options besides the over priced hotels. And, I saw one or two things that I hadn't seen anywehre else. He's a travel writer, not a Disney fanatic.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with the article either, short and not too informative. But he gave other options besides the over priced hotels. And, I saw one or two things that I hadn't seen anywehre else. He's a travel writer, not a Disney fanatic.

And yet, the point is that he is the author of a travel guide to WDW.

Uhh, a guide to WDW written by someone who is not WDW savy seems kind of like a cookbook written by someone who doesn't cook.

Uhh, a guide to WDW written by someone who is not WDW savy seems kind of like a cookbook written by someone who doesn't cook.

... (http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=sandra%20lee&tag=opera-20&index=blended&link%5Fcode=qs)

;)

I didn't have that much trouble with the article either, outside of his MK description. It read kinda like some of the Sehlinger Unofficial Guide - very straightforward, not at all magical, but reasonably good advice.

I think this says it all about him:
He doesn't live on our planet.

I agree - how do you even see Epcot in a long weekend? :P The guy is dilusional and due to his coments on Universal, more a Universal Theme Park guy instead.

His comments on home rentals are on the mark. If you are a larger group that might need more then 2 hotel rooms, they can make a lot of sense. There are so many it's quite competitive pricing. For us, a group of 11, able to come "home" everyday, veg, eat and swim made our WDW trip outstanding.

He kept "pushing" Universal in his article. Good!!! Let the crowds go to Universal & I will enjoy an uncrowded Walt Disney World with all my MP friends!:D