First---I'll say We Love Colonial Williamsburg. But it gets more and more like mass production and an assembly line every time we go. And that lessens the eperience a little more each time.
We got very little out of the Governor's Palace because of the pace. Same with the Capital. We went there 2x because they rush you through. And the only reason we would repeat is because the wait at the Capital was minimal; the wait at the Palace was too long. At these prices, I'm not wasting time waiting. I'll go see something else. And the CoffeeHouse---we came back 4 times. Finally we went through the last thing of our visit---and only waited 20min. The wait is not just because of the people there---it was because they only allow 10 people. After going, I'm sure 15 would not be too much of a stretch and increase the tour accessibility by 50%. Same with the Capital.
For the price---Nothing should be closed! Certainly not more than 1 day at a time. There are a couple of places, that w/ our 3 day pass, were not open on any of those 3 days.
Also, and the bigger issue---the food: On the first day, we had lunch before we got there so there was no question. On the second day, we wanted to have lunch---a 2! hour! wait! at Chownings. It was the Only Place Open to eat. No thanks. So we walked all the way to the merchant's shopping area and got lunch there. By the time I realized how long it would be before lunch, my blood sugar was falling too low and we settled on the first place open. On the third day, nothing was open for lunch in the historic area. Hardly anyplace at the Merchants shopping, either. We allowed extra time to find a place but almost nothing was open there that day. We settled again---and again w/ blood sugar low enough that it was an even risk if I could find food or need an ambulance. How they can justify NOT having a meal easily located In The Historic Area is beyond me, or even in the visitors' center. If the place has any guests at all, a min. of 1 place should always be open, and with any guests beyond the absolute minimum, at least 2 places should be open for lunch. It looks like there is only 2 of the 4 places open---ever. Next time we come, and we will come again I'm sure because we do like the historic elements of it all, we'll bring sandwiches in our bags with our own chips/fruit/beverages. Really, though, it'll be a win-win........no grumpy/hungry guests, no need for medical care and we'll NOT spend $50 - $100 for lunch. If you have kids, or any kind of health issue---diabetes, pregnancy, etc., DO NOT plan to eat on site.
Finally, the shopping is not at all what it was in other years. Variety of inventory has declined to the degree that there are only a few kinds of things to choose from (Danford, esp.) and the prices have skyrocketed (tea shop). We bought one loaf of bread from Raleigh Bakery and didn't spend any other $$$ on stuff. In the three days we were there. It's a shame, really. I would have liked souvenirs for me and gifts for the grandkids.