Disney World - 8 Years Later - How Things Have Changed Yet also the Same. Both Awesome!

[Frozen2014]

D2 - Epcot - A Few More Rides, Dinner, Fireworks and Call it a Night

It was getting close to dinner so we wanted to find somewhere to eat. I remembered from our last trip that Sunshine Seasons was pretty good so we headed over there. We noticed that it wasn't listed for mobile ordering, but it was supposed to be open until 8pm. However, when we got there, there were only scraps and it looked like it was closing. Hmm...

We ended up walking back to the Test Track area (still closed) and stopped at Connections Cafe. As a side note, there is lots of construction going on in the middle between Soarin area and Test Track area so you can't walk through the area (I think I remember doing that last time), so you need to walk around. Normally not a big deal but our legs and feet were soooo sore from the ridiculous walking we had done that day. DD got a burger from the Cafe and the rest of us got pizza. It's pretty basic but wasn't that bad.

During dinner we noticed that Test Track was finally showing a stand by time. Finally! So guess where we headed after dinner? This is another one that I skipped but I was able to walk through and left after the car making part.

By this point, our legs were so heavy and sore. As mentioned, we had planned on taking advantage of extended hours but we found it hard to move so we gave up on that idea. We had gone on everything though so we didn't feel like we were missing out.

Fireworks were starting soon. We didn't even feel like walking over to a good area for a view but we found a place up a bit from Test Track to sit and watch them. Unfortunately we missed the lighting part and full effect but we could see the fireworks. Beautiful!

When it seemed like it was getting close to the end of fireworks, we headed to the front to catch the monorail before the crowds (for those without extended hours).

Another beautiful thing that Epcot does is how they light up Spaceship Earth at night (the ball). Not even sure the picture captures it fully.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

So happy I stumbled along this trip report!

And talk about a throwback with those magic bands!

 

[Frozen2014]

So happy I stumbled along this trip report!

And talk about a throwback with those magic bands!

Thank you.
I know...we were amazed that they actually did work!

 

[footballmouse]

 

[Frozen2014]

D2 - Nighttime Surprise

We returned to our room at Contemporary to find a couple surprises. Didn't know that they did that at the resorts. Thought it was just a cruise thing. Certainly gave us a smile!



We were also back in time to see the Electrical Water Pageant again.

 

[Frozen2014]

D3 - Hollywood Studios - Lightning Lane Bookings around Sci Fi Dine IN ADR

Today we had an 11:30am at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. Really excited for this as it seemed like a fun place (plus it was our first ADR), but also a bit stressed with trying to fit in LL and $ILL bookings. This is where it differs from the old FastPass where you knew the times of one and could book the times of the other around it but both booked in advance (I forget if dining or FastPass+ selections were done first). For LL, the times change/book up so quickly that it seems a bit harder.

DH and DS are big Star Wars fans, so our Lightning Lanes priorities were Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon. I had even binged watched Star Wars movies 7-9, 6 and then 1 and 2 for prep-work. So did lots of studying…lol.

So here’s the problem…When looking at Thrill Data, it seemed like quite quickly the first Millennium Falcon LL’s were between 10:30am and 11am, which could conflict with our ADR. Having never used Genie+, I didn’t know how quickly the time would bump up to this time. So we (kids and I) decided to first go for Rock n Roller Coaster and then try for Millennium Falcon second hoping the timing worked.

And for Rise of the Resistance, I figured if we tried for 3ish, we should be good.

We had decided as well to skip Slinky Dog Dash for a Lightning Lane as that's also a candidate for the first LL since Star Wars was more priority (sneak peak….although it worked out).

DD was her master again and was able to grab Rock n Roll for 8:30ish (don’t remember exact time) and I purchased Rise for 3:05pm so we were all set.

 

[Frozen2014]

D3 - Hollywood Studios – Let’s Go to the Movies

We took the bus to Hollywood Studios. I do love how Disney provides internal transportation between the parks, resorts and Disney Springs.

We arrived at the park early. This was the first time we had to go through security at the park, but it went pretty quick.


Hollywood Studios is one park where I find the layout confusing. Maybe it’s just me but it took me a bit to get used to it. I did use the “Chinese Theatre” though as a landmark, and also Tower of Terror.

Last time we were here in 2014 it had Mickey’s sorcerer hat at the theatre. Kind of liked it…too bad they took it down.




We headed to our Lightning Lane and our kids went on Rock n Roller Coaster. If I remember correctly, we next booked a LL for Tower of Terror, which is right next door, but ended up changing our minds and cancelling it as the time was a bit too close to our Sci Fi ADR time and from the map, it seemed like it would have been a bit of a walk.

SO instead we booked a Lightning Lane for Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railroad. We weren't sure what it was but knew it was a popular LL pick and sold out quickly.

We went through the LL lane and saw the pre-show of Mickey and Minnie Railroad. Then we got on the car. It's such a fun ride the way that it moves. I had heard that this is the same ride mechanism as Rise of the Resistance. After a couple of scenes the ride stopped. Ugh...here we go again...rides seem to stop a lot for us on this trip. But...this time it wasn't starting back up and ended up being a full breakdown. They told us to stay in our seats and someone would be there soon to assist us getting off the ride. First time ever walking out on a ride! Thankfully this wasn't a rollercoaster up on a hill or something. It wasn't too long before someone came and let one car off at a time, room by room (there were 3 cars in our section as we had just gone into a groove so felt isolated). It was kind of neat getting to walk through and see some of the details. And we got an Anytime LL to use later.

 

[Frozen2014]

As a side note...I guess I shouldn't complain about all the rides that we were on when they broke down. Just read an article of someone getting stuck on It's a Small World for 1hr. Now that would be annoying!

 

[Frozen2014]

D3 - Hollywood Studios - More Rides and Lunch

After we walked off Mickey and Minnie, I think we next headed to Star Tours.

I forgot to mention that when we swiped into Mickey and Minnie, I was able to grab a 1pm Lightning Lane for Millennium Falcon, which worked well with our ADR time.

I will say that on a personal note, Hollywood Studios is my least favorite park since there are so many rides that I am skipping. It's probably easier to list the ones that I could go on, which only included: Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railroad, Toy Story Mania and Rise of the Resistance (plus any shows and a neat exhibit of Walt and his history). On the flip side, Hollywood Studios moved up to second favorite park for DS and DD (which used to be Epcot).

I walked through Star Tours with my family and waited on the other side. DS loved it but it made DD queasy. It is a neat concept how each ride can be a different scene.

We were going to watch the Indiana Jones show but it was outside and it was too hot. I think it was nearing our ADR at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre so we headed over there to check in and didn't wait long before I got a text on my phone that our "car" was ready.

We got seated in a car in the back corner but it ended up being just us (i.e. no third wheel in the back seat). It's a fun place with cheesy movies and ads playing. The good was pretty good too. Our kids got Oreo shakes recommended by fellow Disney board members which they said was delicious. DS got a burger and DD pasta, and DH and I got the veggie burger. All quite good. My only complaint is that they kept the lights down and it was a bit too dark....it was hard to see your food, plus I couldn't get any good pictures due to the lighting (one below I tried to photoshop it to brighten it). All in all though, we were happy that we booked this ADR.

 

[snikki]

Glad to see you enjoyed Sci Fi. It’s on our list for November !!

 

[Frozen2014]

Glad to see you enjoyed Sci Fi. It’s on our list for November !!

That's great. It's a hard one to get. Fun, yummy food and not too expensive! Enjoy!

 

[SleeplessInTO]

We were walked off Remy. It was so cool. I’ve been on the ride enough times that a breakdown was a new and exciting experience haha.

Definitely would not want to be on IASM for an hour…

 

[Frozen2014]

D3 - Hollywood Studios - So Many Lightning Lanes!

For this afternoon, we had a

• 1pm LL for Millennium Falcon, and
• 3:05pm LL for Rise of the Resistance (purchased individual for $).

I don’t remember exactly how we did it, but we were also able to grab a LLs

• 5:10pm for Slinky Dog Dash
• 4:15pm for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

(Have screen prints for the above – otherwise, there is no way I would remember…lol)

• Plus we grabbed a LL somewhere between Millennium and Rise for Toy Story
• And we still had our Anytime Lightning Lane (which we used for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway again)
• Later on we also got one for Tower of Terror

Did I mention that I actually love Lightning Lane? Look how many rides we got on, and one after another.

Having said that, I don’t love Individual Lightning Lane. I mentioned that we are Canadian, eh? Well, the total charge on my credit card for our $ILL for Rise of the Resistance for the four of us was $85 CAD. We did skip a long line but Ouch!!!

 

[Frozen2014]

D3 - Hollywood Studios - Star Wars and Toy Story Lands

Ok…on with the day. After lunch we headed over to Star Wars land. I had seen pictures, but when you are there, it’s quite wow (and that’s coming from a non-Star Wars fan…but I did do lots of studying beforehand…lol). It's like you are in the movies or the actual place.




We kept seeing these guys walk by....


DH and DS went on Millennium Falcon and DD and I walked through with our LL. We got to see the pre-show but this was one I was skipping and DD didn't want to be sick again as she was after Star Tours. DH and DS really enjoyed this one, but DS was a bit disappointed he wasn't the pilot.

After the ride we walked through Star Wars land a bit, but DD was anxious to make it in time for our Toy Story LL (even though we still had an hour window).

This area is quite cute....very colorful and of course, everything Toy Story themed.

(Tried to edit my kids out of this one)



I quite like the Toy Story ride. I don't do very well but it's lots of fun and the car kind of whips you around from one shooting spot to the next.

After Toy Story Mania, we returned to Star Wars land. We still had time before Rise of the Resistance so we walked around for a bit and explored. It was quite hot that afternoon. Mini handheld fans were our friends!

Then it was time for ROTR. We spent a lot for the $LL but it was about an hour wait so glad we had gotten it. The pre-show is good (although it was hard to get a good spot to see the alien guy). A couple photos...



The ride itself is a ton of fun. It's the same car mechanism as Mickey and Minnie. There is no track but it's neat how it moves. It is really well done and has some surprises. DD was a bit scared though and hated the drop, which we weren't expecting. DH, DS and myself really enjoyed it though.

After ROTR, we headed back to Toy Story land to grab a snack. I was just thirsty but the rest got frozen lemonade, which they found quite refreshing (but DS disappointed with his choice). Next we went to our Mickey and Minnie LL and rode it. So much fun! Prior to the ride, we noticed that Slinky Dog Dash had gone down. And so then by the time our LL was coming up, it got changed to any anytime one as well. Oh well, hopefully it comes up later. We weren't even expecting to go on SDD since typically you can only get it if you book it as your first LL and as mentioned, we decided to not bother as it wasn't a priority. So this LL was a bonus anyways. (I guess the fact that we were able to grab SDD shows that it wasn't too busy when we went)

 

[Frozen2014]

D3 - Hollywood Studios - More Cool Stuff

Next we ended up stopping at "Walt Disney Presents Gallery and Exhibits". We just thought we'd get a break from the heat, but for anyone who has some time, I highly recommend going in here. I'm not a history buff and in fact hate it in general...except...when the topic is Disney. At home, I am obsessed with the Disney Imagineering series on Disney + and watch it over and over. This building is similar where it is the history of Walt and how Disney World and other parks came about, as well as the cruise line. It's really interesting. It ends with a movie on Walt, which to be honest I don't remember much, but the building itself stands out.

I think next we went for dinner. We went to Backlot Express. The food was fine but after ordering and going to the pick up counter, I noticed a blondie cookie that was shown on the "the best treats" blogs that we watched before coming so I went back and ordered one for the table. (It's pretty big). I can vouch that it's really delicious! Highly recommend this.


After dinner we saw that Slinky Dog Dash was running again so we used our Anytime Lighting Lane (as the regular ones were now sold out). Normally Slinky Dog Dash is excluded from Anytime LLs but since it was Slinky Itself that was shut down, we could use it on the same ride. This LL is very helpful as the line was long. Our kids enjoyed the ride but it wasn't OMG type ride.

After this, I think we returned to Star Tours where my son and DH rode it again. We had also gotten a Lightning Lane for Tower of Terror so we headed over to that ride. Only DS wanted to ride this one but he was fine to go alone. DH, DD and I walked him through the ride though until the chicken exit. The most ironic thing though is that for the Tower of Terror's chicken exit, you take an elevator down to exit. Hmmmm.......

It looked like it was going to rain (amazing it hadn't done so yet!) and aside from DS who wanted to stay, the rest of us were having enough. DD really wanted to swim at the pool at night so we headed back to Contemporary. Didn't wait long for the bus which was nice.

DS didn't want to swim so I took her down to swim by herself. The slide kept her busy so she was ok. After about 30-40 minutes, it started to pour so that was the end of swimming. The next morning we had an early ADR breakfast so was glad to be back in the room at a decent time.

 

[disneyfam1986]

We’re y’all able to use your magic bands for the entire trip? We have some that are from 11/2020 and we are going 12/2022. We are planning on getting the memory maker since we have a large group. I am hoping that they will still work for photos.

 

[Frozen2014]

We’re y’all able to use your magic bands for the entire trip? We have some that are from 11/2020 and we are going 12/2022. We are planning on getting the memory maker since we have a large group. I am hoping that they will still work for photos.

We didn't purchase photopass, but we did scan the photos when we got out when it was there (e.g. Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror), and we also had a lot of photos on our account that we didn't do anything special for. This this included the video with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Buzz Light videos. I can't say for sure if they linked from the bands (which definitely had a dead battery) or it could have been maybe our cards or the MDE app itself? We did pick up the cards when we arrived just in case we had any issues with the bands plus we had our phones on us. Even if a combo of those, we had no issues.
(Only issue was at Disney Springs but that apparently is expected as the vendors are third party).

 

[Frozen2014]

D4 - Early Morning - LLs (usual activity) and Boma ADR

DH is pretty easy going and just goes with the flow. His one and only request for our trip was that we go to Boma for breakfast as he loved this place last time. Luckily at the 60 day mark, it was pretty easy to book and I was able to grab the first time of the morning at 7:30am. I knew it would be early but this would let us get to Animal Kingdom as early as possible.

Woke up usual time to shower and be ready to book our lightning lanes. But today, the rest of our gang also had to get up early in order to make our ADR. We decided to just take an uber to get to Animal Kingdom Lodge rather than a bus to Animal Kingdom and then a bus to the Lodge, or walking to Magic Kingdom and taking a bus from there to the Lodge. An uber would cost a bit but it was much more straight forward. At around 7am we left our room and booked an uber.

7am is the magic time for Lightning Lanes so we had to book today's on the go. Today's plan was to purchase an ILL for Flight of Passage and DD went for Navi. From what I heard with the old FastPass system, FOP was really hard to get so am glad with the new system and didn't mind paying for it so guarantee we get on the ride (without hour long wait). Flight of Passage had quite a few options so I went with 2:10pm-3:10pm. Didn't want to stress trying to time our breakfast ADR (with estimated arrival time) with Navi and Flight of Passage, so just went for an afternoon time. I don't remember the exact time but we picked around 9 or 9:30am for Navi as our breakfast ADR was for 7:30am.

Our uber driver was really friendly and a Disney-pro as he was saying that he and his wife go all the time. They go on a few rides but they focus on trying all the different restaurants. It was interesting to hear his thoughts and all the places they had tried. We got to Animal Kingdom Lodge a bit early so checked into the restaurant and then we walked around for a bit. (They send you a text when your table is ready). I love how each resort has such a different feel. This one was interesting and beautiful in it's own way. It's a nice resort but wasn't on our top list of choices due to only have a bus to get around for the high price of the room.


Right at 7:30am we got a text and we were seated to our table. I realize now that I missed taking any pictures of the food (which is not like us), so you'll just have to believe me that it was quite good (and many others vouch for it on this site!). To me, it wasn't OMG good but still quite tasty with a big selection....DH was happy to eat here again.

I think we finished up around 8:15am or so and we headed out to the bus section to go to Animal Kingdom. A bus came within 10 minutes so pretty quick.

 

[Frozen2014]

D4 - Animal Kingdom - Beautiful Nature and World of Avatar
I was looking forward to Animal Kingdom as this is the only park that we hadn’t been to before and the first time on any attraction is always the best. Felt a little lost though since we didn’t know where we were going but as we walked through the gate and went ahead we saw the beautiful tree of life.



We made our way towards Avatar. It’s really pretty walking with the trees and nature.
One good thing about Animal Kingdom, that I don’t remember seeing at the other parks, is that there are signs pointing you in the right direction.



It was time for our Navi Journey Lightning Lane. Crowds weren't bad (maybe 30 min wait) but it's still great using a LL and walking by the line up. I was really looking forward to this ride. I had recently re-watched Avatar on Disney+ so I could appreciate Navi and Flight of Passage (another pre-trip study item...lol). Navi is more my speed....calm boat ride where there are lots of things to look at. It's quite beautiful.



After Navi we almost stood in line for Flight of Passage as it was also showing a standby time of 30 minutes or so, but we decided to made our way towards Kilimanjaro Safari (We booked a LL once we tapped into Navi). I had heard on here that it's best to book this in the morning as (1) it gets busy, (2) more likely to see the animals in the morning as the afternoon gets very hot.

I was a little iffy on riding this as I heard the jeep could get quite bumpy, but honestly it was totally fine. Not bad at all. It's a nice ride and reminded me of being at our Toronto zoo (but on a ride instead of by foot). At one point the jeep had to stop to let some animals cross. At another point, a giraffe came so close to us, it was like it was going to jump on...lol.


After the Safari ride, we looked at the app and Flight of Passage still showed a low wait time so we walked back to Avatar to try stand by (even though we had the ILL in the afternoon). The line was low and didn't take long to go through (plus the queue has some neat stuff)



We were each assigned out banshee and put on our 3D glasses. Got on, and they put the back thing on to hold us in (careful as it can be tight). The ride started and wow...so beautiful. It's like Soarin on steroids! It is a pretty amazing ride. I will say that I did have a slight nausea feeling walking off, but not enough to deter me from riding again at our Individual Lightning Lane time.

 

[snikki]

We love Animal Kingdom. Especially at night. It's such unique park. We will be doing Boma breakfast before our AK day and plan on doing Uber too. We've never been so I'm glad to hear it was delicious!