Neon Cactus
Old Run Disney Addict
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2016
Just got back from a great, but way too short, four day trip to the parks. This is the trip that I can really thank for getting the annual pass this year. When I saw what the ticket prices for this trip plus a week for the Dopey Challenge next January would be, I saved money by buying the AP. And because I had the AP, I ended up adding a 2 day trip in April, plus upcoming 2 day trips in December and 5 days in February to the other two trips I'd already planned. Somehow I survived the grueling 5 months since my last trip. On this trip, besides me, was my friend David, who's been my Disney partner in crime since the early '90s. We lived an hour from Disneyland and used to go to the Neon Cactus bar at the Disneyland Hotel nearly every weekend, watch football and then go into Disneyland for a few rides. I made him go to Disney World in 1994 for his first time, and now he and his wife, who also went with us, are DVC owners. They do two weeks every year, one week at the Polynesian in a studio and one week in a 2 bedroom at the Beach Club. His dad was also there and this year he had to get an ECV for the first time due to health problems. Last year I couldn't go, but this year, being offered the chance to stay at the Polynesian definitely made it better. I don't usually get the dining plan, but they always do, so I paid them for 5 nights of it and they paid for the other two, since they had to put me on the dining plan for their full 7 day stay. The funny thing is that they usually go in October but chose September because it's usually less crowded. And they also like to take it a little easier since they are there for two weeks, where I come in for a four day trip like the Tasmanian Devil ready to go from opening to closing. So I thought it was hilarious that they opened Galaxy's Edge 12 days before our trip and the Studios had 6 am early hours for resort guests, while Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom opened at 7.
They got there the day before I did so it was already tough with me pacing around waiting for my nighttime flight on Wednesday. My flight left at 7 PM and landed at 10:48 and we were about 20 minutes early. I took Magical Express to the Polynesian. I was the third out of four stops and got there just before midnight. They had a studio in the Moorea building, which I liked because it was closest to the TTC. I visit the Polynesian on most of my visits, but this was the first time I've stayed there since 1975 when I was 8, my very first Disney World trip.
So we decided to go for the early entry at the Studios. We went to bed around 12:45 and got up at about 5. Plenty of sleep for me. We got to the parking lot of DHS a minute before 6, so we didn't get in the park right at opening. One thing we noticed right away was almost as good to me as finally seeing Galaxy's Edge:
First of all, I love being in a Disney park at 6 AM. It was all lit up and we got in at about 6:15 so Hollywood Boulevard wasn't crowded. But I loved being able to get a straight on view of the Chinese Theater. No Star Wars stage, no Sorcerer Mickey's Hat blocking the view. I've been going here since it's first year, so it was definitely nostalgic to have this view of it.
So we went to the Star Tours side of the park to the entrance of Galaxy's Edge and I found it to be truly incredible. I'm a Star Wars fan, but not too crazy, but it's impossible not to be impressed by the detail they put into it. What I also liked was the number of cast members there at 6 am and how they really built the experience in us. Their enthusiasm for Batuu was contagious. When we got into the park, the app said the line was 15 minutes. It looked very long and there was a cast member behind us with a sign that said 60 minutes. But the line moved very quickly and we were in the waiting area to board the ride in less than 25 minutes.
I loved the ride. It's very interactive and I was one of the pilots that had to go left and right. It was pretty easy except for the part where I ignored the brakes and rammed the train. My friends had been to the one at Disneyland and they said that the size of Galaxy's Edge at WDW is larger and more impressive. We walked around and explored the land some more and then went to go visit some of the other attractions. I like that you can go from Galaxy's Edge into Toy Story Land - no more dead end. We rode Slinky Dog with only about a 10 minute wait. Toy Story Mania said there was a 20 minute wait but we walked right on. And when we were done, they said we could ride it again without getting off. So we did one more time. We could have gone another time but our arms were pretty tired by that time because we get very competitive at it. Then it was on to Sunset Boulevard.
There didn't seem to be long waits so we went to Rock N Roller Coaster first and they had all of the doors open so we walked right through the preshow and got right onto the coaster. After that, we went to the Tower of Terror, and they also had the doors open so we walked right through the preshow. So we ended up going on the Tower a second time. My friends were feeling the effects of too many thrill rides in a row, so I went back to RNR by myself and they still had the doors open through the preshow and I got right on. So at 9 AM, when the park officially opened, we'd done Smuggler's Run, Slinky Dog, Toy Story twice, RNR twice and Tower of Terror twice. I love 6 AM early entry!!
After that, we went to Star Tours and walked on that, then Muppet Vision. Then we had reservations at 10:35 for Oga's Cantina. So we walked through and even with reservations there was a bit of a wait to get in. They checked us in and then when it was our turn they came and got us from the line. There are some booths there, plus some standing areas in the middle of the Cantina and then standing areas at the bar. We were right at the bar, which I liked. We saw our old friend Captain Rex from Star Tours who is now a DJ.
The bartenders were great and I love the atmosphere. I had a drink called the Yub Nub. It's on the menu for $45 in a souvenir mug but you can get it without the souvenir mug for I think $12-13. My friends had the Fuzzy Tauntaun, which one of the cast members had recommended. There's some foam on that drink that makes your lips tingle. Personally I love the atmosphere here but probably wouldn't do this every visit. The drinks are a bit overpriced and there are better drinks to be had elsewhere in the park. My friends went back later in the week after I left and had food at Ronto Roasters and the total for two with alcoholic drinks was $53, so if you're looking for a great quick service value on the meal plan, they highly recommend it.
After Oga's, we went back to the Polynesian to pick up my friend's dad and we went to Disney Springs and had lunch at the Polite Pig, which was a great quick service value for the dining plan and had really, really good brisket. We walked around Disney Springs for a little while, got our free sample at Ghirardelli and then went back to the Polynesian. My friends wanted to take a nap, so I went exploring the Polynesian and went shopping, walked around the marina and got through a rainstorm. Then we went to EPCOT for dinner at Tutto Italia. I hadn't been there since it was Alfredo's, so it had been a while. The food was excellent and the service was really outstanding. By the time we left, the park was near closing. We had Fastpasses for Illuminations the next night, so we rode Mission Space. I hadn't been on this in many years either. I loved the feeling of the launch, but I got a detached retina a few years ago and my eye doctor said most roller coasters are fine, but it's the rides with strong g forces that are the worst for it, so I'm relegated to the mild side of the ride this time. It was still fun. After that, we saw some of the fireworks from Illuminations as we made our way out of the park and went to the hotel.
Next: Day 2 and the Food and Wine Festival
They got there the day before I did so it was already tough with me pacing around waiting for my nighttime flight on Wednesday. My flight left at 7 PM and landed at 10:48 and we were about 20 minutes early. I took Magical Express to the Polynesian. I was the third out of four stops and got there just before midnight. They had a studio in the Moorea building, which I liked because it was closest to the TTC. I visit the Polynesian on most of my visits, but this was the first time I've stayed there since 1975 when I was 8, my very first Disney World trip.
So we decided to go for the early entry at the Studios. We went to bed around 12:45 and got up at about 5. Plenty of sleep for me. We got to the parking lot of DHS a minute before 6, so we didn't get in the park right at opening. One thing we noticed right away was almost as good to me as finally seeing Galaxy's Edge:
First of all, I love being in a Disney park at 6 AM. It was all lit up and we got in at about 6:15 so Hollywood Boulevard wasn't crowded. But I loved being able to get a straight on view of the Chinese Theater. No Star Wars stage, no Sorcerer Mickey's Hat blocking the view. I've been going here since it's first year, so it was definitely nostalgic to have this view of it.
So we went to the Star Tours side of the park to the entrance of Galaxy's Edge and I found it to be truly incredible. I'm a Star Wars fan, but not too crazy, but it's impossible not to be impressed by the detail they put into it. What I also liked was the number of cast members there at 6 am and how they really built the experience in us. Their enthusiasm for Batuu was contagious. When we got into the park, the app said the line was 15 minutes. It looked very long and there was a cast member behind us with a sign that said 60 minutes. But the line moved very quickly and we were in the waiting area to board the ride in less than 25 minutes.
I loved the ride. It's very interactive and I was one of the pilots that had to go left and right. It was pretty easy except for the part where I ignored the brakes and rammed the train. My friends had been to the one at Disneyland and they said that the size of Galaxy's Edge at WDW is larger and more impressive. We walked around and explored the land some more and then went to go visit some of the other attractions. I like that you can go from Galaxy's Edge into Toy Story Land - no more dead end. We rode Slinky Dog with only about a 10 minute wait. Toy Story Mania said there was a 20 minute wait but we walked right on. And when we were done, they said we could ride it again without getting off. So we did one more time. We could have gone another time but our arms were pretty tired by that time because we get very competitive at it. Then it was on to Sunset Boulevard.
There didn't seem to be long waits so we went to Rock N Roller Coaster first and they had all of the doors open so we walked right through the preshow and got right onto the coaster. After that, we went to the Tower of Terror, and they also had the doors open so we walked right through the preshow. So we ended up going on the Tower a second time. My friends were feeling the effects of too many thrill rides in a row, so I went back to RNR by myself and they still had the doors open through the preshow and I got right on. So at 9 AM, when the park officially opened, we'd done Smuggler's Run, Slinky Dog, Toy Story twice, RNR twice and Tower of Terror twice. I love 6 AM early entry!!
After that, we went to Star Tours and walked on that, then Muppet Vision. Then we had reservations at 10:35 for Oga's Cantina. So we walked through and even with reservations there was a bit of a wait to get in. They checked us in and then when it was our turn they came and got us from the line. There are some booths there, plus some standing areas in the middle of the Cantina and then standing areas at the bar. We were right at the bar, which I liked. We saw our old friend Captain Rex from Star Tours who is now a DJ.
The bartenders were great and I love the atmosphere. I had a drink called the Yub Nub. It's on the menu for $45 in a souvenir mug but you can get it without the souvenir mug for I think $12-13. My friends had the Fuzzy Tauntaun, which one of the cast members had recommended. There's some foam on that drink that makes your lips tingle. Personally I love the atmosphere here but probably wouldn't do this every visit. The drinks are a bit overpriced and there are better drinks to be had elsewhere in the park. My friends went back later in the week after I left and had food at Ronto Roasters and the total for two with alcoholic drinks was $53, so if you're looking for a great quick service value on the meal plan, they highly recommend it.
After Oga's, we went back to the Polynesian to pick up my friend's dad and we went to Disney Springs and had lunch at the Polite Pig, which was a great quick service value for the dining plan and had really, really good brisket. We walked around Disney Springs for a little while, got our free sample at Ghirardelli and then went back to the Polynesian. My friends wanted to take a nap, so I went exploring the Polynesian and went shopping, walked around the marina and got through a rainstorm. Then we went to EPCOT for dinner at Tutto Italia. I hadn't been there since it was Alfredo's, so it had been a while. The food was excellent and the service was really outstanding. By the time we left, the park was near closing. We had Fastpasses for Illuminations the next night, so we rode Mission Space. I hadn't been on this in many years either. I loved the feeling of the launch, but I got a detached retina a few years ago and my eye doctor said most roller coasters are fine, but it's the rides with strong g forces that are the worst for it, so I'm relegated to the mild side of the ride this time. It was still fun. After that, we saw some of the fireworks from Illuminations as we made our way out of the park and went to the hotel.
Next: Day 2 and the Food and Wine Festival