Kimrlav
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2017
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to share some experiences from my recent trip, October 21st - October 28th. My traveling party was myself and my elderly mother. In general, the weather was wonderful and any rain did not hinder our plans. I played golf three mornings and toured the theme parks on the "off" days - either as a solo or with my mother at night.
Accommodations: We stayed in a tower room at the Riviera Resort for the first two nights. This room was very claustrophobic for my mother and I. It was nice to have a balcony which provided a great view of both MK and Epcot fireworks. The bathroom was nicely appointed with a great rain shower head. However, the room lacked drawers for storage and it was small for two adults. It was fine for two days, but we were glad to move to the Boardwalk Inn for the remainder of the trip. Note: The bell services at both resorts were wonderful with the transfer of luggage -- very impressed with the professionalism, efficiency, and friendliness of this service.
Theme Parks: I was fortunate to secure a virtual boarding group for Remy's and enjoyed the ride. We did use Genie + for the Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. Also, I splurged and purchased an ILL$ for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad. My mother is elderly and it was easier to secure these rides using the service.
Early Entry: I was disappointed that the Safari ride was not open during the early morning hours and also some rides at Epcot - Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land were not operating during these hours. I understand these reasons, but it would be nice to have a list of open attractions for early entry in these parks. I am not a thrill ride person, so it was not a great benefit for my group. Also, at the MK the attractions open are in FantasyLand -- this would have been helpful to know prior because I would have selected a different attraction for my first lightening lane attraction. Overall, Genie + and early entry allowed us to ride everything that we wanted in MK and AK.
Dining: We had delicious sit-down meals at Trattoria Al Forno and Ale & Compass. We found the quick service . Primo Piatto to be have good food and fast, and friendly service. I was a little disappointed in the selections at the Creperie, but the savory crepes were excellent. Our dining was hampered by the lack of Minnie Van service - my mom enjoys eating at different resorts, but it is too much for her to take transportation to a park/Disney Springs and then to the resort -- she does not feel safe using Uber or Lyft.
Magical Express: I previously had a bad experience with late pick-ups for Magical Express on my trips in July and September. This time, we were fortunate and had a small shuttle bus with another family -- such a nice surprise. We were picked up on time and were dropped off at the curbside check-in for Southwest Airlines. It was so easy and nice to be dropped off right at the airline's check in on the second floor of MCO. It made me want to book the Express Service for my next trip.
Hope this is a helpful review.
Recap: We did use Genie + and one $ILL selection, but again it was just a travel party of two adults. If my mom had been feeling better, we would have taken advantage of the evening hours at both MK and Epcot to eliminate purchasing Genie + for two days of the trip. For future trips, I do not plan on purchasing for more than two days and will try to maximize use of the evening hours, if staying at a Deluxe resort. I am thinking of venturing to the Swan/Dolphin, especially with the elimination of free ME and their status as deluxe resorts by Disney.
I wanted to share some experiences from my recent trip, October 21st - October 28th. My traveling party was myself and my elderly mother. In general, the weather was wonderful and any rain did not hinder our plans. I played golf three mornings and toured the theme parks on the "off" days - either as a solo or with my mother at night.
Accommodations: We stayed in a tower room at the Riviera Resort for the first two nights. This room was very claustrophobic for my mother and I. It was nice to have a balcony which provided a great view of both MK and Epcot fireworks. The bathroom was nicely appointed with a great rain shower head. However, the room lacked drawers for storage and it was small for two adults. It was fine for two days, but we were glad to move to the Boardwalk Inn for the remainder of the trip. Note: The bell services at both resorts were wonderful with the transfer of luggage -- very impressed with the professionalism, efficiency, and friendliness of this service.
Theme Parks: I was fortunate to secure a virtual boarding group for Remy's and enjoyed the ride. We did use Genie + for the Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. Also, I splurged and purchased an ILL$ for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad. My mother is elderly and it was easier to secure these rides using the service.
Early Entry: I was disappointed that the Safari ride was not open during the early morning hours and also some rides at Epcot - Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land were not operating during these hours. I understand these reasons, but it would be nice to have a list of open attractions for early entry in these parks. I am not a thrill ride person, so it was not a great benefit for my group. Also, at the MK the attractions open are in FantasyLand -- this would have been helpful to know prior because I would have selected a different attraction for my first lightening lane attraction. Overall, Genie + and early entry allowed us to ride everything that we wanted in MK and AK.
Dining: We had delicious sit-down meals at Trattoria Al Forno and Ale & Compass. We found the quick service . Primo Piatto to be have good food and fast, and friendly service. I was a little disappointed in the selections at the Creperie, but the savory crepes were excellent. Our dining was hampered by the lack of Minnie Van service - my mom enjoys eating at different resorts, but it is too much for her to take transportation to a park/Disney Springs and then to the resort -- she does not feel safe using Uber or Lyft.
Magical Express: I previously had a bad experience with late pick-ups for Magical Express on my trips in July and September. This time, we were fortunate and had a small shuttle bus with another family -- such a nice surprise. We were picked up on time and were dropped off at the curbside check-in for Southwest Airlines. It was so easy and nice to be dropped off right at the airline's check in on the second floor of MCO. It made me want to book the Express Service for my next trip.
Hope this is a helpful review.
Recap: We did use Genie + and one $ILL selection, but again it was just a travel party of two adults. If my mom had been feeling better, we would have taken advantage of the evening hours at both MK and Epcot to eliminate purchasing Genie + for two days of the trip. For future trips, I do not plan on purchasing for more than two days and will try to maximize use of the evening hours, if staying at a Deluxe resort. I am thinking of venturing to the Swan/Dolphin, especially with the elimination of free ME and their status as deluxe resorts by Disney.
