Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[NavyDad]

Its funny because I didnt write about how truly bad the dining reservation went. So we had a 3:30 reservation and at 3:05 I checked in. We did not get seated until about 3:45. On top of that we then Ordered 2 cheeseburgers. Did not get the food for almost an hour. It was the only dining reservation I made for the 4 days and I only did it because my wife and I had eaten there years and years ago when we went and I wanted my daughter to see the restaurant. My wife passed away 3 years ago when my daughter was 4 so I just wanted to do something that would be Able to tie in back what I went with her mom but it really went South. I didn't like the idea of a reservation and having to be trapped in that time slot and the one I made I regretted so I will never ever ever do it again

I'm not sure if you plan to make multiple WDW trips over the years but we have found that our preferences of dining have changed depending on the circumstances and the ages of our kids.

Our first couple of trips we went with extended family (grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles) so it was nice doing one TS meal per day as kind of a gathering to slow things down. Everybody would talk about their day, what their favorite part was and we all enjoyed the time together in a relaxed atmosphere. We read a lot of reviews and found places that were know for a more laid back atmosphere including some nice places at the monorail resorts and in the world showcase at Epcot. We had some great experiences at places like Yak & Yeti, Ohana, Cape May Cafe, Boma, Garden Grill, Tepon Edo, Tuto Italia and many others.

As our kids got a little older (tweens to young teens) they just wanted to go 100 miles an hour all day and just ride as much as possible. During that time period we stopped making ADR's and just relied on QS. This actually opened up a lot of places that we probably would have never tried before but just chose to duck in there for a quick bite in between rides (Pecos Bills, Pizzafarri). The food wasn't prepared by a 5 star chef but our kids loved the atmosphere. Now our kids are all high school and college age and we have started to go back to TS again.

One of the things that keeps us coming back to WDW over the years is they have so much to offer that you can have almost completely different vacations at different points in your life and still have a great time.

 

[IluvMGM]

Just wondering what the current procedure is for early entry rope drop? Are we stopped at the gate at the parks or allowed in to go where we want, or allowed in but held at certain points?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Just wondering what the current procedure is for early entry rope drop? Are we stopped at the gate at the parks or allowed in to go where we want, or allowed in but held at certain points?

Please see the Everything Early Theme Park Entry thread. Post 1 has all current info for ETPE.

 

[IluvMGM]

Please see the Everything Early Theme Park Entry thread. Post 1 has all current info for ETPE.

Awesome. Thank you!

 

[Rod B]

My wife and I recently returned from WDW after our 10 year wedding anniversary trip. The trip was amazing but a totally different experience from when we last went which was in 2019. Overall we had a magical time but my original "Disney game plan" had to change. I'm sure there's tons of posts talking about the changes of the parks, but I wanted to give my breakdown from my short trip.

We only did 2 park days which was Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Now the entire reservation system wasn't so bad we booked our park passes months in advance so no issues there. We started off with disaster after being delayed at the airport for over 10 hours between 2 airports due to weather issues, so instead of arriving in Orlando at 10pm, when got to Orlando at 5am the next morning.

During our long haul layover, I purchased Genie+ and by the time we got to the hotel, we just showered and got dressed for the park. By 7am, I made my first LL reservation which was Smugglers Run. Rise of the resistance was shut down before the park even opened and during most of the entire day so we missed that ride but we rode Smugglers run about a hour after opening, which had a 50 min wait by then so we lucked out. And yes we did the entire park with no sleep after a 10 hour delay at the airport..

The LL system for me wasn't much different from fastpass, only difference is no advance reservations. It's pretty much what you had with fastpass after riding your 3rd ride. We had no problems with getting reservations. Right after Smugglers Run, we got Tower Of Terror, Rocking Rollercoaster, and all the attractions we wanted to ride on, almost right after each other, granted the park was at capacity and all the rides I listed was over 60-90 min waits. We even did Rocking Rollercoaster twice when the lines got shorter. I believe Genie+ is a good help with Hollywood Studios, but other parks maybe not.

Our last park day was Epcot, now I did purchase Genie+ for that day as well, but I feel like it was a waste. We got on the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind and got group 3 so we got on really early, I used my first LL on Ratatouille and I feel that was the only good thing about having Genie+ that day. After that I used it on Mission Space and Soaring which had low wait times which most of the park had that day so Epcot isn't a big Genie+ must park.

I learned a new thing for photopass, I didn't want to purchase the photopass when we were at Hollywood Studios, but Epcot we did. I saw if I brought both photopass each day, I would of saved money instead of the $189 they charged for the entire trip. Each day was $69 so had I did both days, I would of saved around $30 so if your doing a short trip, look into purchasing photopass by the day instead of in advance.

I haven't experienced all the parks so I can only speak on 2 parks but Overall I feel the change of Disney is something you have to adjust to, but my opinion so far it's easily to adjust. Now with the covid issues, I felt it was like being home, some had masks some didn't, but we always were extra when going to the parks even before covid with hand sanitizer, washing hands and using wipes. So I didn't feel uncomfortable being in the parks. I feel Genie+ is kind of a upsell but not hard to manage and things do look more expensive, but after all, this is Disney and things do get pricey. I myself haven't lost any magic at the parks and even though things changed, I still love going.

 

[cakebaker]

My wife and I recently returned from WDW after our 10 year wedding anniversary trip. The trip was amazing but a totally different experience from when we last went which was in 2019. Overall we had a magical time but my original "Disney game plan" had to change. I'm sure there's tons of posts talking about the changes of the parks, but I wanted to give my breakdown from my short trip.

We only did 2 park days which was Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Now the entire reservation system wasn't so bad we booked our park passes months in advance so no issues there. We started off with disaster after being delayed at the airport for over 10 hours between 2 airports due to weather issues, so instead of arriving in Orlando at 10pm, when got to Orlando at 5am the next morning.

During our long haul layover, I purchased Genie+ and by the time we got to the hotel, we just showered and got dressed for the park. By 7am, I made my first LL reservation which was Smugglers Run. Rise of the resistance was shut down before the park even opened and during most of the entire day so we missed that ride but we rode Smugglers run about a hour after opening, which had a 50 min wait by then so we lucked out. And yes we did the entire park with no sleep after a 10 hour delay at the airport..

The LL system for me wasn't much different from fastpass, only difference is no advance reservations. It's pretty much what you had with fastpass after riding your 3rd ride. We had no problems with getting reservations. Right after Smugglers Run, we got Tower Of Terror, Rocking Rollercoaster, and all the attractions we wanted to ride on, almost right after each other, granted the park was at capacity and all the rides I listed was over 60-90 min waits. We even did Rocking Rollercoaster twice when the lines got shorter. I believe Genie+ is a good help with Hollywood Studios, but other parks maybe not.

Our last park day was Epcot, now I did purchase Genie+ for that day as well, but I feel like it was a waste. We got on the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind and got group 3 so we got on really early, I used my first LL on Ratatouille and I feel that was the only good thing about having Genie+ that day. After that I used it on Mission Space and Soaring which had low wait times which most of the park had that day so Epcot isn't a big Genie+ must park.

I learned a new thing for photopass, I didn't want to purchase the photopass when we were at Hollywood Studios, but Epcot we did. I saw if I brought both photopass each day, I would of saved money instead of the $189 they charged for the entire trip. Each day was $69 so had I did both days, I would of saved around $30 so if your doing a short trip, look into purchasing photopass by the day instead of in advance.

I haven't experienced all the parks so I can only speak on 2 parks but Overall I feel the change of Disney is something you have to adjust to, but my opinion so far it's easily to adjust. Now with the covid issues, I felt it was like being home, some had masks some didn't, but we always were extra when going to the parks even before covid with hand sanitizer, washing hands and using wipes. So I didn't feel uncomfortable being in the parks. I feel Genie+ is kind of a upsell but not hard to manage and things do look more expensive, but after all, this is Disney and things do get pricey. I myself haven't lost any magic at the parks and even though things changed, I still love going.

Thanks for your take on it. I pretty much feel the same way. It really is just the old fastpass system, just updated technology. I liked it much more than I ever expected to, still far prefer FP+ and the ability to plan ahead. But, it's what we have and I can live with it. We found it most useful at HS and the MK, probably could've lived without it at AK, although it did come in handy to avoid any standby lines.

After many, many years of visiting WDW, it really was like being a newbie again. I'm glad to get the learning trip out of the way and I think we'll be much more successful on our next trip.

 

[Rod B]

Thanks for your take on it. I pretty much feel the same way. It really is just the old fastpass system, just updated technology. I liked it much more than I ever expected to, still far prefer FP+ and the ability to plan ahead. But, it's what we have and I can live with it. We found it most useful at HS and the MK, probably could've lived without it at AK, although it did come in handy to avoid any standby lines.

After many, many years of visiting WDW, it really was like being a newbie again. I'm glad to get the learning trip out of the way and I think we'll be much more successful on our next trip.

Same here. I'm already planning a trip for this fall. It did feel like going for the first time again, but those old school Disney tricks still work today in some cases.

 

[scjo68]

We just got back yesterday from our first trip back to WDW post-Covid.

This was the longest we have gone between trips since we started going in 2003 so it was wonderful to be back!

We did not purchase Genie+ or any ILL. This was a huge change for us, as we loved FP and FPP and had relied on it and always used it effectively. For a variety of reasons, we did not plan to purchase it this trip, knowing we could choose to add it if/when we wanted to but we never did.

I have read many posts stating that the use of G+ was recommended/ practically necessary. For us, we were able to ride/experience every attraction we wanted to without having to wait terribly long. I think the longest wait time for us was Space Mountain, which was about 25 minutes, at the very end of the night. We never did ride Peter Pan, which had a long wait time constantly. Otherwise, I can't think of anything we missed.

Having said that, our touring strategy might not be possible or desirable for some, in which case G+/ILL might be preferable.

We stayed at POP, and rope-dropped each morning. We were able to be at each park before ETPE started which put us near the front of the line for the "headliner" attractions. We used the Skyliner (which is awesome- when weather is good!) to get to DHS and Epcot so we walked on Rise, M&MRR, Smuggler's, Remy and Frozen as soon as they opened. We also were able to get a boarding group for Guardians for two days.

By the time we rode Remy and made it from WS to FW, TT had a long line even before regular park opening. But we were able to use single rider and got on quickly.

We also rode things later at night, sometimes during fireworks. We love riding BTM during fireworks and it was a walk-on during that time.

I admit we had some luck. Our first DHS day after rope-dropping Rise, we went right to M&MRR and walked on. Our second DHS day M&MRR was down for much of the morning but we had already done it so had planned to do Smugglers run then Slinky. We might never have gotten to ride M&M, at least not without a long wait, if we hadn't ridden it on our first day.

We may buy the G+ on our next trip- or we may not. But for us, on this trip, we had fun even without it!

 

[Jiminyfan2020]

Thank you all for the wonderful trip reports! For those of you using genie+ who received an anytime fast pass at one park when a ride was down, could you use it at another park the same day if you had a hopper pass?

 

[CJK]

Thank you all for the wonderful trip reports! For those of you using genie+ who received an anytime fast pass at one park when a ride was down, could you use it at another park the same day if you had a hopper pass?

Not us. In the 'anytime LL', there's a list of rides that you can use it for in the park you are in. We were never given options for another park (and we are AP holders).

 

[acgardne]

Thank you all for the wonderful trip reports! For those of you using genie+ who received an anytime fast pass at one park when a ride was down, could you use it at another park the same day if you had a hopper pass?

We had an issue where SDD went down, and we had to get to Epcot for our LL on GotG, which was at the end of the night. I politely asked Guest Relations at Epcot if they could move the anytime G+ to the next day, since we hadn’t had a chance to use it. The CM did, and he noted that it was easier to do since we wanted it at Epcot and he was at Epcot, because he had more leeway in the park he was assigned to.

So, I think you may have to ask, and you would have more luck in the park you are trying to use it in, but it can be done.

 

[buyerbrad]

Last day today at HS before we fly home tomorrow. For those planning, it was myself, wife and 2 daughters (9 & 6).

ETPE - Rise - let into the park at 7:35 and allowed straight onto the ride
ETPE - MFSR - walk on
TSMM - walk on
Saucers - walk on
Frozen show
SDD - G+
Meet Fancy Nancy
Meet Vampirina
Meet Doc McStuffins
TSMM - G+
Lunch
Disney Jr. Show
Beauty and the Beast Show - 1pm
Star Tours - G+
Meet Olaf - G+
Muppets
MMRR - G+
Meet Mickey & Minnie
Indy Show - G+
On the bus back to the resort at 5:30.

If we had planned on staying the full day, easily could have had G+ for TOT, RNR or another for MFSR. Rain was a possibility later in the day (currently really storming) and the girls wanted to go back for one final swim before it started (pool closed at 8:20pm for lightening). LMK if you have any questions about our touring strategy.

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

LMK if you have any questions about our touring strategy.

Did you find you had to refresh a bunch to get the afternoon lightning lanes?

 

[tigertides]

Spent 2 days in the park (Epcot 7/28, and DHS 7/29)

I was able to secure both VQ and paid ILL+ for Cosmic Rewind.
Also, agree that ROTR is walk-on at 0735am. And from there, you can walk on for the next 3 rides. My first G+ was for SDD.

Broad brushstrokes:
Was a great trip. I really do not know what all the complaining is about on some forums. The parks are not nearly as crowded in the summer as over Holidays, Springbreak. It didn't rain one time. Pools not crowded. Bus and skyline transportation was efficient. Castmembers were pleasant enough.

For those who think the costs are adding up, I makes ALOT more cents/sense to spend 2 days in park (with paid G+/ILL) than 3 without "paid fast passes".

Ditto for 3 days with paid G+/ILL vs 4 without.

Although I do think you do not need G+ at DHS if you can do TRUE early Rope Drop. I left my hotel at Swan at 0700, walked to DHS, and was among first ones in the park. Still, with G+, I was able to squeeze in SDD with no wait, as well as TSM.

FYI - NO ONE IS WEARING MASKS anymore. I was only one indoors with one at Remy, GOTG, etc.
And came back with mild COVID(+).

 

[buyerbrad]

Did you find you had to refresh a bunch to get the afternoon lightning lanes?

We did very little refreshing. Yesterday, at HS, we had Slinky for 10:05 to 11:05 and used it right at 10am. I was then able to get TSMM for 10:45 and used it at 10:40. I then booked MMRR for 2:10 to 3:10. It then allowed me to book another G+ at 12:40, Star Tours, used it immediately and the Standby line was 45 minutes.

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

We did very little refreshing. Yesterday, at HS, we had Slinky for 10:05 to 11:05 and used it right at 10am. I was then able to get TSMM for 10:45 and used it at 10:40. I then booked MMRR for 2:10 to 3:10. It then allowed me to book another G+ at 12:40, Star Tours, used it immediately and the Standby line was 45 minutes.

Awesome! Thank you!

 

[ScarletFire]

For those who think the costs are adding up, I makes ALOT more cents/sense to spend 2 days in park (with paid G+/ILL) than 3 without "paid fast passes".

Ditto for 3 days with paid G+/ILL vs 4 without.

Agree!! I posted this a while back: POST

This could shorten your resort stay, a room on disney property is WAY expensive. I prefer the bubble and never stay off property. Or, use the extra day for swimming and resting.

FYI - NO ONE IS WEARING MASKS anymore. I was only one indoors with one at Remy, GOTG, etc.
And came back with mild COVID(+).

DH and DS27 got COVID after a recent Vegas trip. Both were miserable for over a week. I've not had it. This makes me sad. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Trinity88]

Well, we’re heading out after 8 wonderful days. We feel content and happy with our trip.

I can't thank you enough for the detailed trip reports!! I have a family of 5 with teens and while we plan to tour a little differently (not hit the parks until late afternoon), it was so helpful to read how it worked for a similar family composition. It's so hard to know how the availability of G+ will work when I read reports with 2 people visiting instead of 5. But it sounds like it worked very well for you. Thanks again, I will be using many of your tips in less than 2 weeks!

 

[DisneyFive]

I can't thank you enough for the detailed trip reports!! I have a family of 5 with teens and while we plan to tour a little differently (not hit the parks until late afternoon), it was so helpful to read how it worked for a similar family composition. It's so hard to know how the availability of G+ will work when I read reports with 2 people visiting instead of 5. But it sounds like it worked very well for you. Thanks again, I will be using many of your tips in less than 2 weeks!

Sounds like fun!

I'm missing WDW already, now that we've had some solid rest and can reflect on just how awesome this year's trip was. I'm so glad that some of my info has been useful, or at least interesting to read.

Hoping you a fantastic trip. I think having G+ is going to work well in your case. I can't imagine starting late afternoon without G+. You'll have a good solid 3-4 G+ attractions before you arrive! You might have to refresh some for that 3rd or 4th depending on what you're targeting but it will set up well for when you show up to the park!

Dan

 

[harleyquinn]

Here for a week if anyone has anything they’d like me to check on!