Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[tink2424]

We did Universal for the first time last summer, and I have to agree that other than Potter areas and Velocicoaster, the rest was overly hyped IMO. I am sure we will head back in a couple years to see Epic U but I don't see the argument that Universal is winning. Prices were just as overinflated.

I think when people say Universal is winning is in the prices and value for what you get. Also the express pass (while expensive if you buy it outright) is just so much easier to use. And overall Universal is just easier to do without having to make reservations to get in or limits on park hopping. Finally they are able to get new rides up and running in a shorter amount of time. That is where they are winning.

As for the rides they definitely have better roller coasters as that is their bread and butter but Disney definitely wins with the dark rides and family friendly rides for sure. If EPIC Universe has more of those rides it will be a real contender with Disney.

 

[easyas123]

We're under 60 days out and it's sad to hear what your saying, but I get it.

The problem is for those of us who experienced the parks before.

We have a trip planned at the end of January, taking our adult kids for one last hurrah (husband was feeling nostalgic one evening and here we are) and honestly, I'm not feeling it. We traveled to Europe in 2019 & 2022 and when I look at what I'm spending for 6 adults @ WDW vs. what those two trips costs us I do admit feeling more than one pang of regret for choosing to go to FL instead of somewhere new.
But what's booked is booked and so off we go to WDW before - as my husband says - the kids become busy with adult life and all that goes with being married and working and having other obligations. I say kids, they are between 25-28. I highly suspect our bar bill for the 5 nights will be the same as my last Viking cruise but the Old Man is going to be happy, and we'll all have a fun time - and that is priceless.

 

[Ricguz]

We have a trip planned at the end of January, taking our adult kids for one last hurrah (husband was feeling nostalgic one evening and here we are) and honestly, I'm not feeling it. We traveled to Europe in 2019 & 2022 and when I look at what I'm spending for 6 adults @ WDW vs. what those two trips costs us I do admit feeling more than one pang of regret for choosing to go to FL instead of somewhere new.
But what's booked is booked and so off we go to WDW before - as my husband says - the kids become busy with adult life and all that goes with being married and working and having other obligations. I say kids, they are between 25-28. I highly suspect our bar bill for the 5 nights will be the same as my last Viking cruise but the Old Man is going to be happy, and we'll all have a fun time - and that is priceless.

Make the best of it especially for the “old man” but after dropping 20K + over the last two years, I hear your concerns. To me, Disney is not the same as I remember it 5 years ago. Maybe they have a different plan to bring the magic back. I stay Club Level at a deluxe resort, I am not cheap but I don’t feel the same.

 

[jvalic33]

We have a trip planned at the end of January, taking our adult kids for one last hurrah (husband was feeling nostalgic one evening and here we are) and honestly, I'm not feeling it. We traveled to Europe in 2019 & 2022 and when I look at what I'm spending for 6 adults @ WDW vs. what those two trips costs us I do admit feeling more than one pang of regret for choosing to go to FL instead of somewhere new.
But what's booked is booked and so off we go to WDW before - as my husband says - the kids become busy with adult life and all that goes with being married and working and having other obligations. I say kids, they are between 25-28. I highly suspect our bar bill for the 5 nights will be the same as my last Viking cruise but the Old Man is going to be happy, and we'll all have a fun time - and that is priceless.

You will love every second of it because what I found, is no matter where we are, we enjoy one another. They will also be in heaven reliving their childhood memories. Those are perfect ages where you begin to appreciate what your parents did for you when you were younger.

We went through a phase where one of my teenagers gave us so much trouble...he just didn't want to go....and as we approached the Walt Disney World sign we made sure we filmed him.....he just couldn't hold back that smile.

Europe is great, but it's nice to have a canned vacation with so many fun things to do all in one place and not have to worry about passports!

 

[easyas123]

They will also be in heaven reliving their childhood memories.

Ha! Well....maybe. Maybe not! Our kids were the kids that didn't want to go to WDW and we last drug them there when they were in 7 & 8th grade. They far preferred a more exotic destination, which is fine. That's mostly what we did - and my husband and I started taking a long 4 night weekend there once a year in late Jan as a winter break for ourselves.
But they are up for this trip, and we'll have fun I'm sure.

 

[jvalic33]

Ha! Well....maybe. Maybe not! Our kids were the kids that didn't want to go to WDW and we last drug them there when they were in 7 & 8th grade. They far preferred a more exotic destination, which is fine. That's mostly what we did - and my husband and I started taking a long 4 night weekend there once a year in late Jan as a winter break for ourselves.
But they are up for this trip, and we'll have fun I'm sure.

What? Parents who had to drag their kids to Disney? I can't imagine, but I was the kid that never got to go...EVER until I was 17. So I guess I brainwashed them early, as soon as I could get them there.

Anyway, it sounds like you have a good attitude and since you are already used to dragging them there (and they are used to being dragged) they really will be reliving their childhood...LOL

 

[jimim]

Does anyone know how long the wait is for meeting Figment? I know when he first started greetings, the line was a few hours, thanks!

Line was just I would say 30 mins plus an hour ago today. We are going to lunch. Another day we will grab him. I want to get one with Mickey and Minnie in their 100 year outfits also. Other than those 2 meet and greats I’m good. Lol

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Just got back from a 7 day stay at Disney with hoppers and 19 of my son's extended family. We (DH, SIL, and me) went with my son's family (DDIL and 2 beautiful GDs) for a 3-day Universal trip afterward.
First off: the "19" stayed off-property in a huge rental in Davenport while we 3 stayed on property. They only had 3 day non hopper passes, with a MNSSHP ticket.
** We love staying at a sky liner resort - this time, Pop.
We arrived on 10/28 and had a breakfast birthday (Chef Mickeys) for my DGD to celebrate her 13th birthday (for 7 of us) then met up with the others for a birthday evening celebration at Planet Hollywood (her choice). She wanted to see her name on the screen.
We arranged our days to coincide with my son, but basically, we met for dinner and a couple of attractions.
We like hopping with a rest in between parks - but we are getting up in age.
Went to the 10/29 Halloween party; pretty nice, but felt crowded, and did not watch parades or stage shows. Instead, we opted to ride attractions. We got in early enough to ride 7D before they opened for the party and all 20 of us that could ride got VQs for Tron at 6 PM. We had done EE for EP that morning, riding Guardians and doing most of the attractions in the front of the park
The first 3 days were wonderful with low crowds; park hopped 10/30 AK (EE) am, DHS evening (getting a few rides in), 10/31 DHS (EE) am, doing Star Wars attractions and then shows, meet and greets; EP evening (Rose and Crown fireworks dinner - would do again). Arrived around 5 PM and was watching a band in the garden of England and for the heck of it tried for, and got, a VQ for Guardians. That's how uncrowded it was.
11/1 we went back to DHS (EE), this time with the other 19, where we met up for dinner and Fantasmic. Slinky was down most of the day. My husband and SIL got in line for Slinky, which was down so the 19 others headed for Rise and did all the Star Wars attractions. the large group was never able to ride SDD because of the closures. At one point, when we were leaving TSMM, we could hear them testing SDD, but it never reopened.
11/2, the full group EP day. Guardians BGs 2 and 10, then a lot of Future World attractions. At lunch, we split off with the 3 of us dining at the Coral Reef while the group ate around the world. You could definitely feel the fuller crowd at the park on this day.
11/3 MK again with 8:30 am BBB for 4, and CRT breakfast for 22. By this day, the crowds and wait times were insane; very glad we had done the Halloween party. We used this day for a full on princess day, meeting princesses and that sort of agenda. Saw the parade and fireworks, though a less than ideal view for the castle projections.
Overall, the group had a great time. BGs for Tron came up at 11:30, but we were having breakfast at CTR. Got a receipt and were able to ride after the BG time expired.
#1: Family of 4 w/2 girls 7 and 10: never been to Disney, will not go back. (Husband does not see any value in this sort of vacation). Even though the 2 girls were thrilled with being princesses for a day and all the things they experienced, fun and memories (to him) do not equal value. The wife was miserable because he complained nonstop about how much everything cost.
#2: Family of 5 w/2 boys 5 and 12, girl 8: never been to Disney, loved it, had a great time, loved the attractions, experiences, and memories they made. Would like to go back after saving money but will take a few years.
#3: Family of 4 w/2 girls 14 and 16: never been to Disney, already planning to go back next year
#4: Grandparents - never been to Disney, loved it, and would possibly go back with their kids. Granddad really loved it. They had originally planned 2 park days and had so much fun at DHS decided to add another day.
#5: My son and family w/2 girls 10 and 13. Have been going pretty much every year (sometimes twice) since 1988. Love Disney, though he tends to be influenced by negative blogs and reviews. He had a great time!
My husband and SIL: I have been going to WDW since 1972. I would go back again, enjoyed the casual touring and slower pace; would like to go for Christmas one more time. Sadly, SIL will probably not go back due to health issues. However, she had a wonderful time!
I think the frantic, fast pace that has been adopted the past few years, partly due to crowds and fast passes, genie+, VQs have really affected the enjoyment some have for going to the parks. Add to that the higher cost, and it definitely has an effect on the enjoyment you receive from the experience.
We went in with a plan to just go with the flow, no G+, used the VQ system and EE perk, and we had a great time. We kept up with wait times and went where the crowds were lower, didn't let it ruin our trip if we missed an attraction, spent lots of time just stopping to smell the roses, had a great time
Those who had never been, never missed anything, and got a lot of enjoyment from what they did. They had no real plan, and I was surprised with how much they got done.
Another thing I noticed: Practically every dining experience had last minute availability because so many people drop their ADRs. One evening we had already gone back to the room and were trying to decide what to do for dinner; around 5:00 we snagged a 7:40 ADR for Storybook dining. There were 3 available times.
I think it's what you make it. Everyone has different experiences, values and expectations. That's what makes the world go round.
PS, Universal was insanely busy as well. (November 4, 5, 6), even with early entry.
As for WDW vs Universal winning: It's each person's idea of what makes a great vacation. I had fun at Universal, but I love WDW. I think, for me, there's enough at Disney World where you can just chill and do something different each time. Universal parks feel much smaller, and the Harry Potter areas are super crowded. To the extent that I left the group and sat outside being entertained by the shrunken head on the purple triple-decker bus while they did HP stuff.

 

[LisaRay]

Our trip was Oct 29th-Nov 2nd
I thought I’d tell a little about how things went.

1st of all we stayed at Pop which we have stayed at MANY times before. Originally our room ready text had us in 90’s (even though I had requested 60s or 70s. which I know is just a request) But we stopped at the front desk and they switched us to 70’s. We had very quiet neighbors because we never heard them all week.

Dining: We didn’t have very many sit down meals which is unusual for us but trying to keep costs down for my brother. We did eat at Via Napoli, Yak & yeti and just my DH and I ate at Chefs de France which was totally new for us. These were all very good. A lot of our meals were at the epcot booths and a few random quick service places in other parks. Oh, and the Boathouse at Disney Springs. Yes, the food prices are a bit crazy but we knew that and my DH and I shared some QS meals in order to have snacks also.


Parks: Ok, we were last there in Oct of 2022 and also March of 2022 and I’ve read plenty about people saying rides are broke down but those previous trips were fine. However,…………….. OMG this trip it was so crazy! I had just assumed people were exaggerating the break downs but no they are not! Every single day there were many rides down and almost every morning it was the 1st rides we’d planned for the day. It didn’t seem to matter if it was a rope drop day or a sleep in and arrive mid morning day. We had Guardians go down on us 4 times during the week, Rock N Roller coaster went down on my husband 3 times in one day and two of the times he was actually on the ride. Twice stuck on the ride in one day. He texted he was strapped in and about to take off and it went down. He didn’t get off of it for about 20-30 minutes one of those times. Also, so many other rides went down while we either had a LL for them, were in line for it standby or were simply just heading to that ride next only to learn it was down.

Test Track, Dinosaur, Frozen, Remy, Big Thunder, Soarin, TSM, and of course Rock N roller coaster and Guardians like I mentioned. We literally gave up on Guardians. We had been given another LL for it because the ride went down on us during the middle of the ride, and we didn’t even want to go use it because we were tired of waiting and waiting in line while it was working and not working over and over. We had used $LL and a VQ and had issues with both those rides and just had enough of it.

It kind of became a not funny running joke about “well I wonder what will break down next” Also, I know I am not alone in this but the amount of money for the park tickets and then genie and the $LL really adds up and if it had just been my DH and I then we wouldn’t have bought as much but like I said a one time only trip for my brother and sister in law and we wanted to fit it all in during their 5 park days.

I am the true Disney nut in the family, but my DH goes along with it and enjoys it. The proof is one week in March 2022, one week Oct 2022 and another week Oct 2023. But he was VERY frustrated on this trip with the breakdowns. Plus, he knows how I try to have a plan for the day and that really threw it out the window. I don’t think I’m going to be able to convince him to go back in 2024 the breakdowns just really put a damper on the trip especially at that price point.

The weather was great not a single drop of rain and most days were a high of 83 until the end and the last two days was mid 70’s. But we did both get sick on departure day. Texted negative for covid thankfully but I texted positive for influenza (DH did not, perhaps his flu shot worked better than mine lol) On the mend now though and a bit bummed I’m not even going to try and use that bounce back offer that was in our room.

 

[LisaRay]

Forgot to add that on a couple of days we didn't do rope drop. I still woke up at 6:45 and booked everyone's Genie and rides. But then we met in the parks at 10am. I did this so they could sleep in a bit every other day as my brother and sister in law are not morning people. This worked out great in the parks we still got to ride everything we wanted to ride and see shows. Maybe even got more done on those days because we didn't do an afternoon break on those days just had an earlier evening. Did dinner and then back to hotel a bit early on those days,
However, I didn't love that I still had to get up at 6:45 to book rides. It would have been nice if we all could have slept a little longer those mornings. Really hoping that 7am booking will change in the future.

 

[mickeymom629]

Just got back from a 7 day stay at Disney with hoppers and 19 of my son's extended family. We (DH, SIL, and me) went with my son's family (DDIL and 2 beautiful GDs) for a 3-day Universal trip afterward.
First off: the "19" stayed off-property in a huge rental in Davenport while we 3 stayed on property. They only had 3 day non hopper passes, with a MNSSHP ticket.
** We love staying at a sky liner resort - this time, Pop.
We arrived on 10/28 and had a breakfast birthday (Chef Mickeys) for my DGD to celebrate her 13th birthday (for 7 of us) then met up with the others for a birthday evening celebration at Planet Hollywood (her choice). She wanted to see her name on the screen.
We arranged our days to coincide with my son, but basically, we met for dinner and a couple of attractions.
We like hopping with a rest in between parks - but we are getting up in age.
Went to the 10/29 Halloween party; pretty nice, but felt crowded, and did not watch parades or stage shows. Instead, we opted to ride attractions. We got in early enough to ride 7D before they opened for the party and all 20 of us that could ride got VQs for Tron at 6 PM. We had done EE for EP that morning, riding Guardians and doing most of the attractions in the front of the park
The first 3 days were wonderful with low crowds; park hopped 10/30 AK (EE) am, DHS evening (getting a few rides in), 10/31 DHS (EE) am, doing Star Wars attractions and then shows, meet and greets; EP evening (Rose and Crown fireworks dinner - would do again). Arrived around 5 PM and was watching a band in the garden of England and for the heck of it tried for, and got, a VQ for Guardians. That's how uncrowded it was.
11/1 we went back to DHS (EE), this time with the other 19, where we met up for dinner and Fantasmic. Slinky was down most of the day. My husband and SIL got in line for Slinky, which was down so the 19 others headed for Rise and did all the Star Wars attractions. the large group was never able to ride SDD because of the closures. At one point, when we were leaving TSMM, we could hear them testing SDD, but it never reopened.
11/2, the full group EP day. Guardians BGs 2 and 10, then a lot of Future World attractions. At lunch, we split off with the 3 of us dining at the Coral Reef while the group ate around the world. You could definitely feel the fuller crowd at the park on this day.
11/3 MK again with 8:30 am BBB for 4, and CRT breakfast for 22. By this day, the crowds and wait times were insane; very glad we had done the Halloween party. We used this day for a full on princess day, meeting princesses and that sort of agenda. Saw the parade and fireworks, though a less than ideal view for the castle projections.
Overall, the group had a great time. BGs for Tron came up at 11:30, but we were having breakfast at CTR. Got a receipt and were able to ride after the BG time expired.
#1: Family of 4 w/2 girls 7 and 10: never been to Disney, will not go back. (Husband does not see any value in this sort of vacation). Even though the 2 girls were thrilled with being princesses for a day and all the things they experienced, fun and memories (to him) do not equal value. The wife was miserable because he complained nonstop about how much everything cost.
#2: Family of 5 w/2 boys 5 and 12, girl 8: never been to Disney, loved it, had a great time, loved the attractions, experiences, and memories they made. Would like to go back after saving money but will take a few years.
#3: Family of 4 w/2 girls 14 and 16: never been to Disney, already planning to go back next year
#4: Grandparents - never been to Disney, loved it, and would possibly go back with their kids. Granddad really loved it. They had originally planned 2 park days and had so much fun at DHS decided to add another day.
#5: My son and family w/2 girls 10 and 13. Have been going pretty much every year (sometimes twice) since 1988. Love Disney, though he tends to be influenced by negative blogs and reviews. He had a great time!
My husband and SIL: I have been going to WDW since 1972. I would go back again, enjoyed the casual touring and slower pace; would like to go for Christmas one more time. Sadly, SIL will probably not go back due to health issues. However, she had a wonderful time!
I think the frantic, fast pace that has been adopted the past few years, partly due to crowds and fast passes, genie+, VQs have really affected the enjoyment some have for going to the parks. Add to that the higher cost, and it definitely has an effect on the enjoyment you receive from the experience.
We went in with a plan to just go with the flow, no G+, used the VQ system and EE perk, and we had a great time. We kept up with wait times and went where the crowds were lower, didn't let it ruin our trip if we missed an attraction, spent lots of time just stopping to smell the roses, had a great time
Those who had never been, never missed anything, and got a lot of enjoyment from what they did. They had no real plan, and I was surprised with how much they got done.
Another thing I noticed: Practically every dining experience had last minute availability because so many people drop their ADRs. One evening we had already gone back to the room and were trying to decide what to do for dinner; around 5:00 we snagged a 7:40 ADR for Storybook dining. There were 3 available times.
I think it's what you make it. Everyone has different experiences, values and expectations. That's what makes the world go round.
PS, Universal was insanely busy as well. (November 4, 5, 6), even with early entry.
As for WDW vs Universal winning: It's each person's idea of what makes a great vacation. I had fun at Universal, but I love WDW. I think, for me, there's enough at Disney World where you can just chill and do something different each time. Universal parks feel much smaller, and the Harry Potter areas are super crowded. To the extent that I left the group and sat outside being entertained by the shrunken head on the purple triple-decker bus while they did HP stuff.

Great trip report!

I was there at the same time as the previous two posters - Oct. 25-Nov 4. From Oct 25 to Oct. 28, DH and I stayed at POP for the first time and really enjoyed it. The salmon at the food court was really good. We loved the skyliner, enjoyed the quiet pool and liked the room. From the 28th until Nov. 4, we stayed in a GV and nearby studio at OKW with our kids and grandkids. One DS flew in not feeling well but had tested negative before his flight. Our GV wasn't ready until after 5 p.m. so we just relaxed by the pool. He ended up testing positive when we got into our villa and he stayed in his room for the next several days with his wife and 7 yr old daughter who had been fully vaxed (he isn't) - they came to the parks w/o him. Luckily, no one else got it and he tested negative by Nov. 3. Unfortunately, he missed out on several days in the park. Some pixie dust - the cast member at OKW who realized we had been waiting all day for our place that would be ready after 5 p.m. (checkin at 4) gave all 12 of us G+ for any day of our trip that I wanted! I was only going to buy it one or two days of our trip in place of the usual character meal that I treat everyone to, so this was awesome for sure!

DH and I activated our DVC gold vouchers at E guest relations and enjoyed the parks by ourselves the first couple of days while at POP. The crowds were pretty low.

Some had MNSSHP tickets for 10/29 and they really enjoyed it! Came home with a bunch of candy. DD and her husband rode many rides. Another DS and his family (DS 4, DD 7) enjoyed the shows/parades/fireworks. The rest of us had spent the day in MK with hardly any lines.

10/30 we did E and 10/31 we did AK, both with moderate to low crowds and arriving a little after opening. We did just about every attraction at AK except Feathered Friends, the trails and FotLK, though we arrived late. We started in Dinoland and worked our way counter-clockwise. We probably could have done so much more but we went to Satul Canteen for lunch which was out of the way at the time. Bought FOP LL$ for all. We drew Kaa from Jungle Book. DH and I had draw Ed the hyena from Lion King on 10/27 before family arrived. Two new characters for us!

We arrived late to most parks this trip because I didn't want to make everyone nuts but we did arrive early for DHS (w/G+) on 11/1. We got in and out of line for SDD (we were going to ride it at EE and then with G+) but the line was crazy long and the ride was down. We did get to ride it later and again with an anytime pass because of a mix-up that I had to clear up at the blue umbrella (long story).

I was bummed to find out that there were no parades in HS this time. I have missed the street performers and just feel like Disney is cutting back on the little magic - especially for ride wimps like me. I love the changes to F! and the Finding Nemo at AK. MK fireworks were great and we lucked out with a last second spot on the bridge to Tomorrowland. I did not love the 3 p.m. parade at the MK but it was okay.

11/2 at MK and 11/3 at E were crazy busy. I bought G+ for the MK day and that was so good because lines were crazy and rides were down.

I got VQ for GotG and Tron when I tried (using tips on here and from Vloggers) though we didn't use them all. The consensus was that Tron was great but too short. GotG was really good (DH did it twice this trip and the others did it once) and it was unfortunate that we didn't stay at E long enough on our last day to wait in the line to use our VQ that I got at 1 in the park. I had forgotten to wake early to try at 7 a.m.

We got to do everything we wanted for the most part. My two grandaughters who are 7 got to sit by themselves on rides and they thought that was so fun. Their favorite at Epcot was Spaceship Earth (lol). They giggled at the video they made and we did that 4 times on 10/30 (arrived late and stayed through fireworks but not until 11 for 'deluxe' extra hours).

We didn't do any sit-down meals. We ordered pizza and salad delivered to the villa one night from Magical World Pizza that had a flyer in the room and that was really nice. DH loved his brisket sandwich at Woody's Lunchbox in HS. We enjoyed many offerings at the F&W festival - Ireland's sausage w/potatoes and the seafood pie, Canada's filet mignon and potatoes and gravy, several shrimp dishes from countries I forget and Morocco's are among our favorites. DH was disappointed with the bacon funnel cake with syrup and icecream. One of my DIL did the cheese challenge and got the souvenier cup. Grandkids enjoyed the pumpkin scavanger hunt and got sippy cup prizes.

I don't know what people like about Olivia's but we have not been impressed with the things we get there for dinner. Grandkids enjoyed the community center and looked for Orange Bird to get stickers and a prize (keychain) after finding him 4 different days. Kids enjoyed the pool, playing bingo there and the Halloween activities which were in the evening and we were able to go after leaving AK at a reasonable time. OKW was great and we all want to go back.

There were magical moments in our trip and everyone wants to go back in a couple of years (I was planning to sell my DVC but...), but the crowds during some of the days with so many rides down and the cost of tickets and G+ just makes me feel the Disney greed more than the magic. Cast members were great and I recognized 4 on the app for the way they "saved the day" for me!

The weather was really good.

Editing as I remember details...

 

[Dakota731]

How is the weather? We are arriving Saturday and temps will be about the same as today. Is it so hot you need to wear shorts? I may have to reconsider my packing! Are sweatshirts needed at night?

 

[karmacats]

How is the weather? We are arriving Saturday and temps will be about the same as today. Is it so hot you need to wear shorts? I may have to reconsider my packing! Are sweatshirts needed at night?

It's hot. Not summer hot, but still very hot. I'm always cold, and I've been fine in t shirts and shorts. I haven't broken out a jacket once, even at night, and we've been here 5 days. Tomorrow through Monday are supposed to be even hotter, like high 80s, then low 80s/high 70s the rest of the week. I swear 70s here feels way hotter than at home, though. I'm awake right now because we're doing laundry because we didn't bring enough shorts. If I was packing for next week, I'd bring maybe 1 pair of jeans and 1 light jacket or sweatshirt, and otherwise shorts and t shirts.

 

[jimim]

Well another one in the bag for us.

9 full days. Rope drop 8 days. Stay till noon only each day. Back in after dinner for 5 nights. Other nights in downtown.

Rode tron 3 times. All VC.
Rode guardians 1 time. The other day I have no idea what happened but they went in 1 second. No idea.

All other headliners 2-3 times each ride. Falcon. Slinky. Toy Story mania. Goofy train. Soaring. Test track. Remy. You get the point. Zero issues.

No genie or ill$. Rope drop and night riding. Never felt rushed.

I still feel rope drop is a disaster of an injury waiting to happen at MK and HS. Other parks were ok. People are getting worse. New thing is have your kid sprint and then parents can just hope in line. But whatever. If they ever allow you to run beware I will smoke you all. Lol

Snacks. Lots of new snacks and a lot of good returning ones. I feel the snack situation as a whole has gotten good. Those spring rolls in MK rock. I like the waffle bowls in HS.


They need more Starbucks. It’s nuts. Like annoying nuts.

Meals. Nothing new. Same places as always. Topalino was awesome. Citricos was awesome. Flying fish was awesome. Il Mulino was awesome. Side note I want to do the food and wine classic over swan and dolphin. From just the looks of it it leaves Disney food and wine in the dust. I didn’t do it so I might be wrong bitcthe setup and looks of food looked awesome. Polite pig. Love it. Just love as always. Morimoto was great.

We finally tried gideons. It was fine. Would I seek them out no. But we went. We got hot cookie hour so that was a nice cult thing for all you groupies of theirs.

Busses from AKL. Fine. Zero issues.

I’m DVC so room is a room.

Not having tables in wonderland still stinks.

Ok here is my main negative. Food was good as always but the steaks at the signatures above were not thier typical nice tall fillets. You all know what I mean? Whey have turned into those flatter chair steakhouse steaks. Not good. Between me and my wife we had 3 fillets atcthe restaurants above all were the exact same 1.5 inch thickish vs nice tall thick cuts even like 12 months ago.

That’s al I got for you all.

 

[brockash]

Well another one in the bag for us.

9 full days. Rope drop 8 days. Stay till noon only each day. Back in after dinner for 5 nights. Other nights in downtown.

Rode tron 3 times. All VC.
Rode guardians 1 time. The other day I have no idea what happened but they went in 1 second. No idea.

All other headliners 2-3 times each ride. Falcon. Slinky. Toy Story mania. Goofy train. Soaring. Test track. Remy. You get the point. Zero issues.

No genie or ill$. Rope drop and night riding. Never felt rushed.

I still feel rope drop is a disaster of an injury waiting to happen at MK and HS. Other parks were ok. People are getting worse. New thing is have your kid sprint and then parents can just hope in line. But whatever. If they ever allow you to run beware I will smoke you all. Lol

Snacks. Lots of new snacks and a lot of good returning ones. I feel the snack situation as a whole has gotten good. Those spring rolls in MK rock. I like the waffle bowls in HS.


They need more Starbucks. It’s nuts. Like annoying nuts.

Meals. Nothing new. Same places as always. Topalino was awesome. Citricos was awesome. Flying fish was awesome. Il Mulino was awesome. Side note I want to do the food and wine classic over swan and dolphin. From just the looks of it it leaves Disney food and wine in the dust. I didn’t do it so I might be wrong bitcthe setup and looks of food looked awesome. Polite pig. Love it. Just love as always. Morimoto was great.

We finally tried gideons. It was fine. Would I seek them out no. But we went. We got hot cookie hour so that was a nice cult thing for all you groupies of theirs.

Busses from AKL. Fine. Zero issues.

I’m DVC so room is a room.

Not having tables in wonderland still stinks.

Ok here is my main negative. Food was good as always but the steaks at the signatures above were not thier typical nice tall fillets. You all know what I mean? Whey have turned into those flatter chair steakhouse steaks. Not good. Between me and my wife we had 3 fillets atcthe restaurants above all were the exact same 1.5 inch thickish vs nice tall thick cuts even like 12 months ago.

That’s al I got for you all.

Quick question about DHS rope drop (want to make sure they haven't gone back to their old ways.) - Once you scan into the park, you can go directly to an attraction and get in line there as opposed to the way it used to be or the way it currently is at MK where you keep rushing to be thrown into a huge crowd jockying for their spot etc.? We actually ALWAYS rope drop DHS now because we feel it's so much easier and waayy more pleasant than the past and we dont rope drop mk any longer because of the pure chaos and unpleasantness of the horrible process. Just curious if dhs has changed. Tia!

 

[Leigh L]

Quick question about DHS rope drop (want to make sure they haven't gone back to their old ways.) - Once you scan into the park, you can go directly to an attraction and get in line there as opposed to the way it used to be or the way it currently is at MK where you keep rushing to be thrown into a huge crowd jockying for their spot etc.? We actually ALWAYS rope drop DHS now because we feel it's so much easier and waayy more pleasant than the past and we dont rope drop mk any longer because of the pure chaos and unpleasantness of the horrible process. Just curious if dhs has changed. Tia!

This is how it was for me in September. I only rope dropped one day there.

If you can and are eligible for early entry, plan to get there a little earlier as they were still (like last year) letting the crowd in maybe 15-20 minutes before the official early entry time. I forget what time that was that day, maybe 8? That made a big difference and probably saved us a line or two.

I scanned in, CMs were stationed around the park's entrance and asking if you knew where you wanted to go and then pointing to which way to go. That day, I chose Toy Story Land and then just kept walking until I got on line for Slinky.

I was told by the CM as I was walking in that most of the people head to Galaxy's Edge so I decided to go the other way. Normally though, I get on line for Tower of Terror, but Slinky is always down when I've visited so decided to knock that one out of the way. It worked out well since I then rode Midway Mania with no line, then went into Galaxy's Edge and did Rise, along with Star Tours before the 9 a.m. park opening arrived. I may have even squeezed in Smuggler's, although I can't remember. If I did it before or after 9 a.m., it was a single rider either way for me, so cruised through.

I do remember walking away from Star Tours when the 9 a.m. crowd was walking towards Galaxy's Edge. So got a lot done!

 

[jimim]

Quick question about DHS rope drop (want to make sure they haven't gone back to their old ways.) - Once you scan into the park, you can go directly to an attraction and get in line there as opposed to the way it used to be or the way it currently is at MK where you keep rushing to be thrown into a huge crowd jockying for their spot etc.? We actually ALWAYS rope drop DHS now because we feel it's so much easier and waayy more pleasant than the past and we dont rope drop mk any longer because of the pure chaos and unpleasantness of the horrible process. Just curious if dhs has changed. Tia!

once you tap in you go. no hold at starbucks like they used to last year. so its a slower get up with people branching off vs like mine train where it is just a bad situation that can be corrected if they weren't lazy i feel. walk us with 4-5 cast members in the lead in a line.

 

[jimim]

This is how it was for me in September. I only rope dropped one day there.

If you can and are eligible for early entry, plan to get there a little earlier as they were still (like last year) letting the crowd in maybe 15-20 minutes before the official early entry time. I forget what time that was that day, maybe 8? That made a big difference and probably saved us a line or two.

I scanned in, CMs were stationed around the park's entrance and asking if you knew where you wanted to go and then pointing to which way to go. That day, I chose Toy Story Land and then just kept walking until I got on line for Slinky.

I was told by the CM as I was walking in that most of the people head to Galaxy's Edge so I decided to go the other way. Normally though, I get on line for Tower of Terror, but Slinky is always down when I've visited so decided to knock that one out of the way. It worked out well since I then rode Midway Mania with no line, then went into Galaxy's Edge and did Rise, along with Star Tours before the 9 a.m. park opening arrived. I may have even squeezed in Smuggler's, although I can't remember. If I did it before or after 9 a.m., it was a single rider either way for me, so cruised through.

I do remember walking away from Star Tours when the 9 a.m. crowd was walking towards Galaxy's Edge. So got a lot done!

were let in over the past 10 days in all parks at very random times. i hate that because you really don't know when to get there. skylines starting earlier than posted. busses showing up 60 mins plus vs 45 mins before rope drop.

you need to follow the recommended 90 mins early at your transportation site to really make sure it was worth it. rope drop is all in or not in my opinion. you either do the work getting to that bus stop or whatever 90 mins early or you run the chance of being so far back you should have slept in when the parks are busy.

 

[igrsod]

Just back and exhausted. We did 4 parks in one day. From rope drop to extra magic hours. 42000 steps

 

[ak517]

Hi all! What's the Tron VQ wait time like these days? I was there in March 2023 and we waited at least 90 minutes if not longer. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to buy ILLs for that to save some time on our quick trip down in a few weeks. If it's been hit or miss, with some days the wait being short and some long, then I'll probably err on the side of ILL. If it matters, we'll be in MK on a party day.