Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[SDKMom]

For those there now or arriving soon, Genie+ for Magic Kingdom and Multiple parks has sold out for Wed, Dec 20, 2023. Cost was $29 when it was available.

Do you know what time it sold out? We're heading there next week, and I'm thinking we should plan on purchasing G+ at midnight to avoid missing out.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Do you know what time it sold out? We're heading there next week, and I'm thinking we should plan on purchasing G+ at midnight to avoid missing out.

Not sure but it was before noon but possibly much earlier. I just saw a screen shot and it shows it sold out by 9:38AM. Just not sure what time zone the person is who took that pic so possibly it wasn't that early but safe to say, it was fastest sellout to date.

 

[buzz1fan]

Is midnight the earliest we can purchase for next day?

We are going Saturday

 

[scrappinginontario]

Is midnight the earliest we can purchase for next day?

We are going Saturday

Yes. You can purchase as soon as the clock strikes midnight. Yup - dating myself!

 

[SDKMom]

Not sure but it was before noon but possibly much earlier. I just saw a screen shot and it shows it sold out by 9:38AM. Just not sure what time zone the person is who took that pic so possibly it wasn't that early but safe to say, it was fastest sellout to date.

Wow! Midnight it is then! Thank you.

 

[lynzi2004]

Just a word of warning for anyone reading the boards looking for advice for the next couple of weeks. We just left today and the parks just are not open late enough in the evening to handle the crowd levels. We made it fine but anyone looking for short ride lines late at night will be sorely disappointed. Everest was still showing a 60 min wait at 6pm Monday (park closed at 7pm) with a “standby starts here” sign way out in the path. FOP was about 120+ min with the same scenario, the line snaked outside the que about the same time. We left and went to HS (which closed at 8pm for the Jollywood party) and the line for Mickey and Minnie’s was out the door in the outside que, Slinky was down and MF was showing I believe a 45-60 min wait. So just a heads up if you are saving some big rides till the end, set your priorities bc the crowds aren’t leaving at night like they typically do!

 

[musicguy856]

Just a word of warning for anyone reading the boards looking for advice for the next couple of weeks. We just left today and the parks just are not open late enough in the evening to handle the crowd levels. We made it fine but anyone looking for short ride lines late at night will be sorely disappointed. Everest was still showing a 60 min wait at 6pm Monday (park closed at 7pm) with a “standby starts here” sign way out in the path. FOP was about 120+ min with the same scenario, the line snaked outside the que about the same time. We left and went to HS (which closed at 8pm for the Jollywood party) and the line for Mickey and Minnie’s was out the door in the outside que, Slinky was down and MF was showing I believe a 45-60 min wait. So just a heads up if you are saving some big rides till the end, set your priorities bc the crowds aren’t leaving at night like they typically do!

Beware of “line stacking” where they close off some inside switchbacks to make the line appear longer than it is, though. Not saying that’s true in every case but it can happen.

 

[lynzi2004]

That definitely might have been a possibility, I didn’t think about that. I knew about inflated wait times, but I was shocked to see the lines snaking into walkways. That seems like a silly practice to shut down indoor parts and clog already busy walkways, but it is the “new Disney” We had a LL for Everest and then DH and DS went again using single rider, they waited about 15-20 min maybe? Not sure if that’s good or bad. We had about a 20-25 min wait with FOP LL.

 

[scrappinginontario]

That definitely might have been a possibility, I didn’t think about that. I knew about inflated wait times, but I was shocked to see the lines snaking into walkways. That seems like a silly practice to shut down indoor parts and clog already busy walkways, but it is the “new Disney” We had a LL for Everest and then DH and DS went again using single rider, they waited about 15-20 min maybe? Not sure if that’s good or bad. We had about a 20-25 min wait with FOP LL.

20-25 for Everest single rider is a significant wait! We’ve done it a few times and never waited more than 5 mins.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I think the line stacking is a reasonable necessity . We got in line for Jingle Cruise at 4:15 when we saw the huge party line as we were getting off the Main Street Train Station !
The line said 45 minute wait with a lot of Genie+ LL in Q . I don’t think they have ILL …anyway We we’re still on the front side of the line and were really surprised to see the line was only the single line bordering the line on the other half . So the center was empty and no lines to go up & down .
At the same time the castmembers announced an 80 minute wait for those that had just entered the front of the standby line. Otherwise the line would have been impossible to manage for the party that night.
I’m not even sure Jingle Cruise is operating on the MK party nights .
Does anybody know ?

 

[PolyRob]

I think the line stacking is a reasonable necessity . We got in line for Jingle Cruise at 4:15 when we saw the huge party line as we were getting off the Main Street Train Station !
The line said 45 minute wait with a lot of Genie+ LL in Q . I don’t think they have ILL …anyway We we’re still on the front side of the line and were really surprised to see the line was only the single line bordering the line on the other half . So the center was empty and no lines to go up & down .
At the same time the castmembers announced an 80 minute wait for those that had just entered the front of the standby line. Otherwise the line would have been impossible to manage for the party that night.
I’m not even sure Jingle Cruise is operating on the MK party nights .
Does anybody know ?

Jingle Cruise operates during MVMCP. It's not a party exclusive overlay, but stays open. It's honestly a waste of party time if you have another day planned at MK since the waits are longer than usual (like HM during MNSSHP).

 

[docindigo76]

Just back from 12 wonderful days. I may write a more extended trip report but here is the abridged version. The trip was not without its challenges (and I do see why some members here discuss why the magic feels gone), but there were still shining moments. Honestly would rather focus on those.

The defining highlights:

• Riviera Resort. Gorgeous, comfortable. And quiet! So peaceful, a true oasis for us!
• Seeing Neil Patrick Harris at Animal Kingdom!
• TRON. Everything about it. We rode it 8 times total and feel like we got the best rides in the front and middle of the trains. Chest mounted GoPros got lots of compliments and curious questions and the footage is incredible.
• Dolphins in Depth. Worth every dollar we paid. All the dolphins--Calvin, Rainier, and Malibar--were really into our group. McBride and Tolstoy the Turtles also made cameos. Highly recommend this experience, and the trainers and animal scientists are very engaging.
• Pick-A-Pearl at Mitsukoshi. Did this twice. Staff are lovely. I made sure to pick the ugliest, furriest oysters I could spot in hopes of finding something special. First time, a 7.5 mm pearl. Second time, 6.5 mm twin pearls! I got them set in a sea turtle pendant and dolphin pendant respectively to commemorate the Dolphins experience. Highly recommend and at $25 per picking, affordable with a beautiful reward. Also feel it's quite reasonably priced to have the pearls set.
• Skipper Canteen at MK, and overall how accommodating the restaurants were for our requests. We were never denied any modification of a dish within reason and the servers were very pleasant.
• Light crowds at Animal Kingdom such that could nearly walk onto Everest. Did it 4 times in a row in the span of about half an hour one day.
• A rainy day at EPCOT, when paced correctly, can be a wonderful thing.
• Taking a break on a bench on the Crystal Palace porch, hearing a tap at the window, and turning around to see Piglet waving at us and sending hearts and kisses. Of course we sent hearts and kisses back.
• Our Capture Your Moment at Hollywood Studios. The photographers were able to engage one of the ToT bellhops to appear in a photo and he was happy to do it! Our photographers here also went the extra mile to ensure that our backgrounds were as clean as possible. And with ToT down that morning, we got some fabulous shots on Sunset and near the attraction.
• Daisy's reaction to Donald being a goofball at Topolino's. My SO showed the video he took of Donald to Daisy, and how she responded was priceless. This continues to be our favorite character meal.
• And last but not least...at Ohana, Stitch gifted me one of his boogers. I know that's gross but come on, it's adorable when it's from Stitch. And my SO taught him how to take an epic selfie.

 

[NashvilleMama]

Here now on a relatively last-minute short trip:

• Pleasantly surprised by All Star Movies resort, as we've gotten spoiled by Deluxe and Moderate although do have a soft spot for Pop. It was all that was available for our crew and it's actually pretty great? In a preferred room so location is probably key. It's loud/noisy to an extent but had really low expectations and we're all quite happy.
• Did early entry at DHS and guess I hadn't read up on recent experiences. We were there at 7:50am for an 8:30am early entry, gates opened at 8:00am sharp and went to ToT line...but they didn't start boarding until 8:30. I'm used to them firing rides up at least a bit early but guess that's not the case anymore. We were on by 8:45am and rode RnRC before 9:00am park opening no problem.
• We were in the Hondo room of Millenium Falcon, just about done and ready to load when everything stopped and they evacuated the building. This was a new one for us as it wasn't just a "leave" but cast members saying "GET AS FAR AWAY FROMM THE BUILDING AS POSSIBLE" as we exited with no other instructions. Guest services umbrellas got quickly swamped but got an anytime lightning lane. Hope everything was ok.
• By noon it was CROWDED.
• First time eating at Hollywood & Vine for breakfast, last minute snag as my crew was desperate for a good meal....would have been cute when they were younger with these characters but food was great. Ambiance is definitely meh. One and done for us at that price point.

Looking forward to a MK day tomorrow since it's a party day and we'll be early entry and then out by 4pm! Had great luck with this last month and feeling optimistic the same will hold true with crowd levels!

 

[Leigh L]

Rough night at Epcot. Guardians went down around the 6 pm drop I think since they haven’t been boarding for hours (it also seemed offline at park opening at least briefly). Test track down a while now, then Remy and now Frozen, all at same time.

Edited: frozen back up as I’m typing.

Was fun to see Soarin over California again but I think I like the newer version.

This is just a one day at EP with MVMCP tomorrow. We did Universal Sun to wed and crowds def picked up mid week

 

[Leigh L]

All rides seemed back up for extra hours. Prob by 10 pm if I had to guess. Feel bad for day guests who missed

Really liked Luminous!( I stopped typing mid post earlier since show was starting )

Journey of Water was so crowded so just did a quick walk through.

Epcot much nicer now that it’s shed a few walls!

If you’re coming soon, bring warmer gear! Warner today than Monday - Wed but not a shorts evening! Had a sweatshirt but was freezing

 

[NashvilleMama]

MK today - it's a Christmas party day (we didn't have tickets to that) and it was a ghost town for the first few hours after park opening. We were here Thanksgiving week as well, and just want to officially say that for anyone who ever says not to go this time of year, don't listen to them....and this was with 3 kids 6 and under, two teenagers, and 3 adults so a crew of 8 people and only planned two months ago, just ahead of the 60 day mark.

Bus from all star 7:13am
Early entry: 7:35 tapped into park, rented strollers
Stopped to take main street photo pass group photos
Dumbo
Barnstormer x2
Under the Sea
Carousel
Small World
Mickeys Philharmagic
Peter Pan - G+ 9:15am
Meet Tiana and Rapunzel (Fairytale Hall)
Snack break
Mine Train - ILL 10:00am (tapped in about 10 mins early and they let us on)
Tea Cups
Meet Ariel at her Grotto
Speedway
Meet the Stepsisters pics behind the castle
Cinderellas Castle lunch 11:15am (food was delicious, btw - we all really enjoyed this, had been years for us)
Enchanted Tales with Belle - G+
Laugh Floor (longest wait we had all day! probably 15 mins to get in.)
TRON ILL / (a few went on People Mover instead at this time)
Space Mountain G+
3:00pm parade - right in front of castle, walked up at 2:45pm and had no problems finding a good spot on the circle

Walked out behind the parade and we're spent but it was an amazing day!

 

[gottalovepluto]

MK today - it's a Christmas party day (we didn't have tickets to that) and it was a ghost town for the first few hours after park opening. We were here Thanksgiving week as well, and just want to officially say that for anyone who ever says not to go this time of year, don't listen to them....

The time of year warning should stand, the ONLY reason you had the success you listed here was because it was a party night at MK. It has been extensively covered here on the DIS that party nights result in magical mornings at MK as those without park hoppers stay away.

 

[Cynt]

We just spent two days at WDW and hit all 4 parks with park hoppers and Genie+LL. It was wild and insane at times. But we loved it. We purchased Genie plus lighting lane multiple parks each day. Friday $35pp and Saturday $39pp.

We started Friday, at 630AM catching a bus to MK for rope drop. While standing in line at MK at 7AM we scored VQ boarding group 15 for Tron. Yes! That's all my DH wanted to ride.

Once they started letting the early entry into the park, we bee lined to SDMT. It was about a 10 minute wait but we were constantly moving. Next was the carousel. Why? Because the little wanted to ride it. Next BTMR and then TRON! Loved it. I wouldn't spend extra $ILL to ride it. We road everything we wanted to ride via Genie+LL. We were done around 3pm. We hopped over to Epcot.

PBA...we are now converts to visit MK the Friday b4 Christmas if its a party night. The crowds were light and the park definitely manageable. We are normally May and September visitors. So this was great for us.

Epcot - We were TIRED. We rode 3 or 4 rides and headed back to Dolphin. Grabbed dinner around 6pm. We had all intentions of going back to Epcot after a rest. The little fell asleep so we joined her. LOL! She fell asleep in all her clothes. We just let her sleep. Please tell me we are not the only DINKS who babysit and do this. LOL! We did make her shower when she woke up this morning. LOL!

After a 12 hour nap, we got up Saturday morning and got ready to tackle AK and DHS. We started at AK, early entry 730am and rode everything plus 2 shows. We left at noon. Great AK day and the weather was amazing.

We road the bus to Caribbean Beach and then caught the skyliner to RR. The little has been patiently waiting to ride them since we arrived Thursday evening. Lunch at RR and then Skyliner to DHS.

We knew DHS would be crazy busy. We set our minds to a couple of rides and then we were going to get on the road. We managed to ride Toy Story, Star Tours, Minnie & Mickey RR, Hollywood TT. We thought 2 rides and managed to ride 4. We were fine with that. We left at 4pm. We had plenty of time to ride the remaining rides.

Our niece had never been to WDW. So mission accomplished to give her a small taste of the world on our way to see family. Would we do a Weekend Christmas WDW trip again? ABSOLUTELY! Worth every dime to see the look on this 9 year olds face as she experienced Disney for the first time.

 

[happily single]

Is there a thread already going with the crowds this week? If not could anyone please post some pictures

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Is there a thread already going with the crowds this week? If not could anyone please post some pictures

Haven’t been to the parks yet today, but I’ve been here since last Wednesday and so far crowds have felt relatively mild. At Hollywood Studios last night the 7:30 PM fantasmic show didn’t appear to be fully sold out (there were still lots of bleacher seats available far stage-left). I don’t believe the new insanely priced Genie+ has sold out yet either, so that may be a clue.