bladiator
Disney on my mind
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2012
Welp, another successful trip to the World is in the books. This was my family's 2nd since getting our APs (the first trip was Nov/Dec). My thoughts:
- We traveled with our cousin and his wife and baby. I had a lot typed here but deleted it because it was non-pertinent information. Suffice to say, I learned that I need to go to Disney World with people that share my WDW vacation mindset. I don't know how to get to that point without actually trying a trip with someone, but I'll be more careful in the future (and I told my wife that perhaps we just would travel alone from now on).
- Crowds just make no sense. I have never seen crowds like this in Jan/Feb. TP showed 2s and 3s through the middle of the week, and each day it came back and said that it was a 6 or 7 after the day was over. I even saw TP show that there was a 10 crowd on the last Saturday at AK (predicted as a 7).
- FPs were still essentially available as long as you are willing to spend some time doing the refresh on your phone. I rode everything I wanted (almost as much as I wanted). Spent a mid-week day at HS and rode RnR, TSMM, and TOT 3 times a piece, and could have done more had we wanted to. Babies made it a little more difficult due to sleeping and/or rider swapping. Even the few FPs I booked ahead of time, I just ended up moving earlier as soon as some came available (and they always did).
- Changes to Star Wars fireworks since our last trip in September of 2016: Thumbs down. Less fireworks, and what happened to the lasers shooting out over the crowd? I kept looking down from the fireworks when I'd see something new appear on the screen in my peripheral vision, only to be like "oh, it's just a still shot of some random character". Definitely a letdown compared to its original version.
- HEA is growing on me. The grassy spot in front of Casey's Corner is amazing. Even someone with bad eyes like me can appreciate what is happening on the projections from there. I still like Illuminations the best, but it's starting to definitely show that nostalgia is a big part of that.
- As much as I like FOP, I have to say that I still think Soarin' is my favorite. My cousin and his wife felt the same way. And none of us had to wait in a 3 hour line to do FOP, so that wasn't the issue. There's just something calming about Soarin' (at least, that was their perspective being first timers). For me, there is obviously a feeling of nostalgia here as well. Even if it has the leaning tower of Paris.
- Although I didn't see it on the website before going, all Joffrey's locations are still 20% off with an AP. That was a beautiful discovery.
- The EPCOT Festival of the Arts: Meh. The food kiosks didn't really excite me, and although the art was interesting, I wasn't going to buy any of it. It definitely is not the draw that a F&W festival is.
- Ate at Tokyo Dining for the first time. My wife and I had a plate of food at Morocco so we shared a plate here. So $30 later, we shared a small sad chicken breast with some sad sauce on it, 2 short pieces of asparagus and 3 little different colored cauliflower heads. I've felt the pain of Disney World pricing before but this was the most glaring event I've ever witnessed. I've never seen that much clean white plate when paying $30 before.
- People are amazingly sweet to little children at WDW. I think everyone is just in a better mood and expect to see kids there. Our baby gets more attention from well meaning strangers there than we could have ever imagined. It's very heart warming.
- Got to ride Splash the day it opened (2/2). Grabbed some FPs (the same day as usual) and I couldn't believe the stand-by line as we walked past it. I have never seen that many people standing in line for anything. Probably because the other long ride queues are all inside separate from the FP line. The whole outside waiting area was full.
- Pandora at night is pretty cool. I wouldn't take a trip there specifically for that, but because an FP brought us down there near closing time, it was a nice distraction while we waited with babies.
- Saw my first super freak-out at WDW. Was in the room with the dresser at Enchanted Tales and one kid was like ... MADE to be the beast. I mean, he had a #BEAST T-Shirt and everything. Probably about a 10-11 year old boy. When they did the roar part, he was obviously waiting for this moment his entire life and had easily the best roar ever. The CM picked a timid little girl to play beast and gave this kid Maurice's part. He sat down with his little "prison bars" prop, but eventually (about a minute later) he stood up and threw it at the wall behind him (where I was -- I was a suit of armor ... ALWAYS), and then sat down in front of his mom. And THEN -- wow. He started screaming. Like, REALLY REALLY SCREAMING. Eventually the girl that was the beast didn't want to be beast anymore, and the CM gave it to this kid. I know the kid was in the wrong .. I mean, I am a huge proponent of well-developed kids and being able to accept not getting everything you want and everyone was SUPER embarrassed in that entire room, but -- I put 20% of this on the CM that didn't make the obvious right choice. I mean, come on... #BEAST dude.
- After the Beast incident, any temper tantrum we witnessed, we looked at each other and said "#BEAST"
- Near the end of the park day, I got an FP for FOP and in our group of 16 spots there were FOUR not being used! I understand if there is a single spot open and you don't have a single rider, but two of them were spots number 1 and 2!!! HOW DO YOU NOT USE THE FIRST TWO SPOTS???? When I watch the CMs at the point where they are directing riders into the first video chamber, they're tip tappity tapping on their little iPad as if they're doing advanced calculus and sending 2 people into the room every ... 30 seconds maybe? I think that the CM at the front of the RnR line needs to give them all a master class on ride efficiency. Above all: don't let the guy that's been waiting in a 2 hour line hear about the empty spots.