Our 2019 New Year's Vacation to the World, including many tips, Completed

[newfamilyman]

My family (DW, our two teenagers, and I) just returned from a week at WDW during one of its busiest times, New Year’s week. I wanted to share our experiences and tips which will hopefully help others with their trip planning and overall vacation enjoyment.

Part 1: Trip planning

I am a points-and-miles hobbyist, and I thought I would share our experiences with airfare and hotels. I usually book travel as far out as possible, since we tend to plan our vacations a year ahead or more. We live in Los Angeles, and LAUSD has a three-week winter break. We usually travel on the final of the three weeks, which this year turned out to be New Year’s week. I booked an incredible deal on Alaska Airlines for $79 per person on the former Virgin America LAX-MCO non-stop leaving Saturday morning the 29th. Unfortunately, a few months after booking the flight, Alaska decided to abandon this route. While they refunded my money, it was too late to get a one-way for 12,500 miles per person. As a result, I ended up going with Delta, which had a non-stop for 20,000 miles per person. Not a great deal, but not the worst, either. Later, when American Express had an offer to get $60 back on a $300+ purchase on Delta, I was able to “upgrade” to Delta Comfort at almost a buy-three, get-one-free deal. It’s always worth checking American Express offers regularly, since great deals can suddenly materialize.

I have United Premier Silver status, so I was able to get a return flight for the following Saturday on one of those special routes that United reserves for its Premier and Chase Visa cardholders. It was 12,500 per person but had a four-hour layover in Houston. Without having one of those credentials, there would have been on routes priced at 12,5000. Luckily, there were also flight changes on this itinerary prior to our departure date but this time in my favor, so the layover shrank by an hour.

I am a DVC member and occasionally rent out my points here. We could have booked the entire week at my home resort, VWL (Boulder Ridge), but I really like being able to walk to a theme park whenever possible. I had also rented out many of my points, so with the high-season pricing for the first part of our trip, I did not have enough for the entire week. As a result, I booked three nights at the Swan using Starpoints. I chose the Swan over the Dolphin because I preferred the queen beds over the Dolphin’s doubles. This was before the merger, which ultimately resulted in a huge increase in points required per night, from 36,000 to 50,000. Luckily, I was locked in at the 36,000 (12,000 Starpoints) rate.

As the seven-month booking window drew near, I saw availability at the preferred DVC resorts shrink so that only Copper Creek was available of the resorts in which I was interested for the final three nights of the trip. I booked Copper Creek and waitlisted at BLT, since we wanted to be able to walk to MK. Luckily, the waitlist cleared a couple of months before the trip, and we got a lake-view room. I was able to book the first night at the Boardwalk, since DW really enjoys taking ME to the resort, and I had just enough points leftover for a one-night stay at those peak holiday rates.

I went with Undercover Tourist for the theme park tickets, since they were a few hundred dollars less than what Disney was charging. I opted out of buying a Tables In Wonderland card, since we were staying for only a week, and the 10% difference between the TIW and DVC discount was not going to reach $150. To cover the cost of meals and incidentals, I purchased Disney gift cards at Office Depot using my Chase Ink card, which earned me 5 miles per dollar for a total of almost 10,000 Ultimate Rewards. I also planned on using my accrued Discover Cashback Award of $200 to cover our meal the first night at Flying Fish. Finally, I planned on using my $300 annual Marriott credit from the Amex Starwood Luxury card to cover our meal at Todd English bluezoo as well as the expensive nightly resort fees and any breakfast overages during our Swan stay.

During previous trips, I have subscribed to Tour Guide Mike (TGM) and then TouringPlans, after TGM disappeared, as well as reading the predicted crowd statistics from easyWDW and Kenny the Pirate. These recommendations generally revolved around avoiding EMH. Unfortunately, when you go during the busiest time of the year, none of these strategies worked. It’s impossible to zig while other visitors zag when everybody is both zigging and zagging.

The best piece of advice that I followed which proved to be helpful was in one of the ever-popular Disney “hack” recommendations. I don’t agree with the term “hack” because hacking is illegal and potentially destructive to the person being hacked. Neither apply in most of the articles with “hacking” in the title, since Disney is not only harmed but presumably appreciates when guests take maximum advantage of the tools that Disney provides to them.

The advice which I appreciated and largely worked for us, especially at MK, had to do with maximizing your FastPass+ strategy. The most reasonable strategy offered was to give yourself an hour or two waiting on presumably shorter lines, then booking FastPasses between 10-2 or so and then frequently checking for available attractions as soon as you have used your third and final FastPass. When you are going during such a crowded time, unfortunately, if you want to avoid lines, you will need to book your FastPasses starting pretty early in the morning, since you will be lucky to go on your first ride with a line of a half-hour or so. I will give examples of how this strategy worked for me when I gave a day-by-day breakdown.

It is essential to book FastPasses at the 60-day window if you are staying on property. If you are not staying on property during this busy period, you will more than likely not be able to get FastPasses for the most popular attractions and will be facing lines of two-to-four hours. By getting up at 4 AM at exactly the 60-day mark, I was able to get FastPasses for such hard-to-score attractions as Flight of Passage, Frozen, the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Ride, and Peter Pan, attractions where the multiple experiences FastPasses do not work.

Dining reservations were another matter. I did score a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest at the 60-day window, though I will share my largely-negative review on the corresponding day. However, for all but those quick-to-sell-out restaurants, reservations were generally available in the intervening months. Even at EPCOT, where every restaurant was showing sold out on New Year’s Eve closer to that date, availability periodically popped up. I made several changes along the way, even the day before we would visit a park during our vacation.

Next: Fast forward to day one, December 29th

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 1: Travel Day


Our flight today was scheduled to leave at 10 and arrive in Orlando at 5:45. Based on that, I had booked a Flying Fish reservation for 7:30. Unfortunately, the flight was scheduled to leave at least a half-hour late.


This next part is for my fellow miles-and-points hobbyists. Since Barnie’s Beanery was no longer affiliated with Priority Pass, the only options were either the Virgin Atlantic or Delta SkyClub lounges. I had recently taken advantage of a targeted offer to open an Amex Gold Skymiles card with a 75,000 bonus mile promotion which was valid even for previous cardholders, which I was. This card had a $50 Delta credit which I had not yet used, so it made using the Delta lounge cost-effective. Since our flight was leaving from terminal 3, and the Virgin lounge was in terminal 2, I decided on the Delta lounge, even though there is convenient bus service connecting the two terminals.


The Delta lounge proved disappointing for breakfast. The pancakes had sat out for so long that their bottoms were completely hard and could not be cut, at least not with a plastic fork. The accompanying toppings of fruit pie fillings which had obviously come from a can were similarly unappetizing. As a result, we all ended up ordering food on the plane, which surprisingly proved to be fresher and more enjoyable. At least I got discount with my Delta Amex card.


Our flight left and arrived late. When I called the Flying Fish to let them know that we would late for our reservation, they couldn’t have been any nicer in accommodating us. As it turned out, we arrived at 7:45 PM and were seated almost immediately. We had an enjoyable dinner, and I would gladly return here which I wouldn’t say about all of the restaurants that we visited. I had been particularly looking forward to dessert at Ample Hills, as their Sally Sells She Sells is my favorite ice cream flavor and is as enjoyable as it is impossible to accurately pronounce when ordering it (try it if you don’t believe me). It is a creamsicle-like orange ice cream with a generous amount of dark chocolate chunks and the best dessert in Orlando, IMHO.


I have not had positive experiences with Magical Express, and this trip would prove no exception. Unfortunately for me, the luggage did not arrive until exactly the promised three hours after we arrived to the hotel, which is to say, just after 10:30 at night. Still, if we had waited for our bags, we would have missed our dinner reservation, so I guess it would have only worked out if the plane had arrived on time.


We chose the Boardwalk because I love the location, including the restaurants on the boardwalk and its proximity to EPCOT. However, our room was definitely showing its age. The thermostat is the old-school type where you cannot set a temperature, so your only choice is to leave it running or turn it off. The bathrooms lock with pin-like devices which you push in to lock. I haven’t seen these types of locks in any other bathrooms, which makes sense since they do not seem to work very well. Last time we stayed at the Boardwalk, both sets of pins were missing, and engineering had to completely replace the locks. This time, one of the pins was missing. I called to inform the front desk lead, and she kindly compensated me by giving me four multiple experience FPs which I asked to use on the 31st. Given the crowds at EPCOT, this made the difference between our having an enjoyable day and a miserable one.


Next: Day 2, EPCOT

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 2 – EPCOT

When we visit EPCOT, we divide our time in EPCOT in two days, one each for the World Showcase and one for Future World. We started at the World Showcase.


Because Frozen is the only FP ride in the World Showcase, that was the only FP reservation I had made for the day. Based on the lines, it was clear that guest staying off-property would not have been able to reserve this in advance and therefore would be facing up to three-hour lines. Frozen had just opened during our last trip, and given how many times it broke down then, I was surprised that the ride did not break down it all this day, not that I could notice.


The food marketplaces were a fun way to enjoy the holiday. The Japan stall was especially tasty, with udon noodles in a delicious broth.


DW wanted to try eating at the Mexico pavilion. I switched my original reservation in order to eat at the San Angel Inn. I was fascinated by the disparity between the worst and best tables. We had the worst of the best tables, which is to say that we were in the front row closest to the water but all the way to the side. The worst tables, which I certainly hope were not filled when the restaurant was not at capacity, were literally adjacent to the bathrooms with no view whatsoever of the ride. The food was reasonably good by Disney standards and certainly better than what I was expecting, which was El Torito with a view.


Besides shopping and visiting the various pavilions, we also played the Agent P game, which is now so much more conveniently played on your phone rather than needing to use the Disney-supplied ones.


It was a pretty mellow way to adjust to the jet lag and begin our vacation in a low-key way.


We retrieved our bags from the Boardwalk bell desk and walked over to the Swan with our luggage, which wasn’t too bad since they are so close together. I am a Platinum Premier Marriott elite member, at least for another month, and I wondered what kind of treatment we would receive. As others have mentioned in their reports, not much. The hotel had e-mailed me ahead of time to let me know not to expect an upgrade, and we received the slightest of upgrades to a room with a balcony. The platinum benefit included a certificates for continental breakfast for two each morning, which I took over the amenity of points.


As with other Marriott hotels, this one gives you the option of using your own Netflix account and included other streaming channels, some of which included a free trial. These hotels will only get more crowded as they build the third wing, but it’s the only points option with Disney priveleges and within walking distance of a park, and in this case, two. Still, anyone expecting charm or anything that would distinguish the Swan from any other convention hotel would be disappointed. Compared to the number of points required by the DVC resorts during this period, and especially when the pre-merger booking was considered, we got a fantastic deal.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 3 – EPCOT, FW

Our experience at EPCOT on New Year’s Eve certainly drove home the point that unless you are armed with a plaid, as so many guests were, or multiple FPs for rides you actually want to go on, then your day will be spent on long lines. We’re talking an hour for Figment and Living with the Land and four hours for Test Track and Soarin’.


The only pre-FP+ advice that is as sound now as it was then is to enter the park at rope drop. By entering early, we enjoyed the character interactions, Innoventions, the Living Seas with Nemo, and Figment with no lines. As things started getting crowded, we had a total of seven FPs, four of which were given to us by the Boardwalk front desk lead and so were Multiple Attractions FP, good for everything but Frozen.


While waiting on the FP line for Test Track, I learned something jaw-dropping that is a difference between DL and WDW. Test Track is a ride that broke down twice during our first two attempts to ride it, so it must be clear to anyone braving those four-hour lines that the wait could be interrupted by breakdown at any time. At DL, if a ride breaks down while you are riding it, everybody gets an FP. At WDW, only the people on the FP line gets an FP; at least that was our experience this trip. I will bring this up at again on our first MK day to show how I responded. At this point, since we were in the FP line, we were fine getting another FP for later use.


By holding off on using our first FP until after 10, we did pretty well avoiding all lines that day while enjoying Test Track and Spaceship Earth twice and Soarin’ once all with FPs. By 4, however, the lines for all rides were prohibitive, and I tried to get additional FPs, the entire park was showing sold out.


We had dinner at the ridiculously named Garden Grill, given that none of the food items are grilled. I had been looking forward to eating here for some time, so perhaps the disappointment was inevitable. Let me first share one of the best tips I learned: don’t believe in DVC blockout dates. I asked the server if we could use our DVC discount, which would normally be blocked out on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s, but she accepted it without problem.


We were fortunate to get a requested table facing the dioramas, which was one of my main reasons to want to eat here. Amazingly, all of the higher-level booths face a wall. I cannot fathom why someone would want to eat in a revolving restaurant with only a view of a wall, but that is the experience for half of the diners. As a party of four, we paid $200 for what amounted to one pan of food and two smaller pans of dessert. I can’t recall ever paying so much for so little, mediocre food. The pot roast was cooked to death, though the vegetables were fresh and flavorful. The character interactions were frequent and wonderful, so that helped. It took about an exactly an hour to make the rotation.


Hats and horns were passed out around 4 in preparation for midnight but needless to say, it did not seem that many people waited very long to continually blast their horns. Maybe it was all the frustration of spending the entire day waiting in lines.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 4 – MK Day 1

I realized that I forgot to describe the Garden Grove breakfast at the Swan where we ate for two days using my Platinum credits. We chose the Garden Grove over the Fresh Mediterranean Market because the Garden Grove was in the Swan, so it was closer. The Central Park theming was fairly nominal, though the tree in the center of the restaurant was pleasant enough. The breakfast itself was a disappointment. The buffet was identical during the two days, which seemed lazy on their part. There was a chef prepared to make egg dishes to order, though I went with the egg and sausage biscuit sandwiches both mornings. The coffee was not particularly strong or of a good quality, and the service was spotty even though the restaurant was pretty much empty.


The bus to MK left from just outside the Swan entrance, which was convenient a nice benefit for a points-redemption hotel. We got there shortly before opening and as would continue to be the case for the week, the crowds started off small but did not take long to fill the park. I again noticed the record number of plaids who continued to have party sizes twice the size of what is typical at DL.


We started off with what proved to be the last day of the Jingle Cruise. The line was still 25 minutes and would only grow as the day increased. The January weather was much hotter than we were expecting, so it was pleasant enough to visit Splash Mountain early in the day. This is where things got interesting. After we were in line for 20 minutes or so, the ride broke down. As I mentioned at EPCOT, only people in the FP+ line were given the Multiple Attractions FP, whereas people on the standby line got nothing. Myself and another upset guest complained to a CM, but he informed us that we would just have to return later that day when the ride reopened and if we got there right when it reopened, unlikely as that might be, the line would be short.


I did not feel like walking all the way back to Main Street to guest services to wait on a long line to complain, so we went to our first FP+ for Peter Pan. I saw a plaid whose family was on the ride as we were exiting and asked her if there was another guest services other than on Main Street. She very helpfully informed me that the ticket office in Liberty Square could do everything that the Main Street office could do, so we made a bee-line for that office. They were closed due to the Muppets show taking place overhead but reopened as soon as the show ended. This was a great convenience, since there was no line.


Here is my biggest tip for anyone who waits on a standby line for a ride that breaks down. I explained to the CM that at DL, everybody is given a FP when a ride breaks down, not just people on the standby line. I explained that it made no sense to have to wait in line again when you have already spent time waiting in line for a ride that breaks down. The CM explained that it is the attraction CM’s discretion as to whether they give standby guests a FP, but she helpfully provided me with a Multiple Attractions FP+ for everyone in our party. While I still find it somewhat ridiculous that I had to ask, luckily the abundance of plaids and availability of this arguably hidden guest services office worked to our advantage. This gave us four FP+ for the day.


We had lunch at the Skipper Canteen for the first time. The only irritation was that like so many sit-down restaurants at WDW, the lunch and dinner menus were the same, so it was difficult to find a lunch-sized entrée. The steak salad sufficed. The food and service were both excellent, and the restaurant was surprisingly uncrowded. We had a wonderful dessert snack later at the Sunshine Tree Terrace, where the orange swirl tasted like creamsicle ice cream (just like my favorite at Ample Hills, but this was soft-serve and missing the chocolate).


Once we had exhausted our three FP+, plus the fourth, we were able to get enough extra FPs to fill out the day while also enjoying attractions largely bypassed by the crowds, including Carousel of Progress and the Hall of Presidents, where luckily the two security guards present were not needed to break up any fights or disagreements.


We returned to the Swan to have dinner at Todd English Bluezoo at the Dolphin. Since I would receive a $300 from my SPG Luxury Amex card, I knew that this meal would be mostly free. This restaurant proved to be a disappointment, pretentious, overpriced, and poor service. I would not return. It was definitely a step down from Flying Fish.


Next Day: Hollywood Studios with Toy Story Early Morning Magic

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 5 – Hollywood Studios


Hollywood Studios has never really been a full-day park for us. There just isn’t enough to hold our family’s interest. However, when the Early Morning Magic opened up for this week, surprising since neither the MK Early Morning Magic nor the Ultimate Thrills tour at AK were offered this week, I jumped at the opportunity to visit Toy Story Land without the crowds.


We checked out of the Swan and took the boat to MK. It was a quick process to check-in and get our wristbands, and a quick walk to Toy Story Land, where we would have from 7:30-8:45 before the crowds arrived. We started with Slinky Dog Dash, then went to Alien Swirling Saucers, to Toy Story Mania, and finally one more trip on Slinky Dog Dash before leaving for breakfast. We could have done one more ride, if we had wanted to, but felt we had accomplished enough before breakfast.


Here is my major tip for those of you going to Early Morning Magic: Do Toy Story Mania and the Saucers before doing Slinky Dog Dash. The first time we rode the coaster, there was about a 10-15 minute line, since that is where all the crowds headed first. The second time we rode it, it was a walk-on, and the CM confirmed that doing the coaster later eliminated the lines.


We were definitely not drinking the Kool Aid when it came to Slinky Dog. The ride was somewhat similar to Manta at Sea World San Diego or Verbolten at Busch Gardens but on a smaller scale and shorter. I cannot imagine waiting on a two- or three-hour line for this ride; there is just nothing about it to warrant that kind of wait.


The Saucers were also a disappointment. We first rode Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree during a DVC preview night for Carsland, and it was a smooth and fun experience. Every time that we have ridden it since then, the vehicles were jerky, and the experience unpleasant. Unfortunately, the Saucers are already demonstrating that same, jerky movements, which for us made the ride unenjoyable.


As we were leaving for breakfast, we experienced something new for us at any Disney Park or maybe anywhere: we were on the opposite side of a mass of guests heading toward Toy Story Land, behind the CM’s carefully guiding them to the entrance. It was like a tsunami of people pouring in, while we moved to the side going the opposite way. That was more memorable than the rides.


The breakfast was enjoyable. It helped to have made-to-order entrees and not just buffet fare. The coffee was typical, Disney weak, but we definitely got enough to eat.


We then used our FP+s for Tower of Terror, Rock’n Roller Coaster, and Star Tours. After a mediocre counter service lunch, we were glad to leave after getting one more FP+ for the Muppets, which we no longer have in California, and provided an excellent napping opportunity. With crowds so heavy that there needed to be a CM holding a sign at the end of the Starbucks line, something I have never seen before, we knew it was time to leave what for us continues to be a half-day park. Of course, for those waiting in three-hour stand-by lines for many of the rides, a full day will be required. Arrive as early to opening as you can.



We got our luggage and took an Uber to Bay Lake Towers for the final three nights of our trip. An Uber was the natural choice given how expensive the Minnie Vans now cost. We were lucky that our room was already available, even though it was only 3, and we scored a room on the highest floor, near the lounge. Compared to the Boardwalk, where the villas are really showing their age, the Bay Lake rooms were modern and luxurious. It was a treat to only have a short walk to MK.


I reserved dinner at the Wave on relatively short notice, as we were originally going to eat at the Brown Derby but realized that we were not going to be able to make a full day of Hollywood Studios. As Tom Bricker mentioned in his review, it did feel like we were dining at a Hyatt, though the food proved to be very good by Disney standards.


Next: MK Day 2

 

[Brocoloco]

Thanks for the review of Hollywood Studios EMM. It sounds like it was worth it. Appreciated the tips on managing the order of attractions. Do you think you could leave Toy Story Land at rope drop, hit RNR, then make it back for breakfast?

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Thank you for your tip for the Toy Story Land Early Morning Magic ride sequence. I'm booked for that event in April, although I may end up canceling it if I can adjust some other fastpasses and meals.

It sounds like you really know how to work the system with credit cards and hotel miles to make the most of it. I'm not sure I'd want to visit WDW during New Years, based on your crowd reports. It sounds frustrating if you want to spend a lot of time in the parks versus relaxing at the resort, although I would suspect the resorts would be crowded as well.

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks for the review of Hollywood Studios EMM. It sounds like it was worth it. Appreciated the tips on managing the order of attractions. Do you think you could leave Toy Story Land at rope drop, hit RNR, then make it back for breakfast?

I wouldn't count on that as a possibility. Breakfast closes at 10, so I think you'd need to clear out of the restaurant by then or shortly thereafter. Assuming that you mean without a FP+, you would probably hit the RNR line by 9 if you waited until 8:45 to leave Toy Story Land. If there was any kind of line at all, I would think it would be pretty hard to get back to the Hollywood Commissary in time for breakfast.

 

[newfamilyman]

Thank you for your tip for the Toy Story Land Early Morning Magic ride sequence. I'm booked for that event in April, although I may end up canceling it if I can adjust some other fastpasses and meals.

It sounds like you really know how to work the system with credit cards and hotel miles to make the most of it. I'm not sure I'd want to visit WDW during New Years, based on your crowd reports. It sounds frustrating if you want to spend a lot of time in the parks versus relaxing at the resort, although I would suspect the resorts would be crowded as well.

The end summary will reflect your sentiments. I can't fathom the crowds of people who seemed to spend their days waiting on two- and three-hour lines, or in the case of Flight of Passage, five- or even six-hour lines for rides. You can combine that with restaurants being crowded as well, and our take-home message was certainly that we would never visit again during this time. The trip worked out pretty well for us only because of the FP+ that we received from the DVC presentation and from the Boardwalk due to the maintenance issue. The two days that we used those FPs would have been unbearable without them.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 6: MK Day 2

After a quick breakfast in our villa, it was a pleasure to walk to MK. The dedicated security checkpoint for guests walking this path made it a breeze to enter the park. As always, rope drop is the ideal way to get a few rides in before the park got crowded. In this case, we were able to do both Pirates and Haunted Mansion before our first FP+s, which were Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, which luckily did not break down.

As a Californian, it’s impossible to mention Space Mountain without discussing its dismaying condition. Much like DL’s Matterhorn, these rides are almost impossible to endure without a chiropractor on hand. I guess the Matterhorn cannot be improved, but DL’s Space Mountain shows that it is possible for that ride to be smooth and pleasant while still offering exhilaration. I don’t think we will endure the Florida version again unless they decide to replicate DL’s upgrade, though I don’t expect that day will ever happen.

I had decided the day before to swap out our reservation for the Tony’s lunch and parade VIP viewing package for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. Since we are not a family that requires each of us getting a three-course meal for dinner, much less lunch, the package did not fit our needs. There was a Liberty Tree lunch reservation available the day before, so I made the adjustment. The main advantage of lunch was that unlike dinner, you can order a la carte, as I did not want to repeat the overpriced disappointment of the Garden Grill. For lunch, this place fit the bill perfectly, as we were able to avoid the packed lines of the counter service restaurants and still be able to eat as much or little as we wanted. We will definitely return for lunch.

After lunch, I was able to maximize FP+ by picking up additional FPs for Winnie the Pooh, Barnstormer, Ariel, and the Laugh Factory. I was That Guy the last time we visited, but someone else got that honor this time. I refused to allow the animated monsters to make me dance on command, so I didn’t.

Dinner was at Be Our Guest for the first time since the price fixe was implemented. Having previously dined in the Grand Ballroom, I asked about sitting in the West Wing or the Castle Gallery. There was an hour wait for the West Wing or immediate seating the Gallery, so we chose the latter. It reminded me of Lawry’s Beverly Hills main dining room, which is to say, not particularly distinguishing as I had hoped. When we were seated in the Ballroom, we were next to the window, so I would recommend the Ballroom over the Gallery. On the other hand, maybe the West Wing would have been worth the wait. In any case, the quality of the food did not match the overall ambience. As I previously mentioned, the waste produced, especially for the desserts, was spectacular. Not only from our experienced but based on the amount of food I saw removed by bussers, people were not loving their meals here. If you are unable to get a reservation, please don’t be too sad. I suggest you go to the Skipper Canteen instead.

Next: Last Day, AK

 

[TeresaNJ]

Enjoying your report very much! My sister and I had a dinner reservation booked for BOG during our upcoming trip, as we wanted to try it with the new menu. After thinking about it, we decided to drop the reservation, since we have a lot going on that day. After reading your review, I'm glad we did.

 

[newfamilyman]

Enjoying your report very much! My sister and I had a dinner reservation booked for BOG during our upcoming trip, as we wanted to try it with the new menu. After thinking about it, we decided to drop the reservation, since we have a lot going on that day. After reading your review, I'm glad we did.

Glad I could help. I think you made the right decision.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 7: AK

AK has long been a favorite park, but this was our first time experiencing it post-Pandora. This was the day that I would be using the three Multiple Experiences FP with our three FP+. By waking up at 4 AM on the first day that I was able to reserve FP+s, I was able to secure an Avatar Flight of Passage FP.

Upon entering the park, of course, everyone made a beeline for Pandora. While the FoP line quickly reached three hours, we chose the Na’vi River Journey. What I had read certainly lowered expectations. That being said, even knowing that it was a quick ride with only one animatronic, no matter how elaborate, pretty much eliminated any repeat ridership, at least not without a FP.

The rest of the park contained long lines for everything. Even Primeval Whirl had hour-long lines.

It was then our turn for FoP. Here again, we were not drinking the Kool Aid. If I had a dollar for every time that I heard FoP was like Soarin’ on steroids, I could have paid for at least a few meals. I’m not sure what about this ride gives that impression to so many people. Is it because it is longer? That you sit on a bike of sorts that puffs out to simulate breathing? Maybe just the queue? My personal bias is that I’m not big on screen rides, but Soarin’ gives just as much exhilaration, especially if you are lucky enough to be in the front row, preferably in the middle section. If I had waited six hours or even three hours, it would have been a big letdown. Maybe it was all the hype this ride gets, but I would have preferred a non-screen-based ride as the main attraction of Pandora.

I booked the River of Light lunch package at Tiffins. Since rain was forecast, however, we decided to leave before the show. Our server was completely accommodating in allowing us to change our lunch to a regular service. A tip to guests who are interested in the surf and turf: the price fixe is a great deal for the most expensive entrees whether or not you go to the show. This was our best meal of the trip. DS said it was the best short ribs he had ever had, and DW enjoyed the South African wines. Only dessert disappointed.

I was impressed with the number of FPs which were potentially available to us after using our three. We could have had a second ride down the Na’vi river as well as pretty much every ride except for FoP.

Next: Final Impressions

 

[newfamilyman]

Final Thoughts

The most important lesson of the trip for our family is that we will not be returning to WDW during Christmas or New Year’s week. Having previously visited in what we thought was the peak summertime and also before earlier in December, we were unprepared for the level of crowds and lines that greeted us during this week. You know when a Starbucks line is so long that it requires a cast member to hold a sign with a coffee cup on it, you are not going to have a pleasant day. Or if you decide that you still want to go, at least you will know what you are in for.

It turned out for the first time that Touring Plans and Kenny the Pirate were completely useless. Perhaps the most curious thing is that some months out, they were still showing some parks as green or rated as 6 out of 10 for crowding. As it got closer to the date, Touring Plans rated all parks as 10, which ended up being accurate. There is no such thing as a green- or even a yellow-day park during New Year’s week. Similarly, Tour Guide Mike’s mantras similarly did not hold. “Nature abhors a vacuum”trumped “zig when others zag.” Avoiding EMH did not result in a less crowded park. The only strategy that worked was purchasing the Early Morning Magic Toy Story Land hard-ticketed event, which made a visit to that land doable, if not still disappointing in the final product.

Staying on- or off-property certainly made a difference in the kind of day that we would have had. Many of the most desirable rides would have been sold out of FP+ before the 30-day mark hit. Other than using or renting DVC points, which, it seems to me is the best way to visit WDW, points-and-miles hobbyists still have feasible options, even if they are less desirable. It would have been pretty hard to go from our Bay Lake Tower one-bedroom villa to the Swan, for example, but the order in which we did it made BLT even seem more special. Ultimately, though, if you set your expectations accordingly, you can’t go wrong to use points when you can stay on property with the coveted perk of the 60-day FP+ window, and having the free bus transportation system to the parks also makes life easier.

I hope this report helped a few people, and feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Cowgirl_Jessie]

This was really helpful. We are planning a July trip and it will be the first time we leave during the day for long breaks as we are expecting hotter than the surface of the sun. (We usually favor September and February.)
Your point about planning FP’s after an hour or two past open is a great one and one we needed to hear to maximize time before heading out at lunch.

Just curious, what is your take on Extra Magic Hours? Are they worth it?

 

[katebeth]

So I am suppose to make our FP selections for our upcoming trip in May, on this Saturday. We live in Tennessee so I was planning on getting up at 6 our time to get the FP's. (would be 7 Disney time). It sounds like that strategy worked for you. The past couple of trips getting up early still didn't help us to get the "hard to get FP's". (Like FOP, 7dmt etc..). Any other FP strategy/tips that you can share that worked for you?

Thanks!