Disney Vacations

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Even as a kid, I loved Epcot. I could literally spend half the day just wandering around the World Showcase.

One word: Mitsukoshi

Will would have taken browsing the anime stuff there over at least one park (Animal Kingdom --which didn't have Everest or Avatar when he was pre-teen) if not two (Hollywood basically only had Star Tours and Rock N Roller Coaster that he was into there)

[Lathum]

Wife and I are going to Miami for a work thing she has. Thinking of going to Disney the weekend before. We would arrive late Friday. Thinking of staying at the Swan with hotel points and doing Epcot Saturday and Hollywood Studios Sunday. That would be Superbowl Sunday. No kids. We would just get daily tickets for each park.

Anyone ever done similar? We have only done the full on week long, resort, book through an agent method.

Any tips would be appreciated.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Any tips would be appreciated.

I can only say that Swan (and Dolphin) are the only technically off-site resorts I'd ever consider using on a WDW trip. Used it some years back and it was as close to being on-site (in terms of access, amenities, etc) as you can get without actually being there.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Wife and I are going to Miami for a work thing she has. Thinking of going to Disney the weekend before. We would arrive late Friday. Thinking of staying at the Swan with hotel points and doing Epcot Saturday and Hollywood Studios Sunday. That would be Superbowl Sunday. No kids. We would just get daily tickets for each park.

Anyone ever done similar? We have only done the full on week long, resort, book through an agent method.

Any tips would be appreciated.

We have stayed at the Swan & Dolphin once and that general area a few times (Boardwalk and Beach Club). It is perfect location for walking to Epcot and taking the boat to Hollywood (you can also take it to Epcot) and then enjoying some drinks or more adult dinners on the Boardwalk. There’s an ESPN Sportszone at the Boardwalk, but it has never impressed me a whole lot and it seems like they have scaled it back in recent years.

TLDR: Sounds like a great plan to me.

[tyketime]

We just got back from staying at the Swan. I agree that your plan is a good one, and the Swan/Dolphin is a perfect location for visiting both Epcot & Hollywood Studios. I didn't realize how close the walk was from the hotel to either one. I'd also point out that we did ride the Skyliner from Epcot to Hollywood (via one transfer). It's a cool way to see some of the park from the air. But keep in mind the gondolas do still occasionally stop (and almost always for less than a minute). But if that kind of thing freaks you out, then skip it.

The Boardwalk is just ok. A few restaurant options, nothing too thrilling. So we chose to spend our evening at Disney Springs. Lots of choices there. But do consider making reservations if you have a particular place in mind!

I hope you two have a wonderful time!

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by tyketime

We just got back from staying at the Swan. I agree that your plan is a good one, and the Swan/Dolphin is a perfect location for visiting both Epcot & Hollywood Studios. I didn't realize how close the walk was from the hotel to either one. I'd also point out that we did ride the Skyliner from Epcot to Hollywood (via one transfer). It's a cool way to see some of the park from the air. But keep in mind the gondolas do still occasionally stop (and almost always for less than a minute). But if that kind of thing freaks you out, then skip it.

The Boardwalk is just ok. A few restaurant options, nothing too thrilling. So we chose to spend our evening at Disney Springs. Lots of choices there. But do consider making reservations if you have a particular place in mind!

I hope you two have a wonderful time!

Thanks! Great advice!

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by tyketime

We just got back from staying at the Swan. I agree that your plan is a good one, and the Swan/Dolphin is a perfect location for visiting both Epcot & Hollywood Studios. I didn't realize how close the walk was from the hotel to either one. I'd also point out that we did ride the Skyliner from Epcot to Hollywood (via one transfer). It's a cool way to see some of the park from the air. But keep in mind the gondolas do still occasionally stop (and almost always for less than a minute). But if that kind of thing freaks you out, then skip it.

The Boardwalk is just ok. A few restaurant options, nothing too thrilling. So we chose to spend our evening at Disney Springs. Lots of choices there. But do consider making reservations if you have a particular place in mind!

I hope you two have a wonderful time!

If you did Star Wars how was it?

[Lathum]

So our itinerary is shaping up like this.

Get in late Friday night. Staying at the Swan

Saturday going to Epcot. Grabbed fastpasses for Mission Space and Soarin early in the day. Then we venture into the World Showcase to eat and drink. Will likely try to grab another fastpass for Frozen later in the day. We are really going to the art festival. 6:00 dinner reservations at La Hacienda de San Angel Dinner. After dinner will likely head back to the hotel where we will have a view of the fireworks.

Sunday- Going to Hollywood Studios and will get there early so we can get in and right to Starwars. They aren't doing fastpasses yet. It looks like you have to get a boarding pass for rise of the resistance. You need to do it through the app and be physically in the park. Spend the morning at Star Wars then thinking of hitting the Baseline Taphouse for a snack and some drinks. We have fastpasses for Rockin Rollercoaster and Startours. I would love to grab one for Slinky Dog if I can manage. Plan on leaving the park around 5:00 to get back in time for the Superbowl.

Trying to decide what to do for the Superbowl. ESPN Club is cloes to the hotel and it sounds like they do some kind of deal but will likely be crowded. May find a bar or just watch in the room.

Thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by Edward64

If you did Star Wars how was it?

Unfortunately we did not get there in time. All times were already booked. But from what I've heard from friends and read online, it's pretty amazing. Can't wait to check it out!

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Do they like animals? Animal kingdom would be great if they do. Also has a few great rides. Avatar and expedition Everest. If you do Hollywood studios have to stay for Phantasmic.

Thanks for this, Lathum (and also ABC for your response). We pulled our hair out trying to figure out the best fit for us. Ultimately we pulled the trigger today on 1 day at Animal Kingdom and 1 day at Universal Studios Island of Adventure.


The Star Wars Galaxy's Edge thing seemed like the coolest possible attraction, and so Hollywood Studios was the front-running park for a long time. But the more we looked into it the more leery I became. It sounds like you need to get to the park at least an hour before it opens just to have a hope of getting a pass to the new ride. The lightsabres cost $200 US, which would be over $500 CDN if we let each boy build one. The droids are also $100 US. And outside of those experiences and the Phantasma show thing, there wasn't really anything else at Hollywood Studios that any of us really wanted to see.



My ultimate fear was that we'd have 2 tired kids up at 5am to wait for hours to go on a couple rides and then either have to drop $500+ dollars on sabres/droids to keep them entertained or else be heading back to the hotel at 2 in the afternoon feeling thoroughly frustrated. Even the boys both seemed to agree that while it looked super cool it had the highest risk of being a less than stellar experience.



Animal Kingdom looks like it will easily have a day worth of interesting rides and animals to keep the boys entertained, and so that became the front runner, and everyone is excited about that, especially my younger son. I have high hopes for this one.



And interestingly in all of our searching on Hollywood Studios we ended up learning about Universal Studios (I had no idea this wasn't just a different name for Hollywood Studios). The more we looked into that, the more it looked like it might be a blast. The rides look really cool, and my oldest son was more excited about the Hulk Coaster than any other attraction we showed him outside of the Star Wars thing. We ended up thinking that we had a higher chance of a day full of fun there, so we decided to try it out.



It feels weird to be going to Disney and not going to the Magic Kingdom, but since we were at the California one a couple years ago it seems like it's probably ok to miss it on this trip at the expense of getting to experience more new things. I'm still a little sad, though, as this could very well be our last trip to Disney. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that someday I'll be able to blow some of my retirement savings on a trip out with my kids and grandkids to see it one last time.

[Lathum]

That sounds like a smart plan and AK is really fun. We are going to get to HS super early to get the star wars passes but we aren't taking kids.

[Fidatelo]

So apparently at Disney World you can (read: need to) get your FastPasses a month or two in advance. Which means I've missed out on getting one for the Kilimanjaro Safari's and the Avatar Flight of Passage. I was poking around on wait times and found a site that suggested going first thing in the morning for both, but also "in the last 2 hours before close" for the safari. My question is, would you see anything on the safari at night time? I'm guessing that's probably why the wait times would get more palatable?

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

So apparently at Disney World you can (read: need to) get your FastPasses a month or two in advance. Which means I've missed out on getting one for the Kilimanjaro Safari's and the Avatar Flight of Passage. I was poking around on wait times and found a site that suggested going first thing in the morning for both, but also "in the last 2 hours before close" for the safari. My question is, would you see anything on the safari at night time? I'm guessing that's probably why the wait times would get more palatable?

I wouldn't do the safari at night. I would check back often to see if Avatar fastpasses open. If not I would go there as soon as it opens, that line can get really crazy, then wait for the safari. You can also use your fastpasses and see if the safari opens.

Did you grab one for expedition Everest? It is pretty awesome.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

So apparently at Disney World you can (read: need to) get your FastPasses a month or two in advance. Which means I've missed out on getting one for the Kilimanjaro Safari's and the Avatar Flight of Passage. I was poking around on wait times and found a site that suggested going first thing in the morning for both, but also "in the last 2 hours before close" for the safari. My question is, would you see anything on the safari at night time? I'm guessing that's probably why the wait times would get more palatable?

Though we've never done it, there is a specific nighttime version of the Safari that's done "subject to availability". Some of the animals are more active later in the day/evening, including the "Warthog, Hippo, Hyena and African Wild Dog".

I'd figure you'd see something but certainly not the same thing as the daytime experience.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

So apparently at Disney World you can (read: need to) get your FastPasses a month or two in advance. Which means I've missed out on getting one for the Kilimanjaro Safari's and the Avatar Flight of Passage. I was poking around on wait times and found a site that suggested going first thing in the morning for both, but also "in the last 2 hours before close" for the safari. My question is, would you see anything on the safari at night time? I'm guessing that's probably why the wait times would get more palatable?

Planning a Disney vacation is like a job in of itself but I can tell you that just because the Fast Passes are not available today doesn't mean there won't be any at all - at least not for the Safari. Keep checking the app as people constantly change their plans and even check the day before or morning of because times can open up.

And if you think scheduling rides two months in advance is crazy you have to schedule dining reservations six months out to get the most popular spots to eat (for anyone else getting ready to plan a Disney trip)

[Lathum]

Using a travel agent was the best thing we ever did for our first Disney trip.

[Fidatelo]

Wow thanks for the tips guys! I booked FastPasses for the following rides:


DINOSAUR 1:20-2:20
Expedition Everest 3:30-4:30
Rivers of Light: 5:50-6:15


I'll definitely keep checking back for Pandora and the Safari, I would easily drop either DINOSAUR or Rivers of Light for one of those. I sort of wish you could just go into a wait list queue or something, but oh well.


Assuming we don't stumble across a FastPass in the next couple weeks, you guys think we should start with Pandora at park open and then move on to Safari, rather than vice versa? Also, Animal Kingdom opens at 9:00am that day, but how much earlier do you think we should arrive to optimize our start?

[Fidatelo]

Dola

I'm seeing in the app now that I can't search for openings if I've reached my limit on fastpasses. I guess I'd have to drop one in order to keep that option open. Do you think it's worth the chance that nothing ever opens up and then we end up with a wasted FastPass?


And yes, this is starting to feel like a job :P

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

And yes, this is starting to feel like a job :P

Welcome to Disney trip planning.

I spent the better part of two decades like that.

[AnalBumCover]

The other option would be to ride Flight of Passage an hour or two before closing, which we ended up doing. The wait time when we arrived was 80 minutes, but it did seem shorter than it called for. After coming out of that ride, my wife and I agreed the ride was worth the wait.

[Lathum]

Been reading a lot about rise of the resistance and how they are doing the boarding groups and am full on expecting a shit show.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

The other option would be to ride Flight of Passage an hour or two before closing, which we ended up doing. The wait time when we arrived was 80 minutes, but it did seem shorter than it called for. After coming out of that ride, my wife and I agreed the ride was worth the wait.

How do they work cutting lines off before close? Are they smart enough about estimating waits that they just stop allowing people to enter the line at a certain time (say 60 minutes before close) and then let everyone who made it into line do the ride, or do they just keep operating as normal and then just hit the power switch at 8:00 and the people standing at the front who have been in line for an hour are just out of luck?

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

How do they work cutting lines off before close? Are they smart enough about estimating waits that they just stop allowing people to enter the line at a certain time (say 60 minutes before close) and then let everyone who made it into line do the ride, or do they just keep operating as normal and then just hit the power switch at 8:00 and the people standing at the front who have been in line for an hour are just out of luck?

They cut lines off AT the park closing time. The rides will continue to run after close up to the last person in line. At least that's what was said about it here:

How to Ride Flight of Passage with Less than an Hour Wait

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

They cut lines off AT the park closing time. The rides will continue to run after close up to the last person in line. At least that's what was said about it here:

How to Ride Flight of Passage with Less than an Hour Wait

Oh that's interesting, I didn't think they would do that. That maybe leaves open the option of hitting one of those rides after our 6:00 Rivers of Light thing! Thanks!

[Lathum]

Anyone done Rise of the resistance yet? Was able to get a virtual boarding pass today. Pretty fired up.

[Fidatelo]

Just got back from our vacation last night. Animal Kingdom was a lot of fun, though we never got to do the Avatar Flight of Passage ride. We got there an hour early and lined up right away for the safari ride, first in line. By the time we were done that ride Flight of Passage was at about a 3 hour wait time. It peaked during the day at 295 minutes (5 hours!). We saw it go down to about 100 minutes at one point but by the time we got to Avatar land it was back up to 150. At about 7:00 after our Rivers of Light show it was still up over 120 minutes and so we just headed home. Still had a lot of fun at the park, though!

[Lathum]

Just had a great weekend with the wife at Disney. She has work meetings in Miami starting Tuesday. It's their annual meeting and spouses are invited on the companys dime and pampered while they work. So we came the weekend before and did a couple days at Disney.

Got in late Friday and are staying at the Dolphin, so we decided to do Epcot and Hollywood Studios since we can walk to both.

did Epcot first day. Slept in since we got in late Friday and went in through the International gate around 10:30 with zero wait. We had a fast pass for Soarin so we went right there. After Soarin we snagged on for living with the land and in between saw Awesome Planet which was neat.

After that area we went in to world showcase and ate lunch at Nine Dragons, it was really good. Wife got Kung Pao Chicken and I got tofu and veggie stirfry. We split Veggie Eggrolls. After we wander through the countries eating and drinking and enjoying the arts festival. We bought a couple of paintings from an artist called Noah of Jack and Sally.

We had a huge pretzel and beer in Germany, ice cream and beer in france, wine in Italy, beer in Canada. Snagged a fast pass for the 4D Disney Shorts show, it was awesome. Had dinner at La Hacienda de san Angel. I had veggie enchilada and my wife had Alambre de Res. she loved it. The margaritas were excellent. They gave us a window seat by the water and it was really nice. Walked back and saw the fireworks from our window.

Today was quite the day. We got up at 5:30 and headed to Hollywood Studios. For those who don't know the new ride Rise of the Resistance doesn't have fastpass or a line. They are using a virtual queue. Basically you get a boarding pass through the app. When your boarding group is called you go to the ride. You have 2 hours. Here is the thing, you have to be in the park to get the pass as do all members of your party. They are opening at 7AM to meet demand, and they let you in the park starting at 6:30. So to ensure you are in the park by 7 you have to get there early. It was mobbed. Even if you are in the park no guarantee you get a boarding group due to traffic, etc...We got one and went on the ride. It was awesome, really an experience more than a ride. We also did the Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run, also amazing. All of Star wars land is great. I did Tower of Terror also and we both did the rockin Roller Coaster which was really fun. Had some drinks at taphouse and a great charcuterie plate. A few more drinks here and there and a casual lunch at a pizza place that was fine.

Now back at the hotel, in bed watching the game and just ordered room service. Almost simultaneously my wife ordered an $86 bottle of wine and I won $500 on Mahomes having the first TD.

All in all a great weekend.

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Just had a great weekend with the wife at Disney. She has work meetings in Miami starting Tuesday. It's their annual meeting and spouses are invited on the companys dime and pampered while they work. So we came the weekend before and did a couple days at Disney.

Got in late Friday and are staying at the Dolphin, so we decided to do Epcot and Hollywood Studios since we can walk to both.

did Epcot first day. Slept in since we got in late Friday and went in through the International gate around 10:30 with zero wait. We had a fast pass for Soarin so we went right there. After Soarin we snagged on for living with the land and in between saw Awesome Planet which was neat.

After that area we went in to world showcase and ate lunch at Nine Dragons, it was really good. Wife got Kung Pao Chicken and I got tofu and veggie stirfry. We split Veggie Eggrolls. After we wander through the countries eating and drinking and enjoying the arts festival. We bought a couple of paintings from an artist called Noah of Jack and Sally.

We had a huge pretzel and beer in Germany, ice cream and beer in france, wine in Italy, beer in Canada. Snagged a fast pass for the 4D Disney Shorts show, it was awesome. Had dinner at La Hacienda de san Angel. I had veggie enchilada and my wife had Alambre de Res. she loved it. The margaritas were excellent. They gave us a window seat by the water and it was really nice. Walked back and saw the fireworks from our window.

Today was quite the day. We got up at 5:30 and headed to Hollywood Studios. For those who don't know the new ride Rise of the Resistance doesn't have fastpass or a line. They are using a virtual queue. Basically you get a boarding pass through the app. When your boarding group is called you go to the ride. You have 2 hours. Here is the thing, you have to be in the park to get the pass as do all members of your party. They are opening at 7AM to meet demand, and they let you in the park starting at 6:30. So to ensure you are in the park by 7 you have to get there early. It was mobbed. Even if you are in the park no guarantee you get a boarding group due to traffic, etc...We got one and went on the ride. It was awesome, really an experience more than a ride. We also did the Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run, also amazing. All of Star wars land is great. I did Tower of Terror also and we both did the rockin Roller Coaster which was really fun. Had some drinks at taphouse and a great charcuterie plate. A few more drinks here and there and a casual lunch at a pizza place that was fine.

Now back at the hotel, in bed watching the game and just ordered room service. Almost simultaneously my wife ordered an $86 bottle of wine and I won $500 on Mahomes having the first TD.

All in all a great weekend.

That's awesome, Lathum! We were there on Saturday as well as my daughter was one of the chalk artists at Test Track (would have been at the main entrance to the World Showcase if there was no rain) for the Arts Festival. We stayed at the Swan. Probably passed by each other without realizing it.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

That's awesome, Lathum! We were there on Saturday as well as my daughter was one of the chalk artists at Test Track (would have been at the main entrance to the World Showcase if there was no rain) for the Arts Festival. We stayed at the Swan. Probably passed by each other without realizing it.

So funny! Would have totally met up for a drink had we known. Did you eat at Epcot?

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by Lathum

So funny! Would have totally met up for a drink had we known. Did you eat at Epcot?

Yes, we had a 5pm at Rose and Crown

[henry296]

Due to a quirky school schedule (new HS opening mid-year) our kids have 3 weeks off at Christmas so we want to use some of that for a trip to Disney World. We have been multiple times so we know our way around and don't need to see everything. However, interested in when you think it might be a less crowded:

Dec 17 - 20
Jan 1-4 (perhaps 2-5)

We know we want to avoid between Christmas and New Years.

[albionmoonlight]

This would imply that you are better going before rather than after

Disney World 2020 Crowd Calendar (best times to go) | WDW Prep School

[Butter]

Definitely before.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Of those two windows, I'd definitely say December rather than January.

We've done both, and neither is exactly easy for crowds but before generally beats after. Work a Very Merry Christmas Party in there if possible in order to maximize what you get to do on the trip.

[Racer]

I'm taking a solo trip to Disney World. I'm arriving Saturday, February 29th and leaving the morning of Thursday, March 5th. I haven't been to Disney World in 20 years. I'll be staying at All Stars Music.

I chose the first week of March because it shouldn't be to humid and I think it should be the last week before Spring Break seasons starts.

I bought Park Hopper Plus awhile back because I'm hoping to go to Blizzard Beach. Unfortunately, that's a bit in question because it's looking like the high could be in the 60s at least the first few days of my trip. That's the risk I took though when I booked a trip at a time of year when the average temperature is in the mid 70s in the Orlando area.

I don't like the feeling of falling at all so I won't be going on Roller Coasters so that removes some of the rides that people consider must ride rides such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash. I'm an early morning person so I hope to arrive at rope drop each day besides Saturday.

Saturday - Epcot
I thought I would go to Epcot on my arrival day because I figure all of the parks will be packed on a Saturday and Epcot is the park with the fewest numbers of rides I want to ride. I have fast passes for Soarin', Spaceship Earth (Green Mission), and Mission Space. I'd like to get my photo with Pluto as well assuming it's free if I use my phone and also walk around the World Showcase. I'm okay missing Frozen After All if the line is long (I've never seen the movie).

My flight leaves Louisville at 6:10 am (and hopefully arriving at 8:20 am) so I'll probably head back to to the hotel around 3 pm to take a nap. Assuming I'm able to do everything I want to do at Epcot before that, then I'm thinking of going to Animal Kingdom in the evening. I was not able to secure a fast pass to Flight of Passage so I was thinking of trying to hit that ride a little before the park closes.

Sunday - Magic Kingdom
I have fast passes to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, and Peter Pan's Flight. There's a lot of rides I'd like to ride at Magic Kingdom but no absolute musts for me. I figure I'll likely spend the whole day at the park (with a break at some point) and go on the rides I want to go on the most.

Monday - Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom has early Magic Hours from 8 am to 9 am this day. I have Fast Passes to Na'vi River Journey at 11:30 am, Dinosaur at 12:30 pm, and Kilimanjaro Safaris at 1:40 pm.

If I'm not able to go on Flight of Passage Saturday night, I plan to race walk towards that line at rope drop in hopes of getting a wait time of 1 hour or less. If I'm able to ride that on Saturday then I'm thinking of going to Kilimanjaro Safaris first (and skipping my 1:40 pm FastPass) so I can hopefully be done with Animal Kingdom by 1 pm so I can go to either Blizzard Beach (closes at 5 pm) + Hollywood Studios if it's hot enough or just Hollywood Studios in the second half the day.

Tuesday - Hollywood Studios

This is definitely the main draw of the trip.

I have fast passes to Indiana Jones show at 11:30 am, Toy Mania between 1:20 and 2;20 pm, and the Millennium Falcon between 6:45 and 7:45 pm.

I have a Savi's workshop appointment scheduled for 6:25 pm. I'm also leaning towards getting a droid at droid depot but I'm not really sure when to schedule that for. I don't want to carry it around the whole day and the park closes at 8 pm so I'm not exactly sure how I'd safely fit it in at night. I'm thinking of maybe scheduling it for Monday evening?

I'm a little nervous about Rise of the Resistance. I've read stories about people having trouble getting boarded passes. Of all the rides at Disney World, this is the one I want to ride the most. Anyone having any tips on how to make sure you get a boarding pass?

Going on StarTours and Star Wars Launch Bay are priorities as well.

Wednesday - hopefully Blizzard Beach + TBD in late evening
Right now the only days on my trip that are projected to have temperatures of 75+ are Tuesday and Wednesday so hopefully Wednesday stays reasonably warm because it's to late to get a Savi's workshop appointment for a different day so I'm locked into Hollywood Studios on Tuesday.

[Lathum]

OK Racer. Some thoughts. First off, I think it is awesome you are going alone. I love my family, but love being able to go to zoos, etc...alone.

I will start with Rise of the Resistance since we did it a couple weeks ago. first off, it is great, well worth the hoops you need to jump through to go on it.

You want to checj google often to look for what time they are opening the park. You also may want to check the my Disney app to see what times they are opening the park and familiarizing yourself with how the boarding pass works.

Basically, there is no fast pass or queue for the ride. You HAVE to get a virtual boarding pass. In order to get the pass you have to be physically in the park. That means you better be there for rope drop or you are out of luck. When we went the park opened at 7. We got there at 6 and there were already several hundred people there. They started letting people in at 6:15 and there were probably about 3K people there. We got in around 6:40. At exactly 7AM when the park opened I jumped on the App and was able to join a group. Do your research on it. I did a lot and it paid off. Let me know if you have any other questions. All the star wars stuff was great.

Regarding the droid, I would check and see if they can deliver it to your room or hold it for you.

Looking at day 1, just keep in mind AK is a bit of a ways away from the other parks. You may want to not stretch too much in to day 1. I just love wandering through world showcase eating and drinking. Epcot it also really fun to explore. The aquarium there is amazing as well.

Something fun at MK that doesn't have a real line is the Monsters Inc scare floor. Fun show. Jungle Cruise is really good also.

Phantasmic at HS is IMO the best show we have seen there. Absolutely incredible. The 4D shorts show at HS is also really fun.

[cougarfreak]

Latham hit it dead on. Get to Hollywood about an hour before open. Get in the park. Have the Disney App on your phone and open. That’s where the option is to get the boarding pass. I did the above and hit it both days I tried on our recent Christmas trip.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Racer]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Regarding the droid, I would check and see if they can deliver it to your room or hold it for you.

Thanks! It sounds like you can either pickup at the park exit or the front desk at your hotel. I did not realize that was an option.

Resort Delivery & Package Pick-up for Droids & Lightsabers | Walt Disney World Resort

Originally Posted by Lathum

Looking at day 1, just keep in mind AK is a bit of a ways away from the other parks. You may want to not stretch too much in to day 1. I just love wandering through world showcase eating and drinking. Epcot it also really fun to explore. The aquarium there is amazing as well.

It's fairly close to the All Star Resorts luckily so I am thinking it's a good park to go in the evening if I'm able to get everything done at Epcot I want to before I inevitably need to go back to my hotel to take a nap given my very early flight time (wake up at 6 am during the work week, going to have to wake up at 4 am for my flight).

Originally Posted by Lathum

Phantasmic at HS is IMO the best show we have seen there. Absolutely incredible. The 4D shorts show at HS is also really fun.

This wasn't on my radar but it is now. Thanks. I was planning on seeing the Star Wars a Galactic Spectacular but apparently there isn't a show that Tuesday so I'll need to plan to see that Monday or Wednesday night.

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

Latham hit it dead on. Get to Hollywood about an hour before open. Get in the park. Have the Disney App on your phone and open. That’s where the option is to get the boarding pass. I did the above and hit it both days I tried on our recent Christmas trip.

Would you recommend ubering to the park that day? The Disney buses don't start until about 45 minutes before the park opens according to their website. It looks like All Stars Music is about a 7 to 10 minute drive to Hollywood Studios so I should still be able to get there before the park opens assuming the bus doesn't fill up. However, I have no idea how long it takes to get through security and into the park.

[Lathum]

I would Uber. We stayed at the swan so could walk but a friend who went recently also used Uber from their resort.

[Racer]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I would Uber. We stayed at the swan so could walk but a friend who went recently also used Uber from their resort.

Sounds good. Thanks!

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Racer

I'm taking a solo trip to Disney World. I'm arriving Saturday, February 29th and leaving the morning of Thursday, March 5th. I haven't been to Disney World in 20 years. I'll be staying at All Stars Music.

I chose the first week of March because it shouldn't be to humid and I think it should be the last week before Spring Break seasons starts.

I bought Park Hopper Plus awhile back because I'm hoping to go to Blizzard Beach. Unfortunately, that's a bit in question because it's looking like the high could be in the 60s at least the first few days of my trip. That's the risk I took though when I booked a trip at a time of year when the average temperature is in the mid 70s in the Orlando area.

I don't like the feeling of falling at all so I won't be going on Roller Coasters so that removes some of the rides that people consider must ride rides such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash. I'm an early morning person so I hope to arrive at rope drop each day besides Saturday.

Saturday - Epcot
I thought I would go to Epcot on my arrival day because I figure all of the parks will be packed on a Saturday and Epcot is the park with the fewest numbers of rides I want to ride. I have fast passes for Soarin', Spaceship Earth (Green Mission), and Mission Space. I'd like to get my photo with Pluto as well assuming it's free if I use my phone and also walk around the World Showcase. I'm okay missing Frozen After All if the line is long (I've never seen the movie).

My flight leaves Louisville at 6:10 am (and hopefully arriving at 8:20 am) so I'll probably head back to to the hotel around 3 pm to take a nap. Assuming I'm able to do everything I want to do at Epcot before that, then I'm thinking of going to Animal Kingdom in the evening. I was not able to secure a fast pass to Flight of Passage so I was thinking of trying to hit that ride a little before the park closes.

Sunday - Magic Kingdom
I have fast passes to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, and Peter Pan's Flight. There's a lot of rides I'd like to ride at Magic Kingdom but no absolute musts for me. I figure I'll likely spend the whole day at the park (with a break at some point) and go on the rides I want to go on the most.

Monday - Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom has early Magic Hours from 8 am to 9 am this day. I have Fast Passes to Na'vi River Journey at 11:30 am, Dinosaur at 12:30 pm, and Kilimanjaro Safaris at 1:40 pm.

If I'm not able to go on Flight of Passage Saturday night, I plan to race walk towards that line at rope drop in hopes of getting a wait time of 1 hour or less. If I'm able to ride that on Saturday then I'm thinking of going to Kilimanjaro Safaris first (and skipping my 1:40 pm FastPass) so I can hopefully be done with Animal Kingdom by 1 pm so I can go to either Blizzard Beach (closes at 5 pm) + Hollywood Studios if it's hot enough or just Hollywood Studios in the second half the day.

Tuesday - Hollywood Studios

This is definitely the main draw of the trip.

I have fast passes to Indiana Jones show at 11:30 am, Toy Mania between 1:20 and 2;20 pm, and the Millennium Falcon between 6:45 and 7:45 pm.

I have a Savi's workshop appointment scheduled for 6:25 pm. I'm also leaning towards getting a droid at droid depot but I'm not really sure when to schedule that for. I don't want to carry it around the whole day and the park closes at 8 pm so I'm not exactly sure how I'd safely fit it in at night. I'm thinking of maybe scheduling it for Monday evening?

I'm a little nervous about Rise of the Resistance. I've read stories about people having trouble getting boarded passes. Of all the rides at Disney World, this is the one I want to ride the most. Anyone having any tips on how to make sure you get a boarding pass?

Going on StarTours and Star Wars Launch Bay are priorities as well.

Wednesday - hopefully Blizzard Beach + TBD in late evening
Right now the only days on my trip that are projected to have temperatures of 75+ are Tuesday and Wednesday so hopefully Wednesday stays reasonably warm because it's to late to get a Savi's workshop appointment for a different day so I'm locked into Hollywood Studios on Tuesday.

How did this workout?

If you even went.

[Lathum]

So we are scheduled to sail on the fantasy week of Thanksgiving. I know November is a long way away but trying to think this through before the final payment is due. My concern is more the virus makes a comeback and we get stuck. If things are still bad by then it would obviously be cancelled anyway.

[Racer]

Originally Posted by Lathum

How did this workout?

If you even went.

Thanks for asking.

I was able to go though I'm guessing things were probably a bit worse then I realized at the time with COVID 19. The park closed about 10 days after I got back.

I had a ton of fun the first four days of my trip. I packed at least one meal a day and spent most of each day in the parks so I was able to cover a lot of ground. As a result, I was able to get through everything I really wanted to do in four days so I started to get kind of bored the last day.

My favorite thing was making my own light saber. That is definitely an experience. After seeing the droids up close I decided against spending money on that.

My favorite rides were

1. Rise of the Resistance - Went on it twice. It felt like I was in a movie.
2. Kilimanjaro Safari - I got to go on it three times. One of the times somebody thought it would be a good idea to bring a baby on board who screamed the whole time and based on what I overheard between a conversation the baby's Dad and presumably one of the grandparents the baby screams a lot. The other two times were amazing though. It was so cool seeing different animals so up close in a non zoo setting.
3. Millennium Falcon - The experience on this can vary a lot. The time I got to pilot the Falcon (even though I wasn't good at it) and the couple times I got on with people who knew what they were doing were a blast. Then there were times I got on with groups who constantly crashed the Falcon. Those times were not that much fun.
4. Soarin' - Just a relaxing and peaceful ride.

I also liked Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise were my favorites rides at Magic Kingdom. Transit Authority and Pirates of the Caribbean were nice rides too. The Carousal of Progress was also a nice break from things though it did break down briefly while I was on because somebody decided to get up and leave during it.

Besides Soarin', I like Mission Space Green Mission and Spaceship Earth at Epcot. I also liked walking around the world. I also took my picture with Goofy, Donald Duck, and Winnie the Pooh which was still enjoyable despite being in my 30s now.

At Animal Kingdom, Flight of Passage was unfortunately to intense for me. I really struggle with rides that make you feel like you're dropping suddenly (either actual or simulated). I'm glad I tried it once but I wouldn't go on it again. The queue for that ride is great though. I was also a bit disappointed with Na'vi River Journey surprisingly. I just found it a bit to boring (similar to Small World). The Pandora portion of Animal Kingdom is beautiful. I thought Dinosaur was just okay.

Hollywood Studios was easily my favorite park. Walking around Galaxy's Edge was great. Star Tours (which has several variants), Toy Story Mania!, and Launch Bay (not a ride) were all cool. I also highly recommend Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway for families with young children. It might be the best ride in the whole park for those families. I actually went on that ride on its opening day to the general public.

As far as shows go, Indiana Jones, It's a Bug's Life (definitely prefer it to Muppets), Fantasmic, Happily Ever After, Star Wars a Galactic Spectacular, and Epcot Forever were all really good/fun. I did not get a chance to see River of Lights. Of all of those, Indiana Jones and Happily Ever After were probably my favorites.

[tyketime]

For those looking for the latest info on Disney parks:

On Thursday night, the Orange County Mayor — Jerry Demings — stated that it could be another two months before officials begin the reopening process of closed businesses. Demings went on to say that businesses, including Walt Disney World Resort, could remain closed through early June 2020.

“I believe, given the models, it could be June — early June — where we see some relaxing of the restrictions in place. But they would have to stay in place to some degree through late summer,” Demings stated.

[Lathum]

We decided today to cancel our cruise for Thanksgiving. I can't think of a worse place to be if there is another wave in the fall. final payment isn't until 7/24 so we are going to wait to officially cancel to see if Disney will offer anything above a refund.

[Lathum]

Amazed it has been a year since this thread was bumped.

Thinking about doing a split Universal/ Disney trip this winter break. anyone ever done it that way? Thoughts?

[kingfc22]

We had a cruise set for July that we booked last February before the pandemic. We decided to push it to next June as the idea of likely still having to wear a mask in the middle of summer in Orlando didn't sound appealing.

[Flasch186]

We've booked 4 days at the Polynesian in October with the fam and the neighbor's fam as well.

[Ghost Econ]

Since it seems most of us have been on a pandemic imposed Disney break, am I the only one thinking about not going back? We go every 3 years or so, but it seems like Disney is sucking all the magic out of it. The latest is that they're killing Dino Land at Animal Kingdom. It was never my favorite part, but I enjoyed Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl (which already shut for good). Add in that they're likely going to move to charging for each fast pass and seem uninterested in bringing back the dining plan makes it feel like any other theme park.

What say you. Next time we'll probably just hit Universal since we haven't done that and our kid has aged into Harry Potterdom. If it's just another theme park, might as well do one with better rides.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Since it seems most of us have been on a pandemic imposed Disney break, am I the only one thinking about not going back?

I haven't really had any intention of returning since they killed the smoking areas to be honest.

Why spend that sort of $$$ to be miserable?

Add in all the other foolishness they've engaged in over the past year or two, I don't see me returning aside from hypothetical grandkids and frankly it'd be under extreme duress even then.