10 days in the parks, some observations

[Tomh]

We just finished our 10th day in the parks. Here are some observations and take aways. I still love Epcot, but it needs the updates that were announced during g D23 desperately. When test Track goes down, everything else is a mess. the park needs more attractions, and it needs people eaters rmoe than it needs e tickets! Monorail should not be the only way to get to the Grand Floridian from Epcot, as it is such a pain having to change Monorails at TTC. Run a bus folks.

Magic Kingdom has an amazing new fireworks show, but the crowd in the hub and main street is worse than I have ever seen at this time of year. additionally, the mass exodus directly after it overwhelms the transportation system.

Flights of Passage is amazing. Pandora is amazing. Build more! Sadly, the
k skins on so.e of the drums were already ripped. Pandora hasn't been open that long! Rivers of Light is nice, but weak. it needs something!

The cuts, in my opinion are starting to show. Many empty, or just broken paper towel dispensers. the same with soap dispensers. Garbage in queue lines firat thing in the morning, before guests were even in the queue for the day, so you know it had been there all night. Things were just sloppy. The disney Experience is not there!

I will have more to say and pictures, when I get back home!

 

[robl45]

Agreed, especially on the mono rail thing. They need to run a bus. The switching is a pain. Test track same thing, and they have three big attractions, 4 if you count mission space. And two of those TT and frozen break alot. On the EMH night we were there TT broke and everyone went to Frozen and then that broke. Total waste of our last night.

 

[AliceNDinah]

Thanks for the post Tomh! Good hearing from you Too bad about the Disney Experience not being there, ughhhhhhh. I don't want that to be true!!!
I hope it gets better for you.....

 

[fbarker]

I was at WDW in late March and while over all it was super great I am beginning to see the detail things starting to slip. This is particularly evident in the overall housekeeping items. Disney has always excelled in the details and was one of the things that set it apart from the competition. When the details are not attended to it slowly erodes ones commitment to overall quality. I hope Disney looks at these detailed things and recommits itself to them, they do make a difference.

 

[minniegirl19]

I thought there was a bus from Epcot to grand Floridian? I swear I've seen it running before

 

[GBBTomorrow]

For me, I'd rather change monorails than ride a bus.

 

[robl45]

Monorail is slower and crowded. It really is. Bus is quicker.

 

[FSU Girl]

I thought there was a bus from Epcot to grand Floridian? I swear I've seen it running before

You might have seen it if the monorail was down

 

[loves to dive]

I agree about the monorail, it's one reason I don't stay at the MK resorts, I hate the monorail but love Epcot. While I agree that some of the service isn't what it used to be, I think part of the problem might be people have changed. I was in a McDonald's restroom yesterday, walked in and walked right back out and told my honey I'd hold it until we could go to a gas station. When you would rather go to a gas station bathroom than McDonald's it has to be nasty. I've never understood why people insist on putting toilet paper all over the floor. I think a lot has to do with the "I'm paying for it, let someone else clean it up" attitude now days. Now a trash can full first thing in the morning, no excuse someone dropped the ball but the rest, it's just way too many nasty people.

I'm one of the few who wasn't amazed by Fop, I enjoyed it but really if I'm not with my son, I won't ride it again. The land itself, I loved and when I go solo next month will spend more time there just taking in the details. The torn drums just goes to emphasis what I said about people.

We were there the first week in August and saw the show kind of from Frontierland, my son hates crowds and isn't a fan of fireworks so he prefers not to do them. I knew I was coming back next month so I didn't push him but we got there about the time everyone was staking out their spot to watch and it was a madhouse. We purposely waited until they were over to leave the park and they had two shows that night so we left after the first one. It wasn't horrible but I agree, after the night time shows it gets ugly at MK. I'm looking forward to seeing the new one but am a little hesitant as well. I'm height challenged and every single time I've tried to watch a projection show, it doesn't matter how good of a spot I get to or how early I get there, some tall man is going to squeeze in 1 minute before the show right in front of me. I preferred the old show where I could just sit on the benches going into Tomorrow Land right below where Tink flew and watch from there. With it being more projections that isn't going to work for me and I refuse to pay money for the dessert party just to get a good spot since I don't eat sweets, it's a waste.

 

[LSUmiss]

We just finished our 10th day in the parks. Here are some observations and take aways. I still love Epcot, but it needs the updates that were announced during g D23 desperately. When test Track goes down, everything else is a mess. the park needs more attractions, and it needs people eaters rmoe than it needs e tickets! Monorail should not be the only way to get to the Grand Floridian from Epcot, as it is such a pain having to change Monorails at TTC. Run a bus folks.

Magic Kingdom has an amazing new fireworks show, but the crowd in the hub and main street is worse than I have ever seen at this time of year. additionally, the mass exodus directly after it overwhelms the transportation system.

Flights of Passage is amazing. Pandora is amazing. Build more! Sadly, the
k skins on so.e of the drums were already ripped. Pandora hasn't been open that long! Rivers of Light is nice, but weak. it needs something!

The cuts, in my opinion are starting to show. Many empty, or just broken paper towel dispensers. the same with soap dispensers. Garbage in queue lines firat thing in the morning, before guests were even in the queue for the day, so you know it had been there all night. Things were just sloppy. The disney Experience is not there!

I will have more to say and pictures, when I get back home!

I agree completely about the monorail to Epcot. We just got back from a trip in July at the GF & decided we would much prefer to stay Poly from now on b/c we can walk to TTC. It's bad enough that you have to switch, but with the monorail issues these days, it took forever. Everytime we were stuck waiting on monorail for other traffic or mechanical issues. Took us over an hr everytime to get to Epcot.

 

[Tomh]

I thought there was a bus from Epcot to grand Floridian? I swear I've seen it running before

There was not. I walked to the bus stop, and asked which one for Grand, and two Cast Members both turned me around, sent be back to the monorail, where we then had to go back through security / bag check to get on the monorail.

 

[Tomh]

For me, I'd rather change monorails than ride a bus.

I had my 68 year old mother with me, and she was in pain from standing and walking. Having her hike up to the Monorail stop, then down from the stop at TTC, and back up the other side to ride to Grand Floridian wasn't the best option for us.

 

[Tomh]

I agree about the monorail, it's one reason I don't stay at the MK resorts, I hate the monorail but love Epcot. While I agree that some of the service isn't what it used to be, I think part of the problem might be people have changed. I was in a McDonald's restroom yesterday, walked in and walked right back out and told my honey I'd hold it until we could go to a gas station. When you would rather go to a gas station bathroom than McDonald's it has to be nasty. I've never understood why people insist on putting toilet paper all over the floor. I think a lot has to do with the "I'm paying for it, let someone else clean it up" attitude now days. Now a trash can full first thing in the morning, no excuse someone dropped the ball but the rest, it's just way too many nasty people.

I'm one of the few who wasn't amazed by Fop, I enjoyed it but really if I'm not with my son, I won't ride it again. The land itself, I loved and when I go solo next month will spend more time there just taking in the details. The torn drums just goes to emphasis what I said about people.

We were there the first week in August and saw the show kind of from Frontierland, my son hates crowds and isn't a fan of fireworks so he prefers not to do them. I knew I was coming back next month so I didn't push him but we got there about the time everyone was staking out their spot to watch and it was a madhouse. We purposely waited until they were over to leave the park and they had two shows that night so we left after the first one. It wasn't horrible but I agree, after the night time shows it gets ugly at MK. I'm looking forward to seeing the new one but am a little hesitant as well. I'm height challenged and every single time I've tried to watch a projection show, it doesn't matter how good of a spot I get to or how early I get there, some tall man is going to squeeze in 1 minute before the show right in front of me. I preferred the old show where I could just sit on the benches going into Tomorrow Land right below where Tink flew and watch from there. With it being more projections that isn't going to work for me and I refuse to pay money for the dessert party just to get a good spot since I don't eat sweets, it's a waste.

The garbage issue was garbage sitting on the ledge along the wall of the queue line for the speedway. It was there first thing in the morning, when that part of the queue was bypassed. It was still there after we finished the ride, and that part of the queue was then open. Obviously, it had been there from the previous night. That is just sloppy, and I wonder if it is a result of there now being one manager who is in charge of everything in that area, instead of the old system were each department was under it's own manager park wide.

I feel that the crowds in the mainstreet / hub area, and the number of people trying to get out of the park afterwards, are considerably worse with this new show, than they were with Wishes. I don't know if that is because this show is so new that more people are watching it, and fewer are taking that time to go on rides, or if it is because this show basically forces everyone to view it from that hub / mainstreet area, thereby concentrating everyone, but I do know that it seems worse not only standing there in the crowd, but also trying to navigate out of the park when it is over.

 

[mamamelody2]

Thanks for sharing! I'll be interested to see how things are in November. I already know that if we do HEA (which we do plan on, but you just never know for sure) we will wait for the place to clear out before we leave!

 

[Norton figment]

I'm here right now and totally agree with the fireworks show I really loved to new show but I felt it was ruined a bit due to the mass amount of people it was packed at8:30 and they were sending even one down the by pass to came to main street to see it. I thought it was supposedly low crowds so whats it going to like in the busy season.

 

[goodeats]

There definitely used to be a bus from GF to Epcot. That cut is inexcusable.

 

[jsrj21]

My family and I just got back from a WDW trip and I have to say, the monorails need a facelift or replacements. We saw more garbage than ever and some of the cars weren't even blowing cold air from the AC vents...it was hot, nasty air. At one point at TTC, a family moved from their car into ours because the car they were in was too hot....problem was that ours was HOTTER!!!!

 

[FastPasser.]

There definitely used to be a bus from GF to Epcot. That cut is inexcusable.

How long ago was that?

 

[goodeats]

How long ago was that?

I was last at WDW in 2015, but stayed at the BC so I'm not sure. I definitely remember taking a bus from WL to Epcot and it stopping at GF on the way. I'm sure a more recent or frequent WDW visitor would know.

 

[DisneyCAL]

I agree about the monorails. I went on two this past week that had no a/c, so flippin hot. And there seems to be less monorails going around so waiting at ttc from epcot to switch to resort line was annoying and stressful to get to a res on time.