Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[lynch34]

Earlier complaining was not at all a slight to cast members. They are still superb.

The unfortunate thing is the corporate strategy has changed for 10-15 years ago and how they treat the parks. It would be totally fine if folks just said that but please save us the facade of how magical the time is.

Again - shout-out to CMs. Amazing job.

 

[Lsdolphin]

Here now at CSR. In a ground floor room and for the second night in a row there is a constant thumping sound coming from room directly above me...last night there was also a child running back and forth which is to be expected with little ones but I’m trying to figure out what thumping noise could be.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Here now at CSR. In a ground floor room and for the second night in a row there is a constant thumping sound coming from room directly above me...last night there was also a child running back and forth which is to be expected with little ones but I’m trying to figure out what thumping noise could be.

You might find more info on the resort thread for CSR. If you mention the problem someone there might have experience with this.

 

[bambialways4ever]

We just came back from a fantastic trip 3/30-4/2! Some thoughts:

Old Key West - I had never stayed at this resort before and really fell in love with it! We had a hiccup where we did not get access to our room until 5:30 (Not a big deal, we were in the parks anyways), but everything else was perfect. The pool wasn’t crowded when we went, Olivia’s was great for dinner, and we can’t wait to go back.

EPCOT - 3/30 - We arrived late to EPCOT and still managed to do everything we wanted! We rode Frozen, Soarin’, Living with the Land, and Remy using Genie+/ILL$. Standby for Spaceship Earth was quick by the time we arrived. FLAG was excellent, the croissant at the France booth was our best if the fest!

Magic Kingdom - 3/31 - We opted to get there late and stay until close (11PM). We grabbed breakfast at Steakhouse 71 (so good!) and made our way into the park in time for the noon FoF. We managed to get Jungle Cruise, Pirates, HM, Mermaid, Space, and Buzz with Genie+. Crowds weren’t as bad as I was expecting; which was a pleasant surprise.

Hollywood - 4/1 - Genie+ at DHS was the most challenging, but we still had a lot of success. We got on ToT, Mickey and Minnie, Slinky, Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, and ROTR using G+/ILL$. We left at 5, so I have no doubt we could’ve done everything!

Overall it was a great trip, and I have the unpopular opinion of actually liking Genie+. I’m very much looking forward to our next trip in November.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have!

We didn't make it to Steakhouse 71 for breakfast but did lunch and dinner last week and loved both!! What were the breakfast standouts for you? On our list for next time lol

 

[Lsdolphin]

Had a fabulous dinner last night at Steakhouse 71..potatoes au gratin and filet YUM! Someone had the chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and said it was wonderful...tonight dinner at Trattoria Al Forno was also grea! Breakfast at Ale and Compass nice breakfast option and then you can go right over to Epcot or HS.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We were there at night around 5-8 pm and didn’t see them running.

what was the weather at the time? maybe not right there but were storms close? because trams are open they most likely have to off parking lots if storms close

 

[Haley R]

what was the weather at the time? maybe not right there but were storms close? because trams are open they most likely have to off parking lots if storms close

It was nice out, no storms nearby. I did see the road blocked off and today saw someone posted they were repaving. Maybe that’s why?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

It was nice out, no storms nearby. I did see the road blocked off and today saw someone posted they were repaving. Maybe that’s why?

Know my small park gets lots of complaints when it gets sunny after a storm but we can still hear thunder. Rides are not allowed to reopen until 30 minutes past last thunder heard

 

[Aimeedyan]

It was nice out, no storms nearby. I did see the road blocked off and today saw someone posted they were repaving. Maybe that’s why?

They were running Sunday mid-afternoon, but they had a temporary dropoff/pickup spot before you go under the road due to the repaving going on. Not near as convenient.

We very rarely take the tram - I love walking and hate folding up the stroller - but I am frustrated on behalf of those who really benefit from the steps saved that the other parks have not returned yet.

 

[Gearbm95]

We just came back from a fantastic trip 3/30-4/2! Some thoughts:

Old Key West - I had never stayed at this resort before and really fell in love with it! We had a hiccup where we did not get access to our room until 5:30 (Not a big deal, we were in the parks anyways), but everything else was perfect. The pool wasn’t crowded when we went, Olivia’s was great for dinner, and we can’t wait to go back.

EPCOT - 3/30 - We arrived late to EPCOT and still managed to do everything we wanted! We rode Frozen, Soarin’, Living with the Land, and Remy using Genie+/ILL$. Standby for Spaceship Earth was quick by the time we arrived. FLAG was excellent, the croissant at the France booth was our best if the fest!

Magic Kingdom - 3/31 - We opted to get there late and stay until close (11PM). We grabbed breakfast at Steakhouse 71 (so good!) and made our way into the park in time for the noon FoF. We managed to get Jungle Cruise, Pirates, HM, Mermaid, Space, and Buzz with Genie+. Crowds weren’t as bad as I was expecting; which was a pleasant surprise.

Hollywood - 4/1 - Genie+ at DHS was the most challenging, but we still had a lot of success. We got on ToT, Mickey and Minnie, Slinky, Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, and ROTR using G+/ILL$. We left at 5, so I have no doubt we could’ve done everything!

Overall it was a great trip, and I have the unpopular opinion of actually liking Genie+. I’m very much looking forward to our next trip in November.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have!

How exactly did you get 5 headliner LLs in 8 hours? Spent 3 days at HS a couple weeks ago and never even came close to that. Did you spend the entire day on your phone refreshing?

 

[Sugarshock]

We didn't make it to Steakhouse 71 for breakfast but did lunch and dinner last week and loved both!! What were the breakfast standouts for you? On our list for next time!

Walt’s Breakfast Hash was one of, if not the best thing I ate all trip! The bottomless mimosas can’t be missed either if you drink. The rest was good, but not terribly unique, in my opinion.

How exactly did you get 5 headliner LLs in 8 hours? Spent 3 days at HS a couple weeks ago and never even came close to that. Did you spend the entire day on your phone refreshing?

I think it was a combo of luck and strategy lol. Happy to lay it out!

7AM - I booked ROTR while DH booked Slinky. Having two people on at 7 helps tremendously. They both ended up overlapping with an Oga’s reservation we had at 1:40. There was no way we’d be able to do all 3, so we spoke to Guest Relations and they gave me an open-ended time for ROTR. We ended up having Slinky at 1:20, Oga’s 1:40, and we did Rise right after Oga’s.

I set an alarm for 10:29, one minute before we found book our next reservation, and we rode ToT walk on and got some Joffreys

10:30AM - Booked Mickey and Minnie for 2:50, set an alarm for 12:29. Ride Star Tours walk on, shopped/people watched for a bit, and grabbed lunch

12:30 - Booked Toy Story for 3:35, made our way to Slinky to get on that as soon as our window opened.

1:20-3:45 - Rode Slinky, drank at Oga’s, ROTR, Mickey and Minnie, and Toy Story in quick succession.

3:35 - After tapping into Toy Story, I started refreshing the app looking for RRC or ToT, this was the only time was on my phone for long. We were in a line so I didn’t really mind! I got ToT for 4:45 after about 5 minutes of fiddle-faddling. RRC came up before then too, but I wasn’t quite quick enough.

Setting alarms and being on ASAP I think is really the key, especially at DHS. It’s doable and not too complicated as long as you know the rules!

EDIT: Also to add, I think this “stacking” strategy works really well at DHS. Next time I plan on pairing it with a relaxing resort morning, since we ended up with a good bit of down time earlier in the day

 

[4Ds4Diz]

Earlier complaining was not at all a slight to cast members. They are still superb.

The unfortunate thing is the corporate strategy has changed for 10-15 years ago and how they treat the parks. It would be totally fine if folks just said that but please save us the facade of how magical the time is.

Again - shout-out to CMs. Amazing job.

Glad you had a good experience with the staff. After our trip last week, I don't think you can even refer to them as cast members anymore. Cast members cared about the park guest and treated them like guest. Our trip have quite a few bad experiences with the staff. Mostly in restaurants, but not just there. Given the third degree over our corrct DVC membership cards that are all electronic now. Server with an attitude asking for additional ID after we asked for separate checks. Other restaurants we went to had no problems. I do have to say our meal and service at Topolinos was awesome.

Park cleanliness was not pre covid days. Pizza scraps on the ground in Epcot and cocktail cups left sitting on seating areas and napkins blowing all around. Not a staff member insight to clean up. Bathrooms with full cans in some restrooms. Had to inform the guest check in desk at Boma that the bathroom was completely out of paper towels, only to return to the restroom a half hour later and still no paper towels. Lots of IT problems with Magic Bands at restaurants. The staff was even frustrated. Many of the staff in restaurants spoke of understaffed restaurants and the staff over worked, some quitting.

I still like most of the parks themselves, but with the staff issues and lack of cleanliness, Disney is becoming an expensive and glorified Six Flags. So disappointing!

 

[BellaBaby]

Walt’s Breakfast Hash was one of, if not the best thing I ate all trip! The bottomless mimosas can’t be missed either if you drink. The rest was good, but not terribly unique, in my opinion.


I think it was a combo of luck and strategy lol. Happy to lay it out!

7AM - I booked ROTR while DH booked Slinky. Having two people on at 7 helps tremendously. They both ended up overlapping with an Oga’s reservation we had at 1:40. There was no way we’d be able to do all 3, so we spoke to Guest Relations and they gave me an open-ended time for ROTR. We ended up having Slinky at 1:20, Oga’s 1:40, and we did Rise right after Oga’s.

I set an alarm for 10:29, one minute before we found book our next reservation, and we rode ToT walk on and got some Joffreys

10:30AM - Booked Mickey and Minnie for 2:50, set an alarm for 12:29. Ride Star Tours walk on, shopped/people watched for a bit, and grabbed lunch

12:30 - Booked Toy Story for 3:35, made our way to Slinky to get on that as soon as our window opened.

1:20-3:45 - Rode Slinky, drank at Oga’s, ROTR, Mickey and Minnie, and Toy Story in quick succession.

3:35 - After tapping into Toy Story, I started refreshing the app looking for RRC or ToT, this was the only time was on my phone for long. We were in a line so I didn’t really mind! I got ToT for 4:45 after about 5 minutes of fiddle-faddling. RRC came up before then too, but I wasn’t quite quick enough.

Setting alarms and being on ASAP I think is really the key, especially at DHS. It’s doable and not too complicated as long as you know the rules!

EDIT: Also to add, I think this “stacking” strategy works really well at DHS. Next time I plan on pairing it with a relaxing resort morning, since we ended up with a good bit of down time earlier in the day

So what time did you end up arriving at HS and doing the walk on for ToT? We are not rope drop people especially since we come from CO and the time difference at the beginning of the trip is hard on us. We do get used to it ofc but we are on property the first 4 days so that's when we would take advantage unless it's easier just to stack for later?

 

[AquaGlitter]

Walt’s Breakfast Hash was one of, if not the best thing I ate all trip! The bottomless mimosas can’t be missed either if you drink. The rest was good, but not terribly unique, in my opinion.


I think it was a combo of luck and strategy lol. Happy to lay it out!

7AM - I booked ROTR while DH booked Slinky. Having two people on at 7 helps tremendously. They both ended up overlapping with an Oga’s reservation we had at 1:40. There was no way we’d be able to do all 3, so we spoke to Guest Relations and they gave me an open-ended time for ROTR. We ended up having Slinky at 1:20, Oga’s 1:40, and we did Rise right after Oga’s.

I set an alarm for 10:29, one minute before we found book our next reservation, and we rode ToT walk on and got some Joffreys

10:30AM - Booked Mickey and Minnie for 2:50, set an alarm for 12:29. Ride Star Tours walk on, shopped/people watched for a bit, and grabbed lunch

12:30 - Booked Toy Story for 3:35, made our way to Slinky to get on that as soon as our window opened.

1:20-3:45 - Rode Slinky, drank at Oga’s, ROTR, Mickey and Minnie, and Toy Story in quick succession.

3:35 - After tapping into Toy Story, I started refreshing the app looking for RRC or ToT, this was the only time was on my phone for long. We were in a line so I didn’t really mind! I got ToT for 4:45 after about 5 minutes of fiddle-faddling. RRC came up before then too, but I wasn’t quite quick enough.

Setting alarms and being on ASAP I think is really the key, especially at DHS. It’s doable and not too complicated as long as you know the rules!

EDIT: Also to add, I think this “stacking” strategy works really well at DHS. Next time I plan on pairing it with a relaxing resort morning, since we ended up with a good bit of down time earlier in the day

Sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks for all the detail!

Quick question, where you able to get to oga’s on time or were you a little late? And if yes how did they react? By biggest concern for my upcoming trip is dealing with genie+ and ILL conflicting with dining reservations.

 

[Sugarshock]

So what time did you end up arriving at HS and doing the walk on for ToT? We are not rope drop people especially since we come from CO and the time difference at the beginning of the trip is hard on us. We do get used to it ofc but we are on property the first 4 days so that's when we would take advantage unless it's easier just to stack for later?

We walked through the turnstiles right about 8:15, with early theme park entry. I know it goes against all traditional advice, but I don't think you need to rope drop if you're heavily stacking using Genie+. In all likelihood, your first reservation would be around 11 at the absolute earliest, unless you luck out with an early Slinky time. Plus, DHS doesn't really have nighttime entertainment with Fantasmic paused. Most people will leave before close. I'd plan on getting there around 10:30/11 and stay later than the majority of the crowd.

Sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks for all the detail!

Quick question, where you able to get to oga’s on time or were you a little late? And if yes how did they react? By biggest concern for my upcoming trip is dealing with genie+ and ILL conflicting with dining reservations.

Happy to help! We managed to get there on time, but it was a bit worrying. Guest relations was really helpful when things overlapped. If there's still availability for the ride you have Genie+ for, (and you're nice to them) they can change it for you or give you a redemption pass so you could go whenever. The lightning lanes move *fast*, assuming the ride didn't recently have a downtime. It took maybe 10 minutes to get on and off Slinky. Also, you can arrive 5 minutes before your Genie+ window, or 15 minutes after, and most cast members will still let you on- which helps a lot when things overlap.

 

[AquaGlitter]

We walked through the turnstiles right about 8:15, with early theme park entry. I know it goes against all traditional advice, but I don't think you need to rope drop if you're heavily stacking using Genie+. In all likelihood, your first reservation would be around 11 at the absolute earliest, unless you luck out with an early Slinky time. Plus, DHS doesn't really have nighttime entertainment with Fantasmic paused. Most people will leave before close. I'd plan on getting there around 10:30/11 and stay later than the majority of the crowd.


Happy to help! We managed to get there on time, but it was a bit worrying. Guest relations was really helpful when things overlapped. If there's still availability for the ride you have Genie+ for, (and you're nice to them) they can change it for you or give you a redemption pass so you could go whenever. The lightning lanes move *fast*, assuming the ride didn't recently have a downtime. It took maybe 10 minutes to get on and off Slinky. Also, you can arrive 5 minutes before your Genie+ window, or 15 minutes after, and most cast members will still let you on- which helps a lot when things overlap.

Amazing thank you for the response! Good to know it’s worth trying to go to guest relations before cancelling my ADR or something.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks for all the detail!

Quick question, where you able to get to oga’s on time or were you a little late? And if yes how did they react? By biggest concern for my upcoming trip is dealing with genie+ and ILL conflicting with dining reservations.

I've heard it recommended often that if you have a conflict that cannot be fixed, go to your ADR then take your receipt to your LL/ILL$ reservation. They will normally allow you to ride without any problems. Being late for an ADR is harder to work around and doesn't always work out as easily.

 

[AquaGlitter]

I've heard it recommended often that if you have a conflict that cannot be fixed, go to your ADR then take your receipt to your LL/ILL$ reservation. They will normally allow you to ride without any problems. Being late for an ADR is harder to work around and doesn't always work out as easily.

Thanks, incredibly useful information!
I do hope they make it easier to change your genie+ And ILL reservations in the future

 

[wonderchica]

Had a great RD experience at Hollywood this morning. Arrived at 7 for a 7:30 early entry. They did not let us through the tapstiles until 7:20(?). We did Smugglers, TSM, and MMRR all as walk ons in the first 40 minutes. We had a Genie+ for SDD and a ILL for Rise. We had a great morning!

 

[maciemouse]

Just returned today from our trip Sunday-Thursday. We stayed at The Beach Club. We enjoyed this resort...was clean and cast members were great. We park hopped during this trip. We never rope dropped but got plenty done. The only thing we did not get to do was TOT and ROTR. We go often because we are pass holders so it was okay. I did not like having to get up at 7am for genie plus. Every morning! The only morning I slept until 8am was this yesterday, check out day. Totally frustrated me to pay for a LL for 1pm and once it was confirmed it was moved to 8pm. This literally happened with every LL I made. Guest services gladly fixed it for me in each park except Epcot. That CM just refunded my money and warned me she would do it this time but not to expect it again. Service in restaurants were great. We did run into messy bathrooms and outdoor tables but it is a busy time. Really enjoyed Yak and Yeti and Steakhouse 71. We all really enjoyed Harmonious. Loved being able to walk back to Beach Club after it was over and not rely on transportation. My husband and I discussed how expensive Disney has become. We have been pass holders for 10 years. We payed $570.00 for our room a nite and that was with an AP discount and then had to pay for parking. I can remember paying $300.00 a nite for Poly and free parking when my kids were younger. I bought an extra magic band from home for my husband to use. They told me at guest services they will no longer transfer an old magic band to a person. I had to purchase a new one for him. It is just sad to me that there are families that will not be able to afford to take their kids to Disney because they have priced so many people out. A moderate now is a good $300 a nite plus parking. I also feel if they are going to charge for genie + and LL they need to add a modify button so you can modify from your phone. They already have your money...you should able to change your time because things happen. For example, I made a Rocking Roller coaster genie + first thing in the morning for 11am. I set my alarm for two hours later and made another one for Toy Story Mania. Well we were running late from breakfast and we were not going to make it on time for RR. i can't modify...I just have to cancel and cannot make another genie + in it's place because my two hours has not passed from TSM. Things can happen and it's like I woke up at 7 am for nothing. Don't get me wrong, we did have a good time but given the rising prices, our trips are not going to be as frequent. We usually go once a season. We are going to reevaluate our pass holder status when the time comes as we both feel the value is not is not what it once was. PS....love the skyliner.