Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[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 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.

 

[Ecomommy09]

MK today was great. We rope dropped but I bought ILL for SDMT, so we rope dropped Ariel, Winnie, Barnstormer, and finally Pirates. After that we waited 40 minutes for HM. It’s my favorite so I was cool with that wait, but I had to hold my 7 year old a lot of the time.

After a waffle at Sleepy Hollow, we had PP as our first LL choice from G+. Then I booked meeting Tiana and Rapunzel because we love them.

After that, we watched the parade and had lunch at LTT. I enjoyed it. There was a funny dad next to us with teen boys who kept asking the server for more food.

Our next acts were to watch Country Bears (nope) and go to the Tiki Room (love!). After those we had a LL for Buzz. As soon as we scanned in I booked Big Thunder for 1620. Since we had time we had a snack and rode dumbo twice (mostly for the play ground time!). After that I pushed her back across the park for Seven Dwarves and Big Thunder as our finale. We headed home after that.

I don’t like Splash so we didn’t care we missed it. I could have added the other Tomorrowland roses, but I think Space Mtn is too scary for my baby and Astro Orbiter is so boring.

We had such a lovely time and I have no complaints. I wasn’t on my phone that much. LL was really a life saver because most waits were 45+ and that’s too long for me.

 

[joy13]

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!

Is that the order you did the rides in? That sounds awesome!

 

[Little E]

We went a second time from 3/2-4/1 and stayed at Pop (for our high school kiddo's spring break) then too. We only had a lllooonnnnggggg Skyliner wait when the park closed. We waited probably about an hour. Other than that Skyliner lines were short. We waited roughly 15 minutes first thing in the am, but the line was always moving, so it didn't seem bad at all.

 

[wonderchica]

Is that the order you did the rides in? That sounds awesome!

Yes! MFSR, TSM, MMRR. Also walked onto Star Tours after that before a coffee break. Smugglers area was a ghost town. We could’ve gotten awesome pics back there if we were inclined. After coffee, we hit two shows, had lunch, then our afternoon stack of SDD, ROR, and another MMRR before hopping to Epcot.

 

[joy13]

Yes! MFSR, TSM, MMRR. Also walked onto Star Tours after that before a coffee break. Smugglers area was a ghost town. We could’ve gotten awesome pics back there if we were inclined. After coffee, we hit two shows, had lunch, then our afternoon stack of SDD, ROR, and another MMRR before hopping to Epcot.

What a great day! Thanks for sharing!

 

[waldiddy]

We've been going to WDW since the mid 90s (wow, I'm getting old!), and the place never fails to entertain and surprise us. We visited the first full week of April. Even though Touring Plans had forecasted a somewhat busy week (mostly 5+ crowds, on a scale of 1 to 10), the streets were relatively easy to navigate. That said, the lines were bad. We've almost always hit the parks as soon as they open, but with resort guests getting there 30 minutes early, the advantage of being at regular opening has diminished. On the other hand, I love how MK and Epcot now get you past the turnstiles before the park is opened. Not sure if AK is also doing this.

I love mobile ordering, but wish that more of the counter service, especially in Epcot, was plugged into that. The lines for the Parisian boulangerie were nuts. And, on that topic, has their menu been truncated? I remember getting all kinds of different tarts there in the past. This time there were only two options. I had been looking forward to getting one of their lemon tarts, but it wasn't available anymore.

Mission Space was showing some wear and tear. I noticed one of the screens in the pre-show was grainy, and then our ride vehicle squeaked a great deal. That definitely took away from the feel of being shot into space. Is this ride truly less popular than Test Track? Or is it that TT is just slow-loading? Why in the world riding a rocket into space is less compelling than riding in a car is something I'll never figure out.

Epcot desperately needs those international college kids back soon. It just didn't feel the same without the wonderful accents.

Hollywood Studios was great. I had visited with my kids a few months prior, so we had already experienced Galaxy's Edge. But this time, my wife was with us. She was impressed! But, I don't think she geeked out to the same degree I did the first time I found myself standing inside the Falcon. Toy Story Land is also great, but I still haven't had a chance to ride Slinky Dog. But it is fun listening to the characters standing astride the coaster, especially Jessie. Also, I got to try one of those breakfast tarts from Woodie's. Mmm, mm. I'm missing the food there so bad ...

Not much to say about MK. It's wonderful and amazing as always. Nothing really new here for us on this trip, except for the food. We tried one of those waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow (yum!) and my son and I split the roasted corn pizza at Pinocchio's (superb!). The counter service in the parks has really stepped up their game over the past few years.

Ditto for AK. Nothing really new here for us, other than the food at the Pandora counter-service. It was outstanding. It was sad to see that Primeval Whirl is gone. Everest was also down for refurb. That didn't leave too many rides, although I was surprised that the train was running to the animal hospital area. I thought that train and the petting zoo/viewing area access had been closed down years ago. I also remember, way back, that AK had a lot of people from Africa working the safari ride. Has that changed or is it just a temporary workaround due to Covid?

Overall, it was another wonderful Disney trip. Now to hit the bike and try to burn off all those calories!!

 

[RLGNC]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[wonderchica]

Just back from 4/6-4/10. Stayed at Pop. Overall a great time! Very busy crowds, but with Genie+ and ILL for Rise/Remy we did everything we wanted at MK, HS, and EP. Parks were mostly clean, sometimes the trash in bathrooms were a little full. Really enjoyed lunch at GF Cafe, a new one for us. Even with the hours on downpours on Thursday at MK, we got a lot done. Weather was great other than that. We really enjoyed the Skyliner and only had to wait for it at Epcot close, about 20 minutes. I was concerned there would be a line to get to RD at Hollywood but there wasn’t. We got there by 7 for a 7:30 open and were not too far from the front. Buses to and from Pop were frequent.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I survived last week solo . I've been going to the parks since 1986. I'm on a scooter these days. The crowds made it hard to get thru but I managed. I had done research and thought that last week would be a touch quieter so my research failed me.

Unfortunately I was in Animal Kingdom the day of the big storms so the scooter got wet underneath. I covered it really well and didn't drive through any puddles but it still got wet. At least it got me back to the resort and the company brought me one the next morning which meant missing the resort early hours at Hollywood Studios. I had a great Caring for Giants tour. The elephants really liked the rain.
I was taking my time going around to finish my 2 older Wilderness Explorer books as well as riding the attractions I wanted to.

Magic Kingdom was busy as well and I gave up on trying to see the new fireworks when the handicapped area was full an hour before Enchanted. So I went to the back of the park and rode a few attractions while everyone was watching that fireworks. That worked out nicely for me. And I mobile ordered a snack from the Confectionery that I got after park close so I enjoyed that while waiting for the exit crowds to get lower.

Hollywood Studios was great. I was there most of the day and ended with a ride on Slinky Dog Dash. So fun. I was able to get on most things by constantly refreshing genie+ with the exception of Tower of Terror. I really enjoyed my lunch at Mama Melrose. I have had such good luck with their food. So yummy.

Epcot I booked for 2 days since I love the flower and garden festival. The first day I rode all the attractions, shopped and did one tour around world showcase. The 2nd day I spent going around seeing all the gardens and topiaries and did 2 rounds of World Showcase. Loved most of the food and drink I tried. It was extremely crowded both days but I still enjoyed myself. Very few people were masked up or even attempting to social distance.

I also had a dessert party at the Spice Road Table which was a complete and total fail. The Lamb Kefta was dry, the tiropitakia was very bland. Then the small dessert plate was full of tree nuts which I'm allergic too and told them that in advance. So after I informed the server I was allergic, they brought me a small plate of strawberries and 2 chocolate chip cookies broken in half so it was 4 pieces. The Hibiscus Mimosa was delicious though.
I think there was a new server because he tried to give me a table of 4's drinks. And a different tables food. It was comical.

Then because I was solo, I got the worst view in the place. One of the viewing screens was behind the giant pillar along with half of stargate. The other was blocked by a guys head at the table by the railing. I booked this to see the show because I can't stand for long periods of time so it was a very disappointing experience. I don't believe that table should have been considered a fireworks view and I let the manager know that.
I hate paying for subpar experiences. Next time I'll get a some snacks, a spot by the railing in Japan an hour before and probably have a great view.

Anyways to end the trip, I was coughing and feeling rough on the drive home (which took longer than expected because of so much reckless driving causing accidents including one that I'm sure was fatal) so when I go home I took an at home covid test which was positive. Confirmed it this morning with a drive thru pharmacy test. Luckily I have had my 3 shots so hopefully it won't get any worse but seriously - I wore my mask everywhere except for when I was taking a picture or at a restaurant, washed my hands constantly and it wasn't good enough.
I had a great time with the exception of the dessert party and now the end of the trip Covid. What a way to end the trip.

 

[waldiddy]

Very sorry to hear you got sick! We took absolutely no precautions, even though it sounds like we definitely should have. My wife and son are both sick with a cold, but she tested negative yesterday for Covid.

 

[3gr8boys]

WE HAD A FANTASTIC TRIP THANKS TO GENIE +

We were in the parks Sunday April 3 through Friday April 8. It was definitely the most crowded I have ever seen the parks personally. (Previous trips have been around President’s Day and during Spring Break.)
ETA we were a party of 5

For context, we are not able to travel to Disney World frequently. This was our fourth family trip, all four being four or more years apart. I knew that we would not want to RD every day or have to use end-of-the-night strategies to achieve short waits. I added Genie+ to our tickets as soon as it was available.

I had an issue two different mornings with the IAS rides refreshing at 7:00 but the Genie+ rides still saying that availability would open at 7:00. It happened both with wifi on and off. They only way I could correct was to completely shut the app and then reopen it.

Many folks advised pinning your priorities to the top of the tip board- fantastic advice. I often had only one or two rides pinned to the top so I could see them easily when playing the refreshing game.

Our strategy was to pick the ride most important to the group as our first Genie+ of the day- which I would get at 7a.m. It was great to know that the IAS rides would have a second drop at 7:17 (I used this drop to get FOP, ROTR and 7DMT almost exactly when I wanted them in the day) so I could focus on Genie+ at 7:00. If the time I was given didn’t work, I cancelled and refreshed, earlier times tended to resurface at 7:05 and 7:10. We did not ever purposely schedule harder (JC, PP, etc) LL late and then stack, we kept scheduling rides we wanted as soon as possible. When there were no useful LL left, we switched to refreshing (while waiting for shows to start, while having snacks and, yes, while walking behind the rest of the group) for the hard to get ones. We were able to score JC (as in a LL within the hour!) that way on our first MK day and both TT and FEA on two of the days we were hopping to Epcot. On our first HS day we scored a SDD early afternoon by refreshing. At times it was like a game, with two or three of us seeing who could come up with the best LL. Of course, there was disappointment to be had. A LL would should up but be gone by the time I got past the “who’s in your party” screen. We did opt to RD PP on our second MK day (20 minutes) instead of chancing it and got in a MMRR line shortly after park open (45 minutes) instead of risking a longer wait if no LL was to be had.

(ETA 4/18/2022 keep an eye on recent posts AND be sure to monitor patterns prior to travel, I have seen posts re the ILL availability expected at 7:17 occurring later, 7:20 for example)

On our first MK day (4/3 and we were there open to close) we used LL for BTMRR (twice! because we had an anytime due to BTMRR closure AND were able to score another refreshing), SM, JC, HM, POC and Buzz Lightyear. We filled the time between LLs with less than 15 minute wait attractions, cavalcades, shows and food. It was an amazing day. The only significant wait we had was for Astro-orbiter. Totally worth it because we rode during the fireworks. What a view!

ETA we did find Genie+ to be a great advantage even in AK. We were able to practically walk on to Safari and NRJ at the time of day we wanted despite long lines for both. Afterwards we started getting EPCOT LLs in preparation for hopping.

It did take some time to make a habit of noting when our 120 minute window would be up. Because I was usually grabbing LLs as I tapped into rides, I was often too distracted to make note of the time and set a phone alarm (if the 120 minute rule was in play).

You can definitely see big shifts in availability at two hours and four hours after park open- it is good luck to be able to tap in and book your next LL before those times.

 

[Dizziman]

I'm glad it worked out for you.

For the three days we used it, I felt it worked well on one day, possibly two. The third day I felt was a waste, even though we used it the same way each day. It really depends on availability and, if you're looking to get a specific attraction that is "sold out," your persistency in continuing to refresh the screen to see if it pops up (50/50 it did for us, but only due to constant phone checking).

 

[kilik64]

You can definitely see big shifts in availability at two hours and four hours after park open- it is good luck to be able to tap in and book your next LL before those times.

Yup. Why im very much of the opinion that stacking is a suboptimal strat. Get your first g+ ride as early as possible and then try not to ever get hit with a 2 hour window, and if you do, try to select one that hits before the normal ones for the park you are in.

 

[Schmedvic]

Thanks for the tips! Going to be using G+ for the first time next month. It seems like you need to be screen watching a lot. I like going to Disney as a distraction from life including from having to look at my phone. Did having to monitor your phone impact the Disney magic?

 

[DisneyFive]

Our strategy was to pick the ride most important to the group as our first Genie+ of the day- which I would get at 7a.m. It was great to know that the IAS rides would have a second drop at 7:17 (I used this drop to get FOP, ROTR and 7DMT almost exactly when I wanted them in the day) so I could focus on Genie+ at 7:00. If the time I was given didn’t work, I cancelled and refreshed, earlier times tended to resurface at 7:05 and 7:10. We did not ever purposely schedule harder (JC, PP, etc) LL late and then stack, we kept scheduling rides we wanted as soon as possible.

When you mention earlier times opened at 7:05 and 7:10, just how early are you talking? Can you give examples of which rides and what times you got when you waited until 7:05-7:10? Thanks!

Dan

 

[reddog21]

When you mention earlier times opened at 7:05 and 7:10, just how early are you talking? Can you give examples of which rides and what times you got when you waited until 7:05-7:10? Thanks!

Dan

If your on twitter @WDWWait has a daily return time map for lighting lane for each park and each ride.
https://twitter.com/WDWWait

 

[3gr8boys]

When you mention earlier times opened at 7:05 and 7:10, just how early are you talking? Can you give examples of which rides and what times you got when you waited until 7:05-7:10? Thanks!

Dan

I found this to be the case with Space Mountain and MFSR. Those mornings were the ones when my phone didn't refresh the tip screen properly and I didn't see LL times until I closed and reopened the app. By then the times offered were late afternoon/evening and I really wanted morning or midday LLs. While I can't remember if it was in the neighborhood of 7:05 or 7:10, I did refresh often and ultimately got LLs for both. I believe Space Mountain was a 9:50-10:50 LL (9:00 park open). The MFSR was later- 12:45 to 1:45. (Worked out great because we got ROTR at 10:15 during the 7:17 drop.)

ETA the Genie+ priorities (as in first one of the day) for our six days were (in order) SM, Safari (needed time that worked with Rhino tour), MFSR, TT, SM and TOT. I am not sure which (aside from the ones I wrote about above) I obtained at 7:00 vs 7:05-7:10 with refreshing.

 

[3gr8boys]

Thanks for the tips! Going to be using G+ for the first time next month. It seems like you need to be screen watching a lot. I like going to Disney as a distraction from life including from having to look at my phone. Did having to monitor your phone impact the Disney magic?

I did not feel glued to my phone... refreshing was a fun challenge when I was doing it, but I also made sure to put my phone away during rides, shows, meals etc.

 

[DisneyOma]

We were in the parks Sunday April 3 through Friday April 8. It was definitely the most crowded I have ever seen the parks personally. (Previous trips have been around President’s Day and during Spring Break.)

For context, we are not able to travel to Disney World frequently. This was our fourth family trip, all four being four or more years apart. I knew that we would not want to RD every day or have to use end-of-the-night strategies to achieve short waits. I added Genie+ to our tickets as soon as it was available.

I had an issue two different mornings with the IAS rides refreshing at 7:00 but the Genie+ rides still saying that availability would open at 7:00. It happened both with wifi on and off. They only way I could correct was to completely shut the app and then reopen it.

Many folks advised pinning your priorities to the top of the tip board- fantastic advice. I often had only one or two rides pinned to the top so I could see them easily when playing the refreshing game.

Our strategy was to pick the ride most important to the group as our first Genie+ of the day- which I would get at 7a.m. It was great to know that the IAS rides would have a second drop at 7:17 (I used this drop to get FOP, ROTR and 7DMT almost exactly when I wanted them in the day) so I could focus on Genie+ at 7:00. If the time I was given didn’t work, I cancelled and refreshed, earlier times tended to resurface at 7:05 and 7:10. We did not ever purposely schedule harder (JC, PP, etc) LL late and then stack, we kept scheduling rides we wanted as soon as possible. When there were no useful LL left, we switched to refreshing (while waiting for shows to start, while having snacks and, yes, while walking behind the rest of the group) for the hard to get ones. We were able to score JC (as in a LL within the hour!) that way on our first MK day and both TT and FEA on two of the days we were hopping to Epcot. On our first HS day we scored a SDD early afternoon by refreshing. At times it was like a game, with two or three of us seeing who could come up with the best LL. Of course, there was disappointment to be had. A LL would should up but be gone by the time I got past the “who’s in your party” screen. We did opt to RD PP on our second MK day (20 minutes) instead of chancing it and got in a MMRR line shortly after park open (45 minutes) instead of risking a longer wait if no LL was to be had.

On our first MK day (4/3 and we were there open to close) we used LL for BTMRR (twice! because we had an anytime due to BTMRR closure AND were able to score another refreshing), SM, JC, HM, POC and Buzz Lightyear. We filled the time between LLs with less than 15 minute wait attractions, cavalcades, shows and food. It was an amazing day. The only significant wait we had was for Astro-orbiter. Totally worth it because we rode during the fireworks. What a view!

ETA we did find Genie+ to be a great advantage even in AK. We were able to practically walk on to Safari and NRJ at the time of day we wanted despite long lines for both. Afterwards we started getting EPCOT LLs in preparation for hopping.

It did take some time to make a habit of noting when our 120 minute window would be up. Because I was usually grabbing LLs as I tapped into rides, I was often too distracted to make note of the time and set a phone alarm (if the 120 minute rule was in play).

You can definitely see big shifts in availability at two hours and four hours after park open- it is good luck to be able to tap in and book your next LL before those times.

About how much did you spend daily for your group for Genie and all the ILL?