Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Betty Rohrer]

We are wrapping up eight nights (5 at Beach Club Villas studio and 3 at Polynesian studio) and the end of our DVC annual passes. We were here in May 2021, October 2021, mid-January 2022, and now. General thoughts:

- Characters and some shows being back is HUGE vs January 2022. That was by far our hardest trip regarding lines. Also it just adds to the atmosphere.
- We didn't do G+ this time after using in October and January. Part of this is annual passholder privilege and not needing to get everything in, particularly at Magic Kingdom. But partially we just found it annoying to use and constricting.
- We got a ton in at deluxe extra hours at MK. All headliners except Jungle Cruise which I don't care for. Epcot hours were so so... I think they need to be later for impact. We did get in Test Track before Harmonious (30 minute wait), then Frozen (15 minutes), Remy (30 minutes).
- The old standard rope drop, long break, stay until close continues to work well. We rope dropped Rise 3x and never waited over 20 minutes.
- We got in two Guardians previews. It's a great ride but not as good as Rise.
- Resorts are better functioning than previous post coronavirus trips but still not on par with other luxury properties. Ridiculous that you can't call the front desk.
- Restaurants are also very improved regarding service vs January

We had a ton of fun but are happy to be going on a hiatus for a few years!

you could not call front desk precovid either

 

[eeudj]

I am sitting here in the airport with some extra time so I thought I would post about my family of four experience, my husband, 2 young adult kids and me. We love Disney!! We love staying on property, rope dropping and the rides, all of them yes … we even loved Stitch lol we were sooooo excited to celebrate the 50th. But I just say something was missing this time around. Don’t get me wrong I understand we are still in a pandemic and trying to get back to a normal … but something was missing… the cast members were overworked… genie + was a silly tool… and well it’s become a you get what you pay for place. Not all shows are up and running and well it’s expensive, but I guess it always had been. My family and I made some memories, were thrilled to hug a character or two and indulged in our share of Mickey Bars! I just want to say remember this time around things are different….. and understandably so. Go with a “ pancho” attitude… what I mean is you can be one of those people who say “shoot it’s raining at Disney!! Hurry up put your pancho on so you don’t get drenched. “ or you can be a “ Yay!! It’s raining at Disney, let’s get some fun pictures and ride the rides!!” It’s all about attitude and I am hoping yours this time around will be full of pixie dust!! Have fun!

 

[john7994]

I am sitting here in the airport with some extra time so I thought I would post about my family of four experience, my husband, 2 young adult kids and me. We love Disney!! We love staying on property, rope dropping and the rides, all of them yes … we even loved Stitch lol we were sooooo excited to celebrate the 50th. But I just say something was missing this time around. Don’t get me wrong I understand we are still in a pandemic and trying to get back to a normal … but something was missing… the cast members were overworked… genie + was a silly tool… and well it’s become a you get what you pay for place. Not all shows are up and running and well it’s expensive, but I guess it always had been. My family and I made some memories, were thrilled to hug a character or two and indulged in our share of Mickey Bars! I just want to say remember this time around things are different….. and understandably so. Go with a “ pancho” attitude… what I mean is you can be one of those people who say “shoot it’s raining at Disney!! Hurry up put your pancho on so you don’t get drenched. “ or you can be a “ Yay!! It’s raining at Disney, let’s get some fun pictures and ride the rides!!” It’s all about attitude and I am hoping yours this time around will be full of pixie dust!! Have fun!

We just got back as well this week, and totally agree - some of the CMs we interreacted with really were standouts and others were just huddled around talking about "work" as we observed. This never used to be the case in past visits. Further on this, we noticed some places staffed up nicely and others just missing - mostly at the resorts. The CMs are the magic of Disney and should be the focus going forward in order to continue the legacy of what made it unique in the first place.

 

[joy13]

I just go back a couple weeks ago (4/23-27) and have always been an avid rope dropper. With G+ and ILL you absolutely do not need to do this anymore. Not knowing how it would go, still rope dropped MK and rode PP, Space MT, Pooh, BTMT, HM twice, Pirates (G+), Dumbo, Mermaid... Genie+ stacked in evening for another PP, Pooh, HM, BTMT, JC. I could have gotten Space MT and ILL Dwarfs but didn't. Another night I stacked Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Soarin, Frozen, and ILL Remy all from 4-830p. I am so excited I can sleep in on trips now! Morning humidity in the parks is the worst!

We just finished up our Disney days - 6 park days and we didn’t rope drop once. I didn’t miss that throng of people fighting to be first at all. G+ made that possible.

 

[nw6675]

We just finished up our Disney days - 6 park days and we didn’t rope drop once. I didn’t miss that throng of people fighting to be first at all. G+ made that possible.

Same here. Stacking afternoons and evenings plus ILLs allowed us to do everything we wanted. We did not even need to stay for the extra evening hours.

We thought the CMs were either really awesome or the worst we have encountered. Not much in between. Same with the food.

Worst part was we all started feeling bad at the end and tested positive the day after we got home. 2nd time for all of us.

 

[JFox]

This morning on Main Street I came face to face with the worst villain ever. More sinister than Cruella, The Evil Queen or Frollo...My EX-Mother In Law. She was just as surprised to see me.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I think a lot of magic to be found in these parts it’s just you have to do a little bit more digging to find it!!

Also not being stung or not feeling the buyers remorse of spending so much for less has really Alleviated some of that anxiety…for me not staying on property or shelling out for mediocre food has done wonders with my relationship with disney.

It’s cheesy but the magic is in the memories with your family.

 

[mickey916]

We just returned from our 10 day trip and had a very busy but awesome time. We accomplished a lot through using Genie+ but it did add a stress level to the trip, especially for me as I was managing it for our group of 4-8 people depending on the day. I was always worried about missing something on our schedule. It actually would be helpful if the system had push notification reminders when your ride window opened and your next booking time was available. At Hollywood Studios I messed up and forgot about the 120 minute rule and missed an opportunity to book something as I was waiting for our RNRC timeslot. It's definitely a lot to keep track of especially while trying to enjoy your time with others.

That being said, it was really the only negative. We found the parks to be clean, Cast Members friendly, other guests were overall pleasant and respectful. Food was very good. Mobile order worked extremely well. We were able to accomplish everything we wanted to experience by rope dropping and using Genie+. I was fortunate to get an AP preview for Guardians. It was incredible...I call it Space Mountain on steroids...

We also spent two days at Universal. While the theming is great and we enjoy the thrill rides, I still am a Disney-girl at heart. We got tired of the motion simulators at Universal (and we will never do Forbidden Journey ever again, ugh). Also there are certain things that just work better at Disney. Here's just two examples: I rented lockers at Disney & Universal. At Disney I followed the instructions and got a locker. At Universal I followed the instructions on a kiosk (three times) and couldn't get it to work, had to summon help and the Team Member said "oh yeah, those kiosks don't work, you can only do it at these kiosks, I wish they had a sign". Also we mobile ordered at Disney, clicked I'm here and picked up our food (several times). At Universal we mobile ordered and received a message saying to wait and they will notify us when our order is ready. We waited forty minutes and finally went up to the counter and were told, "Oh yeah, we don't notify you, you just have to come up and ask if it's ready and then we get it."...the only two areas Universal wins over Disney is Universal Express Pass versus Genie+ and no park reservations IMHO.

Overall had a great trip and am so very grateful to finally take the trip I started planning in 2019!

 

[boxer]

Just back from a great 10-day trip!!! Here is what I found on my first time using Genie+ and Early Entry:

*We only got Genie Plus 3-days out of the total trip--and utilized Early Morning Hours pretty much every day

*Genie+ worked much better than I thought--but then again we have the typical AP/DVC style touring style--since we are in no rush to see 'everything' in one day (Morning tour--rest in afternoon--and return touring in evening). I found it worked best for us when I used it for one/two attractions in the morning (say at Epcot), then started loading up my evening rides all throughout the day. When used in conjunction with Early Morning Hours, it was really valuable.

*Early Morning Hours are MUST do...with or without Genie+. Didn't enjoy waking up a 6AM on vacation, but this allowed us a few hours touring in the morning, then return to the hotel at lunch for nap/swim

*DHS at evening is the way to go!! Got all our attractions in using Genie+ (stacked from earlier in the day), and then even got on Rise in Standby line with only about a 15-min wait. We tried Rise the one day at Early Entry, and by the time we got back there, it was already 60-min. Riding right before Park Close is the way to go!

*No way I would use the Genie+ at Epcot for a full day. We used it one time in the morning for TT--then Standby lined the rest. Didn't wait much longer than 15min for everything else.

*EMH nighttime was awesome!!! Much better than the old EMH Night Hours

*O'hana was NOT worth the $350 I paid (or near as good as it was a few years ago). Service was pretty rough, and it is just not worth the money we paid. We all agreed with in terms of a Buffet/Family Style, that CP and Liberty Tree were better (and cheaper)

*LOVED Steakhouse 71!!! That and Narcoossee's were best meals by far

Let me know if you have any questions. Crowd level (I thought anyhow) was awesome, and weather was just as great!

 

[Feberin]

We just got back from 6 park days using Genie+ every day. We rode pretty much everything and I actually really loved it. We rope dropped 4 days and it worked great. Longest line of the entire trip was meeting Anna and Elsa. We bought ILL for Rise, 7 Dwarfs and FOP. Rope dropped Remy with a very short wait. We got at least 5 genie+ reservations each day. Some weren't really necessary but we definitely saved a few hours each day.

 

[mickey916]

Just back from a great 10-day trip!!! Here is what I found on my first time using Genie+ and Early Entry:

*We only got Genie Plus 3-days out of the total trip--and utilized Early Morning Hours pretty much every day

*Genie+ worked much better than I thought--but then again we have the typical AP/DVC style touring style--since we are in no rush to see 'everything' in one day (Morning tour--rest in afternoon--and return touring in evening). I found it worked best for us when I used it for one/two attractions in the morning (say at Epcot), then started loading up my evening rides all throughout the day. When used in conjunction with Early Morning Hours, it was really valuable.

*Early Morning Hours are MUST do...with or without Genie+. Didn't enjoy waking up a 6AM on vacation, but this allowed us a few hours touring in the morning, then return to the hotel at lunch for nap/swim

*DHS at evening is the way to go!! Got all our attractions in using Genie+ (stacked from earlier in the day), and then even got on Rise in Standby line with only about a 15-min wait. We tried Rise the one day at Early Entry, and by the time we got back there, it was already 60-min. Riding right before Park Close is the way to go!

*No way I would use the Genie+ at Epcot for a full day. We used it one time in the morning for TT--then Standby lined the rest. Didn't wait much longer than 15min for everything else.

*EMH nighttime was awesome!!! Much better than the old EMH Night HoursC

*O'hana was NOT worth the $350 I paid (or near as good as it was a few years ago). Service was pretty rough, and it is just not worth the money we paid. We all agreed with in terms of a Buffet/Family Style, that CP and Liberty Tree were better (and cheaper)

*LOVED Steakhouse 71!!! That and Narcoossee's were best meals by far

Let me know if you have any questions. Crowd level (I thought anyhow) was awesome, and weather was just as great!

Interesting. Was there the same time. Our experience at 'Ohana was completely different. It was our favorite meal of the week and our service was excellent. So funny how it can differ even in the same week. We did Liberty Tree and found it wasn't as good as when we had it in April but still good.

I agree about crowds and weather...both were really good (and both way better than our April trip as well)

 

[boxer]

Interesting. Was there the same time. Our experience at 'Ohana was completely different. It was our favorite meal of the week and our service was excellent. So funny how it can differ even in the same week. We did Liberty Tree and found it wasn't as good as when we had it in April but still good.

I agree about crowds and weather...both were really good (and both way better than our April trip as well)

In fairness, I was expecting O'hana '2017' and should have researched the recent changes. But, still doesn't excuse the dry/overcooked steak, and lack of dipping sauces on this trip. We basically paid $350 to eat wings and pot stickers, lol

 

[mickey916]

In fairness, I was expecting O'hana '2017' and should have researched the recent changes. But, still doesn't excuse the dry/overcooked steak, and lack of dipping sauces on this trip. We basically paid $350 to eat wings and pot stickers, lol

we hadn't been since Ohana 2010 and it was markedly better than that trip...my family prefers dry/overcooked steak...lol (although we felt it was the weakest part of the meal). We loved the chicken thighs, shrimp, wings, noodles and pot stickers the most. When we went in 2010 we had turkey on a skewer that smelled really bad and my kids thought it was "rhino meat"...when I booked it for this trip they asked if they still had "rhino meat"....so this trip was definitely better...

 

[boxer]

we hadn't been since Ohana 2010 and it was markedly better than that trip...my family prefers dry/overcooked steak...lol (although we felt it was the weakest part of the meal). We loved the chicken thighs, shrimp, wings, noodles and pot stickers the most. When we went in 2010 we had turkey on a skewer that smelled really bad and my kids thought it was "rhino meat"...when I booked it for this trip they asked if they still had "rhino meat"....so this trip was definitely better...

Rhino Meat, lol.

 

[NavyDad]

I can not even tell you what these positive reviews are doing for me. We are set to arrive on Saturday after 2.5 years of lockdowns and uncertainty. I really really want to enjoy this trip.

And though we have always been diehard rope droppers I am loving the idea of some time to sleep in and poke around for the day. Not having to be up and headed to a park every morning would be a lot more relaxing!

Please let us know how things are going.

 

[NavyDad]

In fairness, I was expecting O'hana '2017' and should have researched the recent changes. But, still doesn't excuse the dry/overcooked steak, and lack of dipping sauces on this trip. We basically paid $350 to eat wings and pot stickers, lol

DW and I snagged a last minute ADR at Kona last month. We got the wings and potstickers and each had an alcoholic drink and our bill was like $40. Love that place!

 

[pigletto]

Please let us know how things are going.

Having a fabulous time. My biggest complaint would be the heat but that’s to be expected. We rode everything we wanted at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios the last two days.
The magic is still here. We have no complaints

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

DW and I snagged a last minute ADR at Kona last month. We got the wings and potstickers and each had an alcoholic drink and our bill was like $40. Love that place!

We literally were in MK on our trip a few weeks back thinking between Kona Cafe (which had a time like 45mins from then) and Grand Floridian Cafe (like 20mins from then) we ended up going with QS at Poly for a less time commitment. There was also BOG available for like an hour later but that was quickly removed from thought the cost was just too much lol.

 

[DisneyFive]

We literally were in MK on our trip a few weeks back thinking between Kona Cafe (which had a time like 45mins from then) and Grand Floridian Cafe (like 20mins from then) we ended up going with QS at Poly for a less time commitment. There was also BOG available for like an hour later but that was quickly removed from thought the cost was just too much lol.

Yeah that's always the struggle for us too... How much time do we want to commit to a meal versus the quality of the experience?

We typically do one TS each day and one QS, but those TS can take TIME. Lately we've tried to time our TS for lunch, as we are leaving the park anyway for rest/relaxation at the resort (we take the afternoon off every day now)

Time is finite and precious at WDW. Leaving the park to have a good TS can be a tough decision and it boxes you into a set time to eat. Sometimes I think that we should just do QS for all our meals due to time and flexibility but we just enjoy or TS experiences too much. It's a key part of our vacation.

Dan

 

[NavyDad]

We literally were in MK on our trip a few weeks back thinking between Kona Cafe (which had a time like 45mins from then) and Grand Floridian Cafe (like 20mins from then) we ended up going with QS at Poly for a less time commitment. There was also BOG available for like an hour later but that was quickly removed from thought the cost was just too much lol.

Grand Floridian Cafe is another favorite of ours. When we stayed at the GF I think we ate at the Cafe for a late lunch 3 times. We found the food to be pretty darn good and way less expensive than some of the high end places at the deluxe resorts.