Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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.

I almost picked that too! the chicken and waffle sounded sooo good (it would have been lunch).

With Kona and Grand Floridian they at least would have been just a monorail hop away. It was nice just to get out of the hustle and bustle of MK for a moment and with the monorail resorts you're not taking yourself too far away. I think that's why in the end we settled on QS at Poly for that particular moment for a timing thing but I'm keeping a running tab of ideas lol.

We also stopped by Riviera for some coffee on one of our Epcot days, took the skyliner over, got some from Le Petit Cafe and sat in the lobby charging our phones (some of their couches have a charging port right there) and just enjoying the ambience. We would have sat outside right by the lobby but the chairs were taken. That was at least a refreshing but quick enough time. We didn't get any of the food at Le Petit Cafe but it sure looked good. I actually was trying to find a way to make it work to go back to Riviera but it just didn't seem to fit, but I'd do that again.

 

[NavyDad]

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

Our first 2-3 trips to WDW, our kids were younger and we were with extended family. We did 2 TS meals per day and we found them to be a great way to relax, get out of the heat and just reconnect with everyone in the family. The kids were big into meeting all of the characters so doing character meals was great interaction for them.

I was someone who absolutely would not do a WDW vacation without a full stale of ADR's for years. One trip, my wife was just not feeling well and told me she didn't feel like eating a bunch of big meals. I cancelled all of our ADR's for the week and we just did food on the fly. I think there was a festival at Epcot so we did a lot of small portions at the carts. It kind of opened up a lot of new options for us.

Flash forward 10 years and our kids either don't go with us anymore or if they do they want to be off doing their own thing. My wife and I usually schedule 1 or 2 nice TS meals per trip. We do a lot more QS meals now which gives us flexibility and has opened our eyes to a lot of cool little places we never would have tried. We also like to frequent the different lounges where we can sample the menu and get a couple of drinks. We are not open to close commandos anymore either so it's nice to have the freedom to kind of just come and go. One day at MK we decided to hop on the water taxi over to Wilderness Lodge and grabbed a fantastic lunch at their QS location and got to explore the resort which was pretty empty at lunch time.

Now that all the kids have grown up and flown the nest, we are planning another large extended family trip next year. I do think we will try to schedule one ADR per day or every other day so we can use that time to connect and touch base. Our kids and our nephews may be bringing their significant others with them so we are looking forward to showing them some of our family favorites from over the years.

That's one of the great things about a WDW vacation - lots of ways to have fun for all ages and all of the different seasons in your life.

 

[NavyDad]

I almost picked that too! the chicken and waffle sounded sooo good (it would have been lunch).

With Kona and Grand Floridian they at least would have been just a monorail hop away. It was nice just to get out of the hustle and bustle of MK for a moment and with the monorail resorts you're not taking yourself too far away. I think that's why in the end we settled on QS at Poly for that particular moment for a timing thing but I'm keeping a running tab of ideas lol.

We also stopped by Riviera for some coffee on one of our Epcot days, took the skyliner over, got some from Le Petit Cafe and sat in the lobby charging our phones (some of their couches have a charging port right there) and just enjoying the ambience. We would have sat outside right by the lobby but the chairs were taken. That was at least a refreshing but quick enough time. We didn't get any of the food at Le Petit Cafe but it sure looked good. I actually was trying to find a way to make it work to go back to Riviera but it just didn't seem to fit, but I'd do that again.

My wife and daughters loved the chicken and waffles. I remember having some kind of open face turkey sandwich that was amazing. I think I got it all three days LOL.

DW and I have made it a tradition to visit one resort per trip that we have not visited before to grab a bite to eat and shop. It's a great break in the middle of the day.

 

[krismom345]

About to board flight home now after 4 days

Highlights~
• great new rides (Remy, Rise!)
• got Genie+ LL times I wanted
• food and CM’s were WAY better than last July trip
• stayed off site at Flamingo Crossing and was pleasantly surprised by room size, free breakfast, free parking… all for 1/4 cost of on site.
• new security lines are simple and quick
• dropped my son off for the summer DCP and have high hopes it’ll go well. Please be kind to CM’s at QSMK in case they’re mine.

Lowlights~
• Rain! Cancelled fireworks and left us drenched 2/4 days. I was prepped with ponchos and umbrellas, but they stood no chance.
• too much time on my phone! I had to check myself when I spent the entirely of my Living With the Land ride trying to secure the next Genie+
• my phone alarm would go off altering me to get next one at the worst times
• I think non-Disney t shirts got more attention than the ones I brought. My son wore a Broadway musical T and got so many conversations/compliments it was funny.
(The exception here is the group of moms (?) at EPCOT wearing “Drunk Wives Matter” shirts. On what planet is that a good idea for a theme park? Or anywhere.

All in all it was a successful few days. Not gonna lie, it’s >CROWDED< and was way hotter than I thought May would be… remember to pack your patience!

 

[JollyHoliday052]

About to board flight home now after 4 days

Highlights~
• great new rides (Remy, Rise!)
• got Genie+ LL times I wanted
• food and CM’s were WAY better than last July trip
• stayed off site at Flamingo Crossing and was pleasantly surprised by room size, free breakfast, free parking… all for 1/4 cost of on site.
• new security lines are simple and quick
• dropped my son off for the summer DCP and have high hopes it’ll go well. Please be kind to CM’s at QSMK in case they’re mine.

Lowlights~
• Rain! Cancelled fireworks and left us drenched 2/4 days. I was prepped with ponchos and umbrellas, but they stood no chance.
• too much time on my phone! I had to check myself when I spent the entirely of my Living With the Land ride trying to secure the next Genie+
• my phone alarm would go off altering me to get next one at the worst times
• I think non-Disney t shirts got more attention than the ones I brought. My son wore a Broadway musical T and got so many conversations/compliments it was funny.
(The exception here is the group of moms (?) at EPCOT wearing “Drunk Wives Matter” shirts. On what planet is that a good idea for a theme park? Or anywhere.

All in all it was a successful few days. Not gonna lie, it’s >CROWDED< and was way hotter than I thought May would be… remember to pack your patience!

I'm staying off site for my next Disney vacation...did staying off site put you at a disadvantage, (with rides and wait times) as opposed to staying onsite? I'm planning on purchasing Genie+ for some park days. We're going at the end of the summer, beginning of the fall season for Disney. I'm hoping that the crowds will subside by then. Congratulations to your son on the DCP!

 

[flipflopmom]

About to board flight home now after 4 days
• dropped my son off for the summer DCP and have high hopes it’ll go well. Please be kind to CM’s at QSMK in case they’re mine.

Congrats to your son! My DD did DCP in 2019 and it is still the highlight of her life! (Although my post would have called that a low point, I sobbed so hard saying goodbye my younger daughter said “Mom, it’s okay. She’s not dead or gonna die and you still have me.”

 

[krismom345]

I'm staying off site for my next Disney vacation...did staying off site put you at a disadvantage, (with rides and wait times) as opposed to staying onsite? I'm planning on purchasing Genie+ for some park days. We're going at the end of the summer, beginning of the fall season for Disney. I'm hoping that the crowds will subside by then. Congratulations to your son on the DCP!

I think being mid week and mid May helped- but we got everything we wanted and didn’t enter til regular park opening!

 

[William B]

I'm staying off site for my next Disney vacation...did staying off site put you at a disadvantage, (with rides and wait times) as opposed to staying onsite? I'm planning on purchasing Genie+ for some park days. We're going at the end of the summer, beginning of the fall season for Disney. I'm hoping that the crowds will subside by then. Congratulations to your son on the DCP!

I think the biggest disadvantage will be in purchasing Rise of the Resistance ILL. It is usually sold out before off site people have the chance to purchase since they have to wait until park opening and on site guests get to purchase at 7 am.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I think the biggest disadvantage will be in purchasing Rise of the Resistance ILL. It is usually sold out before off site people have the chance to purchase since they have to wait until park opening and on site guests get to purchase at 7 am.

Yes, and I believe Guardians will be exactly the same way and sold out before offsite guests are eligible to purchase.

 

[Meglen]

Yes, and I believe Guardians will be exactly the same way and sold out before offsite guests are eligible to purchase.

But they will have the 1pm vq chance atleast

 

[William B]

Yes, and I believe Guardians will be exactly the same way and sold out before offsite guests are eligible to purchase.

Off site will be able to try for the virtual queue at 7am and 1pm right? It is only the ILL they could not get at 7am.

 

[CarolynFH]

Off site will be able to try for the virtual queue at 7am and 1pm right? It is only the ILL they could not get at 7am.

Right, offsite who have a park reservation for Epcot will be able to try for a VQ spot at 7:00 AM and again at 1:00 PM (if they've entered the park by then).

 

[joy13]

About to board flight home now after 4 days

Highlights~
• great new rides (Remy, Rise!)
• got Genie+ LL times I wanted
• food and CM’s were WAY better than last July trip
• stayed off site at Flamingo Crossing and was pleasantly surprised by room size, free breakfast, free parking… all for 1/4 cost of on site.
• new security lines are simple and quick
• dropped my son off for the summer DCP and have high hopes it’ll go well. Please be kind to CM’s at QSMK in case they’re mine.

Lowlights~
• Rain! Cancelled fireworks and left us drenched 2/4 days. I was prepped with ponchos and umbrellas, but they stood no chance.
• too much time on my phone! I had to check myself when I spent the entirely of my Living With the Land ride trying to secure the next Genie+
• my phone alarm would go off altering me to get next one at the worst times
• I think non-Disney t shirts got more attention than the ones I brought. My son wore a Broadway musical T and got so many conversations/compliments it was funny.
(The exception here is the group of moms (?) at EPCOT wearing “Drunk Wives Matter” shirts. On what planet is that a good idea for a theme park? Or anywhere.

All in all it was a successful few days. Not gonna lie, it’s >CROWDED< and was way hotter than I thought May would be… remember to pack your patience!

Yes on the security lines! So much better than the bag checks. Getting into the parks was a breeze.

 

[Meglen]

With the new AP rule about showing your AP ticket in the MDE window.. anyone know if a photo of the ticket will be good enough? It will have the exp date. And look just like the MDE screen but I'm worried the app will fail or be slow and I won't get my discount. A photo will just be easier.

 

[amy1115]

Can anyone tell me what time the MK Express Monorail and the Ferry Boats begin running in the mornings. I've found some conflicting info so want to make sure how it's being done right now.
We'll be there on Sunday.

 

[jwolfpack]

Here now! Time to pay it forward after months of scouring these boards for tips!

Family of 5 with kids aged 8+ | Yacht Club | 6 nights | Genie+ all days | Traveling with another family of 5, not linked on MDE | We hate lines >30 min!

Day 1 - Sun, May 29 - MK hopping to EP with midday break - Memorial Day weekend, very crowded!

7:00 am - from resort bus stop, used 3 phones logged in to same MDE to book $ILL Guardians for 7:05-8:05 pm (no time shift), $ILL SDMT for 2:15-3:15 (shifted by 15 min), and LL for Splash 9:15-10:15 - the other family booked the same and we had no trouble getting all to overlap

7:35 - boarded first MK bus leaving Yacht Club for 8:30 EE, crowds were big already at MK when we arrived
8:30 - rope dropped SDMT (took 25 min)
9:00 - planned to rope drop BTMRR when full park opened, but it was down, so rode Haunted Mansion instead (walk-on)
9:20 - Pirates (35 min posted, 15 min actual)
10:05 - Splash LL - booked next LL for 3 on Space for 2:30-3:30 and 2 on Buzz for 11:10-12:10 (because of differing interests)
10:45 - Tea Cups (15 min) - split up after so 2 with early LL could redeem
11:10 - Buzz LL - booked next LL for 2 on Speedway 12:00-1:00
11:35 - Carousel of Progress (walk-on)
12:05 - Speedway LL - all 5 of us became eligible to book next LL because group of 2 tapped in and it had been 2 hours since group of 3 booked, booked Small World for 1:45-2:45 as it had best return window with ADR and afternoon plans
12:35 - Crystal Palace lunch
~1:30 - Small World LL converted to Multiple Experience pass beginning at 1:45 because ride went down
1:55 - Used Multiple Experience passes to ride Splash and BTMRR (our group split due to interests), booked next LL for Soarin' for 6:30-7:30 pm
2:15 - SDMT $ILL converted to Anytime pass valid for the day because ride went down; since we were leaving MK soon, we went to blue tent and they moved the pass to a different day of our trip (to be used anytime that day)
2:45 - Space LL
3:15 - left park for break
3:55 - from room, checked Epcot availability and saw nothing we were interested in had a late enough return window for our evening plans. I noticed Living with Land was down with a 4:10 return time, so I booked it hoping that it would convert to a Multiple Experience pass.
4:05 - It worked! Living with the Land LL still down, so got the Multiple Experience AND our booking eligibility reopened. Noticed Spaceship Earth was down with a 4:50 return time, so I tried the same thing again.
4:50 - It worked again! Now I had 2 Multiple Experience pass AND our booking eligibility reopened. Living with the Land still down with a 5:10 return, so I tried again. Living with the Land did come back up a few minutes later, so this didn't work, but I lost nothing in trying for it.

We have spent a couple of hours in the pool and resting, and we'll be off to Epcot shortly with Soarin LL for 6:30-7:30, Guardians $ILL for 7:05-8:05, and 2 Multiple Experience passes we can use to catch some of the lower tier rides like Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, etc.

All in all, a great first day despite rides going down! I applied so much of what I learned reading here these last few months, and we never waited more than 30 minutes even on a very busy day!

 

[DisneySyd]

Here now! Time to pay it forward after months of scouring these boards for tips!

Family of 5 with kids aged 8+ | Yacht Club | 6 nights | Genie+ all days | Traveling with another family of 5, not linked on MDE | We hate lines >30 min!

Day 1 - Sun, May 29 - MK hopping to EP with midday break - Memorial Day weekend, very crowded!

7:00 am - from resort bus stop, used 3 phones logged in to same MDE to book $ILL Guardians for 7:05-8:05 pm (no time shift), $ILL SDMT for 2:15-3:15 (shifted by 15 min), and LL for Splash 9:15-10:15 - the other family booked the same and we had no trouble getting all to overlap

7:35 - boarded first MK bus leaving Yacht Club for 8:30 EE, crowds were big already at MK when we arrived
8:30 - rope dropped SDMT (took 25 min)
9:00 - planned to rope drop BTMRR when full park opened, but it was down, so rode Haunted Mansion instead (walk-on)
9:20 - Pirates (35 min posted, 15 min actual)
10:05 - Splash LL - booked next LL for 3 on Space for 2:30-3:30 and 2 on Buzz for 11:10-12:10 (because of differing interests)
10:45 - Tea Cups (15 min) - split up after so 2 with early LL could redeem
11:10 - Buzz LL - booked next LL for 2 on Speedway 12:00-1:00
11:35 - Carousel of Progress (walk-on)
12:05 - Speedway LL - all 5 of us became eligible to book next LL because group of 2 tapped in and it had been 2 hours since group of 3 booked, booked Small World for 1:45-2:45 as it had best return window with ADR and afternoon plans
12:35 - Crystal Palace lunch
~1:30 - Small World LL converted to Multiple Experience pass beginning at 1:45 because ride went down
1:55 - Used Multiple Experience passes to ride Splash and BTMRR (our group split due to interests), booked next LL for Soarin' for 6:30-7:30 pm
2:15 - SDMT $ILL converted to Anytime pass valid for the day because ride went down; since we were leaving MK soon, we went to blue tent and they moved the pass to a different day of our trip (to be used anytime that day)
2:45 - Space LL
3:15 - left park for break
3:55 - from room, checked Epcot availability and saw nothing we were interested in had a late enough return window for our evening plans. I noticed Living with Land was down with a 4:10 return time, so I booked it hoping that it would convert to a Multiple Experience pass.
4:05 - It worked! Living with the Land LL still down, so got the Multiple Experience AND our booking eligibility reopened. Noticed Spaceship Earth was down with a 4:50 return time, so I tried the same thing again.
4:50 - It worked again! Now I had 2 Multiple Experience pass AND our booking eligibility reopened. Living with the Land still down with a 5:10 return, so I tried again. Living with the Land did come back up a few minutes later, so this didn't work, but I lost nothing in trying for it.

We have spent a couple of hours in the pool and resting, and we'll be off to Epcot shortly with Soarin LL for 6:30-7:30, Guardians $ILL for 7:05-8:05, and 2 Multiple Experience passes we can use to catch some of the lower tier rides like Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, etc.

All in all, a great first day despite rides going down! I applied so much of what I learned reading here these last few months, and we never waited more than 30 minutes even on a very busy day!

Sounds like a wonderful day! Thanks for paying it forward

 

[erinch]

Great report! We will be in MK one week from today!

 

[daisylovesdisney]

Here now! Time to pay it forward after months of scouring these boards for tips!

Family of 5 with kids aged 8+ | Yacht Club | 6 nights | Genie+ all days | Traveling with another family of 5, not linked on MDE | We hate lines >30 min!

Day 1 - Sun, May 29 - MK hopping to EP with midday break - Memorial Day weekend, very crowded!

7:00 am - from resort bus stop, used 3 phones logged in to same MDE to book $ILL Guardians for 7:05-8:05 pm (no time shift), $ILL SDMT for 2:15-3:15 (shifted by 15 min), and LL for Splash 9:15-10:15 - the other family booked the same and we had no trouble getting all to overlap

7:35 - boarded first MK bus leaving Yacht Club for 8:30 EE, crowds were big already at MK when we arrived
8:30 - rope dropped SDMT (took 25 min)
9:00 - planned to rope drop BTMRR when full park opened, but it was down, so rode Haunted Mansion instead (walk-on)
9:20 - Pirates (35 min posted, 15 min actual)
10:05 - Splash LL - booked next LL for 3 on Space for 2:30-3:30 and 2 on Buzz for 11:10-12:10 (because of differing interests)
10:45 - Tea Cups (15 min) - split up after so 2 with early LL could redeem
11:10 - Buzz LL - booked next LL for 2 on Speedway 12:00-1:00
11:35 - Carousel of Progress (walk-on)
12:05 - Speedway LL - all 5 of us became eligible to book next LL because group of 2 tapped in and it had been 2 hours since group of 3 booked, booked Small World for 1:45-2:45 as it had best return window with ADR and afternoon plans
12:35 - Crystal Palace lunch
~1:30 - Small World LL converted to Multiple Experience pass beginning at 1:45 because ride went down
1:55 - Used Multiple Experience passes to ride Splash and BTMRR (our group split due to interests), booked next LL for Soarin' for 6:30-7:30 pm
2:15 - SDMT $ILL converted to Anytime pass valid for the day because ride went down; since we were leaving MK soon, we went to blue tent and they moved the pass to a different day of our trip (to be used anytime that day)
2:45 - Space LL
3:15 - left park for break
3:55 - from room, checked Epcot availability and saw nothing we were interested in had a late enough return window for our evening plans. I noticed Living with Land was down with a 4:10 return time, so I booked it hoping that it would convert to a Multiple Experience pass.
4:05 - It worked! Living with the Land LL still down, so got the Multiple Experience AND our booking eligibility reopened. Noticed Spaceship Earth was down with a 4:50 return time, so I tried the same thing again.
4:50 - It worked again! Now I had 2 Multiple Experience pass AND our booking eligibility reopened. Living with the Land still down with a 5:10 return, so I tried again. Living with the Land did come back up a few minutes later, so this didn't work, but I lost nothing in trying for it.

We have spent a couple of hours in the pool and resting, and we'll be off to Epcot shortly with Soarin LL for 6:30-7:30, Guardians $ILL for 7:05-8:05, and 2 Multiple Experience passes we can use to catch some of the lower tier rides like Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, etc.

All in all, a great first day despite rides going down! I applied so much of what I learned reading here these last few months, and we never waited more than 30 minutes even on a very busy day!

Sounds like a great day! Can a multiple experience pass be used for TT or FEA in Epcot?

 

[jwolfpack]

Sounds like a great day! Can a multiple experience pass be used for TT or FEA in Epcot?

No, it was only valid for the lower tier rides like Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Figment, Living with Land, etc.

Test Track, Soarin', Remy, FEA were all excluded.