Whatsthegoodword
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2013
We spent six days in the parks: five at WDW, one at USO. Stayed at Westgate Town Center. My MiL has a time share there...
Last Sunday: AK, then Halloween Party at MK. AK: Cranes all over the Pandora area. Visible exposed structure can be seen from a distance, but not so much when you're up close. The new parts of Africa look great. They look like they've been there all along. Kali River Rapids is *still* too dang short of a ride. Exped Everest is still a great coaster. Party at MK: Big crowd, "sold out." Long lines for candy early, but almost none late. Made me wonder why people got in the lines? We rode Pan this night, as it was the last time it would be open before refurbishment during our stay. The additions they have made to the cue are fantastic. Splash Mountain is such a great ride! ...and the HM is always great. The cobwebs on the cast members was a nice touch - since they're already dressed for Halloween. The parade was great - love the dancing undertakers with the shovels.
Monday: Hollywood Studios: It's time to record a new pre-show film for Aerosmith. Several of us were joking about how they don't look anything like that anymore - but the coaster itself is still awesome! TofT is still great. Love it. Looking forward to the new Toy Story "land" and the new entrance. They've added new footage to the preshow of Muppetvision 3D (from the last Muppet movie) that hints at changes in the show itself, but it's the same. I'm torn over whether I want them to change the show. It needs it, but I do enjoy hearing Henson, Oz & Company doing the characters, even if I have it practically memorized. The new preshow at the Gt Movie Ride and the new recording for the ride itself is all well done. I'd call it all an improvement. Our host did a fine job. StarTours is fantastic. Got to see some footage that I've always missed for some reason. HS in general: Strange how this park is operating at what feels like half-capacity, but we still didn't get everything done that we wanted to do in a day. Had to get to dinner at Epcot/Germany. The Biergarten is my favorite single attraction/room at WDW. I could sit there, and listen to their Omm-pa band for a week.
Tuesday: Epcot & a trip to the ER with our 17 month old. Woke up at 2am with him hacking and barely breathing(!!!). After some debate, we went to the ER. Glad we went if for nothing else than my peace of mind. After some meds and three breathing treatments, we got back to our condo midday. The doc said there was no reason we couldn't go to the park with him - so we did - on 2.5 hours sleep. Might as well since the little fellow won't let us sleep anyway. We staggered around the park all day, just waiting for bedtime. Ate at China (meh), then went back and CRASHED.
Wednesday: Magic Kingdom: I just gotta say, the Magic Kingdom is one incredible place. It is JAM PACKED with things to do. I know you all know this. The "Sorcerers of the MK" activity is a great new addition, as is the "treasure hunt" in Adventureland. I hate it that the Skippers Cantina wasn't open yet. That's right down my alley. Our Skipper on the Jungle Cruise actually had a few new jokes, which was a nice surprise. One of my favorite things to do is spend time on Tom Sawyer's Island, and we did that with our kiddos. Great fun! I do wish that they would spend a little time thinking about TSI, staff the snack hut, tweak the fort, etc. They were working on the windmill. Who knows what's going on over there? We used SIX fast passes this day, and could have used one more, but by then the lines were short anyway. The in-park kiosks are much improved now. Lines for those weren't bad at all later in the afternoon & evening. My youngest loved Small World, Little Mermaid & the parades. We got hotdogs at Casey's (which are back to being normal hot dog size - YAY - as opposed to those nasty monster dogs from last Spring). We also ate at Columbia Harbor House. It was really good - especially for counter service. I got to hear the Barbershop Quartet on Main, and the piano player at Casey's, which makes for a great day. My only gripe: the Christmas decor is UP! CHRISTMAS MUSIC IS PLAYING ON MAIN STREET! IT'S THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER!!!!! GAG!!!!!
Thursday was our Universal day. I'll give more detail here, since a lot of this was new to me. We started at USO, heading straight to Diagon Alley. The Gringotts ride looks great on the outside, although much of the cue is a boring cattle pen. The bank lobby is awesome, and the elevator "ride" down to the boarding platform is well done. The ride itself is a similar "scoop" vehicle to the Spiderman ride - except this is the biggest disappointment at Universal. The ride is short, and the story is confusing. We all came off of it less than thrilled. Thumbs down to Gringotts. From here we went to Olivanders, which was well done, but an almost copy (of course) of the one over at Hogsmeade. The theming in and out of Diagon Alley is exceptional, though the details aren't as strong as the details at Hogsmeade. I think the best "room" in Diagon Alley is "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." It is FUN, and looks great. Knockturn Alley is good as well, though I wonder who would buy that dark looking stuff they sell in there. (Oh, I know, plenty of folks!) The interactive wand windows are nice, but I wonder why they didn't scatter these throughout the parks, instead of only put them in the HP areas. They were slammed with kids in line to do them, of course, then you've seen the gag and it's underwhelming when it comes your turn. It would be wise to spread them over the property. It would reduce the lines, and encourage the many HP fans to go and check out other parts of the Parks. We rode the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade, and this is easily the best addition that Universal made here. Kings Cross Station looks legit, and the train compartments likewise. The show through the windows, and in the hallway is the BEST thing Harry Potter related at Universal. Of course, you gotta pay $147 to see it... but I'm glad I did it - once. I'm not sure if I'll do it again or not. The Hogsmeade section of IoA is still great. None of the rides had much of a wait, so we rode all of them once. The main ride here holds up well. It is unique in it's design and execution, so I like it. It's one of the better rides in Orlando on that score (though I still place Spiderman & Mummy over it). The inside section of the cue is awesome, especially the room with the quarreling portraits of the four founders. We ate at the Three Broomsticks here. It's still the best looking HP dining space at Universal. We also perused all of the shops, and rode the three coasters. These coasters are fun - even if they did give me a bit of a headache. The cue for "Dueling Dragons" is well done, with a TriWizard Tournament theme. We spent too much money in the HP gift shops, then moved on to the rest of Universal. We hit the Jurassic Park river ride first. It was completely unremarkable until he MONSTER drop at the end. I liked it. It's similar to Kali RR in that there's only one drop, but that one drop is much better here. There are a few spooks along the way that are fun. Next, we did Spiderman, which is still one of the best rides in Orlando. Awesome ride, even if it is showing its age a bit. After the ride back over to US, we did Transformers - which was a disappointment. Story was confusing, ride was a poor imitation of Spidey (same ride system). Next was a one hour wait for the "Rock It" Coaster. This is the most extreme coaster I've ever been on. It hurt. There is no support for your neck. This is coming from a middle-aged guy...but my two teenagers didn't like it either. They had the same complaint. I'll say that coasters have "jumped the shark" here. It's just extreme for the sake of extreme: from the sexual innuendo in the preshow video to the beat-you-up experience of the ride. The worst part was the sign reporting a 20 minute wait, that turned to an hour. This is a VERY slow loading ride. The cue was about 1/3 full, and it still took an hour to get on. Between that and the rough ride, I was glad when it was over. From here, 7pm was almost upon us (why the world does this place close at 7???) so we hot-footed it over to the Mummy ride - which I was very impressed with. It's also a "scoop" type ride, and as far as I'm concerned it's the best ride at Universal. The fire effects in it are awesome! I wish I had time to do it again!
Friday was our day to do the things we had missed the other days, so we went to our two favorite parks: Epcot & MK. I rode "Imagination" for the first time in years - and yes, it's still just OK. It really needs attention from the Imagineers. You'd think that with a company like Disney that the IMAGINATION pavilion would get priority. We walked the countries, and the wife and I managed to get away for long enough to get into the Tequila Cave in Mexico (fun!), before we had to meet the rest of our party in the MK. We did typical last day things in the MK, before we rode the Polynesian launch to our dinner reservations at the Luau. I've been going to WDW for 40 years, and I don't know why, but this was my first time at the Luau. It's pricey, but worth every penny. I got more than I expected here, from the show, to the food, to the alcohol being included. I'd go back right now if I could get there. I can't recommend it more. After the Luau, I got to stick my head in Trader Sam's, the new much talked about bar at the Poly. IT IS TINY. There are EIGHT tables in the place, many of them for two. There were maybe 25 people in the place, and there was a 30 minute wait for a drink. I'm glad that I wasn't trying to get a seat, because my crowd would have never had the patience to wait. This board has greatly anticipated the opening of this bar - by my 3 minute assessment - there's nothing to it. It's a neat little hotel bar with nifty decor, and regular old boring bartenders - that's it. I was hoping for something approaching the Adventurer's Club. I was disappointed on that score.
Saturday was for Downtown Disney and boy is it a construction zone! You have to park across the street in a lot that is easily a half mile away. I'm not sure that we would have gone had we known that. We walked around and saw what was complete: Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar (smaller than expected), the Boathouse (nice, but not what I'm after), and the row of shops over toward Planet Hollywood. I'll be curious to see more of the place after it's done.
All in all, it was a good trip, and I'm already looking forward to my next trip down there.
Last Sunday: AK, then Halloween Party at MK. AK: Cranes all over the Pandora area. Visible exposed structure can be seen from a distance, but not so much when you're up close. The new parts of Africa look great. They look like they've been there all along. Kali River Rapids is *still* too dang short of a ride. Exped Everest is still a great coaster. Party at MK: Big crowd, "sold out." Long lines for candy early, but almost none late. Made me wonder why people got in the lines? We rode Pan this night, as it was the last time it would be open before refurbishment during our stay. The additions they have made to the cue are fantastic. Splash Mountain is such a great ride! ...and the HM is always great. The cobwebs on the cast members was a nice touch - since they're already dressed for Halloween. The parade was great - love the dancing undertakers with the shovels.
Monday: Hollywood Studios: It's time to record a new pre-show film for Aerosmith. Several of us were joking about how they don't look anything like that anymore - but the coaster itself is still awesome! TofT is still great. Love it. Looking forward to the new Toy Story "land" and the new entrance. They've added new footage to the preshow of Muppetvision 3D (from the last Muppet movie) that hints at changes in the show itself, but it's the same. I'm torn over whether I want them to change the show. It needs it, but I do enjoy hearing Henson, Oz & Company doing the characters, even if I have it practically memorized. The new preshow at the Gt Movie Ride and the new recording for the ride itself is all well done. I'd call it all an improvement. Our host did a fine job. StarTours is fantastic. Got to see some footage that I've always missed for some reason. HS in general: Strange how this park is operating at what feels like half-capacity, but we still didn't get everything done that we wanted to do in a day. Had to get to dinner at Epcot/Germany. The Biergarten is my favorite single attraction/room at WDW. I could sit there, and listen to their Omm-pa band for a week.
Tuesday: Epcot & a trip to the ER with our 17 month old. Woke up at 2am with him hacking and barely breathing(!!!). After some debate, we went to the ER. Glad we went if for nothing else than my peace of mind. After some meds and three breathing treatments, we got back to our condo midday. The doc said there was no reason we couldn't go to the park with him - so we did - on 2.5 hours sleep. Might as well since the little fellow won't let us sleep anyway. We staggered around the park all day, just waiting for bedtime. Ate at China (meh), then went back and CRASHED.
Wednesday: Magic Kingdom: I just gotta say, the Magic Kingdom is one incredible place. It is JAM PACKED with things to do. I know you all know this. The "Sorcerers of the MK" activity is a great new addition, as is the "treasure hunt" in Adventureland. I hate it that the Skippers Cantina wasn't open yet. That's right down my alley. Our Skipper on the Jungle Cruise actually had a few new jokes, which was a nice surprise. One of my favorite things to do is spend time on Tom Sawyer's Island, and we did that with our kiddos. Great fun! I do wish that they would spend a little time thinking about TSI, staff the snack hut, tweak the fort, etc. They were working on the windmill. Who knows what's going on over there? We used SIX fast passes this day, and could have used one more, but by then the lines were short anyway. The in-park kiosks are much improved now. Lines for those weren't bad at all later in the afternoon & evening. My youngest loved Small World, Little Mermaid & the parades. We got hotdogs at Casey's (which are back to being normal hot dog size - YAY - as opposed to those nasty monster dogs from last Spring). We also ate at Columbia Harbor House. It was really good - especially for counter service. I got to hear the Barbershop Quartet on Main, and the piano player at Casey's, which makes for a great day. My only gripe: the Christmas decor is UP! CHRISTMAS MUSIC IS PLAYING ON MAIN STREET! IT'S THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER!!!!! GAG!!!!!
Thursday was our Universal day. I'll give more detail here, since a lot of this was new to me. We started at USO, heading straight to Diagon Alley. The Gringotts ride looks great on the outside, although much of the cue is a boring cattle pen. The bank lobby is awesome, and the elevator "ride" down to the boarding platform is well done. The ride itself is a similar "scoop" vehicle to the Spiderman ride - except this is the biggest disappointment at Universal. The ride is short, and the story is confusing. We all came off of it less than thrilled. Thumbs down to Gringotts. From here we went to Olivanders, which was well done, but an almost copy (of course) of the one over at Hogsmeade. The theming in and out of Diagon Alley is exceptional, though the details aren't as strong as the details at Hogsmeade. I think the best "room" in Diagon Alley is "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." It is FUN, and looks great. Knockturn Alley is good as well, though I wonder who would buy that dark looking stuff they sell in there. (Oh, I know, plenty of folks!) The interactive wand windows are nice, but I wonder why they didn't scatter these throughout the parks, instead of only put them in the HP areas. They were slammed with kids in line to do them, of course, then you've seen the gag and it's underwhelming when it comes your turn. It would be wise to spread them over the property. It would reduce the lines, and encourage the many HP fans to go and check out other parts of the Parks. We rode the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade, and this is easily the best addition that Universal made here. Kings Cross Station looks legit, and the train compartments likewise. The show through the windows, and in the hallway is the BEST thing Harry Potter related at Universal. Of course, you gotta pay $147 to see it... but I'm glad I did it - once. I'm not sure if I'll do it again or not. The Hogsmeade section of IoA is still great. None of the rides had much of a wait, so we rode all of them once. The main ride here holds up well. It is unique in it's design and execution, so I like it. It's one of the better rides in Orlando on that score (though I still place Spiderman & Mummy over it). The inside section of the cue is awesome, especially the room with the quarreling portraits of the four founders. We ate at the Three Broomsticks here. It's still the best looking HP dining space at Universal. We also perused all of the shops, and rode the three coasters. These coasters are fun - even if they did give me a bit of a headache. The cue for "Dueling Dragons" is well done, with a TriWizard Tournament theme. We spent too much money in the HP gift shops, then moved on to the rest of Universal. We hit the Jurassic Park river ride first. It was completely unremarkable until he MONSTER drop at the end. I liked it. It's similar to Kali RR in that there's only one drop, but that one drop is much better here. There are a few spooks along the way that are fun. Next, we did Spiderman, which is still one of the best rides in Orlando. Awesome ride, even if it is showing its age a bit. After the ride back over to US, we did Transformers - which was a disappointment. Story was confusing, ride was a poor imitation of Spidey (same ride system). Next was a one hour wait for the "Rock It" Coaster. This is the most extreme coaster I've ever been on. It hurt. There is no support for your neck. This is coming from a middle-aged guy...but my two teenagers didn't like it either. They had the same complaint. I'll say that coasters have "jumped the shark" here. It's just extreme for the sake of extreme: from the sexual innuendo in the preshow video to the beat-you-up experience of the ride. The worst part was the sign reporting a 20 minute wait, that turned to an hour. This is a VERY slow loading ride. The cue was about 1/3 full, and it still took an hour to get on. Between that and the rough ride, I was glad when it was over. From here, 7pm was almost upon us (why the world does this place close at 7???) so we hot-footed it over to the Mummy ride - which I was very impressed with. It's also a "scoop" type ride, and as far as I'm concerned it's the best ride at Universal. The fire effects in it are awesome! I wish I had time to do it again!
Friday was our day to do the things we had missed the other days, so we went to our two favorite parks: Epcot & MK. I rode "Imagination" for the first time in years - and yes, it's still just OK. It really needs attention from the Imagineers. You'd think that with a company like Disney that the IMAGINATION pavilion would get priority. We walked the countries, and the wife and I managed to get away for long enough to get into the Tequila Cave in Mexico (fun!), before we had to meet the rest of our party in the MK. We did typical last day things in the MK, before we rode the Polynesian launch to our dinner reservations at the Luau. I've been going to WDW for 40 years, and I don't know why, but this was my first time at the Luau. It's pricey, but worth every penny. I got more than I expected here, from the show, to the food, to the alcohol being included. I'd go back right now if I could get there. I can't recommend it more. After the Luau, I got to stick my head in Trader Sam's, the new much talked about bar at the Poly. IT IS TINY. There are EIGHT tables in the place, many of them for two. There were maybe 25 people in the place, and there was a 30 minute wait for a drink. I'm glad that I wasn't trying to get a seat, because my crowd would have never had the patience to wait. This board has greatly anticipated the opening of this bar - by my 3 minute assessment - there's nothing to it. It's a neat little hotel bar with nifty decor, and regular old boring bartenders - that's it. I was hoping for something approaching the Adventurer's Club. I was disappointed on that score.
Saturday was for Downtown Disney and boy is it a construction zone! You have to park across the street in a lot that is easily a half mile away. I'm not sure that we would have gone had we known that. We walked around and saw what was complete: Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar (smaller than expected), the Boathouse (nice, but not what I'm after), and the row of shops over toward Planet Hollywood. I'll be curious to see more of the place after it's done.
All in all, it was a good trip, and I'm already looking forward to my next trip down there.
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