glassslippergirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2010
I've enjoyed reading all the "just back" threads this summer, so I figured I'd put in my two cents. We spent a week in Orlando, 7/22-29.
Our experiences with FP+ was the most significant. I think I've converted to a full-blown fan. I made FP reservations at the 30-day mark and couldn't get FEA (which DH really wanted). I kept trying everyday for a month and was able to get FEA two days before our Epcot day! Then, DH got sick
, and we had to stay at the hotel instead of go to Epcot. He felt so bad that we had to give up our hard-earned FPs. We had a rest day planned for the next day, so to help Improve his spirits, I tried to quickly make new FP+ reservations at Epcot for that day. I wasn't able to get FEA but could get Soarin and the two tier 2 FPs we wanted at convenient times in the late-morning. It was really easy and made him feel less disappointed.
DH felt well enough the next day and no longer had a fever, so we a rope dropped FEA and really enjoyed it. When they opened the front gate at 8:30, the crowd quickly split into three groups, with two smaller groups splitting at the fountain to get to Soarin or Test Track, but by far the largest group heading to WS for FEA. It was a cavalcade of strollers. DS was fussing, so I dropped our stroller outside the food stands in Mexico and carried him from there. I was glad I did because it saved us some time once we got to Norway.
It was intolerably hot with the morning sun shining directly on us where they corralled us just outside of Mexico, but the cast members were able to control the crowd by saying that they would try to let us in a few minutes early, and they did. The RD line was listed as 20 minutes, but it only took 15 minutes. DH even said that if we had used FPs, he wouldn't have gotten to go through Oaken's store in the queue, and he loved that. I thought the ride was pretty well done and really enjoyed the detail on the animatronics and in Elsa's ice palace. I liked the way they used the backward motion of the track from Maelstrom, especially the way they started it using Elsa. I didn't love the use of projections in the second room of the ice palace, but we were glad we had made the effort to experience the ride and look forward to doing it again.
I was pleased the week before our trip when they changed Living with the Land to a tier 2 FP and scheduled that back to back with Soarin so we didn't have to leave the building. I was also happy for the reboot of Soarin because, as a Floridian, a ride celebrating California in the heart of my beloved state didn't make much sense. I liked the new locations and thought it was neat how close we got to the Pyramids. Not sure they needed to have something startle us at the end of each location. It was kind of jarring, and I think transitions in the original Soarin were better.
Our surprise stand-out attractions were at MK the next day. DS 4 is a thrill junkie, so we FP'ed the headliner coasters he could ride. We were actually able to get 6 FPs through the day, and bypassing most lines with a four-year-old really made me a FP lover! But it was two non-FP attractions, the splash pad by Dumbo and the Incredibles Dance Party in Tomorrowland, that really surprised us. The splash pad was just plain fun with its giraffes shooting water. There are plenty of splash pads near home, but the theming here made it really special. DS tried to feed the elephants peanuts from the buckets! The dance party was pure energy. I don't know how the characters do the moves they do in costume. Loved the DJ, too.
Leaving MK that night was really hard. We waited almost an hour after fireworks to join the ferry boat line and had to wait through three boats before we could get on the fourth. There was a lot of pushing and shoving that cast members tried unsuccessfully to control. I've never seen transportation at night move so slowly. The cast members at the boat entrance were really encouraging people to take a bus from bus slot 26 to the TTC. They said it would be faster. I wasn't sure as a lot of people were headed there, and busses hold fewer people than the ferry. Plus still-recovering DH wasn't up for the walk. But for future reference, has anyone taken a bus to TTC in the post-fireworks exodus? Is it more efficient, or more of the same?
We had two dining surprises. The first was T-Rex which we had given up on a few years ago when we found the food greasy. My cousin is a student at UCF, so we met her and her BF at Disney Springs. She suggested T-Rex because she thought DS would like it. We absolutely loved our meals this time. The theming is always fun, but the chicken sandwich with a pizza dough flatbread blew me away. DH enjoyed the pulled pork.
The other stand-out was Skipper's Canteen. I had read mixed reviews on the restaurant board. We sat in the hidden dining room which had quieter ambiance than the mess hall (I don't think I would have enjoyed my experience as much there as that room seemed big and noisy). I had the whole fried fish (new to the menu), which was hard to eat but worth it, crispy and flaky. DH had the head on shrimp, which had a sweet chili sauce. Yum! It was easy to get an ADR, so I recommend trying it if you can.
We were excited to try Chef Art Smith's Homecoming in Disney Springs. In our area, it's hard to find restaurants that specialize in good fried chicken. The chicken sandwich was a little dry (boo). It was too hot outside to consider the heavier 3-piece meal (heavy meals and hot weather are not a good mix for me). Maybe we'll try it again in cooler weather.
We also spent a day at Legoland (my love of Legoland is well documented on the Orlando attractions board) and a day at the Orlando Eye and Sea-Life Aquarium (included in our Legoland passes). I'm not sure what I was expecting on the Orlando Eye. I've been on the London Eye, where there's something new to see with every turn. But the theme parks don't really stand out from the Orlando Eye. It was neat to see Space Mountain at one end of WDW property and EE at the other and get perspective on just how big WDW property is. Anyone been? Is it better at night? During the holidays? I so wanted to be amazed by this.
Our last experience was driving out of MK parking lot after the epic line for the ferry boat. There's a point where the road forks, the right side going to the Speedway gas station, and the left continuing on the road to exit the park. We were driving in the right lane on the left side, to exit the park. A pick up truck decided to cross lanes to get to the gas station, hit our car, then continued on. We were safe, minimal damage to the car, and FHP was prompt, but just a reminder to be safe and courteous out there. We always drive at WDW, even those rare occasions when we stay on property, and we had never seen or experienced anything like this.
We still have 2 days left on our tickets that have to be used by mid-Dec. We plan to take a long weekend in the fall but haven't decided which parks to do. We're open to redoing one or both parks from this trip or doing the others. DH and I are WDW veterans who like trying new things. I'm up on the new offerings like Tiffins and Star Wars fireworks but am not sure I'm sold on anything (SW fireworks are a no-brainer, but we don't have PH, and I wonder if we can make a day at DHS). DS4 is 43 inches tall, and likes anything that tickles his tummy. Looking for suggestions. Thanks!
Our experiences with FP+ was the most significant. I think I've converted to a full-blown fan. I made FP reservations at the 30-day mark and couldn't get FEA (which DH really wanted). I kept trying everyday for a month and was able to get FEA two days before our Epcot day! Then, DH got sick
, and we had to stay at the hotel instead of go to Epcot. He felt so bad that we had to give up our hard-earned FPs. We had a rest day planned for the next day, so to help Improve his spirits, I tried to quickly make new FP+ reservations at Epcot for that day. I wasn't able to get FEA but could get Soarin and the two tier 2 FPs we wanted at convenient times in the late-morning. It was really easy and made him feel less disappointed.DH felt well enough the next day and no longer had a fever, so we a rope dropped FEA and really enjoyed it. When they opened the front gate at 8:30, the crowd quickly split into three groups, with two smaller groups splitting at the fountain to get to Soarin or Test Track, but by far the largest group heading to WS for FEA. It was a cavalcade of strollers. DS was fussing, so I dropped our stroller outside the food stands in Mexico and carried him from there. I was glad I did because it saved us some time once we got to Norway.
It was intolerably hot with the morning sun shining directly on us where they corralled us just outside of Mexico, but the cast members were able to control the crowd by saying that they would try to let us in a few minutes early, and they did. The RD line was listed as 20 minutes, but it only took 15 minutes. DH even said that if we had used FPs, he wouldn't have gotten to go through Oaken's store in the queue, and he loved that. I thought the ride was pretty well done and really enjoyed the detail on the animatronics and in Elsa's ice palace. I liked the way they used the backward motion of the track from Maelstrom, especially the way they started it using Elsa. I didn't love the use of projections in the second room of the ice palace, but we were glad we had made the effort to experience the ride and look forward to doing it again.
I was pleased the week before our trip when they changed Living with the Land to a tier 2 FP and scheduled that back to back with Soarin so we didn't have to leave the building. I was also happy for the reboot of Soarin because, as a Floridian, a ride celebrating California in the heart of my beloved state didn't make much sense. I liked the new locations and thought it was neat how close we got to the Pyramids. Not sure they needed to have something startle us at the end of each location. It was kind of jarring, and I think transitions in the original Soarin were better.
Our surprise stand-out attractions were at MK the next day. DS 4 is a thrill junkie, so we FP'ed the headliner coasters he could ride. We were actually able to get 6 FPs through the day, and bypassing most lines with a four-year-old really made me a FP lover! But it was two non-FP attractions, the splash pad by Dumbo and the Incredibles Dance Party in Tomorrowland, that really surprised us. The splash pad was just plain fun with its giraffes shooting water. There are plenty of splash pads near home, but the theming here made it really special. DS tried to feed the elephants peanuts from the buckets! The dance party was pure energy. I don't know how the characters do the moves they do in costume. Loved the DJ, too.
Leaving MK that night was really hard. We waited almost an hour after fireworks to join the ferry boat line and had to wait through three boats before we could get on the fourth. There was a lot of pushing and shoving that cast members tried unsuccessfully to control. I've never seen transportation at night move so slowly. The cast members at the boat entrance were really encouraging people to take a bus from bus slot 26 to the TTC. They said it would be faster. I wasn't sure as a lot of people were headed there, and busses hold fewer people than the ferry. Plus still-recovering DH wasn't up for the walk. But for future reference, has anyone taken a bus to TTC in the post-fireworks exodus? Is it more efficient, or more of the same?
We had two dining surprises. The first was T-Rex which we had given up on a few years ago when we found the food greasy. My cousin is a student at UCF, so we met her and her BF at Disney Springs. She suggested T-Rex because she thought DS would like it. We absolutely loved our meals this time. The theming is always fun, but the chicken sandwich with a pizza dough flatbread blew me away. DH enjoyed the pulled pork.
The other stand-out was Skipper's Canteen. I had read mixed reviews on the restaurant board. We sat in the hidden dining room which had quieter ambiance than the mess hall (I don't think I would have enjoyed my experience as much there as that room seemed big and noisy). I had the whole fried fish (new to the menu), which was hard to eat but worth it, crispy and flaky. DH had the head on shrimp, which had a sweet chili sauce. Yum! It was easy to get an ADR, so I recommend trying it if you can.
We were excited to try Chef Art Smith's Homecoming in Disney Springs. In our area, it's hard to find restaurants that specialize in good fried chicken. The chicken sandwich was a little dry (boo). It was too hot outside to consider the heavier 3-piece meal (heavy meals and hot weather are not a good mix for me). Maybe we'll try it again in cooler weather.
We also spent a day at Legoland (my love of Legoland is well documented on the Orlando attractions board) and a day at the Orlando Eye and Sea-Life Aquarium (included in our Legoland passes). I'm not sure what I was expecting on the Orlando Eye. I've been on the London Eye, where there's something new to see with every turn. But the theme parks don't really stand out from the Orlando Eye. It was neat to see Space Mountain at one end of WDW property and EE at the other and get perspective on just how big WDW property is. Anyone been? Is it better at night? During the holidays? I so wanted to be amazed by this.
Our last experience was driving out of MK parking lot after the epic line for the ferry boat. There's a point where the road forks, the right side going to the Speedway gas station, and the left continuing on the road to exit the park. We were driving in the right lane on the left side, to exit the park. A pick up truck decided to cross lanes to get to the gas station, hit our car, then continued on. We were safe, minimal damage to the car, and FHP was prompt, but just a reminder to be safe and courteous out there. We always drive at WDW, even those rare occasions when we stay on property, and we had never seen or experienced anything like this.
We still have 2 days left on our tickets that have to be used by mid-Dec. We plan to take a long weekend in the fall but haven't decided which parks to do. We're open to redoing one or both parks from this trip or doing the others. DH and I are WDW veterans who like trying new things. I'm up on the new offerings like Tiffins and Star Wars fireworks but am not sure I'm sold on anything (SW fireworks are a no-brainer, but we don't have PH, and I wonder if we can make a day at DHS). DS4 is 43 inches tall, and likes anything that tickles his tummy. Looking for suggestions. Thanks!
