24-Hour Day 2015 Tips

[StLDisFan]

Hey guys. My stroller and all our stuff was stolen outside CoP last night. My heart just hurts. We thought it was an accident but no one turned it in. I'm so sick over it. Nothing was of value to anyone but us so I don't know why they wouldn't turn it in. But I'm just sick.

That is so horrible! Some people are absolutely terrible! How can people like that live with themselves? I hope you and your family were able to get over it at some point during the rest of your trip.

 

[StLDisFan]

3) All that being said, I must say I LOVED having a FP for Wishes!!! It was so nice and relaxing. It was not packed in at all, we could all see the show. And, I got to meet @StLDisFan, which was pretty cool too. (I've never met another Dis'er.)

It was my first time meeting DIS'ers in the park too! I was awesome meeting ya! And I agree, that FP was DEFINITELY worth it that night

 

[StLDisFan]

@HopperFan That was a pretty good summary of the day. My focus was moreso on the fact that I could be there for 24 hours (not really a fan of Frozen and don't have cable/DC; would have LOVED an Inside Out theme though). There wasn't really anything being offered that enticed me, but if I was there for any other reason then 'disappointment' would have crept in more often then not. I saw the shirts, the cupcakes, the parades, the opening and closing shows... nothing really impressed me; everything seemed half-hearted.

I would have to agree that I think the focus was on DL this year, but they easily could have done so much more with the theme. But even though my feet disagree, I had an absolute blast!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

We were at the 24 hour event. Here are my experiences:

-two of our party won the Disney Parks Blog contest, so all 4 of us got to go. This meant we had to wake up even earlier than we'd planned because the ferry boat left around 5 am .
-we got: tomorrowland ball caps, an Olaf cardboard figurine without a head (I guess you were supposed to put your own head in)
-we all rode the ferry to the MK, we got a 1 day ticket only good for the day of. We couldn't make use of it since we already had our tix
-the best part in my eyes: we got a roped off area right in front of the train station, so we had plenty of space for the opening show
-we had free breakfast in Cosmic Ray's which consisted of fruit, bagels and pastries. We got a picture with a big inflatable orange bird and
a guy modeling a rocket pack costume from the movie
-they were going to bus everyone to a free showing of Tomorrowland. 2 of our party members went, my BF and I did not because we
didn't want to miss prime park time. The people who went to the movie got a free mini poster and Tomorrowland pins to share

-3 of us wore costumes, we went as the stepsisters and the stepmother . We did not do full dresses, rather short skirts which was a good idea because of the heat
-My BF and I did not go to the movie which in retrospect was a good idea. We walked onto about 10 rides before 11 am. The parks were
really empty
-we had a 10:55 lunch ADR at BOG which was a nice break from the sun
-after lunch the crowds were really starting to pick up and it was very hot
-We were really tired from getting only a few hours of sleep the night before (getting up early for the parks blog event was killer, we were up at 3:30 am) so we met Cinderella and Rapunzel because of our costumes, then we met the Tremaines and my BF and I decided we wanted a nap.
-the nap was a really good idea, we had driven that morning but left our car in it's front row spot and took a bus back to All Star Sports
-we wanted to be back in the parks around 6, so we dressed in our nighttime costumes, the Anna, Elsa and Olaf in their pajamas and took the bus back
-our first FP was Mickey, so we met him right when we got inside
-next up was a FP for Anna and Elsa so they could see our costumes
-after that our third FP was for Wishes (BEST IDEA EVER). It was so empty and nice in the corralled Wishes area compared to the mess outside it. I was a little perturbed to see that the projection show didn't happen. I guess it didn't happen so they could move Wishes up 5 minutes cause of the impending storm?
-after Wishes we took off for Tomorrowland. We thought it might rain so we watched COP with an almost full theater which was very fun because everyone sang along and had a good time
-we had FP+ for 7DMT but just as we were ready to go in the ride shut down due to the impending storm
-we had a BOG dinner reservation at 10:50 pm, so we checked in for that. We heard that they were taking walk ups with about a 15 minute wait at that point
-so we managed to miss the storm being inside BOG, which worked out nicely. I thought the crowds would have cleared when we got out but they really hadn't, we used our make up fp+ for BOG
-we managed to stick in there until 3 am, at which point we decided that we were all super tired and staying til 6 wasn't really worth being miserable, especially since the crowds weren't thinning out at all

Overall Impressions:

-it didn't feel special at all, like others have said. Besides being able to wear fun costumes it was kind of a let down
-not sure if we'd do it again without special characters or events. If we did we'd go when it opened in the morning and leave around noon and not go back
-I'm not sure if the crowds really cleared out at all. They certainly hadn't around 3 when we left.
-we went to the EMH until 3 am the next night at MK and it was like night and day. crowds cleared out around midnight and we just ran all around and walked onto stuff and had a great time.

 

[StLDisFan]

I think I wanted to agree with most of the sentiments it just came off as giving Disney excuses, it could have and should have been better, but I still had a great time. This morning is a different story, everything is sore. Does anyone have a fitness routine for 24 hour day, I need to start training for next year.

Also, something my niece and I did last year and again this year was to try to really thank cast members for working the event. Sure, it is their job, but many of them were pulling 14 hour shifts of rude cranky people. I heard other people around me doing the same and you could tell it really seemed to help them out a bit. Just a simple " thank you for working so early this morning" and letting them know we appreciate them really seemed to go a long way. Quite a few times we got a thanks from cast members for recognizing the work they were putting in.

My feet/ankles were definitely swollen after the event. Soaked them in the tub while loading pics and then after I woke up from my power nap. Because it was such a short trip, I didn't want a "rest day" so I just convinced my body that it was going to be abused for the next 5 days. It seemed to put up with me for the most part. I worked out 3-4 times a week for the month leading up to the trip and I lost 10 pounds before going; but then carried around a 15 pound camera bag which sort of defeated the purpose haha. Could have been worse, but hey I couldn't complain, I was at Disney World!

And I made it my mission to say 'thank you' or give some words of encouragement to as many CMs as possible, or at least smile at them. I was kicking myself though because I forgot my 'Thank You' cards at home this trip. I like to jot down a quick word to CMs that go out of their way for me, but I returned home and there they were sitting on my table I think I would have run out of them by mid day as you could tell CMs put in a tremendous effort for all of us.

 

[StLDisFan]

Me and friends made it the whole time and had a great time! We met all the princesses ( longest we waited was 20 minutes for Anna and Elsa), we got accidental cupcakes at Be Our Guest and had an AWESOME time!! My friend's sister about had a freak out we were waiting at CP for dinner and Callum (Dez) passed, she managed to get a selfie with him, which just about made her DIE as until she showed to the airport on Thursday she didn't know she was going. There will be a trip report written there were some great moments and some not great.

Now have to get ready to go home, disappointment has already started....I just want one more day ( not a 24hr days just a normal day)

It was nice meeting ya for a few minutes at Wishes! I was walking by HM and one of the DC guys was surrounded by shrieking girls. No clue who he was but he and the 'fan club' were blocking that tight walkway so I was pushing through and accidentally got face to face with him. We both said 'hi' and I sarcastically said 'hang in there' to him and he just smiled in acknowledgment. Pretty funny moment.

 

[StLDisFan]

Even though I got back on Wednesday afternoon I have had to work long days since I've been back haha

But it's nice coming back to the Boards and reading thoughts and comments! I already miss the event (and my trip) and in a way, I miss sharing it all with you guys! I kept an eye out for everyone in the park, I think I even saw a few of you in passing or from a distance. I got to meet @MommaBerd and @SwimChicSQ and a few others (give me a shout out if I forgot you!) at the mini-meet up Talked to dozens more (not on the Boards) throughout the day while standing in lines or waiting for a show. Despite the lack of effort from Disney, I saw a tremendous effort from fans throughout the day! It was a long, hot, humid, exhausting, frustrating, sweaty day, and yet it was also a beautiful, happy, carefree (mostly), emotional (in a good way), wonderful day all the same. I wouldn't have traded a single moment of it away; I loved it all, the good, the bad and the ugly!

Even though I am a relative newcomer to Disney, it was a dream of mine to "spend a day" at the Magic Kingdom. It was more than a bucket list item (although that was nice to check off) or a chance to experience a random dance party or get an event t-shirt. It was a chance to spend 24 hours straight in the place that makes me the most happy, and I could never truly complain about that or ask for anything else (perhaps some cooler weather would have been nice). Because this was a not a hard ticket event, I don't think Disney 'owed' us anything. I dunno what peoples thoughts are on A&E/Frozen or seeing the DC gang, if they felt satisfied for what was actually offered? I was indifferent to the offerings so I couldn't really judge really. But despite it all, the fact that they opened the gates for 24 hours was more than enough for me

I will be looking to start up a TR tonight/over the course of the next week or so if peeps want to follow along! In-depth review of the 24 hour event, first SWW crash course (on 5 hours of sleep after 48 hours awake), efficient half day at AKL, CHAOS at DTD, leisure day at EPCOT, Flying Fish/Sanaa/HDDR and BOG breakfast. Plenty to talk about with tons of pics and thoughts and reviews to share! I will edit a link in once I get started.

But thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread and to the event! It was such a pleasure; this was one of the first threads I really 'contributed' to and I loved it. And while, in theory, I love the idea of going back next year (even if Disney doesn't plan much again), I think the crowds/weather may make me reconsider attending (unless perhaps I have a day at the resort planned to follow up the event and I don't go into it with ~1 hour of sleep after a 10 hour work day and flying in the night before). I will definitely look forward to contributing to next year's thread though!

 

[Kevin1986]

I had a FABULOUS time at the 24 hour party and Disney vacation overall. I got up at 3 AM on the morning of the 24 hour party ( I was staying at Contemporary) and we left to walk over around 4:30 AM. There was a line of people and the crossing guard wouldn't let anyone over. We were debating if we wanted to stampede her or not. They would not let us over until 5:30 AM. We finally got over and did the opening show, Splash, meet Tiana and Alice, the Speedway, had breakfast at Crystal Palace and then did the Keys to the Kingdom tour (which was AMAZING!!!!!, I loved the backstage parts). After that, I had a FOF parade fastpass, then I got my haircut at the Harmony Barbershop, then dinner at BOG... then FP for Mine Train. We then went back to Contemporary to change in our costumes, I was chimney sweeper Bert and my friend was TinkerBell. We then did the Pirates and Pals Fireworks cruise. After that, back to MK. We had a FP for the MSEP, but it was raining. So we met some characters and then went to HM (so much fun in costume). The rest of the night we were having fun in our costumes (we got tons of compliments) and rides, character greetings. Anna and Elsa were hilarious!!! I stayed until 6 AM, hopped on the monorail, slept for two hours, had breakfast at the Wave and began my day at Epcot.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I just got feeling back in my feet on Thursday.., and then on Friday my kids and I went on a 15 hour overnight zoo experience. What was I thinking?!?!? Hahahaha.

 

[TandLMommy28]

That is so horrible! Some people are absolutely terrible! How can people like that live with themselves? I hope you and your family were able to get over it at some point during the rest of your trip.

We did. A CM gave us a huge stack of fastpassss because we were all just sobbing and so heart broken. So we had a little family meeting at 2am. We could take those passes and push through and enjoy the last bit of time or we could go back to our room and admit defeat and cry and have a pity party. We chose to make the best of it and used our passes to do some more rides. I was proud of the kids for making that choice because they were so upset. They still randomly start crying now and we've been home a week. They just can't understand why someone would be that horrible. I can't understand it either.

 

[CookieGVB]

I'm so sorry about the stroller. That really is awful! I hope that won't sour your feelings about returning. Bottom line: some people suck, even at Disney World.

 

[CookieGVB]

I'm glad we all shared on this thread - it was fun to join in on the excitement. Our next adventure is in October - doing MNSSHP for the first time.

I'm hoping WDW does a 24 hour day for Leap Year - I'd be fairly certain we might not melt from the heat that day!

 

[MommaBerd]

@TandLMommy28 - What a great example and lesson of resilience for your kids! Good for you for CHOOSING to enjoy the rest of the night, and I'm warmed to know the CM did what she could to help improve the situation.

As someone who has had sentimental things (and more) stolen, I truly empathize! Having your things stolen - things that are personal to you - feels violating and is a true loss. And then to have that happen at a place your kids would NEVER have imagined...

But, it sounds like you were able to make some good memories, despite the circumstance.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I just have to say, I'm going to miss you all now that this is over. I feel like we had this little club and I had so much fun planning and chatting with all of you!

 

[TandLMommy28]

I'm glad we all shared on this thread - it was fun to join in on the excitement. Our next adventure is in October - doing MNSSHP for the first time.

I'm hoping WDW does a 24 hour day for Leap Year - I'd be fairly certain we might not melt from the heat that day!

You will love MNSSHP. It is our favorite thing about Disney. We've taken the kids three times now and it is always a night full of good memories. And, unlike this 24 hour event, you probably won't feel like melting!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I just have to say, I'm going to miss you all now that this is over. I feel like we had this little club and I had so much fun planning and chatting with all of you!

If you will miss this thread, join in the mnsshp one! We're discussing dates and costumes and the thread will amp up big time soon.

 

[TandLMommy28]

If you will miss this thread, join in the mnsshp one! We're discussing dates and costumes and the thread will amp up big time soon.

We aren't going this year. We usually go every other year. We went last fall. Next year we are headed to Orlando in August, so we will miss it. Bummer! We won't get there again until 2017. Sniff! It's such a rough life, having to choose betwee MNSSHP and a Disney cruise. The suffering is beyond measure. Hahahahah.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

We aren't going this year. We usually go every other year. We went last fall. Next year we are headed to Orlando in August, so we will miss it. Bummer! We won't get there again until 2017. Sniff! It's such a rough life, having to choose betwee MNSSHP and a Disney cruise. The suffering is beyond measure. Hahahahah.

Oh no I'm sorry I think I misread some posts I thought you were going

But I guess a disney cruise isn't that hard a substitute!

You can always follow along with my new trip report im writing about this years 24 hour party and sww. I think it's linked in my signature... I'm on my phone so I'm not super sure. If it's not there it will be later tonight. We can compare our 24 hour experiences in more detail there.

 

[StLDisFan]

If people are still looking to re-live the 24 hour event/their vacation, I am (finally) starting up my first ever trip report! It will have both a little bit of narrative and tons of photos from the trip. Feel free to follow along if you'd like:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/th...o-trip-report-may-2015.3420691/#post-53880512

Side note: Unfortunately I have worked (9+ hours) nearly every day since I have been back (might slow down a bit next Friday though...) so upcoming posts may be delayed a little. I just really wanted to get this started before I lost all of my desire to try writing one of these

 

[TandLMommy28]

I finally put together our video of the event. It's nothing super fancy but we always do something like this for our trips. Thought I'd put it here in case any of you want to see it--maybe you'll spot yourself in some of our videos and pictures!