A DLR Guide for WDW Vets

[Dash&Maggie]

Just found this superthread and I'm subscribing! Thanks HydroGuy!!! You sure know your stuff!!!

 

[Kurby]

dh and i were just talking about maybe next summer going to DL instead of WDW. i'm so glad i found this thread. there's so much info i'm going to have to study it and show dh.


thanks for posting it even if it was almost 6 years ago - it's still relevant.

 

[HydroGuy]

dh and i were just talking about maybe next summer going to DL instead of WDW. i'm so glad i found this thread. there's so much info i'm going to have to study it and show dh.


thanks for posting it even if it was almost 6 years ago - it's still relevant.

Glad it was helpful. The OP was in 2006 but the information itself is current and updated in detail last summer.

 

[disneyloveNY]

Excellent and so helpful!!!!

 

[smiles33]

Thank you HydroGuy! I have read many of your threads and just wanted to de-lurk to thank you fr taking the time to share your insight. Clearly, you are an amazing resource for DL newbies. I haven't been to WDW for 20 years and DL for 15, so much of the comparisons went right over my head but the level of detail and your analysis was just so informative and entertaining that I read this thread, too.

Thank you again. This is a tremendous community service you provide!

 

[crarmy]

WOW HydroGuy!! What a post!! We have been to WDW several times and will be going to DLR this summer, I am so glad I came across you post. Thank you so much for taking the time to post and sharing all that wonderful info!! Like you say even though you originally posted in '06 it still pertains to '11 !!

 

[disini]

Very helpful. Thanks!

 

[DISNEYNY]

Thanks HydroGuy!!!

 

[cdatkins]

Great guide. Thanks for putting this together.

Question re: fastpass at DL. Is it still the unwritten rule that DL cast members will accept fastpasses even if they are used outside the bracketed time?

And if so, what's to stop us from collecting fastpasses every hour or so and then using them all later in the day?

 

[skiingfast]

Great guide. Thanks for putting this together.

Question re: fastpass at DL. Is it still the unwritten rule that DL cast members will accept fastpasses even if they are used outside the bracketed time?

And if so, what's to stop us from collecting fastpasses every hour or so and then using them all later in the day?

They will be accepted after the return time, and beyond the end of the return window to the end of the same day.

You cannot get a second FastPass until the return time of the last one you got. However there is a unwritten 2 hour maximum to getting the next FP so you may not need to wait until the return time if 2 hours is sooner.

So in therory you could get 5 or more in a ten hour visit and use them all in the tenth hour.

 

[HydroGuy]

Question re: fastpass at DL. Is it still the unwritten rule that DL cast members will accept fastpasses even if they are used outside the bracketed time?

Sort of. It is still the unwritten rule that you can use FPs after the window "bracketed time" but not before the window.

And if so, what's to stop us from collecting fastpasses every hour or so and then using them all later in the day?

Nothing can stop you except for the FP return windows which grow to over 2 hours quickly for popular rides and means at a certain point you can only get FPs every 2 hours.

See "Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

 

[specialks]

So, HydroGuy, for those of us on the DLR side who want to go to WDW...have you got a thread for a WDW guide for DLR vets?

 

[skiingfast]

So, HydroGuy, for those of us on the DLR side who want to go to WDW...have you got a thread for a WDW guide for DLR vets?

You mean The Introduction to WDW for DLR vets? Yes he wrote one too.

 

[specialks]

WooHoo! Thanks! I was on a thread over there and was really missing the nice sticky thread of tips. . I feel so much better now about our eventual 2013 WDW trip.

 

[DLR29]

WooHoo! Thanks! I was on a thread over there and was really missing the nice sticky thread of tips. . I feel so much better now about our eventual 2013 WDW trip.

If "the other side" isn't as helpful as you might like, you can always ask questions about WDW in the DLR Community Board because a lot of us have been there before and are likely to have an answer too!

 

[HydroGuy]

WooHoo! Thanks! I was on a thread over there and was really missing the nice sticky thread of tips. . I feel so much better now about our eventual 2013 WDW trip.

I need to find time to update the WDW Intro thread. Some changes I need to include are that:

o TGM is not keeping up-to-date very well and is not as valuable as it used to be

o The Touring Plans folks are keeping up and are worth a subscription

o The dining reservations are now online

 

[HarryMoose]

Great thread! Thanks so much for making it Hydro guy! We are WDW vets, but our 1st trip to DLR is in 2 months so we have a lot to learn. I felt like it was made just for us! Great info, and confirmed some of my own thoughts on the topic (like spending less time getting to and from the parks.)

It also made me feel a lot better about our choice to visit during Aug! We did a WDW trip the same week once, never again!

I am so excited, and your wisdom has really helped!

 

[Amanda_the_awesome]

Thanks, this was great for someone that has basically grown up in WDW but is making their first trip to DLR in less then 24 hours. Also very well written.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Great tips!! Taking the kids to DL for the first time this month. I grew up on DL (and still call the whole darn thing DL, just like I still call DHS MGM), but this is my first trip back on the grown-up side. As a WDW vet, I still feel like I'm missing something I should be planning, but our hotel is booked, dining reservations made and military tickets purchased, so I'm going to let go and let God!!

 

[GrandBob]

As a WDW vet, I still feel like I'm missing something I should be planning, but our hotel is booked, dining reservations made and military tickets purchased, so I'm going to let go and let God!!

Yep, that's your WDW training showing through! That's one of the (many) beauties of DLR - you don't need to obsessively plan for 6 months in advance. Just chill out, have an adult beverage of your choice, and contemplate the great trip you're gonna have!

Now, if you want to go to a character meal or eat at Blue Bayou, it would be wise to make a reservation. But you can do that a couple weeks in advance, and still have a reasonable choice of times. Other than that, just chill and know you're gonna have a great time!

-Bob