A surprisingly EXCELLENT 2021 WDW trip!

rebelbuddhist

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 28, 2010
My wife and I have been regular visitors to WDW from mid-December to the 31st. We went this year with the expectation that things would not be any where near as magical as in the past, but if we lowered our expectations the trip could be ok. But we were skeptical the vacation would be worth the $ we would spend. Well, we were very pleasantly surprised by the trip although for sure there were disappointing changes. The give them less but charge the same or more likely charge more is too evident throughout WDW.
Among the disappointing the changes to DME are at the top of the list. Even though carts helped with the luggage, the time and effort to retrieve our luggage and then get to ME was truly quite a chore for us. We are 67 and 70 and I have mobility challenges. But the trip to our resort was quick and relaxing. We are happy to hear that the Mears replacement for DME will include luggage handling as before and that other services are being announced about transport to and from MCO. Our room was a real improvement with the Pop Century refurbishing. Exactly what we need--a place to shower and sleep. We were in Bldg 4 but had not yet discovered the benefits of the Skyliner
We were all moved in by 6:00 pm with plenty of time to take the DME to Disney Springs for a 8:00 pm dinner ADR. We were sad that all the Christmas trees were not in one location. Even with a map (we never found one) it was a pain to walk all over to find the trees. We did happen upon the Star Wars tree, the Beauty & the Beast, and one other we don't remember. Dinner at the Boathouse was excellent as always. The weather was so nice that we sat outside, saw some fireworks and enjoyed crabcakes for our first night dinner. We walked right up to the bus stop for a ride to Pop Century after walking around, window shopping and people watching the West Side.
We get the PhotoPass Memory Maker since it is the only way we can get both of us in a picture larger than a selfie. We do sometimes take up a person's offer to use our iPhone to take our picture, but I am a bit nervous about that since I had a camera stolen that way many years ago in DC.
But we were saddened that there were so few PhotoPass photographers in any of the parks.
Day 1 We always spend our first dat at my wife's favorite park--Animal Kingdom. After a breakfast in our room from the food court, we were ready to hit the park. By the way the bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich was really good and enjoyable way to start the day. We again walked up to the bus stop as a bus was arriving, so we were at AK in no time. We were pleased that although very busy, the crowds were very manageable and not as large as we anticipated. With our DAS pass we were able to ride Flights of Passage with not having to stand in long lines. With a DAS you do wait whatever the current standby time, but you do not have to stand there in a line, but can leave a return to the Lightening Lane after that time has passed. We love FOP and were happy we could ride it more than once this trip. The Festival of the Lion King in its abbreviated version is still entertaining but we missed the tumble monkeys! Animation Academy at Rafiki's Plant Watch was no where as engaging as when it was in Hollywood Studios and a bit time consuming to get to. We did draw Pumba but did not go to any other classes as we had planned since there is not enough at Rafiki's to engage us between classes. It sprinkled a bit but not much this day and all the other days of our trip were amazingly pleasant-- days in the 80's with a light breeze and evenings in the upper 70's. The new Kite Tails show is a filler if you have nothing else to do and want to sit for a few minutes break. It is not artistically interesting nor anything special! Tusker House breakfast was a real disappointment. The food was good but with little variety. It was all you care to eat but in no way worth the same cost as the full buffet was. We canceled a dinner and a breakfast ADR for other days and won't consider going back until the full buffet returns. A nice surprise was the puppets that visit in front of the Tree of Life. They are cute and interact with the crowds nicely. We also rode the Safari twice, did It's A Bugs Life, walked both of the animal trails. We ate at Yak & Yeti which is a favorite of ours. Food is always tasty and portions large (unlike many of the Disney owned restaurants). Our only concern was we witnessed a table being cleared of used dishes but no other COVID protocol. We were careful wearing masks both in and out doors and had Lysol wipes so we wiped our own table and silverware ( we also had plastic wear with us if we felt we needed it). The Lettuce Cups for two have significantly shrunk. In years past, six lettuce cups were on the plate and I would request more to finish up the appetizer. Now, there are 4 cups and we ran out of fillers before using the four lettuce cups.
Walked right up to a bus waiting at park closing, so our trip back to Pop was uneventful. We had a great first day in the parks. Will end for now and report days 2-10 soon.
 
Day 2 Hollywood Studios Absolutely loved the easy ride to HS on the Skyliner! We do not try to rope drop but eat a leisurely breakfast at the resort then go to the park mid morning. We shopped and bought more souvenirs than we needed to, but, what the heck that keeps Disney going. We had a an early lunch/brunch at The Brown Derby and we were pleasantly surprised how much better the experience was than our last time a few years ago. The scallops and shrimp we ate were cooked perfectly-- fresh and tender. We were able to ride Toy Story Midway Mania three times using Genie+ and DAS. Also, rode Rise of Resistance but were not very impressed. Not very exciting compared to Smugglers Run and more like a show than a thrill ride in our opinion. We rode Smugglers Run twice and it has become our number 1 HS thing to do. Did most of the other must do for us-- Muppets, Frozen Sing along, and we enjoyed Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railroad. But it is a one and done for us. Would never wait in long lines to do this but will if it doesn't involve long lines. The Christmas decorations are very enjoyable for us especially since they are retro, They were what we had as kids back in the 50's. We loved Minnie's Holiday at Hollywood and Vine in the past but the current family style dinner is a huge disappointment. While the food we were served was good but the variety available as a buffet is sorely missed. This joins our list of ok or better food but WAY over priced even by Disney standards. Mickey & Minnie walked through and entertained with a short dance routine. We actually like that better than the table visits of the past as we are not collectors of signatures. We stayed to park closing since doing major rides more than once and two table service meals takes time. Without saying Genie+ is acceptable since it is a major part of the "pay more/ get less" phenomenon, the reality that it saves hours of waiting in stand by lines. Without Genie+ and our DAS we would not have been able to do anywhere as much as we did. I was in the app at 7:00 am to purchase Genie + and reserve Rise of Resistance as late as I could by refreshing until the available time was late. Used the DAS to reserve other rides after entering the park. Being able to use both certainly made our day far more productive and enjoyable. Snacked at Woody's Lunchbox which was a quick but useful snack. Although there are reports that the crowds were huge, we did not really feel that. We both commented that although there were lots of people, it did not feel crowded. That would change in a few days as Christmas got closer.
 
Day 3 Magic Kingdom We choose MK because this was the last day of Very Merry After Hours and we wanted to participate to see the Christmas parade and the two fire work shows so we would have a long day at MK even if we did not arrive until mid to late morning. We ate breakfast at Steakhouse 21 in the Contemporary. Although we miss the old Wave especially its breakfast bar, our breakfast was very satisfying and reasonably priced. While not at the top of my list of must do restaurants, Streakhouse 21 certainly is better than many WDW eateries especially near to MK. Using our DAS especially with the two advance reservations made during the pre-arrival call made for a very easy, relaxing day. We used Magical Express for transport the entire trip and never once had to wait for a bus. This was the best service we have had with ME in all our trips the past 10 years. We shopped along Main Street, rode Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and went to the Hall of Presidents, Philharmagic, Tiki Birds and, of course Laugh Factory. We always go to the Carousel of Progress not because it is one of the best but to pay homage to the only ride Walt designed and built as well as to the fact that I rode this with my parents at the New York World's Fair in 1964. We ate dinner at Crystal Palace, unfortunately. Again the food was fine (even better than the full buffet) but the lack of variety compared to the full buffet and the high price without characters made the meal overpriced a a disappointment.
Now for the Very Merry After Hours. This was again a blatant give them less but charge them more event. While the modified parade was entertaining, it just wasn't quite as spectacular as the full parade. But it was better than a simple calvacade. Had we never seen the full Christmas parade to compare this one, we probably would have been fine with the modified parade. The Minnie's Christmas fire works were the highlight of the day but probably not worth the exorbitantly high cost of the event.
 


Day 4 Epcot We are not commando park visitors-- rope drop is not part of our strategy. We do plan a great deal and far in advance (already have our 2022 December trip reserved). Epcot is one of our most relaxed days but we do everything we want. We ride Soarin' Around the World as often as we can. We are lucky that we don't need Genie+ or ILL since DAS does the same for us. We had no trouble at 7:00 am getting in the virtual que for Ratatouile. We found that an enjoyable addition to the Epcot experience. It does seem a little short but it is a fun ride. We love Spaceship Earth and very much enjoy the lighting of the ball after dark. It was very special to just sit and watch that light show. Imagination with Figment is a favorite of ours that we always do at least once. Strolling through the countries and experiencing the displays and information is always part of our visit. Of course during the Festival of Holidays, the Storytellers are an interesting few moments each. Our favorites include Pere Noel in France, Father Christmas in the United Kingdom, the Dragon dancers in China, and the Three Kings in Mexico. We started the day with a meal at Cape May and took the Friendship boats to the park. Again, the family style meal is disappointing compared to the full buffet, but it was good. We do hope that all the character buffets are back to their old selves by next December when we plan to be back. I am wondering if Disney will stick with family style all you care to eat as a cost saving measure. The family style would be fine if the prices were adjusted and not kept high even though there are fewer characters. We rode Frozen and The Land to see its Christmas overlay for the first time. We usually eat a dinner at Chefs de France but were disappointed with changes in its menu. So we ate Italian at Via Napoli which was a very enjoyable experience with perfectly good food. We listened to some of the Candlelight Processional from the walkway as had a dinner package for the 24th. Not positive about how we feel about Harmony. There are excellent moments and the laser and fireworks are usually thrilling. But not sure that there is an understandable connecting theme to the entire show. It is certainly worth viewing the show. We watched from the railing on the bridge and we able to quickly with no waiting walk out the International Gateway and board the Skyliner back to our resort.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top