wdwgoofeeee
<a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/dis-sponsor/" targ
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2002
- Messages
- 3,651
This is my first attempt at writing a trip report so please bear with me. I hope my observations can help others enjoy their stay at Walt Disney World.
My DS (almost 15) and I arrived at the Boardwalk Inn on Wednesday, June 15 around 10:30am. We used Prestige Towncar and were very happy with their service. The driver was great and took us to the Publix for some water, soda, and snacks. The Boardwalk was very quiet when we arrived and we were given a room right away (much to my surprise and relief). The room looked towards Epcot and that night we discovered we can view the fireworks from Illuminations right from our room! We had some early air conditioning problems but it was cleared up and we were very satisfied. I only wish that parents would not allow their children to run and scream down the hall when it's late and people are trying to get some much needed sleep. Unfortunately today most people do not think of others and do "their thing". We found this out at the parks with people walking around with cigarettes. The best example was on Big Thunder when a group of 3-4 were riding early one monring with each holding a cup of liquid (soda I guess). Of course the cups were empty when they returned. And guess who got one of their wet seats.....lucky us! I was surprised that the Cast Members allowed them to get on with the drinks but I really think they have their hands full.
The parks up until this past Tuesday were not very crowded and we managed with stand-by and Fast Passes to ride everything we wanted. What we found on Thurday and Saturday mornings is that the Magic Kingdom is very quiet the first couple of hours if you head to Frontierland. The vast majority of people go to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. It is very easy to get on Big Thunder and Splash with very little wait. We ate lunch one day at Columbia Harbor House. It was fair but at least it filled us. I totally agree with the tips here about going upstairs with your food. It was so peaceful and nice up there since most people have no idea you can go up there. Another tip I totally agree with is to skip EMH at all costs. The park gets way too crowded and it is a waste of time. The old E-nights were much better. The only good thing about the evening EMH is that they re-open the Fast Pass machines. Keep that in mind because without FP you will have VERY VERY long lines. Soarin is definitely a FP unless you want to wait an hour or more (we saw 85 minutes). We had daily rain but not for long .
Most important advice I can give is to get to your park EARLY. The lines at all the park openings are amazing. If you get there less than 15 minutes before opening you will be FAR back. For anyone entering via the International Gateway they do not start checking bags until opening time and then the back up from the turnstiles causes quite a mess. By the time we got to Test Track the first time the wait was already 20 minutes and 30 minutes the next time. My DS on our second time to TT suggested the single riders line and it was fabulous! We did this twice and ending up in the same car both times. However, Disney must have caught on because on our last day at Epcot they did not start the single rider line for the first hour. To our amazement, Mission: Space was a walkon with almost no wait during our whole trip.
As I noted earlier, this past Tuesday the crowd size grew to almost unbearable. For our last few days (we left Thursday afternoon) we could get on almost nothing without a Fast Pass unless it was first thing in the morning. Even the hotel lobby was like a mob scene. Our driver told us some schools just closed so that is probably why the crowds got so much bigger.
We love WDW and had a great time with a lot of wonderful meals (Nine Dragons and Kona were great, as were the 50's Prime Time and Rose and Crown). We rode our favorites like Big Thunder and Splash many many times. Our absolute favorite, Tower of Terror we managed to ride 24 times! Even I find this hard to believe but my DS was keeping count. Our last morning we rode it four times and got three different drop sequences. I can't believe that it took me years to first try this ride. I even managed to match my DS at times by not holding out. What an incredible feeling being lifted off your seat and being held down by the seat belts. Awesome ride and experience.
I should mention that you MUST have advanced reservations to eat at most of the restaurants. I saw many people being turned away. Please ask away if you have any questions. I hope all going in the near future have a great time. Don't go without a plan, advanced reservations at the restaurants, and don't bother with EMH.
Thanks for reading. Sorry I jumped around but just trying to remember the important points.
My DS (almost 15) and I arrived at the Boardwalk Inn on Wednesday, June 15 around 10:30am. We used Prestige Towncar and were very happy with their service. The driver was great and took us to the Publix for some water, soda, and snacks. The Boardwalk was very quiet when we arrived and we were given a room right away (much to my surprise and relief). The room looked towards Epcot and that night we discovered we can view the fireworks from Illuminations right from our room! We had some early air conditioning problems but it was cleared up and we were very satisfied. I only wish that parents would not allow their children to run and scream down the hall when it's late and people are trying to get some much needed sleep. Unfortunately today most people do not think of others and do "their thing". We found this out at the parks with people walking around with cigarettes. The best example was on Big Thunder when a group of 3-4 were riding early one monring with each holding a cup of liquid (soda I guess). Of course the cups were empty when they returned. And guess who got one of their wet seats.....lucky us! I was surprised that the Cast Members allowed them to get on with the drinks but I really think they have their hands full.
The parks up until this past Tuesday were not very crowded and we managed with stand-by and Fast Passes to ride everything we wanted. What we found on Thurday and Saturday mornings is that the Magic Kingdom is very quiet the first couple of hours if you head to Frontierland. The vast majority of people go to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. It is very easy to get on Big Thunder and Splash with very little wait. We ate lunch one day at Columbia Harbor House. It was fair but at least it filled us. I totally agree with the tips here about going upstairs with your food. It was so peaceful and nice up there since most people have no idea you can go up there. Another tip I totally agree with is to skip EMH at all costs. The park gets way too crowded and it is a waste of time. The old E-nights were much better. The only good thing about the evening EMH is that they re-open the Fast Pass machines. Keep that in mind because without FP you will have VERY VERY long lines. Soarin is definitely a FP unless you want to wait an hour or more (we saw 85 minutes). We had daily rain but not for long .
Most important advice I can give is to get to your park EARLY. The lines at all the park openings are amazing. If you get there less than 15 minutes before opening you will be FAR back. For anyone entering via the International Gateway they do not start checking bags until opening time and then the back up from the turnstiles causes quite a mess. By the time we got to Test Track the first time the wait was already 20 minutes and 30 minutes the next time. My DS on our second time to TT suggested the single riders line and it was fabulous! We did this twice and ending up in the same car both times. However, Disney must have caught on because on our last day at Epcot they did not start the single rider line for the first hour. To our amazement, Mission: Space was a walkon with almost no wait during our whole trip.
As I noted earlier, this past Tuesday the crowd size grew to almost unbearable. For our last few days (we left Thursday afternoon) we could get on almost nothing without a Fast Pass unless it was first thing in the morning. Even the hotel lobby was like a mob scene. Our driver told us some schools just closed so that is probably why the crowds got so much bigger.
We love WDW and had a great time with a lot of wonderful meals (Nine Dragons and Kona were great, as were the 50's Prime Time and Rose and Crown). We rode our favorites like Big Thunder and Splash many many times. Our absolute favorite, Tower of Terror we managed to ride 24 times! Even I find this hard to believe but my DS was keeping count. Our last morning we rode it four times and got three different drop sequences. I can't believe that it took me years to first try this ride. I even managed to match my DS at times by not holding out. What an incredible feeling being lifted off your seat and being held down by the seat belts. Awesome ride and experience.
I should mention that you MUST have advanced reservations to eat at most of the restaurants. I saw many people being turned away. Please ask away if you have any questions. I hope all going in the near future have a great time. Don't go without a plan, advanced reservations at the restaurants, and don't bother with EMH.
Thanks for reading. Sorry I jumped around but just trying to remember the important points.
