zackiedawg
WEDway Peoplemover Rider
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2008
- Messages
- 3,758
Just back last week from my latest quarterly trip to DVC and Disney...staying in a 1-bedroom in Boardwalk with one friend who hadn't been to Disney in about 12 years. I had requested some specific room numbers for my garden/pool view room, and didn't get them this time after some good luck in the past few trips...I had arrived pretty early for check-in, so I tried to decide if I should take a room available immediately (at around 1:30pm), or try to wait for one of my specific room number requests...Kirk at the front desk was a joy to work with, and noted that even waiting, it looked like I probably wasn't going to get one of my room numbers - the room he had available was over the main pool which I usually avoid - but it was a high floor so that should keep noises down a bit - I decided to take the available room so I could get settled and head out on the first day. Room 5046 was just a few hundred feet from the elevators, and indeed was high enough that I didn't really hear too much noise from the pool - just light background noise. Being as hot as it was, I probably wasn't going to spend too much time on the balcony, so the privacy I normally try to request wasn't as big a loss (I like the balconies that are hard-walled off from the neighbors, so you have pretty good privacy when sitting out there).
This was my 2nd stay in one of the reno rooms - so just to summarize in case any haven't seen elsewhere yet: The living room has the murphy bed pulldown over the couch, does NOT have the small child murphy pullout under the TV, the coffee maker was the dual k-Cup/drip pot variety, taking round flat-bottom coffee filters (bring your own), the AC has the 68 degree limit - but I followed the hack to allow it to go to 65 which has to be done each day (I think it was Display + Off, then Temp up)...we both like it colder especially when it was so hot out.
The resort was still a little sparse with the Cake Bake and Corn Dog stand still closed - not much work going on while I was there. The Corn Dog looks completely finish, but just sitting there surrounded by plants. Cake Bake still has work to go - I saw 2-3 workers milling around in there, but didn't seem to be doing much. I headed over to Fountain for lunch after checking in - the nearest spot to get a burger/fries/shake type meal. It never felt like I was in a construction zone - no real noises anywhere, no significant portions of the hotel closed off or barricaded.
Temps were running around 98 - 100 degrees - summer in Orlando area is always hot, and I'm a South Floridian, so I'm accustomed to the heat - the heat indexes were running over 110 most days, and the local news and even some tip-boards and advice notices around the resorts and parks were mentioning the record heat and warning people. Disney paramedics were getting plenty of work - at least 4 different times I saw emergency vehicles at resorts and in the theme parks treating people for what appeared to be heat related issues - no bigger medical emergencies. The upside? Having gone to Disney generally every 3 months for decades now, only skipping a 9 month period around pandemic closure and just after, I can say that the parks were less crowded than I've seen in at least 10 years. This was mostly during afternoon hours, but even in evening, when the crowds picked up a bit, they were still nothing like they've been the past few years. Even compared to previous June trips, the crowds were amazingly low. DHS on Friday June 7 was reasonably low crowds - Runaway Railway had standby times of 30 min, Rise of the Resistance standby was 45. This was around 5pm. Saturday at MK, Space Mountain had 20 minute standby, Pirates was walk-on with no wait, Big Thunder was 20 min, Haunted Mansion 15 minute listed but was only 10 to get in. Paramedics were treating some overheated people at the entrance to Pecos Bill's.
At Epcot Sunday, it got even better - It's been a decade since I've been able to walk around World Showcase and have just 5-10 people on the main circle passing by countries. Frozen had a 15 min standby, 20 for Soarin, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land were walk-ons, Test Track was 10 min. I was already optimistic when booking restaurants a few months out, and having no problem booking Space 220, Le Cellier, etc. I had seen Luminous already so I was heading back from dinner towards Int'l Gateway right around 9pm intending to just skip the show - but as I got up to the bridge between Epcot and France, I was able to walk right up to the rail - no fighting for crowds or standing 5 heads back...so I ended up watching it anyway. Finally, Animal Kingdom on Monday was the same story - no lines at the fingerprint machines to get in, easy room to walk around the pathways without feeling like you're fighting through a NY subway at rush hour...Kilimanjaro Safari was 10 min or less. About the only things that looked a little more crowded were anyplace serving cold drinks or water. Paramedics were busy again, with people being treated to cold compresses and water, sitting on stretchers or on the ground at the entrance to Pizzafari as well as by Flame Tree.
Given the choice to trade a few more crowds for 10 degree lower temps, I would have taken it - but for me, being at Disney in that heat is still worth it - I'd be dealing with the same temperatures or worse at my house, so would I rather be steaming hot at home and going to work, or being steaming hot at Disney? Disney wins that one. Next trip is September - should still be hot, and likely many more crowds with Food & Wine. I've got Boardwalk again both in September and December...I'll be traveling with a friend in September, than solo in December (meeting a large photo group there for an annual gathering).
That's it - just a quick trip report mostly to note that I hadn't seen the parks that empty in a long long time. 20 years ago, it used to be that way for several months of the year (February, September) but that has all changed over the past decade or two...this was feeling a little closer to those olden days, and I have to say even though Disney probably doesn't like thin crowds like that, I loved it.
This was my 2nd stay in one of the reno rooms - so just to summarize in case any haven't seen elsewhere yet: The living room has the murphy bed pulldown over the couch, does NOT have the small child murphy pullout under the TV, the coffee maker was the dual k-Cup/drip pot variety, taking round flat-bottom coffee filters (bring your own), the AC has the 68 degree limit - but I followed the hack to allow it to go to 65 which has to be done each day (I think it was Display + Off, then Temp up)...we both like it colder especially when it was so hot out.
The resort was still a little sparse with the Cake Bake and Corn Dog stand still closed - not much work going on while I was there. The Corn Dog looks completely finish, but just sitting there surrounded by plants. Cake Bake still has work to go - I saw 2-3 workers milling around in there, but didn't seem to be doing much. I headed over to Fountain for lunch after checking in - the nearest spot to get a burger/fries/shake type meal. It never felt like I was in a construction zone - no real noises anywhere, no significant portions of the hotel closed off or barricaded.
Temps were running around 98 - 100 degrees - summer in Orlando area is always hot, and I'm a South Floridian, so I'm accustomed to the heat - the heat indexes were running over 110 most days, and the local news and even some tip-boards and advice notices around the resorts and parks were mentioning the record heat and warning people. Disney paramedics were getting plenty of work - at least 4 different times I saw emergency vehicles at resorts and in the theme parks treating people for what appeared to be heat related issues - no bigger medical emergencies. The upside? Having gone to Disney generally every 3 months for decades now, only skipping a 9 month period around pandemic closure and just after, I can say that the parks were less crowded than I've seen in at least 10 years. This was mostly during afternoon hours, but even in evening, when the crowds picked up a bit, they were still nothing like they've been the past few years. Even compared to previous June trips, the crowds were amazingly low. DHS on Friday June 7 was reasonably low crowds - Runaway Railway had standby times of 30 min, Rise of the Resistance standby was 45. This was around 5pm. Saturday at MK, Space Mountain had 20 minute standby, Pirates was walk-on with no wait, Big Thunder was 20 min, Haunted Mansion 15 minute listed but was only 10 to get in. Paramedics were treating some overheated people at the entrance to Pecos Bill's.
At Epcot Sunday, it got even better - It's been a decade since I've been able to walk around World Showcase and have just 5-10 people on the main circle passing by countries. Frozen had a 15 min standby, 20 for Soarin, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land were walk-ons, Test Track was 10 min. I was already optimistic when booking restaurants a few months out, and having no problem booking Space 220, Le Cellier, etc. I had seen Luminous already so I was heading back from dinner towards Int'l Gateway right around 9pm intending to just skip the show - but as I got up to the bridge between Epcot and France, I was able to walk right up to the rail - no fighting for crowds or standing 5 heads back...so I ended up watching it anyway. Finally, Animal Kingdom on Monday was the same story - no lines at the fingerprint machines to get in, easy room to walk around the pathways without feeling like you're fighting through a NY subway at rush hour...Kilimanjaro Safari was 10 min or less. About the only things that looked a little more crowded were anyplace serving cold drinks or water. Paramedics were busy again, with people being treated to cold compresses and water, sitting on stretchers or on the ground at the entrance to Pizzafari as well as by Flame Tree.
Given the choice to trade a few more crowds for 10 degree lower temps, I would have taken it - but for me, being at Disney in that heat is still worth it - I'd be dealing with the same temperatures or worse at my house, so would I rather be steaming hot at home and going to work, or being steaming hot at Disney? Disney wins that one. Next trip is September - should still be hot, and likely many more crowds with Food & Wine. I've got Boardwalk again both in September and December...I'll be traveling with a friend in September, than solo in December (meeting a large photo group there for an annual gathering).
That's it - just a quick trip report mostly to note that I hadn't seen the parks that empty in a long long time. 20 years ago, it used to be that way for several months of the year (February, September) but that has all changed over the past decade or two...this was feeling a little closer to those olden days, and I have to say even though Disney probably doesn't like thin crowds like that, I loved it.
