DIS Dads DDC XXXI: Nice to have Friends Around the Globe, Even Tim! Happy Holidays!

[Captain_Oblivious]

Weren't you claiming Virginia was part of the south a few months ago? Make up your mind. Anyway, I think they got as far as Fredericksburg to see the battlefield.

Here's what you need to know about Fastpass+. It works fine, but it sucks. You'll get way less done in a day than you used to, but you'll be very efficient at doing what little you get done.

I wonder if they'll use that quote in the advertising.

How was the keys to the kingdom tour?

 

[Goofy + 3]

Weren't you claiming Virginia was part of the south a few months ago? Make up your mind. Anyway, I think they got as far as Fredericksburg to see the battlefield.



I wonder if they'll use that quote in the advertising.

How was the keys to the kingdom tour?

We are definitely part of the south and the east. I'm not so good at geography, but I'm pretty sure that's an ocean off to our right. Fredericksburg? I went to college there! Just an hour away.

The tour was good. With the Disney Visa discount I think it was about $68 per person. Starting at 8:30 before the park opened was a good move but I may even go with the 8:00 if I could do it over again. I liked our guide- Kellie from Kentucky. We got some history heading down Main Street and then headed down towards Adventureland for more history and rode Jungle Cruise and POTC. Went backstage behind Splash Mountain and then up towards Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House (included). Then a little history on Haunted Mansion and a ride. Backstage again around Crystal Palace and into the utilidors. Back to City Hall and we were done in a little over 4 hours.

All in all, it was good but not a whole lot we didn't know already. The history of the Jungle Cruise was the most interesting to me.

 

[budamacdvcr]

Good Monday Gents - this back to work thing sure does suck ...........

The tour was good. With the Disney Visa discount I think it was about $68 per person. Starting at 8:30 before the park opened was a good move but I may even go with the 8:00 if I could do it over again. I liked our guide- Kellie from Kentucky. We got some history heading down Main Street and then headed down towards Adventureland for more history and rode Jungle Cruise and POTC. Went backstage behind Splash Mountain and then up towards Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House (included). Then a little history on Haunted Mansion and a ride. Backstage again around Crystal Palace and into the utilidors. Back to City Hall and we were done in a little over 4 hours.

All in all, it was good but not a whole lot we didn't know already. The history of the Jungle Cruise was the most interesting to me.

Second, the fun part was tracking the 3 or 4 things we did not already know but to actually see the utilidores and behind the scenes was really enjoyed by DS and DW enjoyed doing something a little different. Best part was the meet with Chris and his wife.

Also not a fan of FP+. Only 3 per day for a single park and there are tiers like you cannot select both RRC and TSM at HS, or Soarin & TT at EPCOT, only 1 per day. We did TSM and hit rope drop at HS to hit RRC only to have it not open right away so we did not get to ride it this trip. One nice part though was being able to change on the fly same day.

 

[theduck619]

We are definitely part of the south and the east. I'm not so good at geography, but I'm pretty sure that's an ocean off to our right. Fredericksburg? I went to college there! Just an hour away. The tour was good. With the Disney Visa discount I think it was about $68 per person. Starting at 8:30 before the park opened was a good move but I may even go with the 8:00 if I could do it over again. I liked our guide- Kellie from Kentucky. We got some history heading down Main Street and then headed down towards Adventureland for more history and rode Jungle Cruise and POTC. Went backstage behind Splash Mountain and then up towards Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House (included). Then a little history on Haunted Mansion and a ride. Backstage again around Crystal Palace and into the utilidors. Back to City Hall and we were done in a little over 4 hours. All in all, it was good but not a whole lot we didn't know already. The history of the Jungle Cruise was the most interesting to me.

Is it the same price for kids and adults?

 

[mm1971]

I think it's still on the lower end of flights out of the area as far as costs go... It's so easy to get in and out, that it's worth it for me not to have to go into Logan...

Avoiding Logan is why we usually fly out of Manchester. It's only 45 minutes away and is always quiet. Getting through security takes about 5 minutes.

I'll take a look at the $$ once I know when we plan to go.

 

[mm1971]

Is it the same price for kids and adults?

Sadly, my children are both adults as far as Disney is concerned.

 

[Goofy + 3]

Is it the same price for kids and adults?

I'd have to double-check, but I think there may have been a rule about nobody under 14 allowed on the tour. I may be thinking about another tour. Other than that, it's all one price.

 

[Urugami]

There are a lot of words there that I don't understand. Would you care to help make more sense of it for me.... I'll be in Cape Canaveral in May.

I figured I'd need to translate that.
Sorry for the delay, but this weekend was Cub World (Spring camping trip) for our region. DW actually came with me and DS this time. And she had fun, too.

Now, back to the gibberish. I play Ingress, the augmented reality game from Google. Think of it as 'King of the Hill' or 'Capture the Flag' on a global scale, with 2 teams: Green and Blue. To the opposing teams, greens are Toads, blues are Smurfs. The control points, called Portals, are locations of Historic, Cultural, or Artistic significance or interest (among other things).
There are a BUNCH of portals at KSC and WDW, and I captured as many as I could manage while keeping up with DW and DS. As I said, the WDW portals didn't last a week, since I wasn't able to 'recharge the portal' while the other team attacked, so they fell pretty quickly. I was surprised the ones at KSC lasted as long as they did, though. Seems not many smurfs go there... Turns out the guy actually did take out most of my portals, but I still have one or 2..
Ingress is a fun game, but it demands a lot of time to play it well, and I don't play it well at all... If you live in a metro area, there are probably teams in action around you already, and they usually have communities on G+ and/or Hangouts. Give it a look. It really is fun if the teams are balanced in your area. Not so much if one side is too dominant.

 

[budamacdvcr]

I'd have to double-check, but I think there may have been a rule about nobody under 14 allowed on the tour. I may be thinking about another tour. Other than that, it's all one price.

All one price as you have to be 16 or older to be on the tour.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We are definitely part of the south and the east. I'm not so good at geography, but I'm pretty sure that's an ocean off to our right.

But you're mostly west of us. Who's on first?

The tour was good. With the Disney Visa discount I think it was about $68 per person. Starting at 8:30 before the park opened was a good move but I may even go with the 8:00 if I could do it over again. I liked our guide- Kellie from Kentucky. We got some history heading down Main Street and then headed down towards Adventureland for more history and rode Jungle Cruise and POTC. Went backstage behind Splash Mountain and then up towards Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House (included). Then a little history on Haunted Mansion and a ride. Backstage again around Crystal Palace and into the utilidors. Back to City Hall and we were done in a little over 4 hours.

Thanks. My wife and I were looking into doing that one someday. Is it true they don't let you take pictures, or is that restriction only for the behind-the-scenes parts of the tour?

 

[Goofy + 3]

Thanks. My wife and I were looking into doing that one someday. Is it true they don't let you take pictures, or is that restriction only for the behind-the-scenes parts of the tour?

No pictures backstage. They don't even let you get your phone out.

 

[afwdwfan]

I figured I'd need to translate that.
Sorry for the delay, but this weekend was Cub World (Spring camping trip) for our region. DW actually came with me and DS this time. And she had fun, too.

Now, back to the gibberish. I play Ingress, the augmented reality game from Google. Think of it as 'King of the Hill' or 'Capture the Flag' on a global scale, with 2 teams: Green and Blue. To the opposing teams, greens are Toads, blues are Smurfs. The control points, called Portals, are locations of Historic, Cultural, or Artistic significance or interest (among other things).
There are a BUNCH of portals at KSC and WDW, and I captured as many as I could manage while keeping up with DW and DS. As I said, the WDW portals didn't last a week, since I wasn't able to 'recharge the portal' while the other team attacked, so they fell pretty quickly. I was surprised the ones at KSC lasted as long as they did, though. Seems not many smurfs go there... Turns out the guy actually did take out most of my portals, but I still have one or 2..
Ingress is a fun game, but it demands a lot of time to play it well, and I don't play it well at all... If you live in a metro area, there are probably teams in action around you already, and they usually have communities on G+ and/or Hangouts. Give it a look. It really is fun if the teams are balanced in your area. Not so much if one side is too dominant.

I downloaded it and my already low productivity for this afternoon just came screeching to a halt.

Now I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out what the Beverly I'm looking at.

 

[AirGoofy]

Here's what you need to know about Fastpass+. It works fine, but it sucks. You'll get way less done in a day than you used to, but you'll be very efficient at doing what little you get done.
.

That's what I thought in setting up our Spring trip. Normally, I would ride Soarin at RD, get a FP, and then maybe one more FP for it before closing. I think FP+ is for the summer crowd people, like my inlaws, who plan to wait 2 hours for a ride. Then, FP+ is an upgrade. Or, WDW is getting ready to do a FP+ tiered price thing for even more profit.

The tour was good. With the Disney Visa discount I think it was about $68 per person. Starting at 8:30 before the park opened was a good move but I may even go with the 8:00 if I could do it over again. I liked our guide- Kellie from Kentucky. We got some history heading down Main Street and then headed down towards Adventureland for more history and rode Jungle Cruise and POTC. Went backstage behind Splash Mountain and then up towards Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House (included). Then a little history on Haunted Mansion and a ride. Backstage again around Crystal Palace and into the utilidors. Back to City Hall and we were done in a little over 4 hours..

Can you schedule the KTTK tour around 4:00 PM? That way, you can see the parade and then beat the crowds in the afternoon because you ran out of FP+.

Sadly, my children are both adults as far as Disney is concerned.

But, not old enough to stay by themselves at the park or old enough to go on certain attractions. Gotta love those contradictory rules.

Sounds like it was a rocking party! I would rather go on the cheap and splurge on the food and beer, that's a wedding!

Definitely. I was thinking that instead of the vow renewal, a small crowd could just do the chef table at Victoria & Albert's. Better yet - just a keg of beer and pizza.

The bracket score isn't great at this point, but I'm not exactly in bad shape going forward. The only teams that I lost from my Elite Eight are Syracuse and Villanova and my Final Four is still in play. There have been years when I've lost half of my Final Four by the end of the first weekend.

I still have a shot at the final four as well.

And I'm sure your SIL will make sure to point out the fact repeatedly that she was right, you shouldn't have gone to WDW.

Oh yeah, completely expecting that. So, I ....

In-laws should be out-lawed (see what I did there?). Sorry your plans are not working out. Maybe you need to fight fire with fire. Have DD's called grandpa crying about not being able to go with him to Disney. That should do the trick. It would in my family. !

.... will be staying in a suite at AoA, cabin at FW, or at the Grand Floridean. FIL could put an end to this crap, but since he outwardly favors his son over his daughter, I'm going to enjoy my room and resort.

 

[Urugami]

I downloaded it and my already low productivity for this afternoon just came screeching to a halt.
Now I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out what the Beverly I'm looking at.

Think of it as engaging in combat while riding your bike in PT gear, with your phone as the window to the battlefield. I got into it to add interest to bike rides. It's good for that; and the longer you can ride (or drive, or walk, or run), the more fun you can have.
It will definitely have you going down roads you normally wouldn't take. Be careful, though... some people have been known to forget about the 'game' part of the whole thing...

 

[IamTrike]

Also not a fan of FP+. Only 3 per day for a single park and there are tiers like you cannot select both RRC and TSM at HS, or Soarin & TT at EPCOT, only 1 per day. We did TSM and hit rope drop at HS to hit RRC only to have it not open right away so we did not get to ride it this trip. One nice part though was being able to change on the fly same day.

FP+ was novel on our early December trip. Crowds were low so only the tiered fast passes at epcot and HS were really bothersome. We just got back this week with spring break crowd. We were able to do much less than we would have done in prior trips. The only nice thing was to be able to book an afternoon fastpass for TSMM. If you leveraged fastpass heavily it's a step back. I think there are things that they can do to make it better in the future and I believe that it will be better but it has limitations now. That being said if you are using FP+ you are at Disney so, it's not all bad.

Avoiding Logan is why we usually fly out of Manchester. It's only 45 minutes away and is always quiet. Getting through security takes about 5 minutes.

I like Manchester. It's a nice airport. Shorter lines and much better than getting to Logan on a Friday afternoon.

That's what I thought in setting up our Spring trip. Normally, I would ride Soarin at RD, get a FP, and then maybe one more FP for it before closing. I think FP+ is for the summer crowd people, like my inlaws, who plan to wait 2 hours for a ride. Then, FP+ is an upgrade. Or, WDW is getting ready to do a FP+ tiered price thing for even more profit.

I think the first set of tiering has already happened. FP+ has enabled them to create a benefit (which really costs them nothing) for people staying on site. At this point even annual pass holders have substantial incentive to stay on property. I could see them offering additional FP privileges for guests at some resorts or for staying concierge too. The other stated goal for this is to increase the per guest spend in the park. I am guessing that simply reducing the times waiting in lines doesn't do that. They probably have to give you time in the park not waiting in lines between riding rides.

 

[AirGoofy]

Monday night ownage.

. If you leveraged fastpass heavily it's a step back. I think there are things that they can do to make it better in the future and I believe that it will be better but it has limitations now. That being said if you are using FP+ you are at Disney so, it's not all bad.

Aye! on all counts.

I think the first set of tiering has already happened. FP+ has enabled them to create a benefit (which really costs them nothing) for people staying on site. At this point even annual pass holders have substantial incentive to stay on property.

I didn't think of it that way, but yeah. I've heard of the lines at the FP+ kiosks. So, for those who have that experience once may be motived to create a MDE account, and as such, create a terrific email marketing list. I suppose WDW really doesn't care how many FPs I want to hoard to ride Soarin in a day. I guess that if I'm riding Soarin, then I can't be standing in line getting hot, building up a thirst, and not go and buy a drink. As a DVC member, Disney has me for 30 more years of vacations, so there is less of an incentive to give me extra FP+.

 

[IamTrike]

I didn't think of it that way, but yeah. I've heard of the lines at the FP+ kiosks. So, for those who have that experience once may be motived to create a MDE account, and as such, create a terrific email marketing list. I suppose WDW really doesn't care how many FPs I want to hoard to ride Soarin in a day. I guess that if I'm riding Soarin, then I can't be standing in line getting hot, building up a thirst, and not go and buy a drink. As a DVC member, Disney has me for 30 more years of vacations, so there is less of an incentive to give me extra FP+.

right now only guest staying on property are eligible to book FP+ in advance. Off property guests have to use the kiosks. I am not sure what happens if they try and use MDE. I'm not sure if it's kicked in yet, but AP holders are supposed to get 7 advance fast passes a month. I think they can use MDE. From talking with people that are aware of the differences it's a game changer when evaluating on or offsite stays. It was interested in the parks last week to hear people complaining about the new system. For example while we were in line for the land there was a dad complaining about running to get fast passes for soarin only to find out the fast pass machines were covered and he was going to have to use a kiosk to get fast passes. He was very frustrated. While it appears at least some FP+ are reserved for same day guests, this system definitely puts offsite guests at a disadvantage. It's still better for offsite guests than universal though.

 

[Twin Dad]

Good evening gentlemen. I hate just popping in and running but things have gotten crazy again. DW aggrivated her knee that she had the ACL repaired two years ago. They think its "just" a torn PCL or maniscus. So I get to play Mom, Dad, nurse, and house keeper for the next week. This might be the final nail in this year's DLR trip.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Barry, you need a new avatar?

 

[AirGoofy]

right now only guest staying on property are eligible to book FP+ in advance. Off property guests have to use the kiosks. I am not sure what happens if they try and use MDE. I'm not sure if it's kicked in yet, but AP holders are supposed to get 7 advance fast passes a month. I think they can use MDE. From talking with people that are aware of the differences it's a game changer when evaluating on or offsite stays. It was interested in the parks last week to hear people complaining about the new system. For example while we were in line for the land there was a dad complaining about running to get fast passes for soarin only to find out the fast pass machines were covered and he was going to have to use a kiosk to get fast passes. He was very frustrated. While it appears at least some FP+ are reserved for same day guests, this system definitely puts offsite guests at a disadvantage. It's still better for offsite guests than universal though.

I didn't realize that MDE was for Disney resort guests only. I figured if you bought tickets and were inside the park, then you could access it.

 

[IamTrike]

I didn't realize that MDE was for Disney resort guests only. I figured if you bought tickets and were inside the park, then you could access it.

From what I've read it seems you can use the app if you don't have room reservation for things like the interactive park map and wait times but you can't use fast pass plus. I haven't tried though to know if it would work in the park. I can go in now and book fastpasses for a day where I don't have a room reservation but I don't know if that's just cause I haven't exceeded my 7 per month with an annual pass.

I'm also not sure if there is a difference if you already have magic band from a prior trip.