DisneyFanGuy
Disney Nut
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2000
- Messages
- 296
The Cast:
Myself (41 year old Disney nut), DW (41 and into the spirit of things because she loves me dearly), my three kids, Brandon (9), Katie (13), and Will (16), my neice Dana (10), and 10 others from our home town who are together for a Karate Tournament and Disney Vacation.
Since I am the Disney Nut, everyone followed my lead for the most part. Only a few had been there before.
I was nervous about visiting Disney over a holiday period, and wanted to time our days at the parks carefully. When EE was in operation, Tuesday and Saturday were the most crowded at the Magic Kingdom, so I wanted to avoid those days there. Also, I assumed that everyone would be at the MK on the 4th, so I chose instead to visit it on Wednesday the 3rd. This turned out to be a very good choice, since we found out later that they were very crowded on Tuesday and actually closed at capacity on the 4th. Wednesday the 3rd was a great day! Crowded but managable.
We left the Comfort Inn at about 8:15, and drove up the back roads to the MK. I never take I-4 or 192 anymore because I get stuck in traffic more often than not. You turn onto Hotel Blvd and take a left at Downtown Disney on Buena Vista Blvd. We were at the TTC by 8:30 and hit Main Street at about 8:55.
The bag search, by the way, is being handled well. One person can take several bags while others skip through to the front and wait. I was concerned about my son's diabetic supplies. No worries though, they knew immediately what they were and at each park mentioned the aid station in case he needed anything. It was a very nice touch, and demonstrated a well trained group of employees. Nice job here, Disney!
After a brief potty break (One of many!) we picked up some water bottle fans and moved quickly into Adventureland. I led the troups through the "short cut" past the washrooms and again got stuck because one of the kids needed another potty break.
My daughter left her "ears" in the washroom here. She had worn them for three years at our annual treks to the MK and was very upset when she returned and they were gone. It took hours for her to cheer up, but we wouldn't purchase new ones unless she used her allowance. She did evenually get new ones, and it's a pretty good story, but more on that in another trip report.
I gathered everyone's tickets and got Fast Passes for Splash Mountain, then moved the troups into line at Big Thunder. The wait time was about 10 minutes. The rules were that you had to have your hands up and scream for the entire ride! Imagine 16 people doing this and it's pretty funny!
After BTM, we hit Pirates (no wait) and the Jungle Cruise (10 minute wait). The JC isn't usually one of my favorites, but we had the great luck of getting the best skipper that I have ever had! He was an absolute riot, and this trip was one of many highlights of our day.
Back to Splash, which is one of my all time favorite rides. Unfortunately, I ended up staying with two of the kids who didn't want to go. I would have swapped, but we had so much gear that I thought it was easier to wait outside and go when everyone returned. They got back too late and I missed my FP window. Bummer, but all was still good with the world.
By now it was 11:30 and I suggested that we take a break and let the kids run off some steam on Tom Sawyer Island. We ended up sitting by the water for over an hour sipping soft drinks and talking while the kids ran off. This is the way to do Disney!
After TSI, we split off into a couple of groups so that the little kids could go and do the train. The rest of us went on the Haunted Mansion. It was experiencing many tech. problems with many stops and starts. Too bad, because it destroys the illusion. Still fun tho!
We met up with the kiddie group and hit the Tiki Room. I miss the old show, but understand the need for the updated one. Everyone enjoyed it!
We did lunch at Pecos Bills and then headed off to Tomorrowland.
After grabbing FPs for Space Mountain, we split into groups by interest. My team did the Carousel of Progress (Up and running and looking GREAT!) It seems like they updated the last scene again..........hopefully anyway! We then did Alien Encounter (15 minute wait) and the TTA. The other team did the COP and then hit Buzz three times in 45 minutes. Amazing.
Everyone then hit Space Mountain, walking by all of the "rookies" in the Stand By line. Should I feel guilty? We had a choice of either side and I shuffled the team to the one on the right. I have always felt that it was a much better ride, faster with more swooping curves. I was not disappointed...it SM was running in tip top condition! I hope that they never change this ride! Almost anyone can ride it and it's terrific fun!
We moved into the square in front of Cinderella's Castle to discuss our game plan. There was a weird Snow White show going on in front of the castle. Right in the middle the sound failed and the characters were off stage in a matter of seconds, while a recorded announcement appologized for the cancellation. I thought that the process of dealing with an unexpected cancellation was more interesting than the show itself!
Anyway, we regrouped and decided to go back to the hotel so that we could rest and be ready for MGM on the 4th. We were hoping that everyone could stay late for the fireworks and fantasmic!
Pizza and pool time finished out the day!
The park, overall, looked amazing and well taken care of! Our waits were very reasonable and Fast Pass worked well when we needed it. We saw what we wanted and skipped the other stuff. I would have hit a couple of the Fantasyland attractions if we had more time, but it was a great day anyway!
Two years ago, I had a very disappointing visit at the MK. It was dirtier than usual and understaffed. The past two years have been exceptional visits.
Service was outstanding!
I had PS for two restaurants, but we decided to eat elsewhere. Pecos Bills was mobbed, but the quality of food was great. Everyone talked about it!
I only wish that the MK would get a new E ticket. We visit just about every year and have a great time, but we continue to talk about the lack of new attractions. (The Magic Carpets just don't do it for us! LOL!) All of the folks with us had never visited the MK before, so they didn't feel the same way, but my kids and my wife really want to wait for something new to go back. I could ride Splash Mountain for the rest of my life, but it would be nice to see something built with the famous Disney "Wow" factor. It's been a long dry spell here.
Maybe Mickey's Philharmagic will be awesome! Maybe.
Tomorrow The Karate Troup does MGM Studios and experiences a "Full Disney Service Breakdown" unlike any that I have ever seen before. It's a funny story, and I think has to do with their cutbacks in staff.
Myself (41 year old Disney nut), DW (41 and into the spirit of things because she loves me dearly), my three kids, Brandon (9), Katie (13), and Will (16), my neice Dana (10), and 10 others from our home town who are together for a Karate Tournament and Disney Vacation.
Since I am the Disney Nut, everyone followed my lead for the most part. Only a few had been there before.
I was nervous about visiting Disney over a holiday period, and wanted to time our days at the parks carefully. When EE was in operation, Tuesday and Saturday were the most crowded at the Magic Kingdom, so I wanted to avoid those days there. Also, I assumed that everyone would be at the MK on the 4th, so I chose instead to visit it on Wednesday the 3rd. This turned out to be a very good choice, since we found out later that they were very crowded on Tuesday and actually closed at capacity on the 4th. Wednesday the 3rd was a great day! Crowded but managable.
We left the Comfort Inn at about 8:15, and drove up the back roads to the MK. I never take I-4 or 192 anymore because I get stuck in traffic more often than not. You turn onto Hotel Blvd and take a left at Downtown Disney on Buena Vista Blvd. We were at the TTC by 8:30 and hit Main Street at about 8:55.
The bag search, by the way, is being handled well. One person can take several bags while others skip through to the front and wait. I was concerned about my son's diabetic supplies. No worries though, they knew immediately what they were and at each park mentioned the aid station in case he needed anything. It was a very nice touch, and demonstrated a well trained group of employees. Nice job here, Disney!
After a brief potty break (One of many!) we picked up some water bottle fans and moved quickly into Adventureland. I led the troups through the "short cut" past the washrooms and again got stuck because one of the kids needed another potty break.
My daughter left her "ears" in the washroom here. She had worn them for three years at our annual treks to the MK and was very upset when she returned and they were gone. It took hours for her to cheer up, but we wouldn't purchase new ones unless she used her allowance. She did evenually get new ones, and it's a pretty good story, but more on that in another trip report.
I gathered everyone's tickets and got Fast Passes for Splash Mountain, then moved the troups into line at Big Thunder. The wait time was about 10 minutes. The rules were that you had to have your hands up and scream for the entire ride! Imagine 16 people doing this and it's pretty funny!
After BTM, we hit Pirates (no wait) and the Jungle Cruise (10 minute wait). The JC isn't usually one of my favorites, but we had the great luck of getting the best skipper that I have ever had! He was an absolute riot, and this trip was one of many highlights of our day.
Back to Splash, which is one of my all time favorite rides. Unfortunately, I ended up staying with two of the kids who didn't want to go. I would have swapped, but we had so much gear that I thought it was easier to wait outside and go when everyone returned. They got back too late and I missed my FP window. Bummer, but all was still good with the world.
By now it was 11:30 and I suggested that we take a break and let the kids run off some steam on Tom Sawyer Island. We ended up sitting by the water for over an hour sipping soft drinks and talking while the kids ran off. This is the way to do Disney!
After TSI, we split off into a couple of groups so that the little kids could go and do the train. The rest of us went on the Haunted Mansion. It was experiencing many tech. problems with many stops and starts. Too bad, because it destroys the illusion. Still fun tho!
We met up with the kiddie group and hit the Tiki Room. I miss the old show, but understand the need for the updated one. Everyone enjoyed it!
We did lunch at Pecos Bills and then headed off to Tomorrowland.
After grabbing FPs for Space Mountain, we split into groups by interest. My team did the Carousel of Progress (Up and running and looking GREAT!) It seems like they updated the last scene again..........hopefully anyway! We then did Alien Encounter (15 minute wait) and the TTA. The other team did the COP and then hit Buzz three times in 45 minutes. Amazing.
Everyone then hit Space Mountain, walking by all of the "rookies" in the Stand By line. Should I feel guilty? We had a choice of either side and I shuffled the team to the one on the right. I have always felt that it was a much better ride, faster with more swooping curves. I was not disappointed...it SM was running in tip top condition! I hope that they never change this ride! Almost anyone can ride it and it's terrific fun!
We moved into the square in front of Cinderella's Castle to discuss our game plan. There was a weird Snow White show going on in front of the castle. Right in the middle the sound failed and the characters were off stage in a matter of seconds, while a recorded announcement appologized for the cancellation. I thought that the process of dealing with an unexpected cancellation was more interesting than the show itself!
Anyway, we regrouped and decided to go back to the hotel so that we could rest and be ready for MGM on the 4th. We were hoping that everyone could stay late for the fireworks and fantasmic!
Pizza and pool time finished out the day!
The park, overall, looked amazing and well taken care of! Our waits were very reasonable and Fast Pass worked well when we needed it. We saw what we wanted and skipped the other stuff. I would have hit a couple of the Fantasyland attractions if we had more time, but it was a great day anyway!
Two years ago, I had a very disappointing visit at the MK. It was dirtier than usual and understaffed. The past two years have been exceptional visits.
Service was outstanding!
I had PS for two restaurants, but we decided to eat elsewhere. Pecos Bills was mobbed, but the quality of food was great. Everyone talked about it!
I only wish that the MK would get a new E ticket. We visit just about every year and have a great time, but we continue to talk about the lack of new attractions. (The Magic Carpets just don't do it for us! LOL!) All of the folks with us had never visited the MK before, so they didn't feel the same way, but my kids and my wife really want to wait for something new to go back. I could ride Splash Mountain for the rest of my life, but it would be nice to see something built with the famous Disney "Wow" factor. It's been a long dry spell here.
Maybe Mickey's Philharmagic will be awesome! Maybe.
Tomorrow The Karate Troup does MGM Studios and experiences a "Full Disney Service Breakdown" unlike any that I have ever seen before. It's a funny story, and I think has to do with their cutbacks in staff.
