I have been to Disney about 15 times since 1988 . I live about 400 miles away. We have been at various times of the year, but we have gone during the week prior to Christmas for the past six or seven years. We just returned from a five day trip that included four days at Disney and one day at Universal. We stayed for four nights at the DTD Hilton, This is a nice resort and I was able to secure a great rate by using Priceline. We spend very little time in our room ,so I have never felt a great urge to pay the higher prices to stay on property. The weather was quite cool for Orlando,but it was certainly more pleasant than the summer heat.
We had purchased 10- day hoppers with no- expiration from Ticketmania in advance. We only used four days, so we have some future trips pre- paid. We saved some dollars by also using the Mousesavers link for an additional discount.
On our first day (Dec. 18), we began at the Animal Kingdom. The crowd was very slim when we arrived at around 9. The new tickets do create a jam at the gates as some folks have a difficult time with the process. I once again must shake my head at how complicated Disney can make a simple process of entering a gate. In my opinion , once I purchase a ticket, it should be my decision as to who can use the tickets. This new imprint system is an act of greed in my opinion. It was interesting to note the amount of work that has been done on the Everest ride since last December. it looks like it will be a great ride and will certainly boost attendance at AK. We spent about half a day at this park and were able to do the safari, Tarzan, Lion King, the two walks through the animals, Tough to be a Bug, Dinosaur, and the spinning ride in the dinosaur section. This section in my mind is a waste. I just do not get the concept. Also, the Tarzan show is a weak presentation. This is a nice venue,but the show is a joke in my opinion. The safari was great as always. We saw a lot of animals and had the best view ever of the lion. The gorilla section is also one of my favorite areas - I could watch for hours. After lunch, we headed for MGM. The crowds were about a 6 /10. The fastpass system may be a great concept ; however, this is one park where I often wish Disney would just return to the old, simple way of just lining up. The Rock ' n Roller Coaster is one example. The regular line barely moves. A worker told me they operate at a 100 - 16 ratio on this ride in regards to Fastpass vs. regular line. The random process at The Tower of Terror is awesome ; however, the single drop is still my favorite. We stayed for the extra hours, but the park remained busy. I was not aware that Fastpass remained in effect during the extra hours. We have done Fantasmic in the past , so we skipped this as it is overrated in our view. I still wonder why another system cannot be woked out for this show. The line was incredibly long.
Day 2 ( Dec. 19)- We spent the entire day at Epcot. This used to be my favorite park. I now am depressed when thinking about the pavilions in Future World. The Living Seas needs help - the tanks are almost empty. I also used to really enjoy the movie that was shown prior to riding the sea cabs. It was very informative which is what I thought the original concept of Epcot was. Universe of Energy is also struggling,and there were few people even entering this attraction. My first time on this attraction in 1988 (I was 30 ) was awe inspiring. I thought the dinosaurs were incredible. The current version with the Ellen link is just not the same. This needs immediate attention. The Wonders of Life pavilion was open , but very few people even bothered to enter. A worker told us it will close without a new sponser. This is still a nice building. I also cringe when riding Imagination. This latest version just seems to be almost an afterthought. Also, would it be too much to expect a new film in the adjacent theatre ? I also no longer feel the excitement when riding Spaceship Earth. The first half is fine ; however, the ride down is not represenative of what Disney is capable of - just seems to be an afterthought. We really enjoy Test Track - use the single rider line for quick access. Now, on to Soarin' . We rode this immediately and had about a 45 minute wait. Again, without Fastpass, this line moves very slowly. We sat in the front row, and we later learned this is the best position. The ride is fine, and the scenes are great. It does feel like you are moving. However, the ride seems rather short - especially afer a long wait in line. We rode again using Fastpass and were placed in the back row. The effect is not the same as you see feet hanging above you. For this ride, we saw wait times posted as high as 200 minutes. I rate this as good attraction, but I was not moved to tears or to clap as others have indicated. In the World Showcase, I always am perplexed as to why some of the attractions cannot be updated. The Canada, USA, and France films could all benefit from new versions.
Day 3 ( Dec. 20 ) We split the day at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The Kingdom had long lines at all the Fantasy Land attractions. We were able to ride most of the major attractions before leaving for Epcot at 6 for Illuminations. I do not get the STICH attraction - just seems to have been an easy way to covert from the ALIEN ride . I really enjoyed the Philharmahic show - great music. Overall, the MK still is charming, but I do think it could benfit form a new major attraction. However, I could still ride Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain over and over - two of my favorites. We went to Epcot for the night . We managed to see few things we missed the previous day and also enjoyed the Illuminations show. This has a new ending which is fantastic.
Day 4 ( Dec 21 ) We finished the Disney portion of our trip with visits to MGM and to MK. The new stunt show at MGM is really good , but I am not sure how it will hold up to repeat visits. Tower of Terror remains my favorite ride ; the entire attraction represents Disney at its best. I am still puzzled at why the Drew Carey " Sounds " is still around . This is a waste. Also, I wonder why nothing can be placed in the adjacent theatre ? This is a large room - anyone remember " Superstar Television " ? I have always enjoyed the Great Movie Ride. However, I also wonder why an update has not been performed - at least to the pre - show movie . We finished the day at MK . The crowds were beginning to build - this was an extra hours night at MK. We left early to avoid the mobs at the monorail. This is always my least favorite activity - tempers can get short after a long , tiring day.
Day 5 - Dec. 22 - We stayed at the Royal Pacific at Universal at a great rate of 119.00. The best benefit here is the right to utilize the express pass all day at evEry attraction. This is an incredible benefit and is a much better perk than extra hours. One thought - do this last as it will spoil you. The parks were not really crowded and we did most of the attractions several times. I was a bit repulsed by the Fear Factor show.
Overall , the trip was a good one . The crowds were a bit heavier than last year, but we were able to do everything we desired to do.
We had purchased 10- day hoppers with no- expiration from Ticketmania in advance. We only used four days, so we have some future trips pre- paid. We saved some dollars by also using the Mousesavers link for an additional discount.
On our first day (Dec. 18), we began at the Animal Kingdom. The crowd was very slim when we arrived at around 9. The new tickets do create a jam at the gates as some folks have a difficult time with the process. I once again must shake my head at how complicated Disney can make a simple process of entering a gate. In my opinion , once I purchase a ticket, it should be my decision as to who can use the tickets. This new imprint system is an act of greed in my opinion. It was interesting to note the amount of work that has been done on the Everest ride since last December. it looks like it will be a great ride and will certainly boost attendance at AK. We spent about half a day at this park and were able to do the safari, Tarzan, Lion King, the two walks through the animals, Tough to be a Bug, Dinosaur, and the spinning ride in the dinosaur section. This section in my mind is a waste. I just do not get the concept. Also, the Tarzan show is a weak presentation. This is a nice venue,but the show is a joke in my opinion. The safari was great as always. We saw a lot of animals and had the best view ever of the lion. The gorilla section is also one of my favorite areas - I could watch for hours. After lunch, we headed for MGM. The crowds were about a 6 /10. The fastpass system may be a great concept ; however, this is one park where I often wish Disney would just return to the old, simple way of just lining up. The Rock ' n Roller Coaster is one example. The regular line barely moves. A worker told me they operate at a 100 - 16 ratio on this ride in regards to Fastpass vs. regular line. The random process at The Tower of Terror is awesome ; however, the single drop is still my favorite. We stayed for the extra hours, but the park remained busy. I was not aware that Fastpass remained in effect during the extra hours. We have done Fantasmic in the past , so we skipped this as it is overrated in our view. I still wonder why another system cannot be woked out for this show. The line was incredibly long.
Day 2 ( Dec. 19)- We spent the entire day at Epcot. This used to be my favorite park. I now am depressed when thinking about the pavilions in Future World. The Living Seas needs help - the tanks are almost empty. I also used to really enjoy the movie that was shown prior to riding the sea cabs. It was very informative which is what I thought the original concept of Epcot was. Universe of Energy is also struggling,and there were few people even entering this attraction. My first time on this attraction in 1988 (I was 30 ) was awe inspiring. I thought the dinosaurs were incredible. The current version with the Ellen link is just not the same. This needs immediate attention. The Wonders of Life pavilion was open , but very few people even bothered to enter. A worker told us it will close without a new sponser. This is still a nice building. I also cringe when riding Imagination. This latest version just seems to be almost an afterthought. Also, would it be too much to expect a new film in the adjacent theatre ? I also no longer feel the excitement when riding Spaceship Earth. The first half is fine ; however, the ride down is not represenative of what Disney is capable of - just seems to be an afterthought. We really enjoy Test Track - use the single rider line for quick access. Now, on to Soarin' . We rode this immediately and had about a 45 minute wait. Again, without Fastpass, this line moves very slowly. We sat in the front row, and we later learned this is the best position. The ride is fine, and the scenes are great. It does feel like you are moving. However, the ride seems rather short - especially afer a long wait in line. We rode again using Fastpass and were placed in the back row. The effect is not the same as you see feet hanging above you. For this ride, we saw wait times posted as high as 200 minutes. I rate this as good attraction, but I was not moved to tears or to clap as others have indicated. In the World Showcase, I always am perplexed as to why some of the attractions cannot be updated. The Canada, USA, and France films could all benefit from new versions.
Day 3 ( Dec. 20 ) We split the day at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The Kingdom had long lines at all the Fantasy Land attractions. We were able to ride most of the major attractions before leaving for Epcot at 6 for Illuminations. I do not get the STICH attraction - just seems to have been an easy way to covert from the ALIEN ride . I really enjoyed the Philharmahic show - great music. Overall, the MK still is charming, but I do think it could benfit form a new major attraction. However, I could still ride Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain over and over - two of my favorites. We went to Epcot for the night . We managed to see few things we missed the previous day and also enjoyed the Illuminations show. This has a new ending which is fantastic.
Day 4 ( Dec 21 ) We finished the Disney portion of our trip with visits to MGM and to MK. The new stunt show at MGM is really good , but I am not sure how it will hold up to repeat visits. Tower of Terror remains my favorite ride ; the entire attraction represents Disney at its best. I am still puzzled at why the Drew Carey " Sounds " is still around . This is a waste. Also, I wonder why nothing can be placed in the adjacent theatre ? This is a large room - anyone remember " Superstar Television " ? I have always enjoyed the Great Movie Ride. However, I also wonder why an update has not been performed - at least to the pre - show movie . We finished the day at MK . The crowds were beginning to build - this was an extra hours night at MK. We left early to avoid the mobs at the monorail. This is always my least favorite activity - tempers can get short after a long , tiring day.
Day 5 - Dec. 22 - We stayed at the Royal Pacific at Universal at a great rate of 119.00. The best benefit here is the right to utilize the express pass all day at evEry attraction. This is an incredible benefit and is a much better perk than extra hours. One thought - do this last as it will spoil you. The parks were not really crowded and we did most of the attractions several times. I was a bit repulsed by the Fear Factor show.
Overall , the trip was a good one . The crowds were a bit heavier than last year, but we were able to do everything we desired to do.
