DLR Vet WDW Review

[OlliePop27]

Many on here know that my family went to WDW in March and have asked me to write up a quick review as a DLR regular. I know this isn’t the proper location for a WDW trip report, but this is more of a feedback post for DLR folks headed to WDW.

We went mid-March during spring break season. Crowds were very manageable. We spent three days in the parks without park hoppers. We had not been in over 10 years, and we were traveling with a 5 and 1 year old. Weather was fine – mild to warm. It rained briefly on our last evening but was not a big deal.

Travel

We drove up the FL Turnpike from West Palm Beach. We visited family down there first. We rented a car with National to return to the Car Care Center near the MK parking lot. It was easy. We flew out of MCO and used Gear Fusion to take us to the airport. This was a good experience. We had a massive 11-hour flight delay coming home, but it ended up allowing us to spend extra time at WDW and visit Disney Springs.

Hotel

We rented points to stay at VGF in a Resort Studio. We got an excellent price and the location was perfect for our MK focused trip. We arrived on a Thursday around Noon and our room was ready. We used all the resort pools and splash pads. It was great! GF is beautiful but it is definitely not our style – we would prefer more of a “Disney” themed resort such as DLH (I know there are many at WDW).

Theme Parks

We visited MK on our first day and the park happened to open at 8:00 with EE at 7:30. We bought LLMP and pre-booked a few rides plus LLSP for SDMT and Tron. We had a great day, doing Buzz, Pooh, Little Mermaid, and Dumbo during EE. The new Country Bear show is great – don’t skip it! We were easily able to accomplish everything over 2 days in MK and ride many things twice. MK was very impressive, as always! Big Thunder, Astro Orbiters, and Hall of Presidents were closed while we were there. We watched Happily Ever After from our resort one time and the hub on our last night.

We did Epcot on our middle day. It was a great park. Getting there was fine but was a bit of a slog from GF with the monorail and transfer. We easily got on Frozen at EE rope drop with no wait. We waited to ride again later in the day. Remy was down much of the day, but we did get to do it in the evening and it was a fun ride but not something I would wait more than 30 minutes to do. No one in my party cared for Guardians – the ride system was just a bit too different for us (we are all coaster enthusiasts). One of the biggest hits was Journey of Water – what a great experience for kids! We loved Spaceship Earth. Flower & Garden was ongoing and the displays were beautiful!

LLMP

I wasn’t a big fan of the pre-booking, but I understand why it works at WDW. It was nice to know going into the day that you had 3 pre-booked and 2 LLSP. I studied Thrill Data in advance and knew what to snag first and what would have availability later into the day. We were easily able to pick up another 2-3 rides during the day. Once you scan into your first ride, you can then book other tier 1’s. I strategically picked up things like Peter Pan and Jungle Cruise after using early LL. We also did top priorities first thing with little to no wait. The Premier Pass and pre-booking really limited ability to modify – we basically were never successful in moving up times.

Food

We bought resort refillable mugs and definitely got good use out of them at GF. We filled up with coffee, tea, and soda. We came back to the resort 2 out of 3 days, so also could refill before heading back to MK. We went to Chef Mickey’s on arrival day – it was awesome! Kind of like Goofy’s Kitchen to me (which we love). We went to Crystal Palace Pooh dinner on our first MK day, which was also great. Finally, we did Be Our Guest on our final day, which was an amazing experience. Otherwise, we ate food that we packed in our bags/in the room and quick service from the hotel or parks.

Overall

We loved WDW and will definitely go back. We were unable to take advantage of the free water park on arrival day perk, so we hope to do it on a future trip. We also would enjoy doing more activities like Hoop-dee-doo, minigolf, etc. We obviously didn’t do AK or HS, which we’ll do on a future trip. I liked being near MK but see how staying closer to Epcot could make things overall easier. The 9:00 am opens are a bit disappointing but not so bad if you have EE. Overall, we all felt MK lacks the same “magic” that DL park does. Something about all the concrete and open spaces in the hub – DL just has this authentic feeling to it, including the roaming characters (surely our DL bias showing). WDW was great and I encourage everyone to go when they have a chance. The monorail lines and boats are really cool too!

 

[irlandaise]

Many on here know that my family went to WDW in March and have asked me to write up a quick review as a DLR regular. I know this isn’t the proper location for a WDW trip report, but this is more of a feedback post for DLR folks headed to WDW.

I'm not a board moderator, but I think it's fine to post here because, as you say, we sometimes have DL regulars who want tips on visiting WDW, and other DL regulars who've done both resorts have different insights than people who've only gone to WDW.

Hotel

We rented points to stay at VGF in a Resort Studio. We got an excellent price and the location was perfect for our MK focused trip. We arrived on a Thursday around Noon and our room was ready. We used all the resort pools and splash pads. It was great! GF is beautiful but it is definitely not our style – we would prefer more of a “Disney” themed resort such as DLH (I know there are many at WDW).

The Grand Floridian is so much like the Del Coronado that it doesn't seem Disneyish to me, either!

FWIW, I've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge a few times and loved it. I was also at Port Orleans Riverside once and enjoyed that, especially the boat rides to other areas.

Theme Parks

We did Epcot on our middle day. It was a great park.

Epcot and Animal Kingdom are my favorite parks at WDW. They're different from anything we have in California.

LLMP
The Premier Pass and pre-booking really limited ability to modify – we basically were never successful in moving up times.

Are you saying that besides LLMP holders pre-booking, so many people buy Premier Passes at WDW that they take up a lot of the ride slots that would otherwise be available to LLMP holders?

Thanks for the report!

 

[OlliePop27]

Are you saying that besides LLMP holders pre-booking, so many people buy Premier Passes at WDW that they take up a lot of the ride slots that would otherwise be available to LLMP holders?

Correct, it appears the combo of pre-booking rides plus Premier Pass severely limits ride availability for later in the day. I assume this would be different if park hopping. In CA there are more rides per park, plus you are also booking two parks worth of rides at once (assuming a PH). At MK, there are still plenty of things to book later into the day. This was true even with Big Thunder being closed. I imagine it's substantially better if most rides are operating.

We loved Tron! What a great coaster. It was my 5 year old's first "big" coaster and he had a blast. He got to go twice in a row thanks to rider swap!

 

[KPeterso]

Epcot and Animal Kingdom are my favorite parks at WDW. They're different from anything we have in California.

Animal Kingdom and Epcot are my 2 favorite parks at WDW too. And as much as it shocks many people, I rank MK last (and by a lot). If I was to skip at WDW park, it would 100% be MK. Compared to DL, it is just meh to me.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Thank you for this report. We have been to WDW once back in early 2021 and things were operating way different back then. Otherwise we are DLR people so I really appreciate seeing this perspective. We are headed to WDW this week

PS I had a feeling Remy was going to be not as great as I had hoped it would be.

 

[disneycat321]

This is great! Absolutely agree about MK - Fantasyland especially feels so….concrete and blah compared to DL. My rankings for WDW parks would be Epcot, AK, and then maybe a tie between MK and HS. There are some things we love at MK like the castle (and castle projections during the fireworks!), SDMT, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and the Peoplemover, but it’s always going to pale in comparison to DL for us, as an individual park.

GF does look beautiful but I agree - there’s kinda something about it… we’re about to stay at the DLH for the first time and are very excited about that! We loved POR for a moderate and would definitely stay there again - it’s so different from anything in CA and is just beautiful. Also loved and adored YC and the entire boardwalk area. Being able to walk to Epcot and HS was fantastic, so since MK isn’t our favorite, we’ll probably stick to mods or Epcot resorts in the future.

How many months is your one year old? And did travel and everything go ok with them? We’re apprehensive about cross country plane flights and the massive scale of WDW with a little one, but I am itching to go back (last WDW trip was 2019). Our daughter is 22 months right now, but her first trip to WDW in a few years is going to be scheduled by when/if baby number 2 comes along.

I’m so impressed that your 5yo went on and loved Tron! We have yet to learn how our DD1 will do on rides - going to DLR for her 2nd bday!

Also encouraged that spring break was ok, although we’d be forced to go over MY spring break (I’m a teacher) which is always the week before Easter….but we loved Flower and Garden 12 years ago (I was teaching at a year round school then, so we went in May), and I would like a break from the horrible summer weather we always experience in Orlando.

Thanks for posting here - I appreciate a DLR leaning space to discuss WDW!

 

[maleficent55]

I appreciate your report! Great to read, thanks!

 

[longboard55]

Biggest mistake DLRs make on their first trip. We made the same mistake. Not enough days. I would say 5 minimum

 

[OlliePop27]

Biggest mistake DLRs make on their first trip. We made the same mistake. Not enough days. I would say 5 minimum

Understood, we weren't trying to see and do everything. It also wasn't my first trip.

This was a few days at WDW on a trip to FL primarily to see family (this was not a trip TO DO Disney World). Our goal going into the trip was to see MK for 2 days and 1 day at Epcot. I've been before, so I know we wouldn't do anything close to everything. Also, with little kids HS was just not an appealing option this go around. We will be back!

 

[OlliePop27]

How many months is your one year old? And did travel and everything go ok with them? We’re apprehensive about cross country plane flights and the massive scale of WDW with a little one, but I am itching to go back (last WDW trip was 2019). Our daughter is 22 months right now, but her first trip to WDW in a few years is going to be scheduled by when/if baby number 2 comes along.

I’m so impressed that your 5yo went on and loved Tron! We have yet to learn how our DD1 will do on rides - going to DLR for her 2nd bday!

Also encouraged that spring break was ok, although we’d be forced to go over MY spring break (I’m a teacher) which is always the week before Easter….but we loved Flower and Garden 12 years ago (I was teaching at a year round school then, so we went in May), and I would like a break from the horrible summer weather we always experience in Orlando.

Thanks for posting here - I appreciate a DLR leaning space to discuss WDW!

Our 1 year old was 20-21 months at the time. We did DLR when she was 1 last summer, so had some idea what to expect. The key is knowing going in that time is limited and what is/isn't possible. That's one of the main reasons we limited to only 3 days to just make things easy for ourselves and not push it. We also knew we'd be going to DLR this summer when she'll be 2 and can do lots of stuff there.

Yes, Tron was a hit with the 5 year old! He's turning 6 soon and will be going on Incredicoaster this summer for the first time!

Flower & Garden was wonderful - such a unique and beautiful time to see Epcot. You could spend a whole day there experiencing the event and not do any rides! The butterfly display is very cool.

Thanks also for the positive feedback on the post. I never know if anyone finds it helpful, but I know some folks wanted my perspective on this trip. We are VERY excited to be back at DLR this summer.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Thanks for the report. I've only been there once in 2011 and only for a few days before a cruise. I've been to Disneyland over 100 times. I'm hoping to start regularly visiting WDW and I know I'll be totally confused about how to do anything.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Thanks for the report. I've only been there once in 2011 and only for a few days before a cruise. I've been to Disneyland over 100 times. I'm hoping to start regularly visiting WDW and I know I'll be totally confused about how to do anything.

It’s so different. It’s crazy that I know what rides I will be getting on and what time we will ride 3 days from now . I’m also finding dining reservations easier to get. I am really really hoping this helps me be on my phone less than I have to be at DL with LLMP.

 

[irlandaise]

Thanks for the report. I've only been there once in 2011 and only for a few days before a cruise. I've been to Disneyland over 100 times. I'm hoping to start regularly visiting WDW and I know I'll be totally confused about how to do anything.

You'll be fine, @cruisehopeful! If possible, plan for a long visit (at least a week) so you don't feel rushed. Then read up a bit about the procedures that are different from DL so you can relax and enjoy all the different experiences that are available at WDW.

 

[OlliePop27]

It’s so different. It’s crazy that I know what rides I will be getting on and what time we will ride 3 days from now . I’m also finding dining reservations easier to get. I am really really hoping this helps me be on my phone less than I have to be at DL with LLMP.

Oddly, because of the pre-booking and lack of as much LLMP availability later in the day, I definitely spent less time on my phone at WDW. I viewed that as a positive. A good reminder for me at DLR - do my best with LL but don't focus so much on modifying to the perfect time so that I don't enjoy being with my family! Last year, I remember being on Nemo right when my booking window opened and I was annoyed that cell service cut out in the sub! I could've waited the 10 minutes and not stared at my phone at all...

 

[LKing]

I've been waiting for your report. Thank you for sharing.

I noticed so many differences. Some good, some bad. But I agree with you about LLMP. It doesn't give you much at WDW.

 

[LKing]

Instead of creating multiple WDW threads in the DL forum, @OlliePop27 gave me permission to tag my thoughts/impressions onto this thread. I'm going to have to break it down to several posts.

We had a 10 day ticket (non PH) so were in and out of the parks for partial days. We had five days of LLMP and did every LLSP twice except for Rise which we rode single rider. We did the Africa Trek in AK and Keys to the Kingdom in MK.

These are my notes about the different attractions:

Magic Kingdom:

• Jungle Cruise - Skippers don't use cap guns. Ape has a gun and shoots it at one point in the ride. This attraction is more popular at WDW than DLR. Other than the tunnel, they are very similar, including the jokes.
• Enchanted Tiki Room - larger venue at WDW
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Not the same but not as bad as I expected. Audio was much more clear and easier to understand at WDW
• Country Bear Jamboree - Loved the new show. Was looking for CBJ merchandise but there wasn't any.
• Liberty Belle Riverboat - Gave us a nice view of Big Thunder construction. Thought the narration is better at DLR
• Haunted Mansion - The stretching room isn't an elevator like it is at DLR. Lights go on after the corpse (which I couldn't make out). Pictures on the wall after the stretching room at DLR are seen after you are in your doom buggy at WDW (warning, that is where they take your photo pass picture). They had a library and a cool staircase room that we don't have at DLR.
• Peter Pan's Flight - Saw Ariel in a clam shell. Not sure if there were other Disney characters that we missed.
• It's a Small World - Hands down, felt the DLR version was better. WDW had chipped paint, dinged corners, dolls that weren't working, and the sound was muffled. Much more popular attraction at DLR than WDW.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - We did LLMP but the standby queue had some fun looking interactive features. Seemed to have a more cohesive story. Fun to bounce with Tigger at WDW. Very popular at WDW. Didn't used to be very busy at DLR but is busier now that Tiana's is open. I like the nature setting around the DLR attraction better than the Fantasyland setting at WDW.
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Did LLSP and was pretty disappointed. It is more of a LLMP ride than LLSP. It is cute, but it is not the level of Guardians or Rise.
• Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid – It was walk on when we were there, but I loved the queue. Like Pooh, I thought the story was more cohesive.
• Dumbo- Same size elephant and ride. ☹ in that my spouse and I barely fit.
• TRON: Lightcycle/Run - Did LLSP. I know nothing about Tron but thought the ride was fun. Hurt my ribcage on the ride.
• Space Mountain - Ride system is actually that of The Matterhorn - I don't ride Matterhorn anymore because it beats me up. Put that in the dark and it is a recipe for disaster. No wonder it doesn't have the same love at WDW as it does at DLR. It darker and difficult to see compared to DLR. No music. Seats were easier to get in and out of than Matterhorn seats.
• Carousel of Progress - Reminds me of my childhood. We were the only ones clapping as the room rotated. No map of the future at the end.
• Astro Orbiter - This was taken down when we were there.
• The People Mover – Also reminds me of my childhood. Longer line than I expected. Much longer ride than the DLR version had been.
• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin - This is going to be re-imagined so they haven't updated it. Everything from the cars to the guns to the targets were worn out and aged. Really sad.
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor - Similar to Turtle Talk with Crush. Well done. There is a lot of room for winding the queue in the shade, but they didn't use it. Instead, they had people lined up outside in the sun.
• Railroad - Our train had everyone facing forward. I'm not sure if all of the trains are like that. I thought the narration was better at DLR than WDW.

EPCOT:

• Space Ship Earth - Audio was difficult to hear in some sections. I know it is endearing to people who grew up with WDW. It felt aged and worn to me.
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind - Favorite ride. We did LLSP. Seats were ergonomically well designed. Smooth ride as opposed to the back adjustment that you get with Space Mountain.
• Mission: SPACE - Did Orange. Didn't like it. Don't need to do it again.
• Journey into Imagination - It has been 15 years since I was at WDW. This used to be a better, more endearing attraction, didn't it?
• Living with the Land - Pavilion is showing its age. Interesting attraction. Audio in parts was difficult to hear.
• The Seas with Nemo and Friend - Cute ride. Long queue with no one in it. They didn't have it set up so guests could walk straight. Instead, we had to wind up and down each twist and bend for a walk on attraction.
• Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros - Silly ride. Was there a storyline?
• Frozen Ever After – Better than we expected.
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure - Much better than expected. Trackless vehicles similar to Rise & MMRR. Great 3D effect. With 3 people per row, single rider line was amazingly efficient. We took advantage of the single rider line and rode it multiple times.

Hollywood Studios:

• Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway - Interesting to see the differences. There were times when we were prepared for a right turn and the train turned left. Feels like it fits better in Toontown than the Chinese Theater
• Frozen Sing Along - Fun for kids. Air conditioned.
• Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - Same show as 15 years ago. Outdoor theater.
• Muppet-Vision 3-D - Had to see it since it is going away, but it is the same as 15 years ago
• Rise of the Resistance - Singler rider line was amazing!
• Alien Swirling Saucers - Not as good as Mater's.
• Slinky Dog Dash - Cute attraction. There was so much hype about this ride that I was a bit disappointed.
• Toy Story Midway Mania - Line was absurdly long. Didn't ride it
• Rock'n Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith - Banged my head around 15 years ago and did the same this time. It is a bit dated. I can see why they are re-theming it.
• Tower of Terror - Same theme that we used to have. Different in that car moves forward to the lift. Fewer drops that were much tamer than Guardians at DCA.
• Beauty and the Beast - Nice show. Outdoor theater similar to Indy
• SWGE - Are pillars closer to the MF or are they taller at WDW? That plaza seems larger at DLR. Tunnels and walkways into SWGE at DLR make the land feel more immersive. Transition from Toy Story Land into SWGE seems abrupt.
• Toy Story Land reminded me of Bugs Land

Animal Kingdom:

• Avatar: Flight of Passage - Like a 3D Soarin. Very cool attraction. Something about the 3D effect was off so I got a headache both times we rode it. As soon as it was over, the headache went away. It seats over 100 people per 4 min show and the line never got below 75 min!
• Na'vi River Journey - Better than I expected. A boat ride through Navi. An attraction for all ages
• Festival of the Lion King - Same as 15 years ago
• Kilamanjaro Safaris - Long lines during the day. Walk on after 5 pm. We went on it four times because there was amazing animal activity after 5 pm. Baby giraffe was out and active yet the safari guides never mentioned it. It was very scripted and they rarely slowed down.
• Rafiki Train - Not much to see when we were there. Animation Academy drawing class at Conservation Station
• Feathered Friends in Flight - Very similar or same to 15 years ago
• Dinosaur - I thought it was too dark to see much. My spouse loved it.
• Expedition Everest - We did this early in the morning when everyone was running towards Pandora. We did it both standby and LLMP. At one point, before you back up, the side of the mountain is filled with hair ties. When and how did that start?

 

[bakofarmgirl]

going to wdw next month staying at Kidani and on the treasure, with 2 littles one turns 2 friday the other will be 7 months, thanks for your helpful report especially as were trying to figure the book ahead LLs. we are a big group too i think 4 3 and under and 8 adults

 

[LKing]

One of the most exciting things (for us) was to go on Rise of the Resistance via the single rider line. You miss the pre-show, but we've seen it more times than I can count. For someone who has waited in the long ROTR line numerous times, this was cool!



She was guiding us to walk straight as others were loading into the preshow.



We walked down some long corridors and entered behind the two stormtroopers standing on the side in the stormtrooper room.



The first photo below is the view if I stand behind the stormtroopers and turn around. The people at the end of the hallway are the single rider queue behind me.

In the second photo, standby guests left the preshow and were guided to the right side of the queue. Single riders were on the left. Adding single riders to standby groups happened when we were assigned to stand on colors. It worked very efficiently.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Good report, @LKing ! They weren’t utilizing singlet rider lines when we went last August, glad to see that’s changed!

Hard to believe DL didn’t allow women to be JC skippers until the mid-90s! They’ve been at WDW since it opened! Says a lot about the different directions CA and FL have went since the Millenium.

Indy is pretty much the same show I saw when I was 7-years-old - just more “woke.” My favorite part is when they call out “Karen Allen” - as if anybody under 50 knows who she is. This show is long overdue for a replacement.

Agree with you on Mission Space. Journey Into Imagination was overhauled in the late 1990s and again in the early 00s - been the same ride for years.

When we went in August, everything at AK was a walk on sans the Avatar ride (was no more than 20 minutes though). Did you go on the river rapids ride or Expedition Everest? By some reports the river rapids ride was a poor man’s GRR, rushed into service after the park suffered poor reviews for lack of attractions. EE is a great ride, although people compare it to the Matterhorn due to similar theme.

I’m with you - not a fan of Matterhorn anymore. But Space Mountain is more tolerable, and it has drops! Every teenage boy had their hearts broken when Matterhorn got individual seats a decade ago… but SM got them in the 1990s.

 

[LKing]

When we went in August, everything at AK was a walk on sans the Avatar ride (was no more than 20 minutes though). Did you go on the river rapids ride or Expedition Everest? By some reports the river rapids ride was a poor man’s GRR, rushed into service after the park suffered poor reviews for lack of attractions. EE is a great ride, although people compare it to the Matterhorn due to similar theme.

Yes, we did go on EE but not Kali. I don't like walking around in wet shoes and didn't feel like lugging flip flops with me.