Final report! - Cant believe I booked Super Bowl weekend -

[VGCgroupie]

I will use this thread to share my upcoming trip report. Not sure if I will update while there or after I get back.

I shared alot during my trip. I liked doing my reports that way. What type of trip reports do you all like?

I will share some of key takeaways from our trip


The airport and transport to/from
The family security line moved 75% quicker than my Clear w/ TSA Precheck. Great for my daughter but very annoying for me who pays for Clear and TSA.

We did a private car service. We chose to not to Minnie Van not due to the price but due to the fact that they don’t offer a grocery stop. Our driver met us at baggage which was great our last car service didn’t do that even though it was advertised as such. He said we are headed to BLT fright? I said yes but we have a grocery stop first. He said that wasn’t on his schedule. So they dropped the ball there. There was an awkward silence since I wasn’t having the no grocery stop nonsense. He said he could go but we would have to be and out in 10 minutes or less. So we stopped at Publix and rush shopped like supermarket sweep. They provided little bags of toys for my son and granddaughter which was very nice and unexpected. Nice start to a trip. We used Moore Magical Moments.

MK - If you are there when they are doing the Mickeys Magical Friendship Faire don't skip it. It’s long and so worth it!
The cavalcade was longer and better than I have experienced in the past also.

We did mostly everything we wanted to do at MK, it was a great park day! We rope dropped EE and it was so worth it. We even got a prime spot for the Fireworks. This was a Saturday, the day before the Super Bowl.

The walk to/from BLT was good. The day we did it I wasn’t super impressed but after our next 3 park days I was craving that walkable option!

Coffee options at MK SUCK! It is likely better for others if you drink dairy milk.


HS - We did EE and it again was so worth it. We got to experience RNR a few times before its final closing. We got to ride Tower of Terror several times. Which I just noticed that it might be called Hollywood Tower Hotel not Tower of Terror? Have it been calling it the wrong name this whole time?

We saw Fantasmic for the first time at HS and we love it much more than at DLR. We missed the pirate scene but not enough to say DLR version is superior. Being able to not sit on the ground?!! YES!!!! Not having to drop cash for a premium seat! YES!! Steamboat willy at the end? YES!! Key takeaway, in Feb row 4 isnt the best idea. Next time we will sit much farther back.

Coffee options at HS are strong and I LOVE IT!

Epcot - Our Epcot day wasn’t nearly as spectacular as our MK and HS days. The LL was more money here any other LL for the other parks has the least amount of rides and sells out LL times. The wait for LL was often very long. Test track LL took 45 minutes. Test Track was down in the AM so booking the LL for it wasn’t even an option for people after scanning in. LL at Epcot is terrible imo.

We rope dropped and the park seemed empty.. everyone was at Guardians. I have never done stand by for Guardians so I had to gauge wait time off the sign not by experience. Posted time was 45 min. It took 1hr 15 min. I had also bought LLSP for Guardians and that $21 is well worth and hour of my park time. Basically every single ride at Epcot took longer than posted, except Caballeros.

We were exhausted and it was the baby naptime so we took the monorail back and napped and went to the DVC meet and treat. I learned we are not take a nap midday people. We have no self control and will sleep too long. Between a 1.5 hour nap and the long monorail ride back to BLT it ate up alot of our day. I ordered DoorDash food while on the monorail and that was seemless which was nice.

I really wanted to experience Festival of the Arts but it just didn’t happen. By the time we completed rides and characters it was over. EEH was a bust and I can only see it working the last 30 minutes. The only rides that had short wait were the rides that always have short waits. Remys wait did go down alot around 10pm 99.5% of all dining closes and showcase closes so its just blah. It’s not like when you get to be at MK when it has less people, that feels magical, Epcot just felt closed.

Coffee options at Epcot are great for me!

AK - We decided not to do EE at AK because everyone was exhausted. We rode Everest 2 times, Avatar 2 times (no LLSP) and did the Safari 2 times. Friends in Flight was amazing. My son got honorary bird trainer. He and I did the circle for the bird to fly through and he also got to do the grape launching. He lived for this type of stuff and Im sure that will be a core memory for him.

We missed some things since we arrived at 9:15 am but thats okay.

End of day at AK seems like a great time to catch all the good rides, maybe because people leave to park hop. We were at the park at 6:30 and Pandora was lighting up.

I ate the best tofu of my life at Satuli Canteen quick service. I have eaten more tofu in my life than most people so that says ALOT. Coffee options at AK were pretty great.


Disney Transportation.
I hate the bus.
I hate the bus when I have to wait for the bus.
I hate the bus when I dont have to wait for the bus.

I hate the bus.
It’s a soul sucking experience for me and I plan to try to avoid it at all costs in the future.

Bus from BLT to AK was 38 minutes and we didn't have to wait for a 2nd bus nor did we have to wait for an ECV to be loaded, if that had happened we would’ve neared an hour. 38 minutes of being packed like a sardine in a freezing bus.

Monorail to from BLT/Epcot was seemless. While it can take awhile at least the ride is enjoyable and you dont have to breakdown a stroller to boot!


BLT - Our 2 bedroom room was nice. The refurb is great. It wasn’t cleaned as well as I would’ve liked it to be cleaned. Was woken up 20 minutes earlier than I needed to get up by a faint whistle sound, I think it was maybe a vacuum. Walls and floors were pretty thin. LOVE seeing the castle going to/from the elevator each day. Pool was closed and looking real gross since it has water in it still and no work has appeared to have started.

They put Happy Birthday to my granddaughter on the TV which was a really nice touch!

Chef Mickeys my daughter and her husband loved. Us vegans have had much better character dining food. So Chef Mickeys for dinner is a skip for us in the future.

We love seeing the monorail and the giant iron Mickey in shops. We really like BLT. We will for sure stay again. We will stay only when we will be visiting MK and Epcot. I don’t plan to ever visit AK or HS while staying at BLT again. I don’t see myself ever owning here, if I was buying a 2nd MK resort it would be VGF (shocker to me!!!)


TOTWL - We did the free reservations, it was nice but nothing to write home about. The view is possibly much better over at the lower decks of the contemporary. I cant imagine paying the Villains Dessert price for that. Although if the food is as good as the drinks maybe it’s worth it!


DVC VDay meet and treat - I didn’t go but my husband took my son. He loves dancing with characters. To me that is much more special than just a photo op with a backdrop. We got some valentines and a small tin with mini off brand m&m’s. Was it worth the monorail ride over from Epcot? For my son absolutely yes. For those who don’t find value in the dancing, probably not.


Member lounges - We only went to the after hours at Epcot. Mickey and Minnie was amazing as usual, no wait. Although they didn’t seem to want people to hang out with Mickey and Minnie even though there was nobody there, it felt awkward and wasn’t like our previous experience with Nick and Judy. They had pretzels this time which was nice for us.

McKims we got in with no wait with MMB. The apple chips were so good so they must be terrible for me.

Am I still all in as a DVC member?

My feeling being a DVC member after this trip. Still love it. I can’t imagine ever paying rack rate for BLT. I love that I can be there without thinking about how much I spent on the room.


Pretrip
Let's just say tensions are high pre trip! My son in laws favorite team is in the Super Bowl but his mother in law booked family vacation on Super Bowl Sunday! And while we are closer to Disneyland we will be at WDW so no Super Bowl parade for him! I can say I had no idea I was booking our family trip on Super Weekend. Oops!

We will be there for the Valentines DVC event but my daughter thinks traveling back to the hotel (BLT) from either Epcot or AK will waste too much time and it wont be worth it. She paid alot for tickets and has no AP so thats the mindset she has about it. What do you think? Is it worth the effort? How would you get from the park to the hotel?

Any guess on if crowds are lower or same on Super Bowl Sunday?

Next. I have the free fireworks viewing booked at BLT. But now my daughter says she would rather do Chef Mickeys. We cant do both unfortunately. We do character meals every trip but this would be a first for her at Chef Mickeys. Im torn on this one. WWYD?

 

[gottalovepluto]

A family trip is give and take for everyone when we're talking about adults. It's not right to ask you to do all the giving here as it's your trip and your dough as well. Your daughter is going to need to give somewhere, just figure out where you want to ask her to do so. Or, split for a bit. You don't have to stay together all the time just because you're family.

Crowds aren't affected by the Super Bowl. (If your SIL wants to watch I recall watching part of the Superbowl a couple years back in the bar at S71.)

 

[airjay75]

Don't have much to add, but following! We'll be there the week just before you, arriving this Saturday for 7 nights at CCV (still have an 8th night waitlisted, but probably isn't coming through at this point, so headed over the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek for our 8th night). I'm sure I'll get around to posting a trip report afterwards.

 

[jcolvin5]

We will be there for the next couple of weeks as well.

I haven't had to worry about my team being in the SB for 35 years, so certainly never gave it much thought being at WDW during that specific weekend. More importantly, my youngest has a birthday that always falls very close to SB Sunday. And this will be year 5 of celebrating in the area. I say the area because this year she wants to be at Epic for her day instead of MK. Times they are a changing.

Most important thing...relax and have fun! It all goes by so fast!!!

 

[fla4fun]

I have been there for Super Bowl weekend many times before, and it doesn’t affect crowds that much. When the SB is actually played in Florida it can create some extra crowds the week before or after, as some fans extend their SB trip to visit the parks. During the pre-game and game time, it can help with crowds a little as people congregate around televisions to watch instead of being in the parks.

As far was deciding between two activities that are scheduled at the same time, that is something your family will need to work out. I would just ask for a vote from everyone attending and majority rules. There are a couple of things to keep in mind before voting.

One, there is a fireworks watching terrace outside on the fourth floor of CR with the music piped in or you can simply go out to the CR parking lot and watch them without the music, if your Chef Mickey’s reservation is not at the same time as the actual fireworks. I have done both. No, it won’t be the same as your original plan, but if seeing the actual fireworks is a priority there are options.

Second, the fastest way to get to CR from Epcot would be a Minnie Van. You can take the monorail, and change monorails at the TTC, but that will take a lot more time. You can maximize your time at Epcot and it’s about a fifteen minute ride by MV to CR once the vehicle arrives. We typically wait about ten minutes for a MV so long as it’s not at park opening or closing. It could give you an extra hour in the park if that makes enough of a difference.

 

[VGCgroupie]

A family trip is give and take for everyone when we're talking about adults. It's not right to ask you to do all the giving here as it's your trip and your dough as well. Your daughter is going to need to give somewhere, just figure out where you want to ask her to do so. Or, split for a bit. You don't have to stay together all the time just because you're family.

Crowds aren't affected by the Super Bowl. (If your SIL wants to watch I recall watching part of the Superbowl a couple years back in the bar at S71.)

Yeah I feel like I might just take my granddaughter over to the Valentines greet and she can stay at Epcot or AK if she wants.

 

[Girlstar30]

I think she needs to compromise on something if you want to do the dvc activities like the fireworks and valentine character and she wants to do chef mickeys and stay in park, then she chooses one and you choose one out of those options

 

[VGCgroupie]

I have been there for Super Bowl weekend many times before, and it doesn’t affect crowds that much. When the SB is actually played in Florida it can create some extra crowds the week before or after, as some fans extend their SB trip to visit the parks. During the pre-game and game time, it can help with crowds a little as people congregate around televisions to watch instead of being in the parks.

As far was deciding between two activities that are scheduled at the same time, that is something your family will need to work out. I would just ask for a vote from everyone attending and majority rules. There are a couple of things to keep in mind before voting.

One, there is a fireworks watching terrace outside on the fourth floor of CR with the music piped in or you can simply go out to the CR parking lot and watch them without the music, if your Chef Mickey’s reservation is not at the same time as the actual fireworks. I have done both. No, it won’t be the same as your original plan, but if seeing the actual fireworks is a priority there are options.

Second, the fastest way to get to CR from Epcot would be a Minnie Van. You can take the monorail, and change monorails at the TTC, but that will take a lot more time. You can maximize your time at Epcot and it’s about a fifteen minute ride by MV to CR once the vehicle arrives. We typically wait about ten minutes for a MV so long as it’s not at park opening or closing. It could give you an extra hour in the park if that makes enough of a difference.

Due to our flight arrival it would be pretty much the same time as fireworks. I have watched from the walkway before, so I guess that is an option if we eat quickly. Normally I am all for character dining but we dont stay at BLT often so I wanted to take advantage of the fireworks view from there.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Don't have much to add, but following! We'll be there the week just before you, arriving this Saturday for 7 nights at CCV (still have an 8th night waitlisted, but probably isn't coming through at this point, so headed over the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek for our 8th night). I'm sure I'll get around to posting a trip report afterwards.

Fingers crossed your 8th day comes through!

 

[VGCgroupie]

We will be there for the next couple of weeks as well.

I haven't had to worry about my team being in the SB for 35 years, so certainly never gave it much thought being at WDW during that specific weekend. More importantly, my youngest has a birthday that always falls very close to SB Sunday. And this will be year 5 of celebrating in the area. I say the area because this year she wants to be at Epic for her day instead of MK. Times they are a changing.

Most important thing...relax and have fun! It all goes by so fast!!!

Woohoo for Epic! I think we will finally make it there in a year or two.

 

[fla4fun]

Due to our flight arrival it would be pretty much the same time as fireworks. I have watched from the walkway before, so I guess that is an option if we eat quickly. Normally I am all for character dining but we dont stay at BLT often so I wanted to take advantage of the fireworks view from there.

Well, how about the reverse? The fireworks are at 9:00, and 18 minutes long. Chef Mickey’s takes reservations up to 9:30. If you watch from the fourth floor you might have just enough time to walk from the terrace to Chef Mickey’s. Just a thought . . .

I know it’s difficult to squeeze everything in sometimes.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Well, how about the reverse? The fireworks are at 9:00, and 18 minutes long. Chef Mickey’s takes reservations up to 9:30. If you watch from the fourth floor you might have just enough time to walk from the terrace to Chef Mickey’s. Just a thought . . .

I know it’s difficult to squeeze everything in sometimes.

Thanks for that info. I had no idea fireworks were 18 minutes. I would have guessed 30 min. I will check and see what the latest reservation is a snag it while I think on it.

 

[tx911]

I will use this thread to share my upcoming trip report. Not sure if I will update while there or after I get back.

Let's just say tensions are high pre trip! My son in laws favorite team is in the Super Bowl but his mother in law booked family vacation on Super Bowl Sunday! And while we are closer to Disneyland we will be at WDW so no Super Bowl parade for him! I can say I had no idea I was booking our family trip on Super Weekend. Oops!

We will be there for the Valentines DVC event but my daughter thinks traveling back to the hotel (BLT) from either Epcot or AK will waste too much time and it wont be worth it. She paid alot for tickets and has no AP so thats the mindset she has about it. What do you think? Is it worth the effort? How would you get from the park to the hotel?

Any guess on if crowds are lower or same on Super Bowl Sunday?

Next. I have the free fireworks viewing booked at BLT. But now my daughter says she would rather do Chef Mickeys. We cant do both unfortunately. We do character meals every trip but this would be a first for her at Chef Mickeys. Im torn on this one. WWYD?

I hear Rix at Coronado Springs is s good place to watch sports if your SIL wants to watch the Super Bowl.

I think my Feb trip overlaps with yours! It's too bad we are both introverts

 

[VGCgroupie]

I hear Rix at Coronado Springs is s good place to watch sports if your SIL wants to watch the Super Bowl.

I think my Feb trip overlaps with yours! It's too bad we are both introverts

Not only am I an introvert but I will have the whole clan with me instead of just my husband and son. Believe it or not I am the level headed one of the bunch You know me I will be in jeans hair a mess or wearing a hat. We arrive 02/06 and head home 02/11. Where are you staying?

 

[jcolvin5]

Woohoo for Epic! I think we will finally make it there in a year or two.

We went in Oct. It’s really amazing. They are still working thru some kinks, but it is next level theming and immersive! It’s a must every trip now.

 

[tx911]

Not only am I an introvert but I will have the whole clan with me instead of just my husband and son. Believe it or not I am the level headed one of the bunch You know me I will be in jeans hair a mess or wearing a hat. We arrive 02/06 and head home 02/11. Where are you staying?

Omg those are my dates exactly! I'll be with my sister and a friend of hers, staying at Riv.

Having just been in January, bring a lot of layers! It is absolutely freezing when the sun is down!

 

[fla4fun]

Thanks for that info. I had no idea fireworks were 18 minutes. I would have guessed 30 min. I will check and see what the latest reservation is a snag it while I think on it.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Omg those are my dates exactly! I'll be with my sister and a friend of hers, staying at Riv.

Having just been in January, bring a lot of layers! It is absolutely freezing when the sun is down!

For sure wasnt expecting that! Luckily I am a last minute person and have packed zero things so far, so I will be sure to bring long sleeves and sweaters.

 

[tx911]

For sure wasnt expecting that! Luckily I am a last minute person and have packed zero things so far, so I will be sure to bring long sleeves and sweaters.

It is chilly in the evening, especially stuff where you are sitting outside like Disney on Broadway or Fantasmic.

Hopefully we'll get a bit of a warm-up before the 6th!

Maybe we will sense each other's presence at the Meet and Treat

 

[hardcorestitch]

I will use this thread to share my upcoming trip report. Not sure if I will update while there or after I get back.

Let's just say tensions are high pre trip! My son in laws favorite team is in the Super Bowl but his mother in law booked family vacation on Super Bowl Sunday! And while we are closer to Disneyland we will be at WDW so no Super Bowl parade for him! I can say I had no idea I was booking our family trip on Super Weekend. Oops!

We will be there for the Valentines DVC event but my daughter thinks traveling back to the hotel (BLT) from either Epcot or AK will waste too much time and it wont be worth it. She paid alot for tickets and has no AP so thats the mindset she has about it. What do you think? Is it worth the effort? How would you get from the park to the hotel?

Any guess on if crowds are lower or same on Super Bowl Sunday?

Next. I have the free fireworks viewing booked at BLT. But now my daughter says she would rather do Chef Mickeys. We cant do both unfortunately. We do character meals every trip but this would be a first for her at Chef Mickeys. Im torn on this one. WWYD?

First of all, if anyone in your party is planning to watch the game itself… they’re gonna have to download NFL+ on their mobile devices. TVs are scarce in park.