FP+, 7DMT, and More! - Here Now with Tips, Info, & Encouragement (updated 6/5)

[canalwen]

This post is not losing steam with me. I am reading and making mental notes of your lessons learned each day. Keep the information coming and have a great rest of your trip.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

I'm loving your updates!!! Keep them coming!!!!

 

[Dreamport]

Echoing the above! I love all the tips and learning of some new things around the parks I've never heard of (like the marina). Hope you're having fun at HS!

 

[crazymomof4]

In regard to the dessert party, it certainly would have been nicer had we not had to rush but not worth $50. I think $30 would have been reasonable. The party itself was kind of dull with not many desserts being offered and the wine not necessarily tasting good (so others in my group say, I don't drink). After doing the Tomorrowland one, I can't say I think I'd do the IllumiNations one again. In my opinion, the MK one was better but cheaper, which doesn't make sense. That said, the view was truly incredible for both parties, so you can't go wrong!
.

Thanks for the clarification! Good to hear! We are booked for the Wishes Dessert Party at TT for this Sept and was considering the Illuminations party for our NEXT trip. Probably won't. It does seem expensive!

To check that status of MBs, go into My Disney Experience and click on MagicBands and Cards. If you see a red box over any band that says "INACTIVE" or "LOST", you'll want to click on it and uncheck the deactivate box if you plan on using the band. Apparently, a CM had deactivated a band by accident.

Thanks for the info! I feel I've been keeping up with info on the new system, but it scares me how much I apparently STILL don't know! Not used to NOT knowing something so integral to WDW!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Seems like this thread has lost some steam. Oh well; we'll keep going!

Yesterday, we started with breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. For those that have never done it, this is a must-do. The characters are lively, funny, and generally great and the food is delicious. Dinner is nowhere near as good and much more money in my opinion. Breakfast was great though. We ultimately checked in at 10:45 and finished around 12:30. My only complaint was the spacing of the characters. Two appeared within our first 25 minutes of eating and the other three were back-to-back about ten minutes after we paid the check.

We returned to the room to get changed into our water park clothes as the skies started to cloud over a bit, but after ten years of always being rained out, we were finally going to visit a Disney Water Park and I wasn't going to let clouds get in the way. We ended up leaving at about 1:30.

Bus service to the water parks is apparently atrocious (or at least to TL). We got there at 1:30 but we didn't get a bus until closer to 2. We stopped at both DTD stops, had a driver switch (which took an incredible amount of time but at least I got to hear about our driver's life, hopes, wishes, and dreams that he shared with his colleague). We got there just after 2:30 and went right to it.

Started with Crush 'n' Gusher (rode all three types plus a second ride on one), did Gangplank Falls, Mayday Falls, and a couple other slides. We were able to do all the water slides except for the couple for little kids. Tried the Shark Reef and Castaway Creek and then chilled in the wave pool, which was surprisingly my favorite activity of the day. We headed back around 4:45. Mind you, because the clouds, there weren't really any waits for the slides. We had a blast and I'll definitely be returning! The theming was incredible and blows our local water park out of the water (literally) and the slides were fun and efficient. Definitely worth the $50.

Upon returning to the GF, we hit the Captain's Shipyard (marina) where we rented and raced the SeaRaycers. Those are a blast. If you haven't done them, make a point of trying them. The marina closed at 6 with us having to return them at 6:25. Because of that, we got over 40 minutes on the boats with only having to pay for 30 (plus AP discount) minutes. Awesome!

Rested a bit, showered, and drove over to DTD (was not going to repeat the TL bus situation) where we ate at Wolfgang Puck (delicious), shopped at World of Disney, grabbed an Italian Ice (rainbow flavor is the best if you ask me) by Characters in Flight, and strolled around a bit. Maybe we just got lucky but the parking at DTD wasn't as bad as Disney said it was. This has also been my experience in past trips. If you're going to DTD on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night during anytime except Christmas, Fourth of July, and Easter, drive. On other nights, the bus would probably be worth it.

We ended up returning to the GF at about 10:30 after a fun night. I made a FP+ for Space and headed into the MK to use it. Walked around a bit and rode Space. Astro and TTA are now closed (just for maintenance nothing special) but I was surprised to not see any scrims or anything. Two walls have gone up surrounding the entrances to both rides but the Lunching Pad remains mostly clear and open. Walked over to the Contemporary and grabbed a light snack at the Cotempo Cafe (favorite quick-serivce on property) before getting on the monorail and returning to GF.

In general, a really awesome day yesterday!

So what did we learn? Bus transportation to DTD and TL is spotty and should only be used out of necessity unless traveling to DTD on a Thurs, Fri, Sat, or Sun night. TL is worth it but consider visiting on a cloudier day to avoid having much of a wait, rope drop at TL is not necessary, the only Dippin' Dots location at WDW is at TL, the marina is open later during the summer, parking is not that bad at DTD, italian ice is available by Characters in Flight, and FP+ does come in handy for short, last-minute visit to the parks. I think short park days is what FP+ is best for with those of us who staying at the parks more than 5 hours requiring to better manipulate the system to our advantage.

Today, we're off to DHS. We've such an enjoyable time that we're considering returning in August for my son's eighteenth birthday while my daughter is away at camp. Still looking into that as an option but having a blast! While FP+ certainly complicates things and does lead to stress at times, I wouldn't say it's ruining my experience by any means.

That's great to know about the parking at DTD because we drove over on our last trip and it was atrocious! We'll have to keep our eye on which day of the week it is.

I'm also glad to know the Contempo Café is your favorite quick service on property. We'll be staying at BLT this summer and are planning on spending many mornings/afternoons chilling at the resort

So the TTA was just closed for maintenance for that day? I'm hoping it's not another refurb or something longer term. It was closed during our stay two summers ago and my husband was totally bummed. We love it!

 

[iwannbindisnee]

Thanks for posting-really have enjoyed your updates & tips & summaries...
Debbie

 

[prudence64]

Glad to hear your review of 1900 park fare breakfast. I have a reservation for nov. For this. My daughter - almost 8 - says she's outgrown character meet and greets, but this sounds like it will be fun for us anyway.

 

[RalphinSC]

Great updates Reading every post!

 

[mggeary]

Seems like this thread has lost some steam. Oh well; we'll keep going!

So what did we learn? Bus transportation to DTD and TL is spotty and should only be used out of necessity unless traveling to DTD on a Thurs, Fri, Sat, or Sun night.

We were planning to visit DTD on a thu. Why would a Thursday be more crowded than M-W? I know to avoid the weekends, but am I missing the boat on Thursdays?

 

[glvsav37]

So the TTA was just closed for maintenance for that day? I'm hoping it's not another refurb or something longer term. It was closed during our stay two summers ago and my husband was totally bummed. We love it!

Not sure when you are going, but you may miss out again...sorry. It is going down for most of the summer (not sure why). We are bummed bc we are gonna miss it too in mid July.

Just checked--yep 6/2 to 8/4. That's a pretty long time.

 

[jaz0308]

thank you for this thread! Your updates are great! Loving the humor AND the up to date info! Can't wait for my trip this August!

 

[disneyshea]

So sad that I am just finding this report. Love Love Love the updates and tips. Keep them coming.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Not sure when you are going, but you may miss out again...sorry. It is going down for most of the summer (not sure why). We are bummed bc we are gonna miss it too in mid July.

Just checked--yep 6/2 to 8/4. That's a pretty long time.

Oh man! We will also be there in mid July It was just rehabbed a few summers ago. I've never seen another ride go down that close back to back and for that length of time. What a bummer. Do they not realize thats our only chance for a cool breeze in the summer? ha! We love the TTA!!!!

 

[jedi jen]

Enjoying your reports. Glad your trip is turning out so well. Making me

 

[Diznotyzed]

Thanks for the trip updates "as they happen". I've been enjoying hearing your perspective. As a park vet who hasn't visited with FP+ yet, I'm happy to hear you're having a fun trip!

 

[andyman8]

Sorry for the delay folks. Yesterday was a busy day as it was both check-out ( and DAK). I'll first summarize our day at DHS.

Everyone was up around 9:30 or so and we headed down to breakfast at the GF Cafe around 10am or so. No wait this morning and didn't have a reservation. My experience with GF Cafe is that reservations really aren't needed as long as you're willing to wait like ten minutes.

Heading on the bus to DHS and bee-lined it to Star Tours. No, I wasn't the rebel spy but still a fun ride. Then, we used our FP+ at RnR and ToT and we're lucky enough to get one of the last TSM! FP+s around 12pm. DO NOT PLAN ON THIS. With that "fourth FP+" (we had a dummy reservation in the morning), it's all a matter of luck. Of course, I tried to make a quick change to it with the app and all hell broke lose. JUST DON'T EVEN TRY CHANGING A FOURTH FP+ WITH THE APP. FP+s were all over the place; it was like an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I had absolutely no clue what was going on, so I headed over to the Service Center, while everyone else rode TSM! in standby, which was shockingly only 50 minutes. FP+ is definitely re-distributing wait times a bit with low-level attractions garnering longer waits and headliners seeing a slight decrease. Although here most of us would consider an increase 40 minute wait a PoTC worse off than a reduction to 50 minute wait at TSM!.

The Service Center, while kind, couldn't figure it out, and after explaining the dilemma numerous time, the young man just assigned everyone in our party a FP+ valid after 1pm (which was in all of 10 minutes) until park close. They do have the ability to do this, though I think it's rare. Overall, it seems the consensus among CMs with MyMagic+ seems to be something along the line of "it's nice when it works, but when it doesn't, it's a nightmare" kinda thing.

We all took a ride in the single rider line at RnR later. Standby for whatever reason was 20 and SR was walk-on. Again, this is at 1pm in the afternoon. If you're attempting to estimate wait times for your next trip, I don't think it will be very useful as I was shocked with wait times on both extremes (like 30 minutes for Figment).

Then, we walked around a bit and watched some of the Citizens of Hollywood. I can't emphasize enough how great and underrated they are. I definitely recommend taking a little part out of your day (the highest number of them are out at about 2, so try then) to enjoy their antics. I would tell you some of our experiences, but I want you to maintain your current opinion of me.

Took another ride on RnR in standby, which was about 30 minutes (this was the trip of re-rides for some reason) and then headed over to ABC Commissary for lunch. I don't care what the bloggers say, when it's 90 degrees with 90% humidity outside, I'm eating my lunch inside regardless, and in my experience, the food's always been decent. Then we saw Indiana Jones and LMA and used our TSM! FP+ finally. Because it did not show up in the app, I was concerned there'd be a problem but there wasn't and we were let right in.

It was time for Jedi Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood & Vine. Now, we had originally booked this restaurant for the Fantasmic! Dining Package, but got the SW thing added on last minute. Although expensive, it was worth it. We love the food at this restaurant (no, I'm not joking) and always have found it to be worth it with the F! package and the added characters were even better. Definitely, a fun meal and worth it by Disney standards at least. We were also given our tickets for Fantasmic!.

After eating, we rushed over to the finale show of The American Idol Experience. If you're planning on doing this attraction, I'd go out of your way to see the finale show; it's incredible. All of the five were extremely talented, so that made for a very entertaining evening. This was not our first finale show, so we knew what to expect, and it certainly won't be our last!

We decided to stroll around a bit and take some pictures. Later, we saw Muppet Vision and One Man's Dream and headed over to Fantasmic!. As a reminder, if you're using FP+ or the dining package, you are guaranteed a seat in the theater even if it's full or standing room only. They had us sitting in the Scar section, so pretty close to center.

Of course, Fantasmic! is my favorite of three nighttime spectaculars much to many's dismay. Of the three, in my opinion, it has the most cohesive and clearest plot, best music, and most impressive display of diverse special effects where as the other two are very pyrotechnic heavy, Fantasmic! uses more than just fireworks. By the way, "fantasmic" is a real word. It's an old spelling for the adjective form of phantasm, which means an incredible or large fantasy. Just a fun fact.

Quickly, after Fantasmic!, we rode TSM! with a short 20 minute wait and then headed back to the hotel to pack.

So what did we learn? The fourth FP+ is all a matter of luck. Don't use the app to modify a fourth FP+ or you risk an additional visit to the help center, the help center has the capability to assign you a FP+ for an extended period of time, don't try to predict wait times at rides in advance, Jedi Mickey's was worth it though I probably wouldn't do it again, and see Fantasmic! and do the dining package (don't waste a FP+ on it).

I'll post the DAK update in a bit.

 

[PEC]

Thank you, thank you for this uplifting report. Honestly, I was about to come here and vent about the headaches and hair pulling I'm dealing with right now trying to plan a trip and dining and FP+ for a party of 7 (coordinating my sister, the grandparents and my kids is leading me to crave alcoholic beverages by the gallon).

Added to our stress is the fact that, for the first time in my adult life, we're not staying at the park. Instead, we're renting a Starwood Villa nearby. It is nothing short of a nightmare trying to get dining reservations for the few places we want to go because I don't have the +10 planning Disney offers for on-site guests. And my mom's account won't stay linked to the rest of ours and...and...and... I really needed to hear that the FP+ system is do-able and that many cast members are still full of Pixie Dust. That's the lovely thing about Disney - the planning can drive you nuts but once there, it's really magical. Thanks for the reminder.

What is the +10 planning?

 

[practicallyperfect77]

What is the +10 planning?

I believe the poster is referring to the fact that when you stay on site you are able to start booking ADRs at 180 days. But you can reserve up to 10 days worth of ressies at that time. This allows you to call once and make everything at one time at 180 days from the beginning of your trip.

 

[PEC]

I believe the poster is referring to the fact that when you stay on site you are able to start booking ADRs at 180 days. But you can reserve up to 10 days worth of ressies at that time. This allows you to call once and make everything at one time at 180 days from the beginning of your trip.

Thanks. I was just wondering if there was something Disney offered for a group more than 10. After reading again yes they are talking about Dinner Ressies.

 

[Princess Michele]

I have enjoyed reading about your trip and your suggestions. We will be going in July and I have seen other posters commenting on how they are getting wetter on Pirates of the Caribbean with the new boats. This is a favorite ride of mine and my mom's but we don't like getting wet. I am curious to hear about your ride experience and what you observed of other people. Thank you.