Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Smugpugmug]

DL is definitely more consistent. WDW has some amazing QS meals but they are the minority.

I think the amount of amazing table service places at WDW are a minority too but that's probably a hot take. In Disneyland I don't even do table service minus the Jazz Kitchen but I really dislike the new retheme. In terms of QS at WDW I think ABC Commissary is WAY better than it used to be. That place used to be garbage level.

 

[jimmymc]

I think the amount of amazing table service places at WDW are a minority too but that's probably a hot take. In Disneyland I don't even do table service minus the Jazz Kitchen but I really dislike the new retheme. In terms of QS at WDW I think ABC Commissary is WAY better than it used to be. That place used to be garbage level.

At Disneyland I really enjoy Lamplight Lounge. The DL park places were definitely one and dones, at least for now.

For WDW it's Columbia HH or Casey's in MK, festival foods, crepes, or Katsura Grill in Epcot, Woody's or either Galaxy's Edge in Studios, and Satuli Canteen in AK.

 

[Gary Stocker]

Lets not forget the deliciousness to be had at Baseline Tap House... I think the charcuterie board and huge pretzel there are pretty solid! (although I tend to go there mostly for liquid nutrition).

 

[Disneyhanna]

what QS locations do you recommend at HS? We haven't visited in over a year and haven't had the best experiences in the past with their QS offerings. Would appreciate knowing where to try later this summer when we return.

Thanks!

The mashed potato waffle bowls at Fairfax Faire are great. Love the buffalo chicken grilled cheese from ABC Commissary with the cranberry farro salad. My vegetarian friend thought the Teriyaki Tofu bowl from Backlot Express was pretty good, not amazing but a nice change from cheese-heavy vegetarian options. These are my recs from recent trips this year since I'm trying to stay on topic! Love the kids breakfast bowl from Woody's as well. The charcuterie board from Baseline was solid and overall very mild flavors.

In the past I have had also enjoyed Ronto Roasters, Docking Bay 7 (love the hot chicken tip yip, it's actually spicy) but I haven't had any of those in 2023 so can't say for certain if they're just as good.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Oops - guilty of taking this thread off track. Sorry everyone! Should have posted my question elsewhere.

Let's get back to sharing recent experiences in the parks...and I'll try to be more careful!

Thanks!

 

[lovethattink]

I really like Regal Eagle at Epcot. I love the different BBQ sauces to try. And some of the food booths are favorites right now. Other than that, we usually eat before or after going to a park and just snack on a Mickey pretzel. I agree that QS quality and choices are down. Having a picky eater makes it even more difficult.

 

[Gary Stocker]

As long as the quality of Captain Cooks meatballs isn't suffering I think I will be ok on my next trip..miss that coconut rice...washed down with a Spiky Pineapple of course.

 

[Ricguz]

We were there 3/1 - 3/8. First time since 2019. Wow. Everything felt "different". We always went in December, 20 years in a row, so of course that time of year if different. It was a very 'wet hot' this March. We have also been in April, May, June, October and November (in between those December trips).

Downtown Disney (Springs) did not have the same vibe. Stores were smaller and carried about half (or less) merchandise than they used to. I know it is economy driven, but still, it felt different. I did not care for World of Disney.

We did not feel G+ was worth the price per person. We purchase it for only 3 of the park days. We did not care for the way bookings had to be spaced out. The ability to ride only 1 time using G+ sure felt like a ripoff. We found the inability to select times (like FP) a pain. We also did not like when the app would provide a particular time and when we selected it, it was an hour or so later. The app would then give us an option (occasionally) for an earlier time, we would select it and it would book the ride time even later than the initial booking. That happened 5 times between MK and DS. We knew what we were purchasing with G+, but found it disappointing and will not do it again. We did pay for ILL for Rise and although $22 a person on top of the expensive park entrance was a bit ridiculous, I am glad we did it twice during the trip for rope drop and 1 time using ILL. We had several Star Wars fans who went to DS specifically for that attraction. I would not do it again, though.

The posted ride times were off most of the time. A few attractions would have a posted time of 15 - 20 minutes and they were a walk-on. That was nice. Some would have a posted time of 30 - 40 minutes and it was 15 minutes. We mostly experienced posted times of 30 - 45 minutes and it was 60 - 90 minutes. I am glad we did not have any scheduled meals. Peter Pan was almost always over-inflated by double the amount of time. If it said 80, it was 40. If it it said 60, it was 30.

We were disappointed at how much the quality (and even quantity) of food went down. Some things were as we remembered and they brought back great memories, but overall much of the food was a disappointment for the price.

We still had a good time and I am glad we were able to go as a large family and spend time together, but it is not the Disney I remember. We all felt that way. I do not see dropping that kind of money to go to Disney again.

Thank you for your honest review. I stated the same when we did our 11 day trip in December 2022. We were also at Disney in Oct-Nov 2019. This time around did not have the same feeling as in 2019. Longer lines, Genie plus was a bust, rides broken down, food quality not as good, prices extremely high, and parks looked tired. The only salvation for us was that YC, YC cast members, Stormalong Bay and CL were wonderful. If we did go back again, I would consider a resort vacation only. Way too expensive for what the parks had to offer.

 

[Boardwalk III]

Thank you for your honest review. I stated the same when we did our 11 day trip in December 2022. We were also at Disney in Oct-Nov 2019. This time around did not have the same feeling as in 2019. Longer lines, Genie plus was a bust, rides broken down, food quality not as good, prices extremely high, and parks looked tired. The only salvation for us was that YC, YC cast members, Stormalong Bay and CL were wonderful. If we did go back again, I would consider a resort vacation only. Way too expensive for what the parks had to offer.

Our first trip back after 2019 was fall of 2021, and then I went again in October 2022. We are just back from a 9-day visit and everything was SO much better than our 2021 & 2022 visits. So while not back to 2019 standards, definitely moving in the right direction in my opinion!

 

[austinelsa]

Posted this in the spring break thread b/c its a spring break trip, but ill drop it here too.

I had written a few takeaways before, but here's a fuller break down. We went 3/10 - 3/14. Stayed at the Swan. We were 4 people - 2 adults, a 7yo who is just discovering thrill rides and loves the simulator rides, and a 4yo princess/minnie obsessed kiddo who is scared of even small drops anywhere.

3/10 - we landed at 430 and got to the swan at 545. We got into our room, picked up our Walmart delivery and headed to Epcot. I had purchased G+ that day (gotta take advantage of all the minutes of magic!) and stacked Remy, Frozen, and Soarin. It was SO WORTH IT b/c i got 2 of the hard rides right off the bat. This took the pressure off the rest of the trip as I knew the crowd levels were about the explode! And we had fun exploring the park immediately. A super fun note - my daughter who loves elsa was terrified of the drops in frozen. so that was one and done for her sadly.

3/11 - Did HS from EE rope drop to about 2pm. (We walked over on the walking path behind the swan - SO GOOD for rope drop! we didnt wanna wait for the boat and risk being late) Then MK from about 530 - 10pm. We bought G+ and ILL'd 7DMT. We did 15 attractions altogether and 11 of them were G+. My daughter did the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique too. We did QS meals but hated basically all of them. But my kids finally decided they like fireworks so big win! The bus home was BRUTAL tho. It was delayed. We were tempted to get a minnie van but we just toughed it out in the end.

3/12 - Did MK from just after EE rope drop to about 3pm. Then HS from about 630 thru the first showing of Fantasmic. We bought G+ and used it for 7/10 attractions that we did that day. I used my 7am LL on a solo Slinky ride and my family all did stuff at MK. By the time 1030 came around and i could book LLs again, we LLed some rides at MK and then stacked for HS. Fantasmic was a huge highlight. I absolutely love that show from my childhood trips to DLR and my family loved it as well. Even my disney-skeptical husband.

3/13 - Did AK from EE rope drop til about 230pm, then Epcot from 530 until about 10pm (EEH). (took the swan AK bus for EE) We bought G+ and ILL'd Flight of Passage. We were able to do 6/14 attractions with G+. Highlight was riding Navi twice for my thrill-averse daughter, everest single rider for the adults, and my son LOVED LOVED LOVED test track. Flametree BBQ FTW! it was the only QS meal we liked for the entire trip. And the restaurant itself is really nice with all the various sitting areas.

3/14 - Did Epcot from just after rope drop until 2pm and then HS from 6pm until 830pm. We bought G+ and got 7/12 attractions on G+. My husband and I got ILLs for GOTG and rode it separately. We also had a Space 220 lounge reservation, which was a highlight. Space 220 is basically a ride experience with some reasonable food. Esp in the lounge where you dont have to spend so much. I would do this every single time I go back to WDW i enjoyed it so much. The elevator entry was fun, and it was nice to rest our legs, eat some ok food, and still feel the disney magic instead of feeling like we were wasting time. Then at night, my son did Droid Depot and then we waited for the friendship boat back to the Swan during the finale of fantasmic (which is right on the other side of the trees so it feels like you are IN IT.) And then we were able to see the Harmonious fireworks from our "no view" room at the Swan to end the trip. WHAT A FINALE!

Overall, just THE BEST. We all had such a good time. There were lows (quick service as i mentioned earlier), fantasyland is just too dark at night which made my husband uneasy with small children in tow, and the bus back to the Boardwalk from MK was super delayed at 10pm which made for cranky kiddos) but mostly the whole trip was one big high and i cant wait to go back!

 

[lnR_Texas]

Lets not forget the deliciousness to be had at Baseline Tap House... I think the charcuterie board and huge pretzel there are pretty solid! (although I tend to go there mostly for liquid nutrition).

We just ate there yesterday and that’s what we had…plus the liquid nutrition too!

 

[lnR_Texas]

Just returned from a week (3/11-3/18) in a 2BR at Riviera. Two days with my mom in the parks, a day trip to Tampa to pick up my DH and 14 yo DD from her soccer tournament, and then 3 park days. A fabulous trip despite the crowds, and loved the Riviera.

My mom had a DAS for the first time, which allowed us to avoid G+ for most of the trip. But still rope dropped, took a resort break most days, and returned in the evenings.

3/11: Checked in at noon and our room was ready! 8th floor, dead center, overlooking the lake. Lunch at Bar Riva, relaxed, and then an amazing dinner at Flying Fish (I recommend sitting at the bar!).

3/12 (MK): I rope dropped SM and Buzz, and then met my mom for our Keys of the Kingdom tour at 9:30. My parents started taking us to WDW when I was about 5, and now at 51 it was great to learn so many new things. Resort break after the tour, back to MK for a few rides, and then left around 9:30. Lines were so short from ~8-9 due to fireworks.

3/13 (EP): Got my VQ for GG at 7 am. I rope dropped Remy and Frozen, then met my mom back in France. Lovely pastries from Les Halles. TT and Soarin, then I did GG and met my mom in Germany for a QS lunch. Started raining and Skyliner was down, so we took an Uber from BC back to RV. Got another VQ for GG at 6, back to EP, did a few rides with my mom and then walked her back to Skyliner during FW. I then did Nemo, Soarin, and GG during EEH.

3/14 (Rest): day trip to Tampa for soccer. 7:45 pm dinner at Topolino’s. Great food and had a view of the EP FW from our table.

3/15 (MK): Rope dropped SM, Buzz, and BTRR with DH and DD. Yummy waffles at Sleepy Hollow. Shopping and then back to RV. Left for AK at 4, used ILL for FOP, then did KS, dinner at Nomad’s Lounge, and 2 rides on EE. Bus from AK to MK for EEH. Did a few rides with mom, then the rest of us did HM, TS (amazing views of Tron at night), and SM. Got back to RV at 1 am. Ouch.

3/16 (EP): Yes, we rope dropped again. Got VQ for GG at 7 am and bought ILL too. Remy at rope drop but it did not open due to technical problems. Waited it out and rode around 9 am. Met mom for crepes and mimosas (love a French breakfast!). Did TT and Soarin, and then to Space 220 for lunch. The food was awesome, but too much! We brought home leftovers (and did eat them). Resort break in PM and then back to EP for a few more rides before heading back at 9 (watched FW from Skyliner).

3/17 (HS): We were gassed after 2 rope drop days and that late night at MK. So we got G+ and stacked rides for the afternoon and evening. Used Thrill data info to pick the rides in the right order: SD at 7 am, TT at 10:30, MF at 12:30, and TSM at 2:30. Arrived at the park at 12:30, did TT stand by, Frozen sing a long (so funny, it was our first time), Indiana Jones, and then our stacked LL. Ate at Tap House and finished up with SD at night.

Overall an amazing week. Large crowds but we’ve been before and got to do our favorites and the new rides (Remy, GG). Didn’t like buying G+, but not getting up at 6 am made for a happier family on Friday.

Happy to answer any questions!

 

[shosh1530]

Just returned from a week (3/11-3/18) in a 2BR at Riviera. Two days with my mom in the parks, a day trip to Tampa to pick up my DH and 14 yo DD from her soccer tournament, and then 3 park days. A fabulous trip despite the crowds, and loved the Riviera.

My mom had a DAS for the first time, which allowed us to avoid G+ for most of the trip. But still rope dropped, took a resort break most days, and returned in the evenings.

3/11: Checked in at noon and our room was ready! 8th floor, dead center, overlooking the lake. Lunch at Bar Riva, relaxed, and then an amazing dinner at Flying Fish (I recommend sitting at the bar!).

3/12 (MK): I rope dropped SM and Buzz, and then met my mom for our Keys of the Kingdom tour at 9:30. My parents started taking us to WDW when I was about 5, and now at 51 it was great to learn so many new things. Resort break after the tour, back to MK for a few rides, and then left around 9:30. Lines were so short from ~8-9 due to fireworks.

3/13 (EP): Got my VQ for GG at 7 am. I rope dropped Remy and Frozen, then met my mom back in France. Lovely pastries from Les Halles. TT and Soarin, then I did GG and met my mom in Germany for a QS lunch. Started raining and Skyliner was down, so we took an Uber from BC back to RV. Got another VQ for GG at 6, back to EP, did a few rides with my mom and then walked her back to Skyliner during FW. I then did Nemo, Soarin, and GG during EEH.

3/14 (Rest): day trip to Tampa for soccer. 7:45 pm dinner at Topolino’s. Great food and had a view of the EP FW from our table.

3/15 (MK): Rope dropped SM, Buzz, and BTRR with DH and DD. Yummy waffles at Sleepy Hollow. Shopping and then back to RV. Left for AK at 4, used ILL for FOP, then did KS, dinner at Nomad’s Lounge, and 2 rides on EE. Bus from AK to MK for EEH. Did a few rides with mom, then the rest of us did HM, TS (amazing views of Tron at night), and SM. Got back to RV at 1 am. Ouch.

3/16 (EP): Yes, we rope dropped again. Got VQ for GG at 7 am and bought ILL too. Remy at rope drop but it did not open due to technical problems. Waited it out and rode around 9 am. Met mom for crepes and mimosas (love a French breakfast!). Did TT and Soarin, and then to Space 220 for lunch. The food was awesome, but too much! We brought home leftovers (and did eat them). Resort break in PM and then back to EP for a few more rides before heading back at 9 (watched FW from Skyliner).

3/17 (HS): We were gassed after 2 rope drop days and that late night at MK. So we got G+ and stacked rides for the afternoon and evening. Used Thrill data info to pick the rides in the right order: SD at 7 am, TT at 10:30, MF at 12:30, and TSM at 2:30. Arrived at the park at 12:30, did TT stand by, Frozen sing a long (so funny, it was our first time), Indiana Jones, and then our stacked LL. Ate at Tap House and finished up with SD at night.

Overall an amazing week. Large crowds but we’ve been before and got to do our favorites and the new rides (Remy, GG). Didn’t like buying G+, but not getting up at 6 am made for a happier family on Friday.

Happy to answer any questions!

Thanks for sharing this. We arrive on Tuesday and expect high crowds, so it is nice to see that you had a good trip!

My son will have DAS, so I'm curious on the popular rides where you used that (or Genie + for that matter) how long were the typical waits in the lightning lanes?
I wasn't considering the Frozen sing along, but it sounds like you had fun? Would you recommend? My kiddos isn't into super into Frozen or princesses (but I am!), but he still might enjoy it if is really funny.

We are also thinking of getting Genie+ and stacking for HS on one of our days.

 

[lnR_Texas]

Thanks for sharing this. We arrive on Tuesday and expect high crowds, so it is nice to see that you had a good trip!

My son will have DAS, so I'm curious on the popular rides where you used that (or Genie + for that matter) how long were the typical waits in the lightning lanes?
I wasn't considering the Frozen sing along, but it sounds like you had fun? Would you recommend? My kiddos isn't into super into Frozen or princesses (but I am!), but he still might enjoy it if is really funny.

We are also thinking of getting Genie+ and stacking for HS on one of our days.

The LL lines were pretty short, but how short depended on the ride (e.g., the location of the LL merge, whether the ride had just come back online). The range in waits probably spanned from 5 to 15 min.

G+ and stacking for HS was great for us. And we all loved the Frozen sing a long. I love the music but my 14 yo is over it Frozen (despite the fact that she was 5 when the movie came out and LOVED it then), yet she still enjoyed it. The jokes are good—many are aimed at the parents but there are also a lot of silly moments the kids will find funny.

Have a great trip!!

 

[rhenkt]

I’d recommend the Frozen show for the simple fact that it’s 30 minutes in the AC with comfortable seats.

 

[lovethattink]

As you can see by my avatar, my family loves the Frozen Singalong! When my son was young, we were there all the time. He’d sing his heart out. And yell “puddle”. We had a magical moment during a Frozen Summer Fun. A cm asked us to stay seating after the show. The entire cast came out to greet my son. Over the years, this happened three times. Very magical moments, especially because they are so rare.

 

[acgardne]

Did a full day in the parks Sunday 3/19. It was Florida cold, but considering it was snowing when we left home, 50 degrees felt great! Crowd levels were ridiculously low for Spring Break, I’m guessing because of the weather.

Tapped into International Gateway at 8:11 for early entry, in France by 8:17. Remy was already showing 35min, but we were off the ride by 8:48.

Guardians we had group 11. Tapped in at 10:07, and they were already calling group 41. Off the ride by 10:30. (To demonstrate how slow it was, the 1pm VQ drop for Guardians was still available as of 1:27!)

Our 10am G+ TT was converted to anytime. I think we missed a brief rain shower, which shut down the ride.

We walked/ate our way leisurely around World Showcase. So much good festival food. Pleased with everything. Winners were the lamb kefta at Tangerine Cafe, Orange Lemon Smoothie at Citrus Blossom, and the beignets at Fleur de Lys.

The pearl experience was back in Japan, and our family really enjoyed it!

We did Soarin’ and LwtL with G+. Waits were really low, but we had paid for it and saved ourselves maybe 30 minutes.

Went back to do our anytime TT, then headed to HS.

We had stacked MMRR, Slinky, MFSR, and Rise. Honestly, I know that G+ isn’t necessary on slow days, but it was absolutely great for us. This is a short trip, and even saving 15 minutes at a time adds up.

Rise went down, so we did Star Tours. Rise still showed as down, but we headed over and it was back! So we rode that and then Minnie Vanned back to the hotel because 13 hours, 25k+ steps, and almost 10 miles walked had done us in.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Does anyone have an update on the removal of the Harmonius barges in lake Epcot?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Does anyone have an update on the removal of the Harmonius barges in lake Epcot?

Are you asking for dates when they will be removed? Harmonious is playing through April 2, 2023 so they're be there at least that long. I'm not sure actual removal dates have been published, or if they ever will be published.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Are you asking for dates when they will be removed? Harmonious is playing through April 2, 2023 so they're be there at least that long. I'm not sure actual removal dates have been published, or if they ever will be published.

I forgot that Harmonius was still going on. Thanks for the response.