I Can Spot Frozen Fireworks Anywhere! Aug. '14 TR Updated 7/12

[MonsterWDWmom]

I heard mostly heard not good things about the party, ok really I don't think I even heard 1 good thing.

I'm glad you got to see Maleficent and the area does seem awesome!

Wow 1 hour for a drink! I'm not sure I would have had the patience.

This year my husband actually waited 2 hours for Jack Skellington and Sally (Hence the name of my TR ) , my daughters LOVE them! and it was so worth the waiting to see their faces to be talking to some of their favorites characters!

 

[Vernie822]

LOVE reading your trip reports... they make me feel like I'm right there with you! The VGF are so so beautiful. We toured the model at the DVC presentation and omg, they're gorgeous!

 

[jedimeg16]

I might wait 2 hours for a rare character, but it has to be really rare or special. Probably Meg - the last time I got to meet her and Herc was in 2004.

 

[BridgetR3]

Whew, two hours?!?!

Your photos with Maleficent are awesome! Love the "smoke" on the floor.

Your drinks look cool too. What did they taste like?

 

[Hardheadedwoman]

Just catching up... Oh my gosh, that room is GORGEOUS! It's always tough leaving Disney but staying there would make me not want to leave the room!

Loving the TR so far - beautiful photos as always!

Lissette

 

[katt789]

Yay for villains! So glad that you got refunds and a lovely talk with that cm afterwards! I just finished writing up our experiences of the night last night, hence the youtube watching, lol.

Love all the pictures, and GOD THAT BABY was such a good way to pass the time while we waited for the show!

Okay...I think everyone needs to go back to the picture with Gaston and just look at Meg's face for a second...

YES Malificient, she seriously looks perfect, and I'm super glad that ya got to meet her, I heard amazing things!

Hmmm...I would wait 2 hours for Meg...but it would have to be that friend...there's probably some other characters I'd wait 2 hrs for....who knows? More rare ones? Lol, can;t wait to read more!

 

[natebenma]

Caught up on your past couple of updates



So, did you ride the Mine Train standby (how long was the wait) and then FP?

OUTSTANDING PICTURES



I am continually impressed with all of Franklin's photos.

The villa is absolutely gorgeous! I love the two showers in the bathroom. That is really convenient when you are trying to get ready quickly.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to book there? I'm guessing pretty difficult. Since you own there, you get to book 11 months out, right?

Cool panoramic of the resort.

**************************************************

Villains Party

I have definitely heard mixed reviews of the party and for sure there are a lot of issues Disney needs to work out. That is great that you provided immediate, constructive feedback and you got a response so quickly. Plus a refund. That is seriously some great customer service.

Nice to have a meet & meal at Sci Fi.

Great pictures from the welcome show and what a Magnificent Maleficent Meet!

That Band! Awesome!



I would pretty much not wait 2 hours to meet with any character. Or as others have said, not for anything at Disney or Universal.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Fantastic update! I think the way you worded your email and subsequent conversation with the CM was probably so lovely that they wanted to refund your tickets! I always say you get more with sugar than salt! Good for you for being so awesome!

Love the pics with M...she looks great and you look so happy!!! The drinks look quite yummy as well!

 

[heaven2dc]

Love the Grand Floridian Villas - so pretty! Love the Villain's Party - looks like so much fun! So glad you got a refund - it does pay to be vocal about your experiences at Disney. It helps Disney know that it's the experiences of the guests who really tell the true tale of how a new event or attraction is really perceived.

As always Franklin's pics are amazing!

 

[Wood Nymph]

It's funny, the mine part seems very slow -- until you try to take photos and then you end up feeling like: "Wait, slow down, gah!"

We rode on the Mine Train twice during our September trip. The first time we were near the back and the second time we were in the very first row! The first row was very cool because the whole ride just opens up and the view is isn't obscured by anything. But it also makes the ride feel slow since the first car has to wait for most of the rest of the cars to get over the highest point before it starts to go. It was fun but nice to have both experiences. We have a night time fast pass for our upcoming trip, which I'm looking forward to.

There was a slight breeze coming off the water when we walked out of the park, so we took it as a sign that we should take the boat back to GF instead of the monorail.​

We took the launch to the GF when we there in December. I love taking those launches. It is so relaxing and the views are great.

We were in a standard view studio. I had requested a high floor and got the first floor (I think the woman who checked us in tried to get us into a villa that would be ready early so we had somewhere to change for the party). Turns out, having a first-floor villa made it super easy to get in and out.​

We had a first floor room at the Yacht Club and it was very convenient not to have to use an elevator.

Now one of the awesome features they built into the studios at VGF is the split bathroom. In one room, you have the sink and the walk-in marble shower.
​

The villas are gorgeous. I was surprised to see that they expanded the bathroom in the studio into two separate bathing areas. That must have taken up some of the available floor space. It is a wonderful improvement.

Meanwhile, back at Moors… Maleficent made her arrival at 8:30 on the dot. The line, however, didn’t move very quickly. But FINALLY, it was my turn with the mistress of evil.

As I approached, she said “My goodness, what a fantastic shirt you have and so are your horns!”

I held out my Maleficent-themed Magic Band for her to see.

She said, “Oh my, did you have to get that made in the Moors.” I told her that sadly, I had to make it myself. I told her that I had revisited her story and it seemed she was more misunderstood than evil and she laughed a very haughty laugh and replied, “Finally, someone is beginning to understand! Shall we take some photos for the fairies back home?”

Why yes, yes we should.
​

I love your Maleficent Magic Band, horns and shirt. I'm glad you had such a great Meet and Greet with Maleficent, especially after waiting for so long.

 

[Shazzasmd]

As expected, Franklin's 7DMT photos did not disappoint - excellent. Also loved the look into the Grand Floridian Villa.

Your photo with Maleficent is perfect - you both look great. I am another one who wouldn't wait 2 hours for a character, but I'm glad it worked out for you.

I would probably never do a party like this because of crowd concerns, but Franklin's photos of the opening show give a good idea of what it's like. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JulieODC]

Fabulous mine train photos!! We still haven't been on it, and the photos really help envision what it's like!

Those villas are gorgeous!!

Sorry to hear about the Villain night mishaps on Disney's part. My twitter account was going crazy with complaints about it all that night. Glad you got a cool DISmeet in (with a photo!), and that you had a good conversation with customer service about your experiences.

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

I'm impressed that Disney contacted you the day after you sent your email. They truly listen and do not let things go into the cyberspace abyss. With that being said, you would think that they would have made additional activities available, or perhaps limited the amount of tickets available?

Maleficent definitely looked the part! I admire you standing in line for 2 hours, I'm not sure I'd be able to. I did stand in line for my daughter (my husband and I switched off) for Elsa and Anna for 4 hours in Epcot. That's prior to them moving to Princess Fairytale Hall. While the look on my daugther's face was priceless, I'm glad the this is now available with FP+.

 

[WildGinger]

Your pics are amazing. I love the GF villas! We stayed there in February and they were gorgeous!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

OMG!! LOVE, LOVE the Maleficent BAND!!! so jealous...I want one!!

thank you for contacting Disney with your thougths....thats how things get better...and so many people never share their comments..or at least in a kind, constructive way...and thats great you were given a refund!

Lets hope they have more Vilians Unleashed!

 

[kastoney]

Been absent for awhile after a week in disney and 3 weeks of work making up for my absence ; ) but finally catching up now.

Your villa is Ab Fab! I'm not always a fan of the grand decor as it's a bit too traditional for my taste, but that villa is such a great mix of the theming and modern elements. Still can't believe you have 3 DVC contracts. So green with envy

Speaking of green, the pics of malefacent and the opening party are amazing. While I'm too impatient to wait 2 hours for anything, your pics look well worth it. And your magic band is awesome. Did you really make that?

As much as I love disney if still amazes me when they underestimate the crowds of events. Hopefully your advice can pay dividends in the future.

 

[maddiebee]

OOOOO I love that you got to meet Maleficent! She looks amazing! I only got to see her on the screen at the end of the night, but even then she was flawwwwwless!

We did not have the patience to wait for anyone. We just couldn't do it. But we did bump into a few characters around Star Tours which was a lot of fun! That area was great!

I wrote Disney an email at then end of our trip, mainly with praises for great cms, but also briefly mentioned that the Villains Party wasn't terrible, but that I was a little astonished at the character lines. I even said we still had a great time and they did the same thing! A lovely phone call from a CM and a refund AND they sent us the grab bags that everyone got, which we never saw! I couldn't believe it! I am very interested to see if they continue to do this party and how they handle it. I'm glad they are finally seeing that everyone loveesss villains!

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow, I'm so glad you had a productive call with Disney about the party! It really stinks that the night wasn't as successful as all would have hoped.

I personally would never wait 2 hours for any character, but that's because I don't really enjoy M&Gs. I love reading about them, but I'd be so nervous about what to say that the entire 2 hours would be like, "OMG, how is it going to go? Do I have to say anything? Okay, I should come up with something clever. What if I sound silly?" I think it's fun to stand and WATCH M&Gs though! I just don't want to be involved!

 

[Twindisneykids]

I can not get over how awesome your pictures are! I have bought a Nikon D5100 and love it but haven't quite figured out how to use the setting to take pictures like your I will be subscribing and hope to learn a few things along the way

 

[Missyrose]

Nope not standing in line for two hours for really anything at Disney!! I do think characters are fun but having two boys who would rather ride rides we luckily don't have to worry about it to much! I love the term tapstiles! That is my one complaint with Magic Bands(and I really do love them). It takes so long to get into the park with the them and no one seems to understand there are two for each line and you can use both!

I REALLY wish they had designed the tapstile entrances differently, the flow is terrible!

sorry about the issues you had with the Villains party. From what I have read and heard you were definitely not alone - though you were probably one of the calmest in your notice of complaint

Glad that Disney seemed to acknowledge the issues and that they were very good with a lot of people and offering refunds (though their reasoning for the long lines doesn't explain why they ran out of special food or merchandise)

Hopefully they do it again - I'd actually like to see them offer it through-out the fall on the nights that they don't do MNSSHP so people can come and do both

****************

I understand people were upset about the event, but the people who were railing at the CMs at guest relations that night and the drama of some of the tweets people were sending felt a bit over the top. I've found it to be far more productive to calmly explain your situation then to yell and scream until you get your way.

One of the questions in the post-event survey was "what time of year should this event take place." I very quickly answered "fall."

Wow - glad you made it to Sci-Fi before the heavens opened! And yeah for meeting up with Katt and Steven ... they did have pretty swanky costumes!

Sounds very cute with the giggling baby (can't imaging having a baby with me at that event though

And my goodness those crowds! I just feel like they oversold the event - I heard they were selling tickets like right up to before the event started. As if those selling the tickets didn't communicate with those that planned the event and things to do

The welcome show does look pretty fun - though still not sure if I would consider Meg a villain

While it seems like a long wait/line sounds like great interaction with "Jolieficent" (love that term). I am glad to see that despite any issues Disney has had recently with crowds and rushing people (both this as well as the Villains soiree during the MNSSHP) the character performers seem to be doing a great job and everyone is loving that aspect of it.

That is nuts that when you were done the wait was 3.5 hours! Who does she think she is? Anna and Elsa?

Those drinks seem pretty fun - but an hour for drinks and 75 minutes for merchandise (i.e., to give them money) seems a bit nuts

Only character I can think of waiting multiple hours for would be if the unfroze Walt Though I bet I would wait longer than what seems mentally stable for something my kids really wanted

This is how oversold the event was, the rumor is the final number of tickets sold was 4,000 LESS than the cap Disney set for it. Unbelievable.

I would be in line right behind you to meet Walt!

I heard mostly heard not good things about the party, ok really I don't think I even heard 1 good thing.

I'm glad you got to see Maleficent and the area does seem awesome!

Wow 1 hour for a drink! I'm not sure I would have had the patience.

This year my husband actually waited 2 hours for Jack Skellington and Sally (Hence the name of my TR ) , my daughters LOVE them! and it was so worth the waiting to see their faces to be talking to some of their favorites characters!

Sally and Jack were fantastic when we met them at MNSSHP last year, very chatty! It was a couple of hours to meet them too, but we were lucky enough to hop in line at the end of the party and wait to meet them without losing much party time at all.

LOVE reading your trip reports... they make me feel like I'm right there with you! The VGF are so so beautiful. We toured the model at the DVC presentation and omg, they're gorgeous!

Thank you so much!

I might wait 2 hours for a rare character, but it has to be really rare or special. Probably Meg - the last time I got to meet her and Herc was in 2004.

Oh man, Herc and Meg would be fun to meet. But the lines for those characters can be really long!

Whew, two hours?!?!

Your photos with Maleficent are awesome! Love the "smoke" on the floor.

Your drinks look cool too. What did they taste like?

The green one was an apple-liquor flavored drink, the blue had a mix of rum and curaçao.

Just catching up... Oh my gosh, that room is GORGEOUS! It's always tough leaving Disney but staying there would make me not want to leave the room!

Loving the TR so far - beautiful photos as always!

Lissette

It was very hard to leave that room every morning. Thanks for reading!

Yay for villains! So glad that you got refunds and a lovely talk with that cm afterwards! I just finished writing up our experiences of the night last night, hence the youtube watching, lol.

Love all the pictures, and GOD THAT BABY was such a good way to pass the time while we waited for the show!

Okay...I think everyone needs to go back to the picture with Gaston and just look at Meg's face for a second...

YES Malificient, she seriously looks perfect, and I'm super glad that ya got to meet her, I heard amazing things!

Hmmm...I would wait 2 hours for Meg...but it would have to be that friend...there's probably some other characters I'd wait 2 hrs for....who knows? More rare ones? Lol, can;t wait to read more!

OMG, that picture of Meg/Gaston, I totally didn't notice that! You'll have plenty of time to hunt down rare characters now that you live in FLORIDA! I hope the move went smoothly!

Caught up on your past couple of updates



So, did you ride the Mine Train standby (how long was the wait) and then FP?

OUTSTANDING PICTURES



I am continually impressed with all of Franklin's photos.

The villa is absolutely gorgeous! I love the two showers in the bathroom. That is really convenient when you are trying to get ready quickly.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to book there? I'm guessing pretty difficult. Since you own there, you get to book 11 months out, right?

Cool panoramic of the resort.

**************************************************

Villains Party

I have definitely heard mixed reviews of the party and for sure there are a lot of issues Disney needs to work out. That is great that you provided immediate, constructive feedback and you got a response so quickly. Plus a refund. That is seriously some great customer service.

Nice to have a meet & meal at Sci Fi.

Great pictures from the welcome show and what a Magnificent Maleficent Meet!

That Band! Awesome!



I would pretty much not wait 2 hours to meet with any character. Or as others have said, not for anything at Disney or Universal.

The first SDMT ride was using a return time for my DAS, the standby time was 50 minutes, I think?

It is going to be very hard to book VGF on points because there are so few villas. It's the second-smallest DVC building (second to VGC out West, of course!).

Fantastic update! I think the way you worded your email and subsequent conversation with the CM was probably so lovely that they wanted to refund your tickets! I always say you get more with sugar than salt! Good for you for being so awesome!

Love the pics with M...she looks great and you look so happy!!! The drinks look quite yummy as well!

Thanks, I really sent the email to Disney because I truly want to try the event again in the future and have it work next time!

I was so excited to meet that Maleficent, she was simply amazing. I know it sounds crazy to wait two hours for a M&G, but the quality of the meet actually made it feel worth it.

Love the Grand Floridian Villas - so pretty! Love the Villain's Party - looks like so much fun! So glad you got a refund - it does pay to be vocal about your experiences at Disney. It helps Disney know that it's the experiences of the guests who really tell the true tale of how a new event or attraction is really perceived.

As always Franklin's pics are amazing!

It was nice to feel like Disney really listened to what we were telling them about the party and not just dismissing it.

[/SIZE]We rode on the Mine Train twice during our September trip. The first time we were near the back and the second time we were in the very first row! The first row was very cool because the whole ride just opens up and the view is isn't obscured by anything. But it also makes the ride feel slow since the first car has to wait for most of the rest of the cars to get over the highest point before it starts to go. It was fun but nice to have both experiences. We have a night time fast pass for our upcoming trip, which I'm looking forward to.

We took the launch to the GF when we there in December. I love taking those launches. It is so relaxing and the views are great.



We had a first floor room at the Yacht Club and it was very convenient not to have to use an elevator.

The villas are gorgeous. I was surprised to see that they expanded the bathroom in the studio into two separate bathing areas. That must have taken up some of the available floor space. It is a wonderful improvement.



I love your Maleficent Magic Band, horns and shirt. I'm glad you had such a great Meet and Greet with Maleficent, especially after waiting for so long.

SDMT is such a cool ride from the very last car, it's much more of a thrill-type ride back there.

The first-floor room was fantastic for getting in and out of the resort, I would like to try a higher floor next time to see what the view looks like, though.

The two-shower setup was a godsend, it made it so easy to get ready! And the walk-in shower was a rain shower, which was just heavenly.

As expected, Franklin's 7DMT photos did not disappoint - excellent. Also loved the look into the Grand Floridian Villa.

Your photo with Maleficent is perfect - you both look great. I am another one who wouldn't wait 2 hours for a character, but I'm glad it worked out for you.

I would probably never do a party like this because of crowd concerns, but Franklin's photos of the opening show give a good idea of what it's like. Thanks for sharing.

SDMT has been a nice new challenge for Franklin, I think he's starting to have fun with it.

Fabulous mine train photos!! We still haven't been on it, and the photos really help envision what it's like!

Those villas are gorgeous!!

Sorry to hear about the Villain night mishaps on Disney's part. My twitter account was going crazy with complaints about it all that night. Glad you got a cool DISmeet in (with a photo!), and that you had a good conversation with customer service about your experiences.

You will love SDMT, it's short, but a very fun ride! We really tried to make the most of the party, which I think we did pretty well (as you'll see in the coming chapter).

I'm impressed that Disney contacted you the day after you sent your email. They truly listen and do not let things go into the cyberspace abyss. With that being said, you would think that they would have made additional activities available, or perhaps limited the amount of tickets available?

Maleficent definitely looked the part! I admire you standing in line for 2 hours, I'm not sure I'd be able to. I did stand in line for my daughter (my husband and I switched off) for Elsa and Anna for 4 hours in Epcot. That's prior to them moving to Princess Fairytale Hall. While the look on my daugther's face was priceless, I'm glad the this is now available with FP+.

It was a little perplexing how surprised Disney was by the overcrowding issues at the party. Awwwww, post the A&E photo if you get a chance, I love seeing that kind of magic!

Your pics are amazing. I love the GF villas! We stayed there in February and they were gorgeous!

I cannot wait to plan our return to VGF!

OMG!! LOVE, LOVE the Maleficent BAND!!! so jealous...I want one!!

thank you for contacting Disney with your thougths....thats how things get better...and so many people never share their comments..or at least in a kind, constructive way...and thats great you were given a refund!

Lets hope they have more Vilians Unleashed!

Painting the Magic Band was easier than I expected and it never cracked or anything! The Maleficent vinyl was from Cover Bands, but they're no longer doing Disney Cover Bands, sadly.

Been absent for awhile after a week in disney and 3 weeks of work making up for my absence ; ) but finally catching up now.

Your villa is Ab Fab! I'm not always a fan of the grand decor as it's a bit too traditional for my taste, but that villa is such a great mix of the theming and modern elements. Still can't believe you have 3 DVC contracts. So green with envy

Speaking of green, the pics of malefacent and the opening party are amazing. While I'm too impatient to wait 2 hours for anything, your pics look well worth it. And your magic band is awesome. Did you really make that?

As much as I love disney if still amazes me when they underestimate the crowds of events. Hopefully your advice can pay dividends in the future.

Playing catch-up after Disney is time-consuming, I'm impressed you're all caught up already!

I painted the Magic Band with nail polish and then added the Cover Band to it! Originally it was a lime green Magic Band, to match the Cover Band. But it just really felt like it needed to be purple!

OOOOO I love that you got to meet Maleficent! She looks amazing! I only got to see her on the screen at the end of the night, but even then she was flawwwwwless!

We did not have the patience to wait for anyone. We just couldn't do it. But we did bump into a few characters around Star Tours which was a lot of fun! That area was great!

I wrote Disney an email at then end of our trip, mainly with praises for great cms, but also briefly mentioned that the Villains Party wasn't terrible, but that I was a little astonished at the character lines. I even said we still had a great time and they did the same thing! A lovely phone call from a CM and a refund AND they sent us the grab bags that everyone got, which we never saw! I couldn't believe it! I am very interested to see if they continue to do this party and how they handle it. I'm glad they are finally seeing that everyone loveesss villains!

I know the feeling about not having enough patience. I also wasn't convinced they knew how long the waits would actually be, the lines looked longer than the quoted wait times.

Wow, I'm so glad you had a productive call with Disney about the party! It really stinks that the night wasn't as successful as all would have hoped.

I personally would never wait 2 hours for any character, but that's because I don't really enjoy M&Gs. I love reading about them, but I'd be so nervous about what to say that the entire 2 hours would be like, "OMG, how is it going to go? Do I have to say anything? Okay, I should come up with something clever. What if I sound silly?" I think it's fun to stand and WATCH M&Gs though! I just don't want to be involved!

I love watching other people's M&Gs, it's so fun to see how other people interact with the characters (especially little kids)! I love throwing myself into M&Gs, it feels like throwing yourself into the Disney magic.

I can not get over how awesome your pictures are! I have bought a Nikon D5100 and love it but haven't quite figured out how to use the setting to take pictures like your I will be subscribing and hope to learn a few things along the way

Feel free to post questions about the camera/photography either here or on our Facebook page, and Franklin will be more than happy to answer them!​