This isn't going to be a big fancy report with pictures I'm afraid, but I saw that the UK report were looking pretty sparse so I'll give you a snapshot of crowd levels etc.
Flew our Jan 9th on BA. Had booked the flight from Heathrow but they pretty quickly moved the route back to Gatwick so we stayed the night before at Gatwick Premier Inn. There was meant to be 4 of us but a bereavement meant it was just myself and 2 kids aged 7 & 9. Their ages were perfect. Not just because they were old enough to really enjoy and remember their first trip but because at age 7 you can ride on your own. This not only made rows of 2 easier but also opened up the single rider line. Luckily my 7 yr old is not shy. He made buddies every time and somehow managed to do all the roles on smugglers run as a single rider.
The food on the plane was terrible. Not just the food itself but the lack of it. Hours with nothing offered and after overhearing a conversation with cabin crew I was too scared to ask for anything. They also were not serving cans of coke later on in the trip, just orange or apple juice. Landed fine. Was hand luggage only so to immigration quickly but v slow queue with just one desk open for us for a long long time. Got a lyft using airport WiFi to All Star Music.
Upon arrival I was asked if I'd like a free upgrade to pop century, a skyliner resort. Ooh yes please! I've stayed in a resort hotel twice and been upgraded both times (last time was POFQ to OKW). Taxi voucher to new resort, check in and tea at the food court. Bought milk for cereal that we had brought with us and a refillable mug for me.
The next few days we went very early to parks and made the most of early entry. The skyliner was fab. No queue and a guaranteed seat. Perfect position for early morning remy rides. Only time we queued for it was after the epcot fireworks (not too impressed with how far away the show seemed to be or how direction dependant it was fot something you were meant to be able to watch from all around the lake - we watched from japan so were pretty much head on and still didn'tfeel immersed). Pop was great, but having got the bus back to art of animation, that looks better AND it has cherry coke in the refill station. Luckily you're closer to their food court from pop than you would be from your room to the food court in other more sprawling resorts like Caribbean Beach.
After 5 nights we left for a 3br house in emerald Isle resort where my friend joined us for a week. Great place though I don't know what was going on with the security guards. So much hassle trying to get in the gate in an uber we ended up just walking in and out and getting picked up outside. I found it frustrating that there was no cornershop to walk to just to get milk. There is so much housing round there, there must be enough passing trade to support it, not necessarily walking like us mad Europeans but just stopping off on the way home without the hassle of walmart. (Which was full of holidaymakers trying in vain to find warm clothes for the cold spell)
Crowd levels were interesting and unpredictable. Weekends we left the parks by about 11 as really busy, other days just varied so much. My friend ended up buying us all genie+ for a couple of days which made a big difference. The second week tended to have quiet mornings and busy evenings, reflecting the majority adult crowds. We went to blizzard beach on the warmest day and it was brilliant without any queues, though it was a right hassle getting there as you had to change at animal kingdom for a bus right on the other side. The kids loved tomorrowland speedway which I wasn't expecting and then more broadly any driving/flying rides like mission space, test track or smugglers run. All about playing pretend. I love love loved cosmic rewind. Best rollarcoaster I've ever been on. If we weren't limited to once a day I would have gone on it so many times. The kids really liked the games at the end of old rides in epcot. Said it was their favourite park which surprised me. To me it's still just a big shop really and the crowds who came for the festival of the arts cemented that feeling.
Going back tomorrow to finish off the kids sticker books at animal kingdom and watch fantasmic from a half decent seat (and no doubt ride everest a million more times- thank goodness for that well hidden single rider queue). Then back to the UK for a couple of days before stopping off at universal en route to Belize. Any questions just give me a shout.
Flew our Jan 9th on BA. Had booked the flight from Heathrow but they pretty quickly moved the route back to Gatwick so we stayed the night before at Gatwick Premier Inn. There was meant to be 4 of us but a bereavement meant it was just myself and 2 kids aged 7 & 9. Their ages were perfect. Not just because they were old enough to really enjoy and remember their first trip but because at age 7 you can ride on your own. This not only made rows of 2 easier but also opened up the single rider line. Luckily my 7 yr old is not shy. He made buddies every time and somehow managed to do all the roles on smugglers run as a single rider.
The food on the plane was terrible. Not just the food itself but the lack of it. Hours with nothing offered and after overhearing a conversation with cabin crew I was too scared to ask for anything. They also were not serving cans of coke later on in the trip, just orange or apple juice. Landed fine. Was hand luggage only so to immigration quickly but v slow queue with just one desk open for us for a long long time. Got a lyft using airport WiFi to All Star Music.
Upon arrival I was asked if I'd like a free upgrade to pop century, a skyliner resort. Ooh yes please! I've stayed in a resort hotel twice and been upgraded both times (last time was POFQ to OKW). Taxi voucher to new resort, check in and tea at the food court. Bought milk for cereal that we had brought with us and a refillable mug for me.
The next few days we went very early to parks and made the most of early entry. The skyliner was fab. No queue and a guaranteed seat. Perfect position for early morning remy rides. Only time we queued for it was after the epcot fireworks (not too impressed with how far away the show seemed to be or how direction dependant it was fot something you were meant to be able to watch from all around the lake - we watched from japan so were pretty much head on and still didn'tfeel immersed). Pop was great, but having got the bus back to art of animation, that looks better AND it has cherry coke in the refill station. Luckily you're closer to their food court from pop than you would be from your room to the food court in other more sprawling resorts like Caribbean Beach.
After 5 nights we left for a 3br house in emerald Isle resort where my friend joined us for a week. Great place though I don't know what was going on with the security guards. So much hassle trying to get in the gate in an uber we ended up just walking in and out and getting picked up outside. I found it frustrating that there was no cornershop to walk to just to get milk. There is so much housing round there, there must be enough passing trade to support it, not necessarily walking like us mad Europeans but just stopping off on the way home without the hassle of walmart. (Which was full of holidaymakers trying in vain to find warm clothes for the cold spell)
Crowd levels were interesting and unpredictable. Weekends we left the parks by about 11 as really busy, other days just varied so much. My friend ended up buying us all genie+ for a couple of days which made a big difference. The second week tended to have quiet mornings and busy evenings, reflecting the majority adult crowds. We went to blizzard beach on the warmest day and it was brilliant without any queues, though it was a right hassle getting there as you had to change at animal kingdom for a bus right on the other side. The kids loved tomorrowland speedway which I wasn't expecting and then more broadly any driving/flying rides like mission space, test track or smugglers run. All about playing pretend. I love love loved cosmic rewind. Best rollarcoaster I've ever been on. If we weren't limited to once a day I would have gone on it so many times. The kids really liked the games at the end of old rides in epcot. Said it was their favourite park which surprised me. To me it's still just a big shop really and the crowds who came for the festival of the arts cemented that feeling.
Going back tomorrow to finish off the kids sticker books at animal kingdom and watch fantasmic from a half decent seat (and no doubt ride everest a million more times- thank goodness for that well hidden single rider queue). Then back to the UK for a couple of days before stopping off at universal en route to Belize. Any questions just give me a shout.
