Just arrived back... a few observations

[Going1042]

Hi, we just arrived back home late last night from our 7 day trip.... It was a blast. Since I used this forum for almost all of my planning, I thought I would make a few observations on the things I have read about over the last few months. I have been to Disney World over a dozen times, but took a few years off. I had not been back since Fastpass +, the new construction, magic bands, etc. We stayed at All star sports the first night and CS for the next 6.

Park conditions-For the most part, I thought the park conditions/ cleanliness were really good. I paid a lot of attention to the rest room areas. They were clean and I saw many attendants working hard keeping the areas clean. There were some areas that needed some work( I noticed the ferry dock to and from the TTC was filthy), but this was certainly an exception.

Fast pass plus- I was fairly skeptical of having to book my fast passes 60 days in advance, but i honestly loved it. It worked great and was very user friendly.

Crowds- My two previous trips were during Spring Break weeks, and I found the crowd levels to be lower than March crowds.
Arriving at rope drop and using fast passes, we accomplished so much by lunch time. We did not wait in any lines over 15 minutes and went to all of the headliners, some multiple times. We went back to the hotel every afternoon for a nap and swim and went back to the theme parks later in the evening.

Cast members- While there were many very friendly cast member we encountered, I noticed more who seemed
"Indifferent". I did not encounter anybody rude, but certainly there were a fair share who appeared to be going through the motions. This did not have any negative impact, just thought I would mention it since I have read other threads on this subject.

Security- We left the day before the attack in the Orlando club, but I thought security was rather good.
Bag checks were thorough. I was picked " randomly" about 6 different times to go though metal detectors.
On one occasion when I was not selected for the metal detectors, I didn't have any bag with me, but had several small dollar store ponchos in my cargo pants pocket. A security officer noticed this right away and made me empty my pockets.

Food- In summary, it was exactly how I expected it to be. Food was average to slightly above average, and very expensive.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

 

[coolbrook]

Would you mind telling us a little more about your CS experience? Which section were you in? Did you eat in any of the restaurants there? Did you see any refurb work going on? Any info would be appreciated, and thanks for reporting in.

 

[Going1042]

Would you mind telling us a little more about your CS experience? Which section were you in? Did you eat in any of the restaurants there? Did you see any refurb work going on? Any info would be appreciated, and thanks for reporting in.

Certainly, full disclaimer, CS is my favorite resort. It always has been.....

I requested and stayed in the Cabanas section, building 8A. I have stayed in Casitas several times before and Ranchos once before, but never Cabanas. I really liked the building location. It was super close to the Dig Site and although we drove to most parks, very close to the bus stop as well. It was about a 5 minute walk to El Centro.

As usual, the grounds were beautiful. I honestly didn't notice any construction going on.

Although the location of the resort is in the Animal Kingdom section, it was extremely easy to drive to both Epcot and HS too. We ate at the food court several times. The wait was kind of long at some of the sections, and the food was pretty good. I enjoy the set up at the food court better now then before. We also ate at the counter service window at the main pool. I thought the food selection was pretty good for a pool area. I never have seen fish tacos at a pool before!!
I ordered " siesta nachos" at the pool two times and they were some of the better nachos I have ever gotten for fast food, exceeding my expectations.

Bar service at the pool was prompt, but as I mentioned before, despite me tipping a buck or two a drink, the bartenders seemed indifferent. This was somewhat consistent throughout the resort, some typical Disney friendly cast members, but many more indifferent. Again not rude, so I was okay with it.

I would stay at CS again in a heartbeat and really thought the location of Cabanas was awesome.

 

[thornton0511]

We were there at the same time as you and got back Saturday morning. Your experience pretty much mirrors our own. We stayed at POR. It's funny I was randomly selected almost every single time I went through bag check at Epcot but I just laughed every time and rolled with it. After the first few times I could tell when they were approaching me and beat them to the punch on saying I was randomly selected. The only thing I found annoying about the security was how much negativity was being vocalized by other guests toward the security officers and to each other about the extra security. Get over yourself people I'm for anything Disney feels they need to do to keep us all safe. I do kind of wish they would just move towards making everyone go through instead of just randomly selecting people. That would make me feel even more safe I think. We felt the crowds were spot on for early June however it did seem like waits were longer than they should have been in the early mornings as we did not seem to get in as much as we usually do and I think a lot of it had to do with rides only operating at smaller capacity and the more people being a rope drop. The worst we saw of it was when we got in the FP line at TOT on Tues 7th just before 10:30am and the standby was 120 minutes and were told by a CM that the FP wait was going to be around 45 because they were only running one elevator. We opted to not use our FP and moved on to the next thing....that was an unexpected bummer. And oh my what did you think about that humidity?! Holy cow I swear it made 95 feel like 120, and we have been in August when it's as hot as the surface of the sun too lol! Very fun trip though and as soon as I overcome my Disney exhaustion I will be missing it dearly and itching to go back

 

[Going1042]

We were there at the same time as you and got back Saturday morning. Your experience pretty much mirrors our own. We stayed at POR. It's funny I was randomly selected almost every single time I went through bag check at Epcot but I just laughed every time and rolled with it. After the first few times I could tell when they were approaching me and beat them to the punch on saying I was randomly selected. The only thing I found annoying about the security was how much negativity was being vocalized by other guests toward the security officers and to each other about the extra security. Get over yourself people I'm for anything Disney feels they need to do to keep us all safe. I do kind of wish they would just move towards making everyone go through instead of just randomly selecting people. That would make me feel even more safe I think. We felt the crowds were spot on for early June however it did seem like waits were longer than they should have been in the early mornings as we did not seem to get in as much as we usually do and I think a lot of it had to do with rides only operating at smaller capacity and the more people being a rope drop. The worst we saw of it was when we got in the FP line at TOT on Tues 7th just before 10:30am and the standby was 120 minutes and were told by a CM that the FP wait was going to be around 45 because they were only running one elevator. We opted to not use our FP and moved on to the next thing....that was an unexpected bummer. And oh my what did you think about that humidity?! Holy cow I swear it made 95 feel like 120, and we have been in August when it's as hot as the surface of the sun too lol! Very fun trip though and as soon as I overcome my Disney exhaustion I will be missing it dearly and itching to go back

 

[Going1042]

I agree with you on the checks. I'm a police officer and am all for whatever keeps the park safe. I know the security guys are doing the best job they can.

We are from Chicago and the humidity was certainly intense. Like I said, those mid day breaks at the hotel/ pool were lifesavers.

Glad you had a great time too. I'm already thinking early June might be my new time to go as my options are limited during off peak season.

 

[thornton0511]

I agree with you on the checks. I'm a police officer and am all for whatever keeps the park safe. I know the security guys are doing the best job they can.

We are from Chicago and the humidity was certainly intense. Like I said, those mid day breaks at the hotel/ pool were lifesavers.

Glad you had a great time too. I'm already thinking early June might be my new time to go as my options are limited during off peak season.

Ha well we are from Texas and that humidity was intense even for us! I remember sweating at rope drop and thinking...Seriously?! I think that is awesome that you are a police officer and thank you for what you do!! Early June has been our go to when we have to go and not take our kids out of school, but we did do late August last year and I would say always early June over that lol!

 

[5ofus]

Thanks for posting this. Like you, I haven't been to the World since FP+ and am worried it will impact our touring style. We plan on touring the parks almost exactly the same way you did; rope drop, mid-day break, evening park. Did you ever 'save' your FPs for your evening park. In hindsight, do you think that this would be more effective than using them at your morning park when crowds are lightish?

 

[Going1042]

Thanks for posting this. Like you, I haven't been to the World since FP+ and am worried it will impact our touring style. We plan on touring the parks almost exactly the same way you did; rope drop, mid-day break, evening park. Did you ever 'save' your FPs for your evening park. In hindsight, do you think that this would be more effective than using them at your morning park when crowds are lightish?

Thanks for the kind words Thorton. And I can't imagine walking around there in August. I can relate to that sweaty feeling waiting for the gates to open.

My game plan was to start using the fast passes around 10, because I knew we were going to leave by 1 or so. I figured I would be good for the first hour, which turned out to be accurate. I never saved fast passes for later on. I was able to score decent sameday fast passes for later on in the evening. I grabbed 3 for RNRR one night and was able to get ones for space mountain and then splash later on.

So an example of one day at MK was rope drop. Ride splash mountain and BTMRR Twice. Then jungle cruise. We then used fast passes for HM and POTC. We ate lunch at Pecos Bill(surprisingly good by the way) and then used our last fast passes for another ride on splash. We were out of the park by 1230.

I upgraded to park hoppers on the first day I arrived and we utilized those a lot. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, and what others have echoed, MK opened up at 0800 on both my MK days, which assisted tremendously.

It was tough waking up a 12 and 10 year old at 0645 to be at MK by 0730, but it was well worth it.

In my experience, that first hour is golden. By 10 or so, the lines really started to increase and I wanted to use my fast passes then. I made sure we took frequent water breaks and didn't want to over do it. I might have been lucky with getting additional same day fast passes, by I would personally not change a thing.

 

[Disnut4925]

Thanks so much for posting! It's always great to hear how things are at the parks!

 

[mindeola]

Our touring plan approach was pretty much the same as yours back in May. Works so well!

 

[jawa7400]

Ha well we are from Texas and that humidity was intense even for us! I remember sweating at rope drop and thinking...Seriously?! I think that is awesome that you are a police officer and thank you for what you do!! Early June has been our go to when we have to go and not take our kids out of school, but we did do late August last year and I would say always early June over that lol!

From Texas here too! Just got home yesterday, and the humidity was insane!! We were dripping with sweat just waiting on the bus! Under a poncho in the rain was worse; I think I was just as wet from sweat as I would have been in the rain. We had a great time though and sure enjoyed our midday breaks at the pool!!

 

[5ofus]

My game plan was to start using the fast passes around 10, because I knew we were going to leave by 1 or so. I figured I would be good for the first hour, which turned out to be accurate. I never saved fast passes for later on. I was able to score decent sameday fast passes for later on in the evening. I grabbed 3 for RNRR one night and was able to get ones for space mountain and then splash later on.

So an example of one day at MK was rope drop. Ride splash mountain and BTMRR Twice. Then jungle cruise. We then used fast passes for HM and POTC. We ate lunch at Pecos Bill(surprisingly good by the way) and then used our last fast passes for another ride on splash. We were out of the park by 1230.

I upgraded to park hoppers on the first day I arrived and we utilized those a lot. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, and what others have echoed, MK opened up at 0800 on both my MK days, which assisted tremendously.

It was tough waking up a 12 and 10 year old at 0645 to be at MK by 0730, but it was well worth it.

In my experience, that first hour is golden. By 10 or so, the lines really started to increase and I wanted to use my fast passes then. I made sure we took frequent water breaks and didn't want to over do it. I might have been lucky with getting additional same day fast passes, by I would personally not change a thing.

Thanks so much. What you did is EXACTLY what we have in mind (right down to the two 8am EMH ) but after reading about people using their FP+ in the afternoons, I started to doubt myself and overthink EVERYTHING...as I usually do. I hope we're lucky enough to score some same-day FPs that are worth having too. Thank again

 

[Going1042]

Thanks so much. What you did is EXACTLY what we have in mind (right down to the two 8am EMH ) but after reading about people using their FP+ in the afternoons, I started to doubt myself and overthink EVERYTHING...as I usually do. I hope we're lucky enough to score some same-day FPs that are worth having too. Thank again

You're very welcome. Hope you guys have a great time!!

 

[bigbabyblues]

We were there last week too, we left on Friday afternoon.

Our experience was much the same as yours, although most of the CMs we encountered were friendly. We also liked FP+ MUCH better than I thought we would. We booked our first ones for the 10:15 timeframe, with the other two an hour later, and then another hour later, and we found decent availability for 4th and subsequent FP later on.

We were at CSR as well. It was our first time staying there. For the poster that asked, we walked all around the resort and didn't see any construction or evidence of any construction. We had dinner at the Pepper Market one night, and enjoyed it. Our food was good, the CMs were helpful, and the lines were short (around 5:15).

 

[JerseyJanice]

Welcome home! Sounds like you had a great trip.

I am also a fan of CSR (love how the lake looks at night) and especially the Cabanas section. Convenient and beautiful.

Can you elaborate on how the Pepper Market set-up has changed? I've seen some comments, and I'm curious as to how it's different.

 

[Indychick]

I was there in January and didn't feel FP+ had good options later in the day if you waited to get them after you used your first 3. I also hated standing in line at the kiosks. I think that getting them earlier worked best for us because the earlier in the day you try to get more the better luck you have. Maybe it has changed since January though ?

 

[amycakes]

Thanks for the report (and for keeping people safe in your non-Disney life). We are going to stay at the CSR in August

Hope we survive the heat!

 

[Going1042]

Welcome home! Sounds like you had a great trip.

I am also a fan of CSR (love how the lake looks at night) and especially the Cabanas section. Convenient and beautiful.

Can you elaborate on how the Pepper Market set-up has changed? I've seen some comments, and I'm curious as to how it's different.

The last time I was at CSR( at least 3 years ago) the set up was how it always was since I went the first time in 1999. Kind of a hybrid quick service. You were seated by a host/ hostess, a server brought your drink,and when you ordered your food a card was stamped with your food items. You then paid at the end. You were also charged a 10 % service fee ( which many people didn't like). I had a server remind me that 10% fee did not cover her portion of a tip, which was a tacky way to remind me to tip her too.

It is now set up more like a traditional Disney food court. The stations seemed the same, but you seat yourself, retrieve your own drinks, and pay at the register before you eat.

Food options seemed a little better than other quick service resorts. I did feel the quality slipped some, but as has been reported, that very well might be property wide. The food was certainly okay, sometimes good, others slightly below average. Both my boys and I enjoyed our meals. Lunch and dinners were pretty empty, the one breakfast we had there was extremely busy.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Going1042]

I was there in January and didn't feel FP+ had good options later in the day if you waited to get them after you used your first 3. I also hated standing in line at the kiosks. I think that getting them earlier worked best for us because the earlier in the day you try to get more the better luck you have. Maybe it has changed since January though ?

I agree Indychick, I think the options would have been much more limited had I attempted to obtain an extra fast pass later in the day instead of early afternoon.

I never had to deal with the kiosks( thank goodness), but the ability to obtain extra fast passes on the phone was very easy and convenient.

Several times, as soon as I was in line for my third scheduled fast pass, I was able to get a decent fast pass for my
" evening" park. The only park I could not get anything good for same day was Epcot, as both Soarin and TT were always unavailable for same day.