Just back, Aug 3rd – 12th, …Awesome Trip! (long)

[cdndisneymum]

Wonderful post! Thank-you so much for sharing your positive review, it is much appreciated.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

On this last trip we stayed at AoA since our youngest DGD turned 3 and we had a great time! I think what tipped the scales for us was having 2 bathrooms. I had originally booked the cabins, but read there was only 1 bathroom. The visit before we stayed at the BC, and though only 1 water closet, they did have a split bathroom (1 with tub, 1 with shower) which was very convenient.

 

[DisneyFive]

I have always said this but few agree...and some throw rocks...

I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of POR's bus service, but this was the best it's ever been at POR. Our first two stays at POP Century back in 2010, 2011 had better service overall IMO, since the buses are 1) direct to and from resort (they don't hit you with surprise stops at, say, POFQ) 2) There is only one pickup and drop off location. It feels like a long time at POR if you are picked up at the West Depot and then stop at the next three stops, especially if one or more have an ECV that they need to load. I will say this, in all of our bus rides (roughly 4 per day for 10 days), I think we only had a couple of ECV's or wheelchairs loaded. This is a drastic and HUGE decease from what seemed to be happening 4-5 years ago. Then it seemed the norm to have to load a scooter or wheelchair.

I also don't care for the fact that if you go to the South Depot (so that you don't have to wait for the other three stops), the bus already has a bunch of people on it so my wife and kids don't have a seat. Overall, the bus service didn't give us much to complain about at all though this trip.

Thanks for the report and glad you had a great time. Where is the hub area? At the old hub and how hard was it to get a space there?

Same as the old hub area, it's just been expanded and redesigned with more gardens and grass for seating. It's a huge improvement for traffic flow and for viewing Wishes and parades IMO

Nice report. I do have one question. You mentioned "sitting in front of the stage" for Galactic Spectacular. What stage is that, and where? That's the first time I've heard of that.

During the day, they have stages setup for things like the Star Wars trooper march. It's in front of the Chinese theater, kind of where the old hat used to be. For the Galactic Spectacular If you look at the map below, we basically sat between the r and the S in the bubble that says Center Stage). Awesome spot. As long as you are somewhere in that open area you are good to go.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/disney-hollywood-studios-map.htm

Thanks!! Fortunately for us we have four which makes us 6 next year when our youngest turns three. We have been staying at the EP resorts the last few years with this trip beginning this week being our last stay at the BC! Price wise I have been looking at POR thinking we may be happier with two rooms there (paying about or slightly more of what you would pay for one deluxe room) as opposed to the other two choices for six which would be AOA or the cabins. We love our pool days and we love having a slide. That would give us the two bathrooms AOA would offer as well as a beautiful serene resort!! I've seen pictures online and it looks really peaceful.

Being that it would be your first time at either POR or AoA, I would choose two connecting rooms at POR over AoA. At POR, you get 4 queen beds, 2 murphy's, 4 sinks, 2 toilets, 2 showers, and 2 refrigerators. (assuming you pick Alligator Bayou rooms with the additional Murphy beds). POR is a beautiful lush resort. Coming from the Beach Club, I think there will be things you definitely will miss (but they are the same regardless of whether it's POR or AoA.) 1) Proximity to HS and EP 2) The beautiful look and feel of the lagoon area between the Boardwalk and the YC/BC. 3) Higher level amenities. 4) Some of the best pools on property

However, POR is no slouch. It has a wonderful laid back feel, beautiful lush grounds, good food court, live entertainment (Yeehaw Bob), a nice pool with slide, water taxi service to Disney Springs, etc...

AoA is on our to do list though. We visited there for an hour or so a few years back and it is an awesome value resort, the best one by far... Biggest pool on Disney property (but no slide), big bold bright "in you face" theming (which we love also), and a great food court. We wouldn't hesitate to go there, but a suite there would have been $1500 more for our family of five than a room at POR. I couldn't justify the added cost, especially taking a "step down" in resort level.

Dan

 

[DisneyFive]

There is one thing I just remembered, and should have added in my original post...

The lack of change for the live shows is really getting old. I'm talking about Lion King, Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, etc... They have been exactly the same since our first visit in 2010. We don't even have a desire to see them anymore. (except Lion King, but even that doesn't get us very excited anymore).

I get it that, each day, there are 10's of thousands of first time visitors to the parks who haven't seen these shows before, but man they are getting old for us. At both HS and AK, this ends up being a couple of hours in a day that just aren't used up anymore. At AK, despite the late hours, we were pretty much done in a few hours. As much as we love AK, it just doesn't have much of a repeat draw for us anymore. We can't wait for Pandora. That will be a game changer (I hope )

We love HS, and always find a good amount to do there even with the refurbishments happening, but without the desire to see Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones, we get a lot done quickly and are then filling time.

We LOVE the live shows, and wish Disney would change them up far more often. They have them nailed down really well by now, and they are awesome to see the first or second time, but they fade fast after that.

Dan

 

[jade1]

There is one thing I just remembered, and should have added in my original post...

The lack of change for the live shows is really getting old. I'm talking about Lion King, Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, etc... They have been exactly the same since our first visit in 2010. We don't even have a desire to see them anymore. (except Lion King, but even that doesn't get us very excited anymore).

I get it that, each day, there are 10's of thousands of first time visitors to the parks who haven't seen these shows before, but man they are getting old for us. At both HS and AK, this ends up being a couple of hours in a day that just aren't used up anymore. At AK, despite the late hours, we were pretty much done in a few hours. As much as we love AK, it just doesn't have much of a repeat draw for us anymore. We can't wait for Pandora. That will be a game changer (I hope )

We love HS, and always find a good amount to do there even with the refurbishments happening, but without the desire to see Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones, we get a lot done quickly and are then filling time.

We LOVE the live shows, and wish Disney would change them up far more often. They have them nailed down really well by now, and they are awesome to see the first or second time, but they fade fast after that.

Dan

Yea we do those shows less often, but when we bring friends we are soo glad they are what they are. Could easily change to something crummy, or be eliminated for mechanical attractions.

Did you see Frozen at DHS? So funny, and Star Wars fireworks?

 

[DisneyFive]

Yea we do those shows less often, but when we bring friends we are soo glad they are what they are. Could easily change to something crummy, or be eliminated for mechanical attractions.

Did you see Frozen at DHS? So funny, and Star Wars fireworks?

The shows are great for first timers.

Yes, I agree! The Frozen sing along is hilarious, mainly due to the two "curators" or whatever they are called. Love it. That show will have some staying power since they can switch up the humor. I am a little concerned about the sing along part though. When we saw it last year soon after it was opened, the majority of the theater was singing along. This year, you could barely hear some singing, and that was only for Let it Go. (Granted, our show was just after lunch, so maybe folks were tired from just eating ) I wonder if the sing along portion will start to feel cheesy in the not too distant future. It was already trending that way. Regardless, the show is fun, fun, fun. The projection and sound systems are absolutely top notch, and the actors are FANTASTIC.

Love the Star Wars fireworks too. Was an awesome new thing for us this trip. So true, I guess we lost BATB, and IJ but gained the Galactic Spectacular.

Dan

 

[jade1]

The shows are great for first timers.

Yes, I agree! The Frozen sing along is hilarious, mainly due to the two "curators" or whatever they are called. Love it. That show will have some staying power since they can switch up the humor. I am a little concerned about the sing along part though. When we saw it last year soon after it was opened, the majority of the theater was singing along. This year, you could barely hear some singing, and that was only for Let it Go. (Granted, our show was just after lunch, so maybe folks were tired from just eating ) I wonder if the sing along portion will start to feel cheesy in the not too distant future. It was already trending that way. Regardless, the show is fun, fun, fun. The projection and sound systems are absolutely top notch, and the actors are FANTASTIC.

Love the Star Wars fireworks too. Was an awesome new thing for us this trip. So true, I guess we lost BATB, and IJ but gained the Galactic Spectacular.

Dan

Nice. Sounds like a great trip. Hey what about AK at night? Maybe not yet but with Avatar and ROL (did you see the TOL shows and EE at night). We really enjoyed it (was so hot during the day) and think it will be fantastic real soon. We also enjoy some drinks in the evenings unlike MK though.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Thanks for your response about the stages. And I agree about the shows, especially when they have the same gags after many years. I thought that Indy show would have bitten the dust by now, but it's still chugging after 20+ years. At least LMA got shelved, in favor of the upcoming lands.

 

[Blue32]

Can you tell me more about where you sat or stood for Wishes and why it was your best view yet? Was it in the old FP area?

 

[kappyfamily]

Thank you, great report!

 

[DisneyFive]

Can you tell me more about where you sat or stood for Wishes and why it was your best view yet? Was it in the old FP area?

Yes, if you look at the arrow in the picture I posted, that is where we sat.

1) There is a small pavement/sidewalk there instead of grass, and 2) there is a metal fence that you sit down and rest your back against, and 3) the view was totally unimpeded.

The sidewalk is nice since it will be dry if it had recently rained, versus the grass which remains wet for a long time. Plus, the fence was nice to be able rest against until Wishes starts. Plus, they close off the walkway behind you during Wishes so there won't be anyone within 10 feet behind you (except a few CM's) during Wishes. Hope this helps.

Dan

 

[zebsterama]

Thank you for the info - great report!

 

[Blue32]

Yes, if you look at the arrow in the picture I posted, that is where we sat.

1) There is a small pavement/sidewalk there instead of grass, and 2) there is a metal fence that you sit down and rest your back against, and 3) the view was totally unimpeded.

The sidewalk is nice since it will be dry if it had recently rained, versus the grass which remains wet for a long time. Plus, the fence was nice to be able rest against until Wishes starts. Plus, they close off the walkway behind you during Wishes so there won't be anyone within 10 feet behind you (except a few CM's) during Wishes. Hope this helps.

Dan

View attachment 188338

Thanks for the picture. Is this located in the former FP+ area? I'm trying to picture it since we have not been since the new HUB was completed.

 

[DisneyFive]

We have sat in the FP+ Wishes area in the past, and I do believe this was the same general garden area. For us, the key was being at the far back on the sidewalk portion with the metal fencing to our backs. It was a great place to sit, and far enough back that there weren't obstructions. We had a full view of Wishes, and also a GREAT view of Tinkerbell as she flew over.

Dan