Just back from our fourth week-long trip to WDW- stayed at the Beach Club for the third time. Not a formal trip report but here are some thoughts and observations:
1. Weather- very good. Yes hot, yes humid but not much rain. I don't suppose you could ask for better weather for Orlando in July.
2. The resort pool was not a great refresher in the afternoon because the pool water was very warm. One of the life guards (Raouf?) would come through the pool with a bucket of ice cold water and pour it on people's heads- this actually felt good!
3. The property remains in very good shape overall but I did notice some spots of debris where I don't believe I ever saw if before- for example, on the sidewalks at Blizzard Beach there were drink cups and other garbage strewn about and you could just tell that they were not "fresh"- they had been there awhile. I went in to the washroom at Downtown Disney (DTD) and I thought I was in a washroom somewhere in Downtown Chicago! Dirty, smelly and the stall locks were broken. I attribute this to the nature of DTD- a real public place with no entrance fee.
4. The food and beverage "situation" continues to frustrate and annoy me although I realize that nothing will happen unless/until we stop patronizing the Disney restaurants. The service was always freindly but it always moved at its own pace- slow. We waited to be seated when restaurants were practically empty. We waited long to get drinks orders, entree orders, etc. The prices continue to climb and we keep showing up- myself included. I would like to see Rachel Ray of the Food Network try to do WDW on $40 per day- she wouldn't make it past half of a lunch!
5. Soarin' is a great attraction but not worth any great wait- you must see this as soon as the park opens or Fastpass it.
6. The Extra Magic Hours for late evenings are counter-productive to their purpose- as others have said these are crowded affairs- especially MK. Don't forget that Disney has added several hundred if not a thousand more hotel rooms in the last two years or so with Pop Century, BC Villas, etc. and the exclusivity of staying on-site is not so exclusive anymore. To me, these are not worth staying up late for. Disney may need to have two parks open late on the same night to split the crowd in half.
7. The resort transportation was again efficient and amazing. They do a great job with this- I am always newly impressed with this every time I am there.
8. I am convinced now more than ever that the conventional wisdom of lots of the DISers is absolutely correct- you must hit the park of your choice in the morning when it opens, rest/relax at your resort or other spot during much of the afternoon and then re-hit the parks and attractions during the evening. When a park opens in the morning you can hit most, if not all, of your desired rides and attractions within three to four hours- this is especially true at Animal Kingdom and Epcot (Future World). This strategy served our family extremely well.
9. We used Magical Express only on the return trip to MCO from the Beach CLub and it worked well. I think the danger of having a bad experience is mostly on the arrival side. Disney does want to pick you up early to go to MCO but you never know what you will encounter there so it is best to leave earlier than maybe you would have otherwise.
10. On my fourth trip to WDW I finally did it/experienced it: Disney Quest (it's okay), Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous (good place for a nap), Jungle Cruise (Smart-aleck boat guide made it a fun time), diner at Brown Derby (way too expensive but Cobb Salad is very good), lunch at Rose & Crown (best meal of the week and the beer didn't hurt either!)
11. Been there four times and still haven't done/experienced it: Jelly Rolls dualing pianos at the Boardwalk (everyone says its a great time), Mission Space (too much talk about motion sickness scared me off), Indiana Jones Show (I think I would like it), a meal at an Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurant (that many people can't be wrong), Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach (Too steep once I got up there and looked down), a spa massage (I deserve it!), a meal at a Downtown Disney restaurant (they all sound good).
12. Despite my negative comments above I had a great time again and although I'm exhausted right now I'm already scheming to afford another trip in the next few years.
1. Weather- very good. Yes hot, yes humid but not much rain. I don't suppose you could ask for better weather for Orlando in July.
2. The resort pool was not a great refresher in the afternoon because the pool water was very warm. One of the life guards (Raouf?) would come through the pool with a bucket of ice cold water and pour it on people's heads- this actually felt good!
3. The property remains in very good shape overall but I did notice some spots of debris where I don't believe I ever saw if before- for example, on the sidewalks at Blizzard Beach there were drink cups and other garbage strewn about and you could just tell that they were not "fresh"- they had been there awhile. I went in to the washroom at Downtown Disney (DTD) and I thought I was in a washroom somewhere in Downtown Chicago! Dirty, smelly and the stall locks were broken. I attribute this to the nature of DTD- a real public place with no entrance fee.
4. The food and beverage "situation" continues to frustrate and annoy me although I realize that nothing will happen unless/until we stop patronizing the Disney restaurants. The service was always freindly but it always moved at its own pace- slow. We waited to be seated when restaurants were practically empty. We waited long to get drinks orders, entree orders, etc. The prices continue to climb and we keep showing up- myself included. I would like to see Rachel Ray of the Food Network try to do WDW on $40 per day- she wouldn't make it past half of a lunch!
5. Soarin' is a great attraction but not worth any great wait- you must see this as soon as the park opens or Fastpass it.
6. The Extra Magic Hours for late evenings are counter-productive to their purpose- as others have said these are crowded affairs- especially MK. Don't forget that Disney has added several hundred if not a thousand more hotel rooms in the last two years or so with Pop Century, BC Villas, etc. and the exclusivity of staying on-site is not so exclusive anymore. To me, these are not worth staying up late for. Disney may need to have two parks open late on the same night to split the crowd in half.
7. The resort transportation was again efficient and amazing. They do a great job with this- I am always newly impressed with this every time I am there.
8. I am convinced now more than ever that the conventional wisdom of lots of the DISers is absolutely correct- you must hit the park of your choice in the morning when it opens, rest/relax at your resort or other spot during much of the afternoon and then re-hit the parks and attractions during the evening. When a park opens in the morning you can hit most, if not all, of your desired rides and attractions within three to four hours- this is especially true at Animal Kingdom and Epcot (Future World). This strategy served our family extremely well.
9. We used Magical Express only on the return trip to MCO from the Beach CLub and it worked well. I think the danger of having a bad experience is mostly on the arrival side. Disney does want to pick you up early to go to MCO but you never know what you will encounter there so it is best to leave earlier than maybe you would have otherwise.
10. On my fourth trip to WDW I finally did it/experienced it: Disney Quest (it's okay), Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous (good place for a nap), Jungle Cruise (Smart-aleck boat guide made it a fun time), diner at Brown Derby (way too expensive but Cobb Salad is very good), lunch at Rose & Crown (best meal of the week and the beer didn't hurt either!)
11. Been there four times and still haven't done/experienced it: Jelly Rolls dualing pianos at the Boardwalk (everyone says its a great time), Mission Space (too much talk about motion sickness scared me off), Indiana Jones Show (I think I would like it), a meal at an Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurant (that many people can't be wrong), Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach (Too steep once I got up there and looked down), a spa massage (I deserve it!), a meal at a Downtown Disney restaurant (they all sound good).
12. Despite my negative comments above I had a great time again and although I'm exhausted right now I'm already scheming to afford another trip in the next few years.
