Just Back from POR

[GaDisneyDad]

We just finished our 6th trip overall and 4th visit to POR the week of June 13. A few observations:

1) Weather was very hot. We often go in June and expect the heat, but I believe this was our first trip ever that we did not get rained on in the parks. Each June we swear we won't go back in summer ever again. This time I think we mean it. The first week of December is sounding very nice. Never seen the Christmas decorations yet.

2) Crowds seemed about usual for June. This was our first experience with the nighttime Extra Magic Hours and they were not what we expected. Very crowded. We did EMH Thursday night at Epcot and 10 minutes in the wait for Soarin' was 90 minutes. We did E-ride nights a couple of years ago and walked on all the rides. Not this time. If you want extra time in the parks, it's a good idea, but use the time for the smaller rides.

3) First time on Soarin'. Awesome. I highly recommend it. Best new attraction in years.

4) First time on Mission Space. Didn't like it. If they hadn't had the AC cranked up like they did, I would have been reaching for the barf bags.

5) Probably our last trip to Islands of Adventure. Our teenage kids loved it, but I guess I'm getting too old for the roller-coasters. I just don't enjoy them like I used to. Spiderman is still the best ride anywhere, but not enough by itself to get me back in this park.

6) POR was beautiful as usual. 100% booked our week. First time I can recall that happening while we were there. I learned the difference between "adjoining" and "connecting" rooms. I had assumed that "adjoining" meant the rooms were "joined". Very disappointed as we had two families traveling and didn't feel as together as we would have if we'd had a connecting door.

7) Service overall seemed off, particularly for counter service food and World of Disney. Lines seemed to take forever to move and the staff seemed to be moving in slow motion.

8) First time eating at Beaches and Cream, despite our best intentions in prior years. I honestly think I liked the brownie sundae better than the one at Ghiradelli's, which I didn't think was possible.

9) Kids saw the Lights Motors Action show and weren't impressed. Best show is still the Festival of the Lion King. I don't remember it being completely enclosed the last time I went, but the AC was very welcome.

I realize most of the comments above may seem negative, but they were just what stuck in my mind. Maybe because there was still far more good than bad. Of course, even a bad day at Disney is better than a good day anywhere else. Overall a great trip. I'll be counting the days until our next visit.

Any questions, I'll be happy to answer as best I can.

 

[bmderd]

We just left the POR on Saturday, I do agree with alot of your observations. I just told my dh I would like to go back at Christmas time. Holy Cow it was hot there last week. We did not try the late nights (we have young children) we tried the early mornings instead. This worked out great for us. We were at the parks before 8:00 rode the major rides first and went back to POR for a nap or swim in the heat of the afternoon. We would go back to the parks in the evenings for dinner and the fireworks and parades. This worked great for us. We accomplished a whole lot this trip. This was our first time at the POR and i really loved it!!!

 

[sharonW]

Go in early dec. Weather is usually good, low crowds and it is pure
magic!! The decorations are just beautiful! Osborn lights are a must
see. MVMCP is a lot of fun. Dec is really wonderful at the world. It
truly is magical. Everyone should experience holiday time at least
once at the most magical place on earth!!!

 

[imsorry]

We also said we would never go in June again. We went the beginning of June this year and last year (medical problems delayed our trip) - way too much rain. I agree about the extra hours at night - it's so crowded you can't get much done.

We usually go in early October or eary May - these are really nice times of the year. We keep saying we are going to go at Christmastime - never have any vacation left over!

Counting the days til our next trip also!

 

[VickiVM]

We were at POR this time last month - I agree 100%. It was our third stay there and although we absolutely love it - and would stay there again in a heartbeat - the food court needs to get their act together. Fortunately, we didn't eat there too often. The "slow motion" part is the best way to put it. I remember at the hamburger/steak sandwich station there was an elderly gentleman working the grill. My husband ordered the Philly Cheesesteak and this poor man took well over 20 minutes preparing it. My husband said this man spent a lot of time chit-chatting with the other co-workers and 'trying' to multi-task.

The sandwich was one of the few items at the food court that was pretty tasty - but just too long to wait for something that shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes.

That's too bad about the night time EMH. We never took advantage of it, because of all the negative comments we heard regarding crowds. Instead we chose to go early in the morning to a park that had EMH the previous evening. This worked out wonderfully and I feel like we accomplished more attractions this time than all our previous visits. (Not having a kid in stroller this time around also helped us cover more ground, too!!)

 

[Minniespal]

Thanx for posting.

 

[we3disneygo]

we went once in Dec. it rained all but 2 days ---had the MK almost to oursleves though- since were from the midwest we were wanting some really nice weather.....didn't happen. the decorations are wonderful.