civileng68
<font color=teal>That May scare the poopy out of m
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2003
- Messages
- 3,011
With all of the emotion-filled posts here lately both positive and negative, I figured it wouldn't so much be appropriate to simply respond to one of them but rather to post my own observation from my trip to WDW this past weekend.
I've been an AP holder (along with my wife) since 2003. I'm 34 yrs old with a 6 yr old and a 6 month old. Because of the new baby, we took off of Disney since last winter. This was our first time back since then. We normally go regularly during the cooler months, and avoid the hottest months.
With that said, for whatever the reason may be, whether it be FP+ or anything else that's been going on, we notice a few things.
First, We went to the Thursday night MNSSHP and were surprised to see that it sold out (on a weeknight) 2 days before the event. We used to notice most sell-outs only happened on weekends until the week of the holiday which then often sold out every party.
This was the first time we have attended a party that was sold out as we always chose to go on Thursdays and stay through the weekend. We've attended many Thursday parties and this was the first sold out party.
I was actually pleasantly surprised how manageable a sold out party was. I expected gridlock. Don't get me wrong, it was busy. Main Street was a mess during the fireworks but, honestly it was very manageable outside of Main Street. We did notice at times lines would creep up in queue time, but would quickly come down. At one point we noticed Buzz Lightyear had a 20 mins wait, and then an hour later no wait at all. We didn't wait for anything and rode Splash Mountain in our own boat to ourselves (granted it was later in the evening but, so be it).
As for the candy.........last year my wife was disappointed there wasn't as much chocolate in the candy as we expected. This year, we were pleasantly surprised just how much there was! The chocolate flowed like lava!!!! It was a good time! I really enjoyed it!
I was aware of how long the lines have been and how the crowds have been lately so we made sure to do most of our faves in MK on the night of the party so we could do the lesser popular attractions on Sat night when we returned to MK.
First, I tried to get reservations prior to our trip, with no luck. I mean, absolutely nothing was available.........nothing. Many blame various reasons for this but in fairness, I've noticed this problem for years. They may have added a cancellation policy, which is a good thing, but man, if it's working, then Disney is raking it in with dinner guests! LOL. I assume either people are really showing up for the dinners or that the cancellation policy isnt enough to keep someone from not showing. I'm assuming the latter is the issue considering as much money as many save for their trips they can factor in the ability to pay a penalty if they miss a meal that they can at least reserve. Either way, we were unable to get in any eating establishments outside of counter service.
I chose not to eat at the counter service locations, as I typically eat more on the healthy side and don't prefer to pay $7 or more for a bowl of lettuce. So i packed in my protein shakers and just found water through the evenings/day.
We were out late the night of the party Thurs night so we slept in Friday and then planned to go to MGM, errr, the Studios. We went by and the place was really really crowded (I could be wrong but think they added an hour to the park hours that night and added a showing of Fantasmic!). Either way, we just were worn out from the party and decided to relax at the hotel (off site) and go to DTD for dinner and to walk around.
Sat we were going to go to MK but the park was packed and lines were well over an hour for most larger attractions. I have a personal policy against waiting more than 45 mins for ANY attraction and no more than 20 mins on an average for rides (true, but said with a smile). The park was so crowded we ended up going to the Studios and had a nice time. It was pretty crowded but the lines were manageable, except for TOT, RNRC and TSM (120 mins wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
No FP's available at any of the most popular rides so we didn't do TSM, TOT or RNRC but did ride Star Tours over, and over, and over, and over as it was my 6 year old's first time and he's recently become obsessed with Star Wars. We had a great time there.
Overall I'm not a big fan of the Studios as I find it to be mostly a half day park, but I go fairly regularly so there's nothing overly exciting for me, I go for my kids and because I just enjoy BEING at Disney.
Around 5:30pm we got on a bench outside the candy shop and just decided to rest and relax and people watch. Listen, if you've never done this.....you gotta do it! There are some funny folks roaming the parks at WDW. This is the first time we've really done this and frankly I finally realized I'm getting old when I so enjoyed sitting on the bench and doing......nothing. I remember 10 years ago on our honeymoon how we opened and closed the parks and just kept going nonstop.
Around 6:15pm we headed slowly to the ampitheatre for Fantasmic! at 7:30pm. My wife stopped to use the restroom when an announcement came over the PA system that the ampitheatre was already standing room only. I couldn't believe it. I have attended this show regularly for over 10 years and have never, ever had this happen to us (as we typically get in with plenty of seats to spare). By the time my wife left the restroom, and we got to the gate, while the PA system was still repeating that there was standing room only, we were turned away and told that only FP holders could enter, and that the ampitheatre was at capacity. Even worse, as quickly as this filled up there were no additional shows added, while they had been during the week, on weeknights. Odd I guess, but I'm happy to see Disney doing so well. Needless to say, our 6 year old was really sad as we turned away from the gate and he couldn't figure out why. He cried the entire way to the gates. While I felt terrible for him, I just used it as an opportunity to teach him that life isn't always seemingly fair. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you dont. Simple as that.........but inside I felt terrible for him and took him to get dessert after we left the park.
Overall we enjoyed our time, but the increased attendance is very noticeable. The reduced availability of the FP's is noticeable. On the surface, it's really disappointing for those of us who go more often and because of that simply can't afford to stay on-site each time, and because of the new advantages of staying onsite, we're feeling slightly left out.
However, as a businessman, I told my wife, as a public company, their job is to make as much money as possible and if I were the CEO, I'd be happy to see how things are going. I can't blame them one bit for doing things as they are, but if you are planning on going, just be aware, the "slow season" isnt what it used to be.
I've been an AP holder (along with my wife) since 2003. I'm 34 yrs old with a 6 yr old and a 6 month old. Because of the new baby, we took off of Disney since last winter. This was our first time back since then. We normally go regularly during the cooler months, and avoid the hottest months.
With that said, for whatever the reason may be, whether it be FP+ or anything else that's been going on, we notice a few things.
First, We went to the Thursday night MNSSHP and were surprised to see that it sold out (on a weeknight) 2 days before the event. We used to notice most sell-outs only happened on weekends until the week of the holiday which then often sold out every party.
This was the first time we have attended a party that was sold out as we always chose to go on Thursdays and stay through the weekend. We've attended many Thursday parties and this was the first sold out party.
I was actually pleasantly surprised how manageable a sold out party was. I expected gridlock. Don't get me wrong, it was busy. Main Street was a mess during the fireworks but, honestly it was very manageable outside of Main Street. We did notice at times lines would creep up in queue time, but would quickly come down. At one point we noticed Buzz Lightyear had a 20 mins wait, and then an hour later no wait at all. We didn't wait for anything and rode Splash Mountain in our own boat to ourselves (granted it was later in the evening but, so be it).
As for the candy.........last year my wife was disappointed there wasn't as much chocolate in the candy as we expected. This year, we were pleasantly surprised just how much there was! The chocolate flowed like lava!!!! It was a good time! I really enjoyed it!
I was aware of how long the lines have been and how the crowds have been lately so we made sure to do most of our faves in MK on the night of the party so we could do the lesser popular attractions on Sat night when we returned to MK.
First, I tried to get reservations prior to our trip, with no luck. I mean, absolutely nothing was available.........nothing. Many blame various reasons for this but in fairness, I've noticed this problem for years. They may have added a cancellation policy, which is a good thing, but man, if it's working, then Disney is raking it in with dinner guests! LOL. I assume either people are really showing up for the dinners or that the cancellation policy isnt enough to keep someone from not showing. I'm assuming the latter is the issue considering as much money as many save for their trips they can factor in the ability to pay a penalty if they miss a meal that they can at least reserve. Either way, we were unable to get in any eating establishments outside of counter service.
I chose not to eat at the counter service locations, as I typically eat more on the healthy side and don't prefer to pay $7 or more for a bowl of lettuce. So i packed in my protein shakers and just found water through the evenings/day.
We were out late the night of the party Thurs night so we slept in Friday and then planned to go to MGM, errr, the Studios. We went by and the place was really really crowded (I could be wrong but think they added an hour to the park hours that night and added a showing of Fantasmic!). Either way, we just were worn out from the party and decided to relax at the hotel (off site) and go to DTD for dinner and to walk around.
Sat we were going to go to MK but the park was packed and lines were well over an hour for most larger attractions. I have a personal policy against waiting more than 45 mins for ANY attraction and no more than 20 mins on an average for rides (true, but said with a smile). The park was so crowded we ended up going to the Studios and had a nice time. It was pretty crowded but the lines were manageable, except for TOT, RNRC and TSM (120 mins wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
No FP's available at any of the most popular rides so we didn't do TSM, TOT or RNRC but did ride Star Tours over, and over, and over, and over as it was my 6 year old's first time and he's recently become obsessed with Star Wars. We had a great time there.
Overall I'm not a big fan of the Studios as I find it to be mostly a half day park, but I go fairly regularly so there's nothing overly exciting for me, I go for my kids and because I just enjoy BEING at Disney.
Around 5:30pm we got on a bench outside the candy shop and just decided to rest and relax and people watch. Listen, if you've never done this.....you gotta do it! There are some funny folks roaming the parks at WDW. This is the first time we've really done this and frankly I finally realized I'm getting old when I so enjoyed sitting on the bench and doing......nothing. I remember 10 years ago on our honeymoon how we opened and closed the parks and just kept going nonstop.
Around 6:15pm we headed slowly to the ampitheatre for Fantasmic! at 7:30pm. My wife stopped to use the restroom when an announcement came over the PA system that the ampitheatre was already standing room only. I couldn't believe it. I have attended this show regularly for over 10 years and have never, ever had this happen to us (as we typically get in with plenty of seats to spare). By the time my wife left the restroom, and we got to the gate, while the PA system was still repeating that there was standing room only, we were turned away and told that only FP holders could enter, and that the ampitheatre was at capacity. Even worse, as quickly as this filled up there were no additional shows added, while they had been during the week, on weeknights. Odd I guess, but I'm happy to see Disney doing so well. Needless to say, our 6 year old was really sad as we turned away from the gate and he couldn't figure out why. He cried the entire way to the gates. While I felt terrible for him, I just used it as an opportunity to teach him that life isn't always seemingly fair. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you dont. Simple as that.........but inside I felt terrible for him and took him to get dessert after we left the park.
Overall we enjoyed our time, but the increased attendance is very noticeable. The reduced availability of the FP's is noticeable. On the surface, it's really disappointing for those of us who go more often and because of that simply can't afford to stay on-site each time, and because of the new advantages of staying onsite, we're feeling slightly left out.
However, as a businessman, I told my wife, as a public company, their job is to make as much money as possible and if I were the CEO, I'd be happy to see how things are going. I can't blame them one bit for doing things as they are, but if you are planning on going, just be aware, the "slow season" isnt what it used to be.
Who here was the one who let it out?! 
