Just Back -- some things that I saw

[wdwlovin'family]

We just got back last night from our 8 day trip to the world. In some ways it was better than we anticipated and in some ways worse. I think the worst part was that we were not expecting the crowd levels the way they were. It was packed! When we got to terminal B for the Magical Express, I thought I must be at the wrong area. I mean, so many people spoke of practically walking onto the Magical Express. We waited for our ME bus for at least an hour in a horrific queue line that I had never seen the likes of before. It was bad. It started at least half way down the B corridor with a mass of people. I now know that we will never take the ME again. To us, it would have been worth the money to take a towncar, and we typically don't spend on things like that. We opted not to take it on the way home and it was much easier.

Upon seeing the crowds, we knew we would have to stick to our TGM touring plans. There were two days that we didn't and it was really bad on those days. One of the days was our AK day. We ended up riding Expidition Evererst twice in a row due to the kindness of a cast memeber -- first we waited in line with our grandfather in a wheelchair and then we were given fp's that were good immediately to ride again. That was neat. But, beyond that, we've decided that if we never go to AK again, there will be no love loss to us. AK just doesn't have the same Disney magic, imho. The walkways are too narrow as well and it just was stressful. This is the second time I've been to AK and I felt that way the first time, but thought it was because I was pregnant and miserable when I was there. This time there was none of that and I still didn't like it. The other day that we didn't stick to a plan was this past Saturday at MK. We arrived at 6pm to see the castle lighting and with the agenda to see the parade and fireworks and if we got to ride something, that was gravy. Well, it was good we had the mindset, because I have never ever seen the park that packed. If it wasn't at capacity, it was close to it. Holy moley stressful. We did get a ride on Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain which made my 6 yr. old's night, but that was about it. There was even a queue line for the people mover, if that tells you anything.

When we did use our TGM plans, things were terrific! We got to MK on a green day at rope drop and were able to walk on and ride Thunder Mountain two times in a row, space mountain twice and most everything else was a walk on as well. We completely skipped Fantasyland this trip and utilized the train to hop back and forth between Frontierland and Tomorrowland. The only negative thing we had happen at MK that day was a CM at the Jungle Cruise fussed at us for coming back after our fp time. He made us feel like morons and acted as if he was letting us use the fp out of the kindness of his heart. The thing is, there was NO WAIT for the ride anyway, so we really didn't get what all the fuss was about.

I really felt like they have scaled back on the Christmas decorations. Except for Main St. at the MK, we hardly felt like it was Christmas. Epcot was extremely bare. Frankly, if we didn't hear the Christmas music, we wouldn't have even known it was the holiday season.

We went with free dining which was really nice. Our favorite TS was Teppen Edo -- completely terrific. One of our other favorites was something we weren't expecting, the Plaza restaurant at MK. The sandwiches and burgers were delicious and on real bread and the french fries were out of this world! They were not the same CS fries that they serve everywhere else. We shared several CS meals to stretch our credits out for breakfast too. I personally think all of the CS meals are big enough to share. The times we didn't share, we threw away so much food.

All in all, we had a great time, but unlike so many others that plan their next vacation before they are even home from the first, I am disney-ed out for a while. I'm surprised to say that because I love wdw so much. But, I think next vacation, we need a something more quiet and relaxed, because we are so tired right now.

 

[JenLynn]

Just back too! I was pleased with crowds last Wed and Thur but Fri and Sat were much more crowded than I expected.

Sorry to hear that AK is still not a fave for you ... our first time there we hated it, but it is now my family's favorite park.

Futureworld did not seem very "Christmas-y" to me either. I did enjoy the decorations around world showcase though.

yuck about the cm at jungle cruise! I would have been very grumpy with him! We often return "late" for our fp and I have never been given a hard time ... I would have been ticked.

 

[eventamy]

I feel the same way about AK. We're actually not going at all this next trip and spending some time at Universal instead!

 

[dreambound]

May I ask what day and time you arrived at MCO?

 

[goofy4tink]

I had many of those same experiences, but I was there from 11/29-12/13. There were some days that things worked out quite well...no long wait times and less crowded. But those days were the exception, not the rule. Yes, I guess I could have used some kind of touring plan, but after 30 trips to WDW I really don't feel the need to 'hurry up and ride'. But a wait of almost 10 mins for the TTA was really surprising!! It was indicative of the rest of MK.
And I also thought there was less Christmas feel to the parks. I noticed it right away. I've been to WDW at this same time of year (but for much shorter periods) and the holiday decorations were more evident in year's past. Not sure why...maybe fewer CMs to put them up. I didn't like the gospel choir that was put over by the fountain at Epcot. They just seemed shrill to me. Epcot didn't feel Christmasy at all.....I didn't even get to see more than 2 of the story tellers this time around. Now, that could have just been bad timing on my part and not a lessening by Disney.

I don't know....I usually head to WDW the first week or so in December. It's the way I have loved to start off my Christmas celebrations. But, this year left me feeling empty. I just didn't get the same feel from WDW this year. I know others I have talked to felt the same way. There were plenty of nice things about my trip. But the negatives have left me feeling a bit sour.

 

[justskip70003]

We just got back last night from our 8 day trip to the world. In some ways it was better than we anticipated and in some ways worse. I think the worst part was that we were not expecting the crowd levels the way they were. It was packed! When we got to terminal B for the Magical Express, I thought I must be at the wrong area. I mean, so many people spoke of practically walking onto the Magical Express. We waited for our ME bus for at least an hour in a horrific queue line that I had never seen the likes of before. It was bad. It started at least half way down the B corridor with a mass of people. I now know that we will never take the ME again. To us, it would have been worth the money to take a towncar, and we typically don't spend on things like that. We opted not to take it on the way home and it was much easier.

Upon seeing the crowds, we knew we would have to stick to our TGM touring plans. There were two days that we didn't and it was really bad on those days. One of the days was our AK day. We ended up riding Expidition Evererst twice in a row due to the kindness of a cast memeber -- first we waited in line with our grandfather in a wheelchair and then we were given fp's that were good immediately to ride again. That was neat. But, beyond that, we've decided that if we never go to AK again, there will be no love loss to us. AK just doesn't have the same Disney magic, imho. The walkways are too narrow as well and it just was stressful. This is the second time I've been to AK and I felt that way the first time, but thought it was because I was pregnant and miserable when I was there. This time there was none of that and I still didn't like it. The other day that we didn't stick to a plan was this past Saturday at MK. We arrived at 6pm to see the castle lighting and with the agenda to see the parade and fireworks and if we got to ride something, that was gravy. Well, it was good we had the mindset, because I have never ever seen the park that packed. If it wasn't at capacity, it was close to it. Holy moley stressful. We did get a ride on Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain which made my 6 yr. old's night, but that was about it. There was even a queue line for the people mover, if that tells you anything.

When we did use our TGM plans, things were terrific! We got to MK on a green day at rope drop and were able to walk on and ride Thunder Mountain two times in a row, space mountain twice and most everything else was a walk on as well. We completely skipped Fantasyland this trip and utilized the train to hop back and forth between Frontierland and Tomorrowland. The only negative thing we had happen at MK that day was a CM at the Jungle Cruise fussed at us for coming back after our fp time. He made us feel like morons and acted as if he was letting us use the fp out of the kindness of his heart. The thing is, there was NO WAIT for the ride anyway, so we really didn't get what all the fuss was about.

I really felt like they have scaled back on the Christmas decorations. Except for Main St. at the MK, we hardly felt like it was Christmas. Epcot was extremely bare. Frankly, if we didn't hear the Christmas music, we wouldn't have even known it was the holiday season.

We went with free dining which was really nice. Our favorite TS was Teppen Edo -- completely terrific. One of our other favorites was something we weren't expecting, the Plaza restaurant at MK. The sandwiches and burgers were delicious and on real bread and the french fries were out of this world! They were not the same CS fries that they serve everywhere else. We shared several CS meals to stretch our credits out for breakfast too. I personally think all of the CS meals are big enough to share. The times we didn't share, we threw away so much food.

All in all, we had a great time, but unlike so many others that plan their next vacation before they are even home from the first, I am disney-ed out for a while. I'm surprised to say that because I love wdw so much. But, I think next vacation, we need a something more quiet and relaxed, because we are so tired right now.

i agree 100%... AK needs a serious overhaul. it is just plain madness, its always hot and packed full of people.

 

[Nancy for Disney]

I also got back last night. We had a great time. I found the most crowded park to be EPCOT on both nights we went. The first night was Thurs and the second night was Saturday. Thurs was ok and we were able to get a fp for sorin when we got there at 5 pm. It was good for 8:27-9:27. We had an adr for Chef's at 7:30 and knew that we wouldn't be done in time to do our fp and watch illuminations so we walked up to the Morroco restaurant. We were told a 30 min wait but it was 5 min. .

We road TOT 3 times on Tuesday. Once with fp which wasn't even necessary. It was a 20 min wait most of the day.

I can't speak for the Christmas decor being less evident as the years before but I felt a little bit like I was on Christmas overload as it was.

We last went in Aug 08' and found the crowds about the same but it was a different crowd. A lot more couples and younger kids. In Aug we walked on barnstormer multiple times. I wanted to ride it this trip but there was a huge line so we didn't ride. I am guessing the longer line was the result of more preschoolers in the park. We walked to SM which had a 20 min wait on am emh day. Probably about the same as barnstormer at the same time.

Anyway. I am downloading my pics now and getting ready to start my TR.

Sorry to the op that your trip wasn't as magical as you had been expecting.

 

[txo1474]

Last December we took the Yuletide Fantasy Tour. Part of the tour was back stage at the MK in the warehouses that store all the decorations. Our tour guide pointed out ALL the decorations left on the shelves that werent going to be put up because they were cutting back. We thought is was evident last year, but this year was really lacking.

We were at the world from 11/29-12/6 this year. Went to MVMCP on 12/1, and found that once you left main street, the decorations pretty much ended. We attended the Wishes Dessert Party that evening and the area were the party was held wasnt decorated at all! Not to mention the CMs working the dessert party had 0 organizational skills what so ever. It would have suprised anyone if this was their first nite working.

We left the world this trip feeling disappointed also, so much so that next year will be the first time in 10 years that we will not be returning during their "christmas decoration period"

 

[DisneyChristmas]

Me too, I guess. The whole point for me of putting up with the holiday crowds, high air fares, etc is to be immersed in the wonderful decorations, music, and shows.

Bit by bit these are disappearing. The subtle joys of special lamp post decorations, guest performing groups popping up here and there in the parks, and even the lighted arch at EPCOT are being replaced with mass events such as the Osbourne lights stampede and Mickey's Very Merry parties starting before mid-November.

Beginning last year, it's now OK not to put up the MK Christmas tree until after the parade is taped. In recent years, the tree had been on the lawn between the castle and rose garden. Before that, it was in place all season near the flag pole.

We've been visiting WDW at Christmas time or New Year's week since 1994. There used to a holiday dinner show at the Contemporary. The Voices of Liberty used to sing every night for the EPCOT tree lighting. Every resort - not just GF- had marvelous holiday decorations with gingerbead or chocolate structures. The entire IllumiNations show celebrated Christmas and Hannukah with holiday music and special fireworks and lasers.

It's "death by a thousand cuts". Bits of magic are being scrapped every year.

 

[chuckml]

We just returned as well. We arrived on 12/5 at about 11:30 am at MCO, and the ME line was insane! Fortunately for us, it moved pretty quickly, and when we got in the AKL line, we only waited about 5 minutes to get on the bus.

I agree about the crowds. This was our second trip at this time of year,and we found it much more crowded. The lines didn't seem too bad, but there were loads of people in the parks.

The decorations have definitely been scaled back, and that was disappointing. Epcot was terribly bare without the LOW, but we did get to see the CP with Andy Garcia, and that was quite good.

All in all it was a good trip, but I think that the first of December may not be right for us anymore, so we booked a bounceback at GF for the end of September!

 

[JuneCleaver]

We just returned as well. We arrived on 12/5 at about 11:30 am at MCO, and the ME line was insane!

Pop Warner groups would have been arriving on 12/5. Bet that accounted for some of the lines at DME.

June

 

[crafty91]

Ok what is a TGM Plan??? OP referred to it. TIA!

 

[chuckml]

Pop Warner groups would have been arriving on 12/5. Bet that accounted for some of the lines at DME.

June

That was definitely a big part of it. We knew that they were arriving that day, but I was still surprised at the amount of people there waiting for ME.

It still didn't take us too long to get to AKL though--just over an hour from landing to lobby, so I can't complain. I think we got lucky with how quickly our bus came though, it looked like others had been waiting much longer than us, judging by the looks of frustration on their faces!

 

[maroo]

Ok what is a TGM Plan??? OP referred to it. TIA!

Tour Guide Mike...

There used to be a link above to his site? But I am sure you could Google it and find it.

It has touring plans and boards like these...not sure what else.

 

[Nancy for Disney]

That was definitely a big part of it. We knew that they were arriving that day, but I was still surprised at the amount of people there waiting for ME.

It still didn't take us too long to get to AKL though--just over an hour from landing to lobby, so I can't complain. I think we got lucky with how quickly our bus came though, it looked like others had been waiting much longer than us, judging by the looks of frustration on their faces!

We arrived Tues evening and there were no lines. We walked right on ME and the bus left. We had wonderful bus mojo the entire trip. Only had a problem twice otherwise we were very lucky with all our buses.

 

[puffkin]

We too just got back. I agree that the crowds were huge compared to other December trips. We still managed fairly well, but definitely not what I was mentally prepared for!

We also felt Epcot was horribly lacking in the decoration department, especially Future World. I thought the World Showcase was done nicely though and honestly don't miss the LOW at all. I thought they were a bit tacky....I like a more simplistic look. I do think they need to spice up the area around the fountain in Future World though!!!!

Pop Warner football didn't bother us much at all (barely saw them), but the hordes of cheerleaders did. Those groups are just so obnoxious...I was embarassed for them!

Main Street and the Castle dreamlights were breathtaking, but I am not anxious to return in December anytime soon.

 

[dlaushey]

Saturday 12/12 was crazy at MK. We started at EP and did the big 3 before heading to MK around 10:30. We were able to get everything in that we wanted at MK which was most everything (sans shows/parades). However, when we tried to leave just before Wishes at 10pm we couldn't get out!

Our last ride was Goofy's Barnstormer/tour Minnie's house and then we were going to ride the train to the Main St Station to leave. Of course I forgot the train wouldn't be running due to the fireworks so we needed to walk it. No big deal except when we got to the hub it was a Mad house. We could not get from near the statue to the Casey's Corner. It was just jam packed with very little movement toward the exit. I couldn't tell if they were using the backstage exits or not. We were stuck! We very slowly made our way to Casey's and then worked our way out via the stores - not nearly as crowded. We were on the Monorail by 10:00 and saw some of the fireworks from there.

We plan to be there on NYE so it was a good run through for that day. Although I was surprised at the crowds for early/mid December.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I am so glad that I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed by the holiday decorations.

I had been looking forward to this trip for such a long time to see all the wonderful holiday decorations and touches, only to get there and be seriously underwhelmed. In MK I only really saw the decorations on Main St., but the rest of the park was lacking. Epcot felt like it had practically nothing in the way of decorations. A few of the World Showcase pavillions were decorated really nicely (Norway and Mexico come to mind), but others like Italy and Germany seemed to have practically nothing up.

I felt like the Studios was actually the most festive park. Besides the Osborne lights, the two main streets had lots of decorations up and it felt very Christmasy.

Overall though I was left disappointed, and between the lack of decorations and large crowds I doubt I'll ever go back in December again.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Trip Reports board.

 

[Nancy for Disney]

Pop Warner football didn't bother us much at all (barely saw them), but the hordes of cheerleaders did. Those groups are just so obnoxious...I was embarassed for them!

.

I think that Pop Warner did contribute to the crowds but I thought they were all well behaved and I always saw an adult with them. I did see them at the parks more than what I expected. I only heard chanting from cheerleaders once and that was at HS on the night of their party as we were leaving. I expected that and would have been doing the same thing had I been a kid. The only group of kids that I had a problem with was a choir that had performed at epcot. They were loud as we waited for opening at animal kingdom and a group of them butted in line at ee. I heard one of them complain about how a friend had scolded them for butting in line. Regardless, they were kids and one minor incident wasn't that big of deal.