Just Got Back - 10/22/16

[HeiDisney]

We had a wonderful trip. I have a few tips, things I will do again, and things I won't do again.

1. Going during the Halloween party makes touring the parks a little tricky, if you want to catch Wishes. We were not participating in the party as we were all adults. Not that it wouldn't be fun for adults, we just didn't plan to go. We had some plan changes, ticket additions and misinformation - to complicated to explain - however, the end result was Guest Relations fixed it for us and all was good. We saw all the fireworks shows. Be sure to check the schedule often and go by the printed schedule, NOT MDE.

2. I still love FP+. So easy to use. We were able to snag additional FP after our initial 3. Of course, the hard to get FP's are always hard to get. We did snag Rockin Roller Coaster late in the day. If you don't see a FP pop up when you click on "morning", "afternoon", or "evening", then click on a specific time. I don't know why, but sometimes one will pop up that didn't show up before. Some standby lines are a must - well, if the wait time is reasonable. I enjoyed PP standby and SWMT standby. I went early and it wasn't so bad. Of course, I didn't have children. Also, I had to remind others in my group - FP is a window, you don't have to get there right when the FP becomes available. Also, when you use your last FP, start getting another one while you are in the FP line. I could usually get 2 to 3 more FP before park close.

3. I can't say enough about the food. The dining plan is wonderful. If you like to have nice sit down meals. It isn't a savings but it is convenient. If you are trying to save money, there are other options but if you like a prepaid vacation, it is the way to go. If I had small children, I would try the counter service plan instead. It would keep you from having to meet a specific reservation time. The counter service meals are much improved as far as options. It isn't just burgers and pizza. Raglan Road was amazing, 'Ohana is the BOMB, Tusker House was enjoyed by all - especially the salmon. We did not like Tony's Town Square.

4. Yes, security takes a while but I felt very safe. It's just a sign of times we are living in. Sad but true.

5. Disney Springs redo is amazing. Well done Disney!!! Hats off to you. My 20 something year olds really enjoyed it and said they would go there if they were locals. I especially liked the bus stops and the way they made a bus lane. I think it is a great improvement. Two thumbs up for Hangar Bar.

6. My In-laws did not prepare for the trip. I asked them to start walking but they didn't. Why can't first timers ever get this part? It's a big place. You walk a lot. Bring socks. Several pairs of shoes. Be prepared!!

7. The Tree of Life at night was a highlight. As was the Star Wars Fireworks. I have a family of Star Wars Fans. DHS day, we entered the park and went straight to Launch Bay. There was no wait for Kylo Ren and Chewie. We had plenty of time to walk around, check out the exhibits, see Jawa traders and stormtroopers. DH was reliving his childhood.

8. Food and Wine Festival is crowded! Use your best judgment. That's all I got to say about that.

It was a great trip. I'm ready to go again. I did snag a 45th anniversary pin. My first ever trip was 45 years ago this December. The very first WDW Christmas. Lots of memories made over the past 45 years. Many more to come.

 

[adisneyaunt]

Sounds like u had a great time. Thx for sharing ur tips.

 

[lntx]

3. I can't say enough about the food. The dining plan is wonderful. If you like to have nice sit down meals. It isn't a savings but it is convenient. If you are trying to save money, there are other options but if you like a prepaid vacation, it is the way to go. If I had small children, I would try the counter service plan instead. It would keep you from having to meet a specific reservation time. The counter service meals are much improved as far as options. It isn't just burgers and pizza. Raglan Road was amazing, 'Ohana is the BOMB, Tusker House was enjoyed by all - especially the salmon. We did not like Tony's Town Square.

Thanks so much for sharing! Glad to hear you had a great trip! We have a reservation at Tony's Town Square for this Sunday afternoon before the Halloween Party! If you don't mind, could I ask why you didn't care for Tony's? Was it certain entrees we might want to stay away from? Service issues? Do you think you might have just been there on an off day or did it seem to be a bigger problem? Thank you for any details you can provide!

 

[caliope]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts!

 

[kappyfamily]

Great report, thank you!

 

[Gorechick]

Thanks so much for sharing! Glad to hear you had a great trip! We have a reservation at Tony's Town Square for this Sunday afternoon before the Halloween Party! If you don't mind, could I ask why you didn't care for Tony's? Was it certain entrees we might want to stay away from? Service issues? Do you think you might have just been there on an off day or did it seem to be a bigger problem? Thank you for any details you can provide!

Tony's is pretty universally rated the worst at the MK. Their food is no better than the mass market Italian you can get in the freezer of your local grocery store. Check out the review at the end of this episode of the Dis Unplugged.

 

[HeiDisney]

We didn't originally book Tony's. It was a last minute change and we needed something at a certain time in order to make it to DHS for the Star Wars Fireworks. The food was worse than a fast food Italian place. The sauce was tasteless. The chicken over cooked and dry. It was not good at all! I would rather have a can of Prego or Ragu. Compared to all the other restaurants, the food was not up to par at ALL. I would suggest finding a different dining option. I feel like I wasted a dining credit. Counter service would've been better.

 

[HeiDisney]

One more really good tip here. If you are on the dining plan and don't care for the dessert, then trade the dessert for a bottle of water. We did this and it kept us with bottled water our entire trip. Usually used the dessert on our counter service meals for water. Worked out well for us.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I thought dessert no longer comes with the counter service meals? They give an extra snack credit now in place of it. Has that changed again??

 

[Koz]

I thought dessert no longer comes with the counter service meals? They give an extra snack credit now in place of it. Has that changed again??

I thought that it was effective as of Jan 1 2017

 

[disneyfantotheend]

Oh that could be, our last trip was October of last year and we are going May of 2017. Read about it, but didn't hear when it was starting.

 

[HeiDisney]

Well, the CM's asked us what we wanted for dessert and said it came with the counter service meal. Guess I need to check my bill. We told them we didn't want a dessert and they said it came with the plan. I dunno.

 

[HeiDisney]

The 2016 Dining Plan says dessert with counter service and we got a dessert with counter service.

Disney Dining Plan
With your Disney Dining Plan, for each night of your package, each Guest in your party (ages 3 and up) receives:

1 Table-Service Meal
Each (adult or child) table-service meal includes:
1 entrée
1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage
Or
1 full buffet

1 Quick-Service Meal
Each quick-service meal includes:
1 entrée or 1 complete combo meal
1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

1 Snack
Examples of snacks are: 1 frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single-serving box), single-serving bag of snacks, single piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, 22-oz. fountain soft drink or juice, 12-oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea, single-serving prepackaged milk or juice

Children ages 3-9 must order from a Children's Menu where available. Plan must be purchased for entire length of stay and for the entire party (ages 3+). Meals are non-transferable between party members and expire at midnight on day of check-out.

1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug Per Person
Bring your Resort mug to any quick-service restaurant at your Disney Resort hotel and refill it as often as you like!

 

[LENNON500]

I'm so happy you had a great trip and I really appreciate the overall positive vibe and the veteran approach to your review.
It's all about expectations, isn't it? You KNOW Epcot will be crowded during F&W, so no need to whine (or wine) about how packed it is!

 

[Mitzicat]

I agree I like FastPass+. Our last trip (Sep 2016) myself, fiancee, and parents were on the bus back to resort. My sister and her hubby stayed at Epcot. I asked what ride they were headed towards, she said Spaceship Earth. Looked at the app and was able to get them fastpasses for it. Granted not the best ride to need a fast pass, but it reduced their wait time by 20 mins.

 

[HeiDisney]

I'm so happy you had a great trip and I really appreciate the overall positive vibe and the veteran approach to your review.
It's all about expectations, isn't it? You KNOW Epcot will be crowded during F&W, so no need to whine (or wine) about how packed it is!

Aww, thanks! I am a veteran. I have almost 40 trips under my belt. Food & Wine is crowded but fun. You just have to set your expectations. If it gets too crowded for your liking, then go to another park or head to the resort. We stayed all day through Illuminations. I didn't try any food items because we were so full from the dining plan. LOL My daughter did and she enjoyed what she sampled. We enjoyed some of the exhibits like the Chocolate Exhibit. I think the Gartner Symposium had the parks extra crowded, more than the Food & Wine. I have gone to Disney on New Years, 4th of July, you name it. Even when it's crowded, with a good plan and FP+ you can have a great time - if you set your expectations. Just for the record, I won't be doing New Years EVER again. That one has been marked off my bucket list. WOW - took us 3 hours to get from MK to FW after the park closed.

 

[cgattis]

Tony's is pretty universally rated the worst at the MK. Their food is no better than the mass market Italian you can get in the freezer of your local grocery store. Check out the review at the end of this episode of the Dis Unplugged.

It's the only restaurant on Disney property my DH refuses to try again. Two strikes, it's out. I've had frozen Italian that was better (and quicker!). My DH and DS agree--the zucchini fries are the only thing there we'd intentionally eat again.