Just got back!!! Pirate Firework Voyage and 1st time at Value Resort

[2DisPrincesses]

We were at The World from June 11-June 18 and it was HOT and then some!!!

The Pirate and Pals Firework Voyage- great, a must do.

We used FastPasses a lot and the longest we waited was 35 min for Toy Story.

Value Resort (movies) for the first time and it was cute- the girls loved the theme. Food court was fine and the Customer Service was great. We had an issue with our first room, but it was resolved quickly and they went above and beyond our expectations.

Chefs de France was fantastic. Remy spent a lot of time at our table for DD's Bday, he sang and danced for her and all of the French waiters came over and sang her Happy Birthday in French. She loved it!

I'd be happy to answer questions about anything else too!

 

[htw]

Did you handle the parks any different since it was so hot? Did you go early or for evening hours? Just wondering...

 

[matt&jakesmom]

Glad to hear that you have a good time. We are going in August. I had wanted to the pirate and pal voyage but my extended family wanted to do Illuminiations so I was out voted.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

Did you handle the parks any different since it was so hot? Did you go early or for evening hours? Just wondering...

The first day, we went all day because that's what we normally do. It was too much, so everyday after we got to the Parks around opening and left around noon. We went back to the Resort, swam, and the girls and my DH took naps. We headed back to the Parks around 4 or 5. Taking a break made a HUGE difference for the girls and the evening was much more enjoyable.

 

[kimkim]

How long was the Pirates and Pals cruise?

I am trying to decide between it or HDDR for our last night (or neither and just keep it completely open). I don't know what to do! It will be me, DD9 and DS7.

Any other details you can provide would be great.

Thanks!
Kim

 

[htw]

That's probably what we'll do next month.

 

[Duckiedee]

How long did your DDs last in the evening? Curious because we do plan to go back to the resort and do this. How long did you have to build into transportation to do this on average?

Also, my DD who will be 5 does not nap - at all (who knows if she'll surprise me - but I doubt it.) So we plan to relax and swim at least. She's usally in bed by around 8 most nights... Any advice?

 

[2DisPrincesses]

How long did your DDs last in the evening? Curious because we do plan to go back to the resort and do this. How long did you have to build into transportation to do this on average?

Also, my DD who will be 5 does not nap - at all (who knows if she'll surprise me - but I doubt it.) So we plan to relax and swim at least. She's usally in bed by around 8 most nights... Any advice?

I would say we were out untill about 10pm (sometimes a little later). My youngest generally fell asleep in the stroller before we left the Park. We drove, so we had a car and it took us about 30 minutes to drive and actually get into the park.

My oldest DD(just turned 5) has not napped since she was 3. She happily took naps when we told her that we were going to stay out past bed time (also 8:00 at home). It was SO hot, that she was exhausted and was usually the first one asleep.

The Resorts have black-out curtains, so it was really dark even in the afternoon. We also turning on the fan in the bathroom and left the door open a crack, as my DDs are used to sleeping with some white noise. This also took care of the outside noise (there wasn't much).

 

[2DisPrincesses]

How long was the Pirates and Pals cruise?

I am trying to decide between it or HDDR for our last night (or neither and just keep it completely open). I don't know what to do! It will be me, DD9 and DS7.

Any other details you can provide would be great.

Thanks!
Kim

We were told to be there by 8:45. At 9:00 Captain Hook and Smee came out for pics/autographs. They let you into a large area with TONS of snacks and drinks. After about 1/2 hour we went out on the boat (fireworks started at 10:00). We came back right after the fireworks. Peter Pan was at the docks to greet us and went to an area for pics/autographs. They were only allowing people from the Cruise see him though, so the line was short. We were back to our car at the Contemporary around 11:00.

It was GREAT, if your boys are into pirates I would definitely do it! My DH was skeptical that it would be worth the money, but it ended up being one of his favorite parts of the trip.

 

[tggrrstarr]

I didn't know Chefs was still doing the Remy thing. It was originally supposed to end last September, I must have missed an update to that. Is it permanent now?

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I didn't know Chefs was still doing the Remy thing. It was originally supposed to end last September, I must have missed an update to that. Is it permanent now?

Don't know if it's permanent, but there is schedule on Steve Soar's (sp?) site. He is there multiple times for lunch and he does one round for dinner I believe.

 

[Duckiedee]

Thank you for the napping tips and the HOPE she will nap!!! I know I will want to! LOL. I will start preparing her now with the promise of staying out and the promise we will be trying to nap. We'll see!

 

[scottishduffy]

The Pirate and Pals cruise sounds fantastic! How much does it cost per person/ I would love to recommend this to my brother and SIL.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

The Pirate and Pals cruise sounds fantastic! How much does it cost per person/ I would love to recommend this to my brother and SIL.

It was around $50/person and SO worth it. The pirates guides on the boats are fantastic too. They do a good job of entertaining and really play up the whole pirate theme.

The music from the fireworks is piped into the boat, and the view is amazing.

 

[serene56]

We used FastPasses a lot and the longest we waited was 35 min for Toy Story.
o!

was that a 35 minute wait WITH a FP

 

[Hallowishes]

awesome sounds like you had a great trip! so glad to hear your feedback on the pirates and pals cruise .. it sounds like alot of fun!
also glad to hear you enjoyed your first time at one of the value resorts! what was the problem with your first room? just curious!

 

[mrodgers]

The first day, we went all day because that's what we normally do. It was too much, so everyday after we got to the Parks around opening and left around noon. We went back to the Resort, swam, and the girls and my DH took naps. We headed back to the Parks around 4 or 5. Taking a break made a HUGE difference for the girls and the evening was much more enjoyable.

Same week and we did the same thing. I was expecting hot, but that was ridiculous. I heard it was record highs from folks for June. At least it calmed down after the rain on Wednesday and was more reasonable through the rest of the week.

Oh, and if last week is what they call humidity in Florida, folks don't know humidity. It was hot, but it was far from humid aside from very early in the mornings. Even at 100 degrees and sweating from the heat, it was much more pleasant than 90 and Pennsylvania humidity.

was that a 35 minute wait WITH a FP

When I went, which was Thursday for Hollywood Studios, I would estimate just the line to get fast passes for Toy Story was an hour long. We never was able to get to that one. I walked by what I thought was the standby line to find the fast pass distribution only to find that the line that ran clear out of that section was the line to fast pass distribution.

 

[Mommy2Jameson]

It was around $50/person and SO worth it. The pirates guides on the boats are fantastic too. They do a good job of entertaining and really play up the whole pirate theme.

The music from the fireworks is piped into the boat, and the view is amazing.

The cruise sounds great! How large is the boat/how many people are on it? Did you have to book 180 days out? I'm thinking my 4 y/o boat and pirate fan might LOVE this!

Also, this may seem like an odd question, but how loud are the fireworks from there? We've always have to "hide" in an inside attraction during the fireworks on my son's last 2 trips. I'm hoping by our next trip he'll be ok with them! He'll be almost 5 when we go!

 

[2DisPrincesses]

was that a 35 minute wait WITH a FP

No. We got to HS about 8:15am when they opened at 8am for morning emh, went straight to Toy Story, got FPs and got in the standby line. The FP return time was for 10:05.

We used FP 3 times for Toy Story and the wait was always 5-10 minutes.
Another day, we arrived at about 9:05 (HS opened at 9). The standby line said 60 min and the line was all the way down the street, but we only waited 35 min.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

awesome sounds like you had a great trip! so glad to hear your feedback on the pirates and pals cruise .. it sounds like alot of fun!
also glad to hear you enjoyed your first time at one of the value resorts! what was the problem with your first room? just curious!

Our first night there, there was a wet spot on the carpet between the bed and the bathroom wall. We had just gone swimming and DD(5) had been standing on that side of the bed, so I figured she had just dripped all over the carpet- she never dries off at home either.

I didn't remember to check the spot until later the next afternoon and it was WET. Apparently there was a leak in the bathroom somewhere.

We had an Engineer, Resort Manager, and Luggage services to our room after I called the front desk. Apparently Mousekeeping had found the spot too and had allerted them. They already had a new room ready for us and insisted on comping some of our stay even though I told her it wasn't necessary.

They handled the situation extremely well IMO! We've experienced customer service going down hill in the "real world," but not at Disney.