Live Report from AKV

[AZDisneyDan]

Good Morning from the drying out Uzima Savanna, where our cattle friends bid all DVCers out there a pleasant good day. Thanks for the info. on Bubba the cattle, he is right outside our window now and says hello.

My DW is correct, we rode Toy Story Midway Mania four times yesterday and she did beat me each time. Not sure what is going on here, but we'll need to get back there a few more times so I can figure this thing out!!

OK, after my last update we debated on whether or not we should return to the Studios as the weather seemed unstable. We considered heading to DTD and having dinner and watching Bolt at the AMC theaters. After a bit of debate, we settled on putting on a complete new set of clothes and making our way back to the studios to try and get in some more rides, catch the Osbourne Lights, Fantasmic and enjoy evening extra magic hours.

We arrived at about 5:30 and once inside the park we beelined it to Rock N Roller Coaster to use the FP we had from earlier in the day. We loved the themeing on this ride as the one in Paris has different storyline where the band is involved in building a roller coaster and it makes little sense and it just plain stupid. Although, like tower of terror the ride is bit more tamer here in the states. After we rocked it out on RRC, we hightailed it over to Toy Story Mania to use our FP we got earlier in the day. Love the fact that you can use your FP anytime after the times listed on the pass, not so in Paris, the deny you if the expire time has come and gone. Well, the rematch did not go so well for me as I think I concentrated too much time on accuracy and the DW just fired all over the place and I lost again. ARRGHH!!

After my poor performance with the toys we strolled over to the Streets of America and observed the Osbourne Family Lights. When we turned the corner and saw the lights up and down the street my mouth just dropped and I thought this was unreal. It's amazing how the transform that area into a holiday wonderland and we took about 20 minutes to walk up and down the street, find some hidden mickey's and take in all the detail. The dancing light aspect was a very nice and appropriate add on to the whole experience. As we walked up the street we saw a little merchandise area where we saw a Darth Goofy plush. I guess this is a good time to inform all that we both love Goofy, he's our favorite and we love to collect themed Goofy plush. This was a new one we hadn't seen in a place where they seem to be doing away with the themed classic character plush. He was the last one so we swooped him up and headed off to dinner.

Since it was less than an hour before the second Fantasmic, we grabbed a quick bite at the Backlot Express (chicken nuggets and fries). We walked over towards Fantasmic and as soon as we turned the corner down Sunset Blvd, we started to feel a few rain drops where we both let out a huge uh oh!!

Sure enough, the closer we (and the herd) got the ampitheater the harder the rain got. Keep in mind we now had no rain gear as it was soaked during the afternoon drenching. This was not looking good. We found some seats about half way down and just off of center (thanks Matt Hotchberg over at WDW Today) and before the DW would sit on the pond that formed on the metal bench, I was given the look.....you know the look that said you must turn around get me a poncho so I don't have to soak my backside. I headed against the current (pun intended) and grabbed one poncho (they were $8 for a thin piece of plastic) and two churros (yummy!!) and returned to take my seat in the small river that had formed. The DW appreciated the gesture of the poncho and churro, but she stil managed to soak her pants.....suprise!!

After about 20 minutes of being warned that the show could get canceled, the lights dimmed, the rain picked up the pace and the show started. We tried to forget the fact that we were now ruining a second set of clothes, and enjoyed this amazing show. We are huge fans of the Disneyland version of this show and still think it's better (don't like the Pochohantas add on), but still a great show and we will return this week to watch it in a bit drier conditions. Of course, the moment we walked out of the theater the rain stopped.

Now it was time for extra magic hours and we decided to hit Muppet Vision first as we love the muppets and are also fans of Beaker. Meep Meep!! The pre show and show were great as usual and we had to buy beaker shirts just after. Can you believe $27 for a t-shirt?? Highway robbery!!

We decided to try and hit the tri fecta (I think that's how you spell that) and do Toy Story, Rock N Roller, and Tower of Terror. We got all three in, Tower has such a nice view at night, with mininmal wait and got in one last Toy Story Mania ride just as the park closed.

We dragged our very damp and tired bodies out of the park and actually felt magic in our bellies as we walked out of the park, love the atmosphere of a Disney park at night. Back to AKV to say goodnight to our Animal friends and get some shut eye.

Well, we are now late for our date with the Animal Kingdom, so more to come later.....stay tuned!!

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

I wanted to add my 2 cents about toy story mania-what a great ride!!!! The details are phenomenal! I love looking at all the old games....it reminds me of being a kid in the 80's ; )

Also-I have a bit of a competitive side abd I can never beat DH at Buzz Lightyear but I've beat him everytime at Toy Story Mania!!!!


Off to get ready for AK!!

Love TSM!!!!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I love reading your TR! It is reminding me to bring my poncho next week! I have one night at AKV and can't wait to see the animals for myself!

Bobbi

 

[AZDisneyDan]

Good evening fellow DVCers, we are back for a short break after a wonderful day touring the world of animals at AK. It was another pop tart and in room coffee morning as we wanted to get over to the park as close to opening as possible. We knew we would never make extra magic hours, but did not want to get there too late. We approached the turnstiles just a few minutes after 9AM, and with the excitement only felt while entering a Disney park in the morning we made our way to Expedition Everest to get FP's. Since the wait was just 10 minutes we hopped in line and enjoyed probably the best themed line ever at a Disney park. There is so much detail that the line often moves too fast to be able to take it all in. We enjoyed our first encounter with the Yeti, although he was in "B" mode. What is the deal? I heard he had been in this mode for quite some time and wonder if they have plans to refurb the ride and get him working again.

After, escaping the Himalayas with our lives we journeyed over to Kilimanjaro Safaris where we had a pretty short wait and funny and entertaining guide. We saw a good number of animals, although everytime we ride this attraction the lions are sleeping and you can never see them. After a quick snack on some cheesy pretzels (suprisingly good), we toured the Pangani Forest trail. We enjoyed observing the animals, but almost just as interesting is observing other people, especially the ones with kids. I leave it at that.

After our forest experience we realized it was just 15 minutes before the nest showing of the Festival of the Lion King. We got in just in time for the show and this was our second time checking this one out. It was way better than I remember it as the music and performers really make this show. They have an unbelievable energy and combined with the music and costumes, it really immerses you in the show and does not let go until it's over.

We finished our time with the circle of life and had just enough time to grab a FP for Dinosaur and get over to Yak and Yeti for our lunch reservation. We were seated pretty quick upstairs and had a very nice server. I ordered the shrimp and steak and the DW had the BBQ ribs, we also shared an order of egg rolls. We ordered way too much food, but it was all very tasty. The ribs, rice and steak were a bit dry for our liking, but the flavors were good. I would recommend this place, although I hear it is hit or miss and I can see why that would be the case. I think we both hit on this occasion.

We rolled ourselved out of the Yak and Yeti and were going to try and catch Nemo, but found out that you can not just show up 15 minutes before the show and expect to get in. The crowds for the day were pretty healthy and it was busier than we expected. We made an audible at the line and decided to check out It's Tough to be a Bug, which allows you to get close to the Tree of Life and you really appreciate the detail to which they went in carving all those animals into the trunk. The show was fun and we can see why a lot of children walk out of that show very scared as it can get pretty intense. A lot fun though!!

After getting gased by the bugs we went to use our FP for Dinosaur and really enjoy this under appreciated ride. I think the Indiana Jones Ride at Disneyland, which uses the same vehicles and track layout, is better, but they did a great job with the special effects. Once we returned the Iguanadon from the past, we went for a second ride on Everest and had another fun trip and were able to keep the lunch down!!

Just around the corner from Everst is the Maharajah Jungle Trek, where we had some chance encounters with some sleeping tigers and bats. Once we emerged from the jungle, it was time to get a spot for the parade. We found a place on the bridge from Africa to Discovery Island and with some time to kill got ice cream (Mickey Bar for the DW and a ice cream sandwich for me) and a popcorn (a parade staple for us). The Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade was very fun, albeit a bit short, and the music is only on the various floats. I would say it is probably the least impresive Disney parade, but we still had fun interacting with the cast in the parade and the DW had a magical moments when Pluto came up and gave her a kiss.

Once the parade passed us, we worked through the crowd to Asia where we decided to get catch the last show of Finding Nemo the Musical. This show is simply amazing. It is a broadway caliber show in a theme park. The could take this show, make it 3 hours longer, and plot it on broadway and it would be great. The music is good, the actors a greatl, and the sets are just mind blowing. You just get sucked into the performance and cannot look away for a second. It makes you beg for more at the end. Bravo to Disney for taking a chance on this concept as we think they hit it out of the park.

After we found nemo, we found our car and made the short trip to AKV for this short break. We are heading to the Magic Kingdom for extra magic hours tonight. It has gotten colder, so we will be bundling up and heading out. Stay tuned.....more to come.

 

[thewesterberg]

Sounds like a great trip all around.

I have to agree on the Lion King - it just consumes you!! I got to thinking about how many times a day they do that show and they make you feel like you're the only show of the day, they put that much heart into it!

Have fun at MK!

 

[joech]

We have loved reading your trip report! We will also be heading down this Christmas for our first DVC trip and reading this makes us so excited. However, it sounds kind of cold and full of rain. We didn't have any rain last year at Christmas. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[alldiz]

Loving your TR.....Living through you guys right now.
Kerri

 

[marvali]

Enjoying the TR. I had a good time doing a live report like this when we stayed at OKW last summer. It keeps you busy, but helps you remember all the little things you encountered during the day.......and really brings back memories later on as you anxiously await your next trip!

 

[marvali]

I guess I got here too late, since you were heading back to MK for the night last night. You mentioned how BTMRR was better in Paris so I wanted to suggest that you ride it at night, especially during EMH. We did this last summer and the whole family agreed it feels like a totally different ride at night in the darker conditions, and much more exciting since you can't see what is coming as well. Hopefully you got the chance to try it while you were there.

 

[AZDisneyDan]

Goooooooood Morning DISboards gang and welcome to another update from the sunny and a bit chilly Uzima Savanna as we enjoy our last morning here before we switch to SSR. Mixed feelings today as we are very sad about leaving our wonderful home resort and love the time spent watching the animals roam around the savanna, however getting to experience a new resort fills us with anticipation of new things.

Last night after I hit the post button on my report, we flew out the door and headed over to the Magic Kingdom to partake in evening extra magic hours. Once we arrived, parked the car, walked to the TTC, and took the express monorail to the entrance a good 30 minutes had gone by. What a schlep. Once on Main St. at night, we got really excited as this is one of our favorite times on any Main Street with all the lights and music, etc. We worked our way around town square and turned up main street when we got our first look of the castle with the christmas lights all over and were immediately taken aback. It was a beautiful sight, almost didn't look real!! The lights all over the castle came from Paris, where they started doing this a few years back and it looks just as good here. Very nice touch. It was about 15 minutes before Wishes so we worked our way up to the end of main street and grabbed a spot in the middle of the street. The fireworks were just amazing....love the music and timed pyro that goes off all around. It's not as good as Remember Dreams Come True at Disneyland, but still a top notch show.

After good overcame evil in Wishes, we decided it was time for some dinner, but it was extra magic hours and we were not sure what was open. We decided to see if Pinocchio's was open, but due to the crowds we had to head into Tomorrowland and work our way around. We were shocked at how many people were heading further into the park as it was extra magic hours, but anyone can stay in the park and it looked like most people were hanging out. Very frustrating!! We finally got to Pinocchio's to find out it was closed so we continued on to Columbia Harbor House and got in the door and a CM told us they were closed too and that Cosmic Ray's was the only place open. We later found out that Peco's Bills was open, but we then back tracked to Cosmic Ray's where just one bay was open and the lines were HUGE!! We waited in a 25 minute line at 9:30PM to get a couple of Cheeseburgers and the only thing that improved our mood at this point was the consistent performance of Sunny Eclipse. How does he do that?

Once we felt fueled up we decided to try and hit some rides for the final 2 hours of extra magic hours and could not beleive how many people were in the park as we walked around Fantasyland trying to ride something. Winnie the Pooh had like a 25-30 minute wait and were giving out FP's. Don't even ask what the Peter Pan wait was!! We got in line for Small World, yes you heard me correct, we got in LINE for Small World where we waited about 10 minutes and all boats were full. This is not what we expected or experienced in the past with regards to the crowds during extra magic hours. There seemd to be way too many people there than should be with only resort guests allowed. They really need to re-visit both how they handle extra magic hours and what food locations they keep open.

After Small World, we took the short walk to Haunted Mansion and waited longer for this ride than we had a couple days earlier during the day, on a Saturday, on Thanksgiving weekend. Explain?

HM did a very good job of recovering our mood because this is such a great ride!! We then walked over to Big Thunder and were please that we were able to just walk on this. I agree that Thunder is much better at night and we had a lot fun in our run away mine train. We decided to take our chances on a chilly evening and hop aboard Splash. We walked right on and took the back row and I am happy to report that we walked away with barely any water on us.

We had 10 minutes left of extra magic hours and practiced our jogging/fast walk skills to get over to Pirates for another encounter with Mr. Sparrow. He was happy to oblige and we were able to enjoy this great classic as our last ride of the night. Oh, and the Davey Jones effect was working!!

We then took the long journey out of the park, onto a packed monorail (way too many people for the end of an extra magic hour night), found our car for the pretty quick ride back home. We said our goodnights to the cattle and passed right out!!

After our alarm reminded us we were still in the magical world of Disney, we threw on some clothes and made our way to Boma for breakfast. Thanks for the suggestion. We loved this breakfast as it had some interesting new items (curry chicken, some kind of biscuit and yummy sauce thing, and some other unidentifiable items) and also some great classics (great french toast, bannana bread, and bacon). We also had the very yummy jungle juice (a kind of mango/fruit mix) and coffee.

Now we are back in the room and packing up our stuff to make the short trip over to Saratoga Springs where we have reserved a 1 bedrooom, so we will get to experience a new resort and room type (we are in a studio here at AKV). Stay tuned for another update as we make the transition.

P.S. A comment on the weather....it only rained the one day, but it was torrential, so most of the time it has been sunny and nice.....we had warm temps the fist few days then it has cooled off a bit and will be real cold tonight (39) which is good for the Christmas Party (we have tickets), but should warm up the rest of the week (70's).

P.S.S Thank you again for all the kind comments as it keeps me going with this report and I welcome all feedback.

 

[dupont2406]

Great job

 

[Perdie]

Just adding my 2 cents...

We're getting ready to leave for SSR and a really funny incident happened this morning....
We came back from Boma and it looked like we were getting maid service-as we saw the cart outside our door. We then saw in our key slot a little card saying "Your room is being serviced" We thought this was odd since we were checking out today.....

We walked in and Mousekeeping was cleaning the bathroom and had already made the bed and displayed our Plush Goofy's on the bed-it was like being on a cruise!

We asked the Maid why she was cleaning our room because we were checking out and she looked at us in disbelief and said "No!" After 3 or 4 times repeating-you're leaving today? (even in spanish-Hoy??!) She really didn't believe us-we were like-we'd love to stay-believe us! She finally pulled out a print out and showed it to us and the room she was supposed to be cleaning was 5363 (we're 5383)...She had to look 2-3 times at it and then she started laughing and saying "Ah-Grand Villa!!" (She was supposed to be cleaning the grand villa)

We all had a good laugh and took a picture of our nicely made bed with all our Goofy's on it!

We're off to SSR-can't wait to check it out-we're praying for a view of DTD! But I will miss our animals hanging outside our window!!



I can't wait for the Xmas party tonight too!!

-The DW

 

[manntra]

So glad you enjoyed the juice at Boma. I'm not really an egg person (but as far as I am concerned, anything goes for me at Disney ) and the scrambled eggs there are amazing, I am sure it has nothing to do with the buttery flavor!
So sorry about the rain...I was there in August at the tail end of Fay and we had a few days of very heavy rain.
I have to agree about the EMH too...especially at MK like you said, in late August it was sooooo crowded.
Very interested to hear your thoughts on SSR...I will be staying there (also a 1br) for the first time in January.

 

[theostwalts]

Great reports!!!! Looking forward to hearing about SSR!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

Great reports!! For EMH, have they stopped doing the wristbands, yet? Did you have to show your resort id at the rides, yet?

We are at SSR on Sunday...whoo hoo!!

 

[AZDisneyDan]

Good morning from Congress Park at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort (SSR). Yesterday, after gather all our personal belongings, grabbing small children by the hand, and watching our head and step, we said goodbye to the animals of the Uzima Savanna (there weren't really any out at the time) and left our home resort (AKV).

We made the pretty short drive over to SSR and were welcomed home by security at the gate and then made our way to the carriage house for check-in. Once inside the very nice lobby with a real cute Christmas tree, we stood in a short, but slow moving line to check-in. We requested a Downtown Disney view in the Congress Park section of the resort, and the very quiet and strange front desk CM told us that we had a room in Congress Park, but not with a Downtown Disney view. She said she would as the guy who was standing in the middle of the counter hover over a small lap top with his head down to see what he could do. She came back and just stood there and said nothing and we just sort of looked at each other and stood there in a very uncomfortable moment. Then she walked away again and had a quick conversation with the powerful man at the lap top and we then told that our room was ready, but she didn't tell us if we got a room with a view or not.

We drove over to Congress Park and found our room and walked in and the first thing we noticed was a kind of mildew type smell. The room was very big as we were now in a 1 bedroom, however you could tell that this room was a lot more worn than what we just came from. The carpet and furniture was not in bad shape at all, just a little worn. You felt like you stepped into someone's apartment, that's the best way I can describe it. We went over to check out our view and we did get a DTD view, however we are set back a bit and there are a number of trees in front of our porch, so it is very much an obstructed view. Oh well, it's still nice as we are facing from Bongo's down to La Nuba.

We quickly unpacked and settled into our new room for the next 6 nights and realized we were hungry and needed some food. We decided to walk over to the Carriage house and check out Artist's Palette, which is SSR quick service location. On the way we stopped in at the preview center and asked about models for the new Bay Lake Tower units. One of the very friendly DVC CM's walked us over and let us check out a studio and one bedroom, which we really liked. The lay out and size were good and I think this is going to be a very popular place for DVCers. I think we might be in trouble as we have discussed an add on possibility and we there is no voice of reason between us!!

Once at Artist's Palette we immediately notice the very nice decor and new and fresh menu compared with most other Disney quick service locations. They had salads, soups, sandwiches and flat bread pizzas. We each selected a flat bread pizza and I tried the chili. The food and service was very good and I highly recommend this place to other staying at SSR. It was a relief to go to a quick service location without such a huge mob, it felt nice and relaxed there. We walked back to our room, taking in the beautiful grounds of this huge resort. Once back in the room we noticed that even know we lowered the temp in the room, it was still very warm. We called down to housekeeping and made several observations known to them: the temp control not responding, the fact that the windows would not open in the bedroom, and the strange smell. They sent housekeeping who could not open the window and we also showed her that in the master closet there were extra pillows and blankets up there but they were not folded rather just kind of thrown up there and we worried they were not clean. She ensured us they were and then proceeded to fold them, which we kind of all laughed over as we insisted that was not necessary we just wanted to be sure they were clean. We decided after that to just forget about commenting on the mildew smell. Also, maintenance arrived to fix a sensor on the thermostat.

After taking care of the issue in our room we decided to check out the walk to DTD, which was a pretty easy 10 minutes. We really were craving a visit to Goofy's Candy Company where I ordered a rice krispy treat with white chocolate and oreo cookie crumbs and the DW got marshmallow with reese's peanut butter and white chocolate. We also grabbed a couple cookies and got out of there before we bought one of everything. That place it very good for those with any kind of sweet tooth. Yummy!! We made a quick trip over to the World of Disney to pick up a goofy holiday hat for me and a Tinker Bell sweatshirt for the DW.

We walked back to the room and grabbed our jackets as it was forecasted to be a cold night (39) for the Christmas party. We drove over to MK and were in the park about an hour and half before park close and the start of the party. We decided to eat dinner before the party so we would not have to worry about like the night before during EMH and we went for another famous Casey's Corner hot dog. After we gobbled down our yummy hot dog and fries we jumped over next to the partners statue in the hub to watch the short but sweet castle show were Cinderella helps to light up the castle. It was very nice again to see that amazing light display on the castle and let's just say the DW and I had much love!!

We entered tomorrow land at about 6:45 and the first showing of Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas was set for 7, however when we got there we were told that the first show was full!! We could not believe the crowd level as everyone said go the Christmas party during the first week of December and early in the week because the crowds would be less. This was very much not the case. The crowd felt like a regular busy day at the Magic Kingdom. There was hardly any space anywhere in the park with elbow room and you kept running into people and we were surprised and disappointed. We felt like no better way to cheer us up than a ride on the TTA, but it was broken down, so we walked over to Space and guess what?? Broken Down. Buzz was also broken down and so it appeared tomorrowland was just down and out to start the party!! We waited a few minutes over by the TTA and within about 10 minutes they opened up again and we got a chance to take in tomorrowland at night.

While on the TTA we noticed people already lining up for the next showing of Twas the Night Before Christmas, so after our ride we joined the group waiting where there was still 40 minutes before show time. Waiting seems to be the theme of this party. We enjoyed our time people watching and ease dropping on other people's conversations until show time. The show was very fun, though kind of cheesy in spots, but we loved Santa Goofy. They could have made the show a little longer, but it was still festive enough. After Mickey wished us happy holidays, it was getting very cold and we thought we should get our free ($50) hot chocolate and cookies and the closer place was the Tomorrowland Terrace where there was a long and slow line for free stuff!! The CM's were so slow and I have no idea what took soooo long to hand people free hot chocolate that was already made a cookies that were sitting right there. Crazy.

We took a moment to enjoy our refreshments and then figured we would check out the special party merchandise so we walked over to Mickey's Star Trader where we were surprised at how little was available. It was all on one stand and it was very uninspiring. At this point there was only about 20 minutes until Holiday Wishes and based on the crowds we figured we better get over to Main Street. We grabbed a spot by the tip board at the top Main Street and waited for the fantastic firework show that is Holiday Wishes. They really take it up a notch with this show and the display is really awesome. There might have been a little bit of that crazy wetness in one of my eyes again during that show. We joined the masses in leaving the hub and decided to head over to Liberty Square to position ourselves for the parade. We decided to take a ride on Haunted Mansion and the line was very healthy (post firework crowd), but moved fast and we loved another look at this amazing ride. We stood right in the middle of the stretch room and you can really hear the surround sound from there, very cool.

After the HM, we noticed the crowd for the parade was building so we walked into Frontierland and found a spot toward the beginning of the parade route. The parade was great......it was long and there were great floats and characters and it was just such a fun and festive time. And, there is nothing better than the toy soldiers.....bar none!!!

Once Santa passed us by, we entered Fantasyland and rode Snow White (better than Paris) and Winnie the Pooh (better than Disneyland). All of a sudden the crowds were right about what they should have been all night, but it was the last 45 minutes. We walked onto Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year (the worst of three versions of this ride), and then got one final ride on the TTA, before it was time to make that long stroll down main street and toward the exits. We stopped in the Emporium to kill some time as the crowds left, but then I started getting attacked by the tired bug. We took the resort monorail (less crowded) and then a sleepy ride home, where we collapsed on our huge king size bed.

I just had my rice krispy treat for breakfast (yummy) (only at Disney) and we are getting ready for a warmer day (about 70) and a return to Epcot where we have lunch reservations at Le Cellier (my favorite). So, as usual.....stay tuned.....more to come!!

 

[AZDisneyDan]

Great reports!! For EMH, have they stopped doing the wristbands, yet? Did you have to show your resort id at the rides, yet?

We are at SSR on Sunday...whoo hoo!!

Yes, they have stopped the wristband and you are supposed to show your resort ID, but many CM's don't even care....so it's kinda of frustrating because you know that there are people taking part that should not be.

 

[manntra]

I think the rice krispy treat for breakfast is perfectly acceptable, it is after all, a breakfast cereal!

 

[Perdie]

So I wanted to comment on the Xmas party last night...
We had a great time....BUT we couldn't help but notice a couple of things that really bothered us....

I hate to be negative but because the party is so expensive to go to, I really think they need to enforce the rule of kicking people out that did not pay.

They do not make it difficult for a person who did not pay, to stay in the parks for the whole party.

We were asked to see our wristbands exactly one time...before we went into the theatre to see Twas the night before Xmas. That was around 7.30.

As we entered the Noddle station to get out hot chocolate and cookies, we noticed CMs guiding people in and out of the line but no one was checking wristbands-this was at about 8.30. So i asked the CM and she said "We got the all clear from the managers at about 7.45 that everyone was out who should be." I found this suspect and asked-How do they make sure of that?
She said, Managers go around looking at guests. Well, that's just ridiculous, in my opinion. If she was telling me the truth, there is NO way Managers could see every guest to determine if they should be there. (Fir example, my wristband was under my jacket-unseen-unless I showed it to you). So by 7.45 you no longer had to prove you paid to be there!

DH used to work at Disney and he worked the Xmas parties and he thought the CM was giving a line...he said during his time they would literally close the park for 2 hours and clear it before letting people back in. He figured that was too much work and loss of time where people could be buying food and souvenirs so they no longer do that.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but at the very least, check wristbands all night when anyone tries to get hot chocolate or ride a ride! There isn't much you can do about watching the fireworks or the parade...I mean, even during EMH they check your room key every single time you try to ride a ride-and that's a FREE benefit. The Xmas party we paid extra for!!!!

I suppose when we went during Pirates and Princess it didn't occur to me because the crowds weren't all that big-and I can't remember if they checked wristbands. But last night was so crowded I guarantee there were people in there who did not pay-and I just don't think that's fair.


Besides that, we did have a magical night and I tried not to let that aspect ruin my fun!!!!

I really enjoyed all aspects of the party-and only wish it could have been longer as I don't feel I got to experience everything!!

We're off to Epcot now.....

Thanks for reading

 

[wulfekamp]

more more please