Retro Magic
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2012
- Messages
- 407
Just returned late last night from 12 Days during a split stay between Animal Kingdom Lodge & Yacht & Beach Club. Three adults. This was our first time venturing through DVC by renting points through the DVC Rental Store. After close to a year of careful planning this belated 30th birthday trip, it’s hard to believe that this vacation has already come to a close. As if it was a dream I just woke up from. Here are some notes from our trip and some updates maybe some will find useful!
Firstly, I just want to get this out of the way first so this does not drag on throughout. YES, the "magic" is still alive & strong throughout Walt Disney World. I assure you it is. However, all it takes are some unfortunate Cast Members to ruin that magic. I love interacting, speaking with and pin trading with them. From mousekeeping to restaurant servers to ride operators. Disney REALLY needs to smarten up and choose their cast members more wisely. Especially when it comes to the younger generations coming in. You can be having the most perfect day and all it takes is one rude cast member to ruin that. Never have I encountered so many with an extreme lack knowledge, constant answers of "no", lack of interest in their jobs, miserable faces & overall just uncaring in regards to their surroundings. Even over at the Polynesian Village late the other evening, both the manager at Trader Sam's official opening night(she) & Guest Services(he) were unbelievable rude with horrible attitudes that seemed to know absolute nothing about the property to which they worked, not the mention the entire WDW property. I was so disgusted and I will admit, sad. Entire evening was ruined. I know these attitudes may not affect others, but it definitely affected me and I am sure others as well, from incidents I noticed with other guests during my stay.
Unlike once upon a time in yesteryear, there seems to be 3-4 unruly CMs to every good one. This is not good. A number of younger cast members are great as well do not get me wrong. Sadly this was not the trend. I can say all the Cast Members in the 45+ age bracket I encountered were all amazing!
So with all of that said, I hope going forward many employees start taking their jobs more seriously & learn about the property & company they work for. Know how to treat your guests. The little details, a smile, knowledge & un-robotically showing that you care can make the difference in someone’s hard earned dream vacation. NOW, back to some personal notes, details & updates from around property during our stay…..
Weather
A couple of Rainy days, but never all-day rains. Typical unpredictable Florida weather. Overall, thought we had fantastic weather.
Resorts
Cabana Bay Universal 1-Night
We stayed one night here as our flight got in around 8pm and thought we would try a Universal resort. Very nice retro themed resort which I liked. Very nice, clean spacious 60’s style rooms. Great reliable transportation. Again, it was only for a night.
Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Studio 4-nights
Our first venture into the DVC.
Biggest noticeable change for us was no daily mousekeeping. We enjoyed this very much. Never had to worry about anyone entering the room, felt the homiest.
AKL I know is not for everyone. For someone like me, it’s incredible. I love wildlife and nature and the whole cozy feel of the resort. From start to finish our 4-nights were amazing!!! In the future though. whether it be a DVC rental or standard booking, I will say that I MUCH prefer Jambo House. Was not fond of the location and ground/common areas of Kidani in comparison to Jambo house. Otherwise, fantastic staff!!! Stunning views of Giraffes & Zebra’s right outside our window!!! Great lush pool and splash areas!!! Gorgeous lush & culturally immersive grounds!!! Comfortable & beautiful studio room!!! Most memorable moment of our stay here was sitting outside our balcony watching a small group of Zebra chasing and running throughout the Savananah one late afternoon.
Yacht & Beach Club - Beach Club Studio 6-nights
I wish our transition here was as amazing as our AKL stay. This stay at Y&B has been over 20yrs in the making. The first two days of our stay were wasted. On & off unable to settle in and unpack. The DVC rooms should have been refurbished years ago. The standard rooms are currently being done and looking amazing. However, when you stay at a resort of this calibre on property, you go in with higher expectations. Well, this did not happen on check-in. Firstly the room(s). It took 4...possibly even FIVE room transfers actually until we finally got a decent room. That decent room did not come until the day AFTER we checked in. From a dirty corner room with a no privacy balcony facing a another bedroom window of another room. To another room that was road facing heavily musty- damp & smoke drenched, YES…SMOKE to a dirty accessible room, it was the worst check-in procedure I have ever experienced. They then supposedly ran out of rooms. So we were forced to stay in the smoky musty damp studio room. We had to leave the room for a few hours while our luggage was stored with bell services. They used a machine to get ride of the smoke & mustiness best they could. That’s all well and good. So what happens when we return in the evening? The guy who came in with the machine left the balcony door OPEN all evening. Mosquitos, moths and other tiny bugs engulfed the room. The ceilings, the curtains, the light fixtures. You name it. Mousekeeping had to come in and start swatting with us with their towels lol. We gave up, there were just too many. Nothing else could be done and at this point we had just had enough of this day so we dealt with it. The following day at around 3pm FINALLY we get moved to a new room on the ground floor. This room was decent, but fantastic in comparison to what we were forced to deal with. After two days of being up in the air, we could finally unpack and get settled. The only issue this time, while our luggage was brought to us, they could not find where they had stored our groceries???? After 2hrs, they finally found them after management involvement and at last groceries were delivered.
Extremely frustrating but in the end they did compensate us and in addition, paid for our dinner that night. As mentioned above, some staff were extremely unhelpful but those that were, SHINED! Stormalong Bay was awesome, still a great pool. Amazing water slide. Gorgeous grounds and views. Beautiful looking and smelling lobby. The DVC wing seating area was so beautiful and nicely themed. Decent gift shop/counter service. In the end I now wish I had not chosen Beach Club and probably will not return in the future. I should have gone with Grand Floridian. But the pool alone at least was great and it was so awesome to be able to so quickly walk to Epcot and the Studios. Plus of course Boardwalk.
Another thing I want to add, in regards to the construction going on around the resort, the construction workers. While the ones we directly came in to contact with were nice guys, some of these workers seemed to act like nothing else was coexisting around them. They would swear, spit and toss their cigarettes and garbage right outside the rooms when they were walking by. Disney should enforce their behaviour a little more strongly. Not a great image.
I hope a lot of care and attention is put into the ongoing renovations at Beach club because it is desperately needed. Including the common hallway areas of the room. It was an embarrassment to the resort to see how bad some areas gotten. From what little I have seen, it looks like it will look incredible when complete!
Grand Floridian
Looked stunning when we visited. Walking through that lobby is such a wonderfully inviting feeling. It's the same feelings and smells now as the year it opened. PLUS, just having a moment with Richard greeting us is worth a visit to GF in itself
Contemporary
Continues to be a landmark resort to visit and take a monorail ride through. Everything looked great inside. The pool areas and landscaping could use some updating. Would highly benefit from being a little less concrete jungle. Outside is looking quite dated to me.
Port Orleans
Continues to be, in my opinion, one of the best resorts on property. Always beautiful. Always looking good. Very inviting and I love how it's like a little village. Great for walks around the unique grounds. Riverside still has what I think is one of the absolute best gift shops on property. The water cruises wonderful, especially with the current state of Downtown.
Boardwalk
Everything seemed to close so early in regards to entertainment. Every time we would walk over everything would pretty much be ending or nothing at all. The property looks great though.
Monorail
Some trains still look pretty good. However many are showing much neglect. I hope all trains get some major attention soon. If not all brand new trains....how wonderful that would be! I continue to get excited every time I hear please stand clear of the doors...!
Magic Bands/FP+
Honestly, I do not understand the complaints. I LOVED the bands. I loved FP+. It was like being on a cruise ship and never having to carry anything with you. I will probably continue to wear my magic band daily…I have come accustomed to it now
Maybe without a smart phone it would be a pain, but FP+ with the MDE app worked like a charm and we loved being able to book, alter and change fast passes at will. My only real complaint as of now, not being able to book the 4th fast pass through your device as well as FP not being park hopper friendly. Otherwise, perfect for us!
Parks (9-day Hopper+)
Overall the parks were never overly crowded. Even on more crowded days, it was not too bad. Overall I would say we never waited more than 25min max for any attraction our entire stay. Adding the park hopper made it so we could go in and out of parks as little or as much as we pleased. All parks looked spotless and very clean, including the washrooms(though I only did ever see the mens). Also I’d like to note, for someone like me who is obsessed with water features, I feel like there are more now than ever!!! All of them around the parks and resorts appeared to be working and looking incredible.
Animal Kingdom
My absolute favorite. I spent many solo visits here throughout my stay. I can’t get enough of this park. I was quite surprised at how little you could notice the construction in the park. It did not interfere whatsoever with my enjoyment. Aside from a few hoarding walls, it was just as lush as ever. Many mornings I would go and just relax by the Yak & Yeti seating area at one of my favorite water features or just walk the trails. It was as if I was the only person in the entire park. The new Tree of Life viewing area is stunning! Very nice. Seeing DiVine still roaming around the park was nice to see. She’s still got IT! Many morning I would travel to AK solely to visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch to view the morning surgeries and procedures. I highly recommend this to anyone who has never attended. It’s completely free and extremely informative. I am so anxious to get back there for Avatar’s Pandora and the completion of the new habitats.
Attraction Notes
-Everest looked great. All waterfalls and water features seemed to be running. Yeti is well, Yeti. I did not notice the hawk, but I may have just missed him.
-Kali River Rapids needs some sparks. It’s still fun with a little more put into it, this attraction can really come to life a little more throughout the logging area.
-Tough to be a Bug needs a new or updated HD transfer desperately.
Magic Kingdom
LOVED the new hub. Rather, whats been completed of it. It was too bad I was unable to see Walt & Mickey as they were once again boxed up. The new fountains and "grassy" area adds a beautiful touch. Will be exciting to see the fully completed result.
Attraction Notes
-The new queue for Peter Pan is awesome!!!! I felt like that was a little attraction in itself.
-Castle light show was awesomeness!!!
-Pirates of the Caribbean was actually looking pretty good to me. With all the horrible things I have heard about the condition, I was expecting FAR worse. Boats were fine to me. A little more forceful maybe, but fine. The fog waterfall affect did not works our first day but every day after that it worked with Blackbeard. Still bothers me to not see Davy Jones. The only noticeable thing that was not working….which is something probably never even noticed by most when it was working, were the mermaid lights. Maybe a cannon splash or two as well. Otherwise, all appeared well and good to me.
-Splash Mountain looked better than ever.
-Philharmagic I still love, but it would benefit from an updated or new HD upgrade. Not the best transfer
-Anna & Elsa were amazing. So engaging and not a wasted fast pass at all!!!
-Mine Train is one of my new favorite attractions. I expected worse from the reviews. I loved it so much and am so happy I was able to ride it twice. So smooth too. So. Much. Fun.
-Little Mermaid could be better yes, but it looked loads better. It’s a cute ride.
-Tangled area was very nice. This opened the day after I left on my last visit. Great little relaxation spot, loved the water and it was fun looking for the Pascal’s friends!
-Haunted Mansion’s stretching rooms needs some tlc on the wallpaper which is bubbling in some areas. Otherwise, all looked perfect!
-The Pirates Adventure was a blast to play. Loved all the interactive elements. They did a really cool job on this.
Hollywood Studios
Not much to really say, is there? Our least visited park. It was like a busy abandoned area. Not sure what else to say. Great to see the hat gone. Still highly enjoy walking around the park. The Citizens of Hollywood continue to be a highlight of every visit. It will be exciting when this park gets a nice facelift and name change. Too much of the studios is being left to rot into obscurity.
Attraction Notes
-The new merchandise for ToT is a welcome addition. I can’t get enough of it and the attraction. Forever a favorite.
-The raining umbrella appears to be permanently out of water
-Great Movie Ride so desperately needs some updates already. Even if Turner’s involvement adds a new montage or a replaced scene or two? I don’t know. They probably won’t change the driver dialogue anytime soon.
Epcot
The Flower & Garden Festival was blooming beautiful as ever. They did a beautiful job. Was deintiely the highlight of Epcot. Like HS, Epcot needs more. The festivals help. But during the downtime when there are not any, Epcot is not offering much more than restaurants and shopping. Loved walking here just a few steps away from Y&B. If it was not for F&G, we probably would not have really visited Epcot aside from just dining.
Attraction Notes
-Soarin' still smells great, but I sure am looking forward to the new video and transfer that is highly needed. The screen seemed to have some damage to it as well.
-I really missed Maelstrom. Since Frozen is coming, they are better off just ditching Norway all together and just renaming it the Arendelle Pavilion.
-Grand Fiesta has what looked to be some screens no longer operational. There was sound & a screen but nothing to see when Donald was speaking.
Typhoon Lagoon
Continues to be the absolute best water park in existence to me. Can stay in the wave pool & lazy river all day. I wish the Lagoona Gator did meet & greets still. Shark Reef was quite busy and looks to still be quite popular. I only did see I think 1 small shark in there though. I do not see why they would take this away. The viewing area under the water needs replacing of the windows as we could barely see out of them they were so cloudy.
Blizzard Beach
Not even close to Typhoon Lagoon. Yet, the theming is still fantastic and extremely coooool and I continue to gravitate to the melting snowperson family. They should really add more Olaf to this park. Only makes sense to me. Wish the Ice Gator did meet & greets still too.
Downtown Disney
Work and more work, chaos and construction galore. We did not spend much of any time there during our stay. Too much of a headache. Anything we wanted we could get at either the resorts, parks and of course Mouse Gears has more or less everything. While the work is coming along and looking incredible, especially when finished, it was far too overwhelming to enjoy for me.
Disney Quest
We had the water park, fun & more option so we thought why not try it out. After 20minutes we had to leave. Terrible. For little kids I think it would be great. Anyone over the age of 8 or anyone who owns a new or last generation gaming console I would not imagine enjoying themselves to much in here. Maybe yes, but for us this was not working.
Dining
Dining is definitely always a highlight on property. Here is just a taste of where we dined…
Boma
-Not as great as past visits, but still very good. Soups are usually mouth watering, but not so much this time. Still loved the Jungle Juice!
Sanaa(first time)
-Loved the atmosphere. I highly recommend this place. Ate appetizers only. Banana cheesecake was awesome! Nan bread w dips was also very delicious.
Rainforest Café Lava Lounge
-Good food. Nice to sit by the water.
Ohana
-Best. Experience. Ever! The food was better here more than any time I have ever dined previously. Was so so good. Everything came out hot and fresh. We were not rushed and service was excellent.
Via Napoli(first time)
-Food was excellent.
-Service was HORRIBLE. Actually, I’d go as far as saying the WORST service I have ever had dining. The server was too busy flirting with the young girls at the table in front of us to pay attention to anything we needed. waters were never filled once. Never saw him except for the end of the meal to bring the bill…..which we had to ask another server passing by for. To make it even worse, upon checking our room bill upon returning to our room, our server FORGED our bill to increase his tip. Unbelievable. Guest Services at our resort were furious he did this and kept the original copy of our bills. As good as the food was, I am apprehensive to return due to the horrible service from basically everyone we encountered in the restaurant.
Sci-fi
-A #1 favorite of mine. Great burger. Special smores milkshake was SO good!
Beaches & Cream
-Delicious grilled cheese & tomato soup
-Frozen Sunshine was YUMMY!!!
Garden Grill(first time)
-Loved the revolving atmosphere.
-Great service
-AMAZING character interaction
-Food was only ok. Nothing special and probably not returning for it any time in the near future.
50's Prime Time
-It’s indeed retro and I love it!
-Excellent service
-Fried Chicken was delicious and a generous portion.
Sasagoula Floatworks
-Beignets!!!!
The Wave
-Very tasty food and really enjoyed my experience.
Starring Rolls Café
-Cupcakes!!!!
Be Our Guest
-Seated close to the snow falling windows. Loved it! Only had appetizers though. French Onion soup was very very good. Grey stuff was kinda hard and stale. Maybe because we were the last seating? The grey part was light and tasty though.
Mara
-Half the place was closed off due to construction. Flat bread was ok. The rest of the food we ordered was very cold so they refunded us.
Cinderella’s Royal Table(first time)
-Very nice breakfast! Brought us swords & a wand and shining stars. Princesses were great. Jasmine was the standout.
Pineapple Promenade(first time)
-Violet Lemonade!!! Wow!!!
San Angel Inn
-Appetizers only. Great guacamole & nachos.
Trader Sam’s(first time)
-As mentioned at the start, manger there was very rude. Staff not very knowledgeable. That's all I will say. Atmosphere is tons of fun and they have a great drink menu and serve them in really fun glasses. I will not be returning until things improve and they work all the kinks out of still being so new. I anticipate a fantastic experience when I return!!!
Yak & Yetti(first time)
-Bok Choy was fresh tasty and the fried dessert wontons were yummy indeed!
Cheshire Café
-The White Rabbit White Chocolate Cake Cup was so sweet, yet soo good!!!
Boardwalk Bakery
-MORE cupcakes!!!!
Kusafiri
-Even more cupcakes!!! They ruined the elephant one. Simba was really good though! I loved to get a snack from here and go relax by the fountain at Yak & Yeti. Early in the day you can have the entire area to yourself.
Expeditions
-Ice Cream Sand Pail. That was really fun to eat!
Gaston's Tavern
-LeFou’s brew was a lot better than I remember it when they first opened. So tasty!!!
Pin Trading
I walked away from this trip with some amazing pins!!! Lots of hidden Mickey ones. I was able to trade all the pins I had. I have SO much fun doing this and through it meeting/interacting with others that enjoy it as well. TIP: go to the outlets on Vineland or International Drive. You can get pins or boxes/packages of pins for up to 80% off!!! Some you may want to keep, others are an amazing value for trading. I searched the entire property for the Wall-E & Eve Earth Day pin to no avail
Vinylmation
Still has a presence, but NOTHING like it once did. No more trading anywhere from what I saw and a huge decrease of product available. It's sad to see Vinylmation possibly fading away.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
Nothing new, but still lots of fun. I wish I had had more time to play. Was able to get a number of cards I did not have previously!
In closing
Right now if I could, I'd love to leave again next week for a stay at Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom or Port Orleans.
I was so sad & depressed throughout the day yesterday, trying to get in every last bit of fun before we had to leave for the airport. Even in 12 days I was not able to do or see everything I wanted. It's never enough I guess. We had to leave the resort at 6:30pm, yet I still managed to squeeze in a quick steam train ride, Haunted Mansion & a Mickey Ice Cream Bar minutes before leaving! I have learned no matter what, no matter how much effort you put into planning and making the most perfect-flawless vacation, this cannot always happen. Choose a short list of things you must plan/do and the rest, let the days just take a life of their own. All in all I still had an amazing time. I continue to love Walt Disney World more and more as I get older and will always think of it as my true other home.
While it's highly possible a quick little 4-5 day getaway could pop up, the next stay will probably not be until sometime after Avatar/Pandora. For that, I am already excited and eager with my eyes set on a return to Grand Floridian &/or a first time Polynesian stay. Maybe even a return to POR or AKL. I hope some of you found this insightful and somewhat intriguing. I HIGHLY recommend renting points for DVC. It worked out great for us overall and you save so much money.
Having a place like the DIS to come to makes no longer being there during post-vacation blues, easier. Thanks for reading
Firstly, I just want to get this out of the way first so this does not drag on throughout. YES, the "magic" is still alive & strong throughout Walt Disney World. I assure you it is. However, all it takes are some unfortunate Cast Members to ruin that magic. I love interacting, speaking with and pin trading with them. From mousekeeping to restaurant servers to ride operators. Disney REALLY needs to smarten up and choose their cast members more wisely. Especially when it comes to the younger generations coming in. You can be having the most perfect day and all it takes is one rude cast member to ruin that. Never have I encountered so many with an extreme lack knowledge, constant answers of "no", lack of interest in their jobs, miserable faces & overall just uncaring in regards to their surroundings. Even over at the Polynesian Village late the other evening, both the manager at Trader Sam's official opening night(she) & Guest Services(he) were unbelievable rude with horrible attitudes that seemed to know absolute nothing about the property to which they worked, not the mention the entire WDW property. I was so disgusted and I will admit, sad. Entire evening was ruined. I know these attitudes may not affect others, but it definitely affected me and I am sure others as well, from incidents I noticed with other guests during my stay.
Unlike once upon a time in yesteryear, there seems to be 3-4 unruly CMs to every good one. This is not good. A number of younger cast members are great as well do not get me wrong. Sadly this was not the trend. I can say all the Cast Members in the 45+ age bracket I encountered were all amazing!
So with all of that said, I hope going forward many employees start taking their jobs more seriously & learn about the property & company they work for. Know how to treat your guests. The little details, a smile, knowledge & un-robotically showing that you care can make the difference in someone’s hard earned dream vacation. NOW, back to some personal notes, details & updates from around property during our stay…..
Weather
A couple of Rainy days, but never all-day rains. Typical unpredictable Florida weather. Overall, thought we had fantastic weather.
Resorts
Cabana Bay Universal 1-Night
We stayed one night here as our flight got in around 8pm and thought we would try a Universal resort. Very nice retro themed resort which I liked. Very nice, clean spacious 60’s style rooms. Great reliable transportation. Again, it was only for a night.
Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Studio 4-nights
Our first venture into the DVC.
Biggest noticeable change for us was no daily mousekeeping. We enjoyed this very much. Never had to worry about anyone entering the room, felt the homiest.
AKL I know is not for everyone. For someone like me, it’s incredible. I love wildlife and nature and the whole cozy feel of the resort. From start to finish our 4-nights were amazing!!! In the future though. whether it be a DVC rental or standard booking, I will say that I MUCH prefer Jambo House. Was not fond of the location and ground/common areas of Kidani in comparison to Jambo house. Otherwise, fantastic staff!!! Stunning views of Giraffes & Zebra’s right outside our window!!! Great lush pool and splash areas!!! Gorgeous lush & culturally immersive grounds!!! Comfortable & beautiful studio room!!! Most memorable moment of our stay here was sitting outside our balcony watching a small group of Zebra chasing and running throughout the Savananah one late afternoon.
Yacht & Beach Club - Beach Club Studio 6-nights
I wish our transition here was as amazing as our AKL stay. This stay at Y&B has been over 20yrs in the making. The first two days of our stay were wasted. On & off unable to settle in and unpack. The DVC rooms should have been refurbished years ago. The standard rooms are currently being done and looking amazing. However, when you stay at a resort of this calibre on property, you go in with higher expectations. Well, this did not happen on check-in. Firstly the room(s). It took 4...possibly even FIVE room transfers actually until we finally got a decent room. That decent room did not come until the day AFTER we checked in. From a dirty corner room with a no privacy balcony facing a another bedroom window of another room. To another room that was road facing heavily musty- damp & smoke drenched, YES…SMOKE to a dirty accessible room, it was the worst check-in procedure I have ever experienced. They then supposedly ran out of rooms. So we were forced to stay in the smoky musty damp studio room. We had to leave the room for a few hours while our luggage was stored with bell services. They used a machine to get ride of the smoke & mustiness best they could. That’s all well and good. So what happens when we return in the evening? The guy who came in with the machine left the balcony door OPEN all evening. Mosquitos, moths and other tiny bugs engulfed the room. The ceilings, the curtains, the light fixtures. You name it. Mousekeeping had to come in and start swatting with us with their towels lol. We gave up, there were just too many. Nothing else could be done and at this point we had just had enough of this day so we dealt with it. The following day at around 3pm FINALLY we get moved to a new room on the ground floor. This room was decent, but fantastic in comparison to what we were forced to deal with. After two days of being up in the air, we could finally unpack and get settled. The only issue this time, while our luggage was brought to us, they could not find where they had stored our groceries???? After 2hrs, they finally found them after management involvement and at last groceries were delivered.
Extremely frustrating but in the end they did compensate us and in addition, paid for our dinner that night. As mentioned above, some staff were extremely unhelpful but those that were, SHINED! Stormalong Bay was awesome, still a great pool. Amazing water slide. Gorgeous grounds and views. Beautiful looking and smelling lobby. The DVC wing seating area was so beautiful and nicely themed. Decent gift shop/counter service. In the end I now wish I had not chosen Beach Club and probably will not return in the future. I should have gone with Grand Floridian. But the pool alone at least was great and it was so awesome to be able to so quickly walk to Epcot and the Studios. Plus of course Boardwalk.
Another thing I want to add, in regards to the construction going on around the resort, the construction workers. While the ones we directly came in to contact with were nice guys, some of these workers seemed to act like nothing else was coexisting around them. They would swear, spit and toss their cigarettes and garbage right outside the rooms when they were walking by. Disney should enforce their behaviour a little more strongly. Not a great image.
I hope a lot of care and attention is put into the ongoing renovations at Beach club because it is desperately needed. Including the common hallway areas of the room. It was an embarrassment to the resort to see how bad some areas gotten. From what little I have seen, it looks like it will look incredible when complete!
Grand Floridian
Looked stunning when we visited. Walking through that lobby is such a wonderfully inviting feeling. It's the same feelings and smells now as the year it opened. PLUS, just having a moment with Richard greeting us is worth a visit to GF in itself
Contemporary
Continues to be a landmark resort to visit and take a monorail ride through. Everything looked great inside. The pool areas and landscaping could use some updating. Would highly benefit from being a little less concrete jungle. Outside is looking quite dated to me.
Port Orleans
Continues to be, in my opinion, one of the best resorts on property. Always beautiful. Always looking good. Very inviting and I love how it's like a little village. Great for walks around the unique grounds. Riverside still has what I think is one of the absolute best gift shops on property. The water cruises wonderful, especially with the current state of Downtown.
Boardwalk
Everything seemed to close so early in regards to entertainment. Every time we would walk over everything would pretty much be ending or nothing at all. The property looks great though.
Monorail
Some trains still look pretty good. However many are showing much neglect. I hope all trains get some major attention soon. If not all brand new trains....how wonderful that would be! I continue to get excited every time I hear please stand clear of the doors...!
Magic Bands/FP+
Honestly, I do not understand the complaints. I LOVED the bands. I loved FP+. It was like being on a cruise ship and never having to carry anything with you. I will probably continue to wear my magic band daily…I have come accustomed to it now
Maybe without a smart phone it would be a pain, but FP+ with the MDE app worked like a charm and we loved being able to book, alter and change fast passes at will. My only real complaint as of now, not being able to book the 4th fast pass through your device as well as FP not being park hopper friendly. Otherwise, perfect for us!Parks (9-day Hopper+)
Overall the parks were never overly crowded. Even on more crowded days, it was not too bad. Overall I would say we never waited more than 25min max for any attraction our entire stay. Adding the park hopper made it so we could go in and out of parks as little or as much as we pleased. All parks looked spotless and very clean, including the washrooms(though I only did ever see the mens). Also I’d like to note, for someone like me who is obsessed with water features, I feel like there are more now than ever!!! All of them around the parks and resorts appeared to be working and looking incredible.
Animal Kingdom
My absolute favorite. I spent many solo visits here throughout my stay. I can’t get enough of this park. I was quite surprised at how little you could notice the construction in the park. It did not interfere whatsoever with my enjoyment. Aside from a few hoarding walls, it was just as lush as ever. Many mornings I would go and just relax by the Yak & Yeti seating area at one of my favorite water features or just walk the trails. It was as if I was the only person in the entire park. The new Tree of Life viewing area is stunning! Very nice. Seeing DiVine still roaming around the park was nice to see. She’s still got IT! Many morning I would travel to AK solely to visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch to view the morning surgeries and procedures. I highly recommend this to anyone who has never attended. It’s completely free and extremely informative. I am so anxious to get back there for Avatar’s Pandora and the completion of the new habitats.
Attraction Notes
-Everest looked great. All waterfalls and water features seemed to be running. Yeti is well, Yeti. I did not notice the hawk, but I may have just missed him.
-Kali River Rapids needs some sparks. It’s still fun with a little more put into it, this attraction can really come to life a little more throughout the logging area.
-Tough to be a Bug needs a new or updated HD transfer desperately.
Magic Kingdom
LOVED the new hub. Rather, whats been completed of it. It was too bad I was unable to see Walt & Mickey as they were once again boxed up. The new fountains and "grassy" area adds a beautiful touch. Will be exciting to see the fully completed result.
Attraction Notes
-The new queue for Peter Pan is awesome!!!! I felt like that was a little attraction in itself.
-Castle light show was awesomeness!!!
-Pirates of the Caribbean was actually looking pretty good to me. With all the horrible things I have heard about the condition, I was expecting FAR worse. Boats were fine to me. A little more forceful maybe, but fine. The fog waterfall affect did not works our first day but every day after that it worked with Blackbeard. Still bothers me to not see Davy Jones. The only noticeable thing that was not working….which is something probably never even noticed by most when it was working, were the mermaid lights. Maybe a cannon splash or two as well. Otherwise, all appeared well and good to me.
-Splash Mountain looked better than ever.
-Philharmagic I still love, but it would benefit from an updated or new HD upgrade. Not the best transfer
-Anna & Elsa were amazing. So engaging and not a wasted fast pass at all!!!
-Mine Train is one of my new favorite attractions. I expected worse from the reviews. I loved it so much and am so happy I was able to ride it twice. So smooth too. So. Much. Fun.
-Little Mermaid could be better yes, but it looked loads better. It’s a cute ride.
-Tangled area was very nice. This opened the day after I left on my last visit. Great little relaxation spot, loved the water and it was fun looking for the Pascal’s friends!
-Haunted Mansion’s stretching rooms needs some tlc on the wallpaper which is bubbling in some areas. Otherwise, all looked perfect!
-The Pirates Adventure was a blast to play. Loved all the interactive elements. They did a really cool job on this.
Hollywood Studios
Not much to really say, is there? Our least visited park. It was like a busy abandoned area. Not sure what else to say. Great to see the hat gone. Still highly enjoy walking around the park. The Citizens of Hollywood continue to be a highlight of every visit. It will be exciting when this park gets a nice facelift and name change. Too much of the studios is being left to rot into obscurity.
Attraction Notes
-The new merchandise for ToT is a welcome addition. I can’t get enough of it and the attraction. Forever a favorite.
-The raining umbrella appears to be permanently out of water
-Great Movie Ride so desperately needs some updates already. Even if Turner’s involvement adds a new montage or a replaced scene or two? I don’t know. They probably won’t change the driver dialogue anytime soon.
Epcot
The Flower & Garden Festival was blooming beautiful as ever. They did a beautiful job. Was deintiely the highlight of Epcot. Like HS, Epcot needs more. The festivals help. But during the downtime when there are not any, Epcot is not offering much more than restaurants and shopping. Loved walking here just a few steps away from Y&B. If it was not for F&G, we probably would not have really visited Epcot aside from just dining.
Attraction Notes
-Soarin' still smells great, but I sure am looking forward to the new video and transfer that is highly needed. The screen seemed to have some damage to it as well.
-I really missed Maelstrom. Since Frozen is coming, they are better off just ditching Norway all together and just renaming it the Arendelle Pavilion.
-Grand Fiesta has what looked to be some screens no longer operational. There was sound & a screen but nothing to see when Donald was speaking.
Typhoon Lagoon
Continues to be the absolute best water park in existence to me. Can stay in the wave pool & lazy river all day. I wish the Lagoona Gator did meet & greets still. Shark Reef was quite busy and looks to still be quite popular. I only did see I think 1 small shark in there though. I do not see why they would take this away. The viewing area under the water needs replacing of the windows as we could barely see out of them they were so cloudy.
Blizzard Beach
Not even close to Typhoon Lagoon. Yet, the theming is still fantastic and extremely coooool and I continue to gravitate to the melting snowperson family. They should really add more Olaf to this park. Only makes sense to me. Wish the Ice Gator did meet & greets still too.
Downtown Disney
Work and more work, chaos and construction galore. We did not spend much of any time there during our stay. Too much of a headache. Anything we wanted we could get at either the resorts, parks and of course Mouse Gears has more or less everything. While the work is coming along and looking incredible, especially when finished, it was far too overwhelming to enjoy for me.
Disney Quest
We had the water park, fun & more option so we thought why not try it out. After 20minutes we had to leave. Terrible. For little kids I think it would be great. Anyone over the age of 8 or anyone who owns a new or last generation gaming console I would not imagine enjoying themselves to much in here. Maybe yes, but for us this was not working.
Dining
Dining is definitely always a highlight on property. Here is just a taste of where we dined…
Boma
-Not as great as past visits, but still very good. Soups are usually mouth watering, but not so much this time. Still loved the Jungle Juice!
Sanaa(first time)
-Loved the atmosphere. I highly recommend this place. Ate appetizers only. Banana cheesecake was awesome! Nan bread w dips was also very delicious.
Rainforest Café Lava Lounge
-Good food. Nice to sit by the water.
Ohana
-Best. Experience. Ever! The food was better here more than any time I have ever dined previously. Was so so good. Everything came out hot and fresh. We were not rushed and service was excellent.
Via Napoli(first time)
-Food was excellent.
-Service was HORRIBLE. Actually, I’d go as far as saying the WORST service I have ever had dining. The server was too busy flirting with the young girls at the table in front of us to pay attention to anything we needed. waters were never filled once. Never saw him except for the end of the meal to bring the bill…..which we had to ask another server passing by for. To make it even worse, upon checking our room bill upon returning to our room, our server FORGED our bill to increase his tip. Unbelievable. Guest Services at our resort were furious he did this and kept the original copy of our bills. As good as the food was, I am apprehensive to return due to the horrible service from basically everyone we encountered in the restaurant.
Sci-fi
-A #1 favorite of mine. Great burger. Special smores milkshake was SO good!
Beaches & Cream
-Delicious grilled cheese & tomato soup
-Frozen Sunshine was YUMMY!!!
Garden Grill(first time)
-Loved the revolving atmosphere.
-Great service
-AMAZING character interaction
-Food was only ok. Nothing special and probably not returning for it any time in the near future.
50's Prime Time
-It’s indeed retro and I love it!
-Excellent service
-Fried Chicken was delicious and a generous portion.
Sasagoula Floatworks
-Beignets!!!!
The Wave
-Very tasty food and really enjoyed my experience.
Starring Rolls Café
-Cupcakes!!!!
Be Our Guest
-Seated close to the snow falling windows. Loved it! Only had appetizers though. French Onion soup was very very good. Grey stuff was kinda hard and stale. Maybe because we were the last seating? The grey part was light and tasty though.
Mara
-Half the place was closed off due to construction. Flat bread was ok. The rest of the food we ordered was very cold so they refunded us.
Cinderella’s Royal Table(first time)
-Very nice breakfast! Brought us swords & a wand and shining stars. Princesses were great. Jasmine was the standout.
Pineapple Promenade(first time)
-Violet Lemonade!!! Wow!!!
San Angel Inn
-Appetizers only. Great guacamole & nachos.
Trader Sam’s(first time)
-As mentioned at the start, manger there was very rude. Staff not very knowledgeable. That's all I will say. Atmosphere is tons of fun and they have a great drink menu and serve them in really fun glasses. I will not be returning until things improve and they work all the kinks out of still being so new. I anticipate a fantastic experience when I return!!!
Yak & Yetti(first time)
-Bok Choy was fresh tasty and the fried dessert wontons were yummy indeed!
Cheshire Café
-The White Rabbit White Chocolate Cake Cup was so sweet, yet soo good!!!
Boardwalk Bakery
-MORE cupcakes!!!!
Kusafiri
-Even more cupcakes!!! They ruined the elephant one. Simba was really good though! I loved to get a snack from here and go relax by the fountain at Yak & Yeti. Early in the day you can have the entire area to yourself.
Expeditions
-Ice Cream Sand Pail. That was really fun to eat!
Gaston's Tavern
-LeFou’s brew was a lot better than I remember it when they first opened. So tasty!!!
Pin Trading
I walked away from this trip with some amazing pins!!! Lots of hidden Mickey ones. I was able to trade all the pins I had. I have SO much fun doing this and through it meeting/interacting with others that enjoy it as well. TIP: go to the outlets on Vineland or International Drive. You can get pins or boxes/packages of pins for up to 80% off!!! Some you may want to keep, others are an amazing value for trading. I searched the entire property for the Wall-E & Eve Earth Day pin to no avail
Vinylmation
Still has a presence, but NOTHING like it once did. No more trading anywhere from what I saw and a huge decrease of product available. It's sad to see Vinylmation possibly fading away.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
Nothing new, but still lots of fun. I wish I had had more time to play. Was able to get a number of cards I did not have previously!
In closing
Right now if I could, I'd love to leave again next week for a stay at Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom or Port Orleans.
I was so sad & depressed throughout the day yesterday, trying to get in every last bit of fun before we had to leave for the airport. Even in 12 days I was not able to do or see everything I wanted. It's never enough I guess. We had to leave the resort at 6:30pm, yet I still managed to squeeze in a quick steam train ride, Haunted Mansion & a Mickey Ice Cream Bar minutes before leaving! I have learned no matter what, no matter how much effort you put into planning and making the most perfect-flawless vacation, this cannot always happen. Choose a short list of things you must plan/do and the rest, let the days just take a life of their own. All in all I still had an amazing time. I continue to love Walt Disney World more and more as I get older and will always think of it as my true other home.
While it's highly possible a quick little 4-5 day getaway could pop up, the next stay will probably not be until sometime after Avatar/Pandora. For that, I am already excited and eager with my eyes set on a return to Grand Floridian &/or a first time Polynesian stay. Maybe even a return to POR or AKL. I hope some of you found this insightful and somewhat intriguing. I HIGHLY recommend renting points for DVC. It worked out great for us overall and you save so much money.
Having a place like the DIS to come to makes no longer being there during post-vacation blues, easier. Thanks for reading
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