My Real Welcome Home Trip - Copper Creek

[jimmymc]

After being a DVC member for just over a year, I finally got my real welcome hope trip to Wilderness Lodge! Despite never staying there, I took the plunge into ownership based on the prior visits to the lobby and restaurants, photos and videos online, and reviews from other owners. I also knew I wanted a longer expiration date, so when a contract came up for a great deal on resale I decided it was worth the investment. And after this trip, I'm very happy with the decision.



Day 1 - Travel and Epcot

The day starts just before leaving home. After waking up and packing the car, I logged on to Genie+ to make some reservations. It's my first time using it, and especially for Epcot I wanted to make sure I got some good reservations. I also won't be in the park until about 1 pm, so it's a good chance to book a popular ride later in the day. I lucked out and was able to get two near perfect times: Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at 2:50 and Frozen at 3:20. They worked well because I also had the La Cava Experience reserved at 4:00, right next door to Frozen. Satisfied with Genie+ so far, I made my way to the airport.

Flight was uneventful, as flying Delta out of Detroit usually is. Highly recommend it if you're in the area. This trip I tried something new and rented a car! I've seen positive reviews here and on the DVC Fan page, plus I was planning some non-Disney activities this trip, so it was a good opportunity. Something else new, I rented from Turo instead on the normal companies. The process took a little bit of extra time since I had to pick up the car at an economy lot rather than in the terminal, but it saved about $300 so well worth it.

First major advantage to having a car: driving straight from the airport to Epcot.

By the time I made it to Epcot, it was already time to book my second and third Genie+ reservations; I got Soarin later that night and Finding Nemo for 10 minutes later. Test Track and Frozen, the two longest waits, were gone, so unless you get very lucky you're probably only getting one through Genie+. Lucky for me, my job as an automotive engineer comes with a Disney specific benefit: a lounge and practically unlimited lightning lane access to Test Track. Very useful when trying to maximize an Epcot day.

After arriving at the park, I turned right and got the Future World west rides done (minus Soarin). Finding Nemo was a walk-on with Genie+, Living with the Land was 10 minutes, and Journey into Imagination was less than 5. I had some free time before my 2:50 Remy time, so I tried the cornbread and a slushie from the honey booth across from the World Showcase Starbucks stand. Both were delicious, however they didn't really mix the vodka into the slushie, so my first sip was closer to a shot. After properly mixing, it was much better.

Now I finally realized I was starving, and there was one dish I really wanted since before the trip even started: the curry at Katsura Grill. Luckily the boat to Morocco pulled up and I took that directly across the lagoon. Katsura grill had a small wait but the curry was amazing. Pretty spicy by Disney standards (which I love) and super flavorful. Plus it's served with rice and vegetables to absorb the alcohol that comes with a Friday night in Epcot. Highly recommend the curry.



It was time for Remy, and the ILL ended up saving me around 80 minutes. The merge is right before picking up the glasses, so the walk through the queue and wait took 8 minutes total. I rode the Paris version in 2018 and loved it, and this is an exact recreation. I'm very happy they kept the French lines in the ride, and I think it's a great addition to a park without many attractions. I do feel like the station theming is a little bit stronger at DLP, but for my first ride I think it was worth the $11 lightning lane. I just really hope they open up the single rider line soon, which is how I was able to ride it 3 times in 30 minutes back in Paris.


After a quick walk around the back of World Showcase, it was time to cash in my big-ticket Genie+ reservation with Frozen. I think this is a great ride, and I will typically ropedrop it if I don't have a fastpass. The animatronics are great, and really the only downside to this ride is the long outdoor queue. The line never dipped below an hour all day, up to Harmonious starting, so I was happy to skip the wait. I was on the boat in about 3 minutes and enjoyed the ride. Although the most entertaining line was the little girl behind me, who upon exiting the ride declared "That wasn't worth it." for 80 minutes, I might be inclined to agree, but for Genie+ I think this is the best use in Epcot.

Finally we are at the La Cava Experience! For those who don't know, this is a tequila tasting class inside La Cava bar in the Mexico Pavilion. You briefly learn the history of tequila, how it's made, the different types, and what parts of Mexico it comes from. Then we sample 5 tequilas and 1 mezcal, along with accompanying garnishes (including the famous crickets!), chips and guac, and a margarita before and after the tasting. My instructor was Cristina, and she was amazing. Knew the history of every liquor at La Cava, how to pair flavors, how to balance a drink, and why things taste the way they do. It's a little expensive, but one of the best things I've ever done at Disney, and my new favorite "extra" you can add to a trip.



Following the tasting, I got in the rest of the Future World rides. Spaceship Earth was a 3 minute wait, Mission Space was a walk on with Genie+, Test Track was just opening up after some rain so I walked right in, and I also visited the new Club Cool with no wait. Perhaps the biggest shock of the day, is Beverly good now? Because I genuinely enjoyed it. Maybe it was the tequila, maybe they changed the recipe, but for some reason I ended up drinking 3 little cups of the stuff.


After finishing Future World, I made my way back through World Showcase to get a good spot Harmonious. I stopped in Japan to get a shave ice and ended up finding a good spot outside of Italy, right next to the reserved viewing area. As far as the show goes, I really liked it! I thought the pacing was better than Illuminations and the amount of fireworks coming from the edges of the lagoon was impressive. While I still hate the barged during the day, the show itself is a worth replacement. I'll definitely make it a point to stop and watch in the future.

And that was the end of the night in Epcot! I grabbed a few treats from Karamell Kuche to have in the room and made my way to the car. Unfortunately there is some road construction that turned a 10 minute drive into 30, but I eventually made it back to Wilderness Lodge. As I was walking in I mobile ordered the chicken and waffles from Roaring Fork, which ended up tasting really good with the maple walnut butter. Ate those in the room, unpacked, and got some rest for my early Magic Kingdom Day.


I'll try to end each day with a summary of what I did.
Attractions:

• Finding Nemo
• Living with the Land
• Journey into Imagination
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Test Track
• Mission Space
• Spaceship Earth
• Soarin

Genie+ and Lightning Lane Time Saved:

• Frozen: 80 minutes
• Finding Nemo: 20 minutes
• Mission Space: 20 minutes
• Soarin: 30 minutes
• Remy ILL: 80 minutes
• Total: 230 minutes (3 hours and 50 minutes) for the price of $26 plus tax

Food and drinks:

• Chicken Cutlet Curry, Katsura Grill
• Cornbread and Honey Orange Blueberry slush, Honey Festival Booth
• Standard and Avocado margaritas, plus tequila samples, La Cava
• Arepas con queso, festival booth
• Shave ice, Japan booth
• 2 cookies and 1 caramel square, Karamell Kuche

 

[Tgoody]

Great first day! Thanks for including your experience on the Tequila tasting. I have been trying to decide if we wanted to do this on our next trip and I believe your insight has sold me on this.
I enjoy the science and gaining new knowledge of spirits.

Cheers.

 

[jimmymc]

Great first day! Thanks for including your experience on the Tequila tasting. I have been trying to decide if we wanted to do this on our next trip and I believe your insight has sold me on this.
I enjoy the science and gaining new knowledge of spirits.

Cheers.

It was great. Even if you're not a big tequila drinker the ones they pick are tasty.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Sounds like a really nice first day. Looking forward to hearing more

 

[jimmymc]

Going into this trip, I knew it would be crowded. Easter weekend is in the top 3 busiest times at Disney, and especially with families travelling together for the holiday, I assumed the worst. This was also a big reason I bought Genie+ for both park days ahead of time, even though the reviews said don't bother using it for Epcot.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom Open to Close, Part 1

Like my first day, this one starts at 7 am with my first Genie+ reservation. Currently the only ILL attraction at Magic Kingdom is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which I think is just OK, so I didn't need to book a time for that. Instead I knew I wanted to go for Jungle Cruise, which can get very long lines in the afternoon and sells out of Genie+ times quickly. Unfortunately it wasn't the smoothest, since my app had trouble refreshing times and I had to restart it to get anything to pop up. I ended up with 3:10 as my Genie+ time, which could've been way worse if I wasn't familiar with the app.


One of the perks at Wilderness Lodge is the boat transportation to Magic Kingdom, and this to me is so much more relaxing than the busses. Even right at opening the boats are rarely full, and seeing all the resorts during the ride over adds a little bit of extra magic to remind me "hey, you're at Disney going to Magic Kingdom!" I was running a little slow this morning and got to the dock right at 8:30, the same time early magic hours started. The boat was fast and I was in the park by 8:45, just enough time to sneak on a few rides before the non-resort guests.

After rushing down main street and past the hub, I started off with Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin! I love this ride but hate the queue, so hopping on with a 5 minute wait worked out well. I also got my highest score ever! Still no Galactic Hero, but it's such a big improvement that I'm confident I can get the high score soon enough. I exited the ride right at 8:58, so I made my way to the Space Mountain queue at quickly as possible.


Space had a posted 45 minute wait with the queue just outside the main building, and this was pretty accurate. A little long, but totally worth it. Somehow I feel like Space Mountain is getting better with age. It's smooth, out of control, fast, sharp forces, and family-friendly all at the same time. Once you're inside, the queue moves pretty quickly and is well themed. I don't think I need to say too much, it's a classic for a reason.

Next was a quick ride on the People Mover with zero wait. While I think ride is pretty middle-tier, the views of Tomorrowland and Tron make it definitely worth your time. I've also never seen it with higher than a 20 minute wait (although maybe it gets higher than that?). Even with a small line, it's a good place to rest your legs.


Going through the next few things quickly, I rode Under the Sea (15 minute wait), Haunted Mansion (30 minute wait), and got a Lefou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern. I feel like they really underutilize this space, and they could easily add more seating to make it a proper tavern with French comfort food and other non-alcoholic drinks. But for what it is, I like the drinks and cinnamon roll they have.

So here is the one shortcoming I see in Genie+: because I wanted a time for a popular, lower capacity attraction, I ended up getting all of my Genie+ times for later in the day. At 11 am I picked up a pass for Pirates at 2:30, and then at 1 I got a pass for Big Thunder at 7:30 pm. These were both great passes and saved me a bunch of time for top tier rides, but it meant that I spent the middle of the day looking for things to do while speedrunning the big attractions in the evening. Now that I know this is the case I can plan for it in the future, like making table service reservations for lunch instead of dinner, or resort hopping earlier in the day. Also note that I could've easily gotten times for rides like the Barnstormer or Aladdin in the middle of the day, but these are attractions that I don't usually ride at all, let alone want to use a reservation on. I will ride Dumbo if it's not crowded, but for most of the flat rides like that I don't think the theming justifies the wait or return time.

Lucky for me, even though wait times were long and I was gearing up to get on all the big ones that night, Magic Kingdom has plenty of shows with little to no wait. First was the Festival or Fantasy parade, one of my favorites! I'm so happy this has returned along with the cavalcades. It may have been missing a few dancers in between floats, but every float and Disney character was back, and the dragon was breathing fire again.



After the noon parade, I dropped in Columbia Harbor House for lunch. Normally I try to avoid fried foods in the hot Florida weather, but Magic Kingdom doesn't have the best quickservice selection for me, so I got the Trio Platter of fried fish, shrimp, and chicken. It was surprisingly tasty! The food wasn't too heavy for a park day and all tasted pretty good. Sitting upstairs, I had an air-conditioned view of Haunted Mansion out the window in a pretty comfy seat. While it's not perfect, I will be back.

Leading up to my 2:30 Pirates time, I watched Country Bear Jamboree, Carousel of Progress, Philharmagic, and the Tiki Room. for all of these I just had to wait for the next show, between 2 and 10 minutes. Carousel of Progress in particular is so much fun, I hope Disney does a good job of preserving and updating a classic attraction. This was also my first time ever watching Philharmagic, and while I normally find 3d movies in theme parks overrated, this was was pretty good! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Finally it was time to start redeeming my Lightning Lane times! Pirates was first, and I got on with less than a 5 minute wait. Great ride as always, not too much to add. I did have a small gap between that and my Jungle cruise return time, so I walked over and watched most of the Festival of Fantasy parade for a second time and got to see more fire. Around the same time I was also able to get my 4th Genie+ reservation for Space Mountain at 9:20pm. I redeemed my Jungle Cruise pass and was on the first boat out after entering the queue, which is a bargain considering the wait can easily get over 100 minutes.

The reason I love the Jungle Cruise so much is that you have a real skipper guiding you through the rivers of the world. Nothing really replaces that for me. It's the reason people loved Great Movie Ride and why Ride of the Resistance has been so successful. Every time I'm on I hear at least a few original jokes, and it's even funnier when there's a delay and the skippers stay in character. They even poke fun of the boat that sank last year, which you do not expect at Disney.



Next on the agenda was a Steakhouse 71 reservation at 5:30. I had about 2 hours to spend, so I decided to try the walking path down to Grand Floridian and see the resort for the first time. And while I forgot to take pictures, the entire grounds are beautiful. It went from being pretty low on the list to a must-try resort stay, even if it's in one of the new studios. And while I didn't spoil my dinner this trip, I think I'll be making a lunch reservation somewhere here in the future. There was also some sort of special event going on, as I saw lots of men in suits and women wearing formal dresses taking pictures together. A large group of them also followed me on the monorail to the Contemporary, where I saw they checked in together for California Grill.

Part 2 coming soon, starting with my Steakhouse 71 dinner.

 

[jimmymc]

Magic Kingdom Day, Part 2

Steakhouse 71 may be the most hyped Disney restaurant I've seen since following Disney news. It seems like all the members of the podcast team are regulars there and they rave about the menu. So I made a reservation thinking it would be a nice break from Magic Kingdom. Like I mentioned earlier, with how Genie+ works I think you're better off doing your resort hopping around lunch time, but either way I was looking forward to this meal. After a monorail ride from the Grand Floridian with some well-dressed groups (and me in my t-shirt and Under Armor shorts), I checked in to my 5:25 reservation a few minutes early. I'm very familiar with the lower floors of the Contemporary thanks to a few Dis-related conventions, so I grabbed a comfy couch and watched people checking in to California Grill while waiting for my text. Less than 5 minutes later I got the message and went down to the restaurant.

The decor is an elegant, minimalistic, modern American restaurant with lots of nods to the construction of Disney World in the late 60's. The restaurant didn't seem very crowded, but I heard at the check in desk that they were not accepting walk ins for the evening, so I can only assume it was supposed to fill up after I left. I sat down and my host/waiter gave me the QR code for the dinner menu and a full paper drink menu. To start I ordered a Raspberry Gin Sour, which was pretty good but easily the strongest drink I've ever had at Disney. When they say it's gin, lemon juice, and raspberry-sage syrup, they mean it's literally just that, no ice or anything else to dilute it. The sage is also very strong, so if you like gin and herbal flavors this is probably the drink for you. I'll definitely try something else next time.

For an appetizer, I ordered the legendary Bacon and Eggs. Maple glazed pork belly, smoked gouda grits, and a "perfect egg", which is like a poached egg that is cooked with a sous vide to get the runniness just right every time. It's served with a reduction sauce from the pork belly and maple drippings. There is only one word in the English language which can describe how it tasted:

Perfect

Everything on the plate is both flavorful and well balanced with each other. They are the richest grits you will ever eat, the pork belly and egg are cooked to the exact right temperature, and the sauce is concentrated flavor that goes with all 3 items. This is a must get, even if you don't like grits or aren't sure where pork belly comes from or runny eggs freak you out. I'll be returning in the future just to eat this.


Faced with the insurmountable task of following that up, for the main course I ordered the prime rib with yorkshire pudding, au gratin potatoes, and the Red Wine and Signature Steakhouse 71 sauces. The prime rib was medium rare and delicious. And while it wasn't the best cut of prime rib I've ever had, it's definitely in the top tier. The potatoes were amazing, very rich just like the grits before it, and the yorkshire pudding was there to soak up the extra sauce and juices at the end of the meal. The red wine sauce was my favorite by a large margin. The signature sauce was too sweet and had too strong a tomato flavor that covered up the meat, while the red wine sauce was thinner and complimented it. I would definitely recommend this, especially if you're someone who appreciates a little bit of fat in your cut of steak. I'll probably try another cut and side next time just for diversity, but I'm definitely getting the red wine sauce again.


For dessert, my server recommended the apple tart tatin. This is the plant-based dessert and comes with a side of vegan blackberry gelato. I did eat most of it, but this is probably the one dish I won't order again. The apples were nicely cooked and very sweet, but the crust on the tart was not great. They advertise it as puff pastry, but it's a very dry, crumbling dough that doesn't have a lot a flavor. Surprise of the night was the blackberry gelato (made from lentils). Very good, I would gladly eat separately or in a cone. If you're vegan and eating here for some reason, I think you'll enjoy it. I definitely want to try the chocolate cake next time, but I was warned by my server that it was a lot of food, and at this point I already ate two of the largest items on the menu. Next time I think I'll take the risk.


Stuffed with my 3 course meal, I waddled my way back over to Magic Kingdom and grabbed PeopleMover ride number 2 of the day. Only a 10 minute wait and an easy way to help me digest dinner. From there I meandered my way through some of the shops, bought a few pins, saw a proposal on the bridge between the hub and Mad Tea Party, rode It's a Small World with a short wait, and showed up at Big Thunder Mountain for a 7:30 Genie+ time. I walked right up to the merge at the top of the two ramps into the station and was on in about 5 minutes. I love all the coasters in Magic Kingdom, and this one might have the best theming. You're right on the river and go through some pretty crazy tunnels while the ride throws you from side to side. I've heard the Genie+ lane always runs fast here, so worth a reservation if you want to ride. Since I had a 9:20 Space Mountain return time, I went around back of the castle to get a spot for Enchantment near Tomorrowland, but not before riding Under the Sea a second time with no wait.


I managed to stay spoiler free on both the new nighttime shows before this trip. All I'd heard was a bunch of mixed reviews, but no specifics about the actual fireworks, projections, or music. By sneaking through the crowds right as everyone gets up at 8:45, I managed a spot just to the front and right of the partners statue, a perfect location to see both the castle and background fireworks. In one sentence, Enchantment is great, but not quite as good as Happily Ever After. The music was good, there were a ton of fireworks, and Tinkerbelle flying was actually incorporated into the movie. Where it fell flat was the castle projections. While HEA used the shape of the castle to define how characters moved around and things happened, Enchantment just used it as a screen, so as a result a lot of the show was distorted by curved walls or lost because it was playing over a dark window. I'm not sure if it was rushed or the production team didn't fully comprehend the final product while working on it, but either way it was hard not to notice. I realize that to the average guest that this is very nitpicky. Happily Ever After was my favorite part of a Magic Kingdom day, and I always watched it from the hub, no exceptions. With Enchantment, I think I can watch it from other places around the park and be just fine. Like I said, the fireworks and music are the best parts of the show.


With the show ending, I had 45 minutes to make the most out of the rest of my day in the park and get on a few more attractions. Since my time was good until close, I got a ride on Astro Orbiter (my favorite of the Dumbo-type rides) with a decent wait, walked right on Space Mountain thanks to Genie+, grabbed a last minute reservation for Haunted Mansion that ended up not mattering since both lines were walk-ons, and rode Splash Mountain as the clock struck 10. Sadly this was my last day in a Disney park for my long-weekend, so I took my sweet time making my way to Mainstreet. I walked through every shop, spent 15 minutes name hunting the windows, and just sat on the hub grass for a little while. I usually try spend my last evening in Magic Kingdom and it always makes me emotional. Like this was a good day, I'm sad it's over, but I'm so happy I was able to experience it. I think that feeling of standing in a dark hub is a big reason why I keep coming back, why I bought a stake in future trips, and what the magic is all about. Before getting too sappy I made my way out the gates and took a lovely boat ride back to Wilderness Lodge.





This day was so good in fact, I really didn't want it to end. So I grabbed a soda and my caramel square from Epcot and made my way to a comfy chair in the stunning lobby that I call home. It was a nice way to really conclude the day, far removed from the insane beauty that is Main Street. I really think I slept better after decompressing, and the lobby was absolutely empty aside from maybe 3 cast members. Not too much else to add here other than some more pictures.



Today's Summary:

Attractions:

• Space Mountain x2
• Space Ranger Spin
• Astro Orbiter
• Peoplemover x2
• Under the Sea x2
• Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Small World
• Haunted Mansion x2
• Big Thunder
• Splash Mountain
• Pirates
• Jungle Cruise
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Philharmagic
• Carousel of Progress
• Tiki Room

Genie+ and time saved:

• Pirate's - 40 minutes
• Jungle Cruise - 70 minutes
• Big Thunder - 50 minutes
• Space Mountain - 60 minutes
• Haunted Mansion - 0 minutes

Total: 220 minutes (3 hours and 40 minutes) saved for $15 plus tax

Food and drinks:

• Trio Platter, Columbia Harbor House
• Bacon and Eggs, Porterhouse, Apple Tarte Tatin - Steakhouse 71
• Caramel square - Karamell Kuche

Stay tuned for next time where we go to the dark side: Universal

 

[suzycute]

Great trip report and great pics! Loved your review of the La Cava Tequila Experience and Steakhouse 71. Thanks for sharing

 

[jimmymc]

Universal: Two Parks, one Day

Following my great day at Magic Kingdom, I was spending Easter Sunday at the two Universal parks. For those who might not know, Universal is set up in a similar way to Disneyland where both parks are a short walk from each other. One ride even takes you from one park to the other. I've had a Universal annual pass since buying in to DVC because of how cheap it is and how great the benefits are. In the past I've been able to stay at Premier hotels, Universal's equivalent of a deluxe resort that also includes unlimited express pass, for under $250 a night. While there isn't enough for an entire week on property, the top attractions are worth at least one day a trip.



While my pass does include early entry, I decided to sleep in a little and make this a more relaxed day. No breakfast plans or anything else, just enjoying the room and getting a full 8 hours. I left Wilderness Lodge at 9:30 and was in the Universal parking garage by 10. Traffic on I-4 is bad, but at this time of day it was still the fastest way to get there from property. Security has no line and soon enough I'm walking over to Islands of Adventure. I hope these explanations aren't too condescending, but I'm assuming most people reading this are Disney-centered and don't have much experience with other parks. Islands was the second Universal Florida park built and is home to most of the bigger roller coasters. It has sections themed after Marvel (the reason Disney can't include it in any of their parks in Florida), Classic Cartoons, Dr. Seuss, Jurassic Park, Ancient Greek myths, and Hogsmeade (from Harry Potter).

While I had planned on going right back to Hogsmeade, Hulk had a pretty short line so I decided to go ahead and ride. One other difference between Disney and Universal is that for some of the rides you have to put things in lockers before getting in the queue. This is mostly for roller coasters where there isn't space on the floor to hold bags, or something like Forbidden Journey where there is no floor. Hulk, Velocicoaster, and Rip, Ride, Rockit also have metal detectors in the queue to make sure you don't have anything in your pockets that could fly out and hurt someone. All of this explanation to say that Hulk had a very short wait! About 5 minutes to get through the metal detector, and walked right on through the single rider line. I was very lucky to be randomly assigned the front row, which you can ask and wait for in the standby and express queues but not single rider. Went to Spiderman next and also rode Single rider, which was a 10 minute wait as opposed to the posted 50 minutes for the regular line.


Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, a ride that will make you feel like you jumped in a pool with all your clothes on. I decided to skip it this time, but they recently repainted the whole thing and it looks fantastic.

Up next is one of my favorite rides in all of Orlando, Velocicoaster. Lots of times when you're at a place where every ride is heavily themed and marked towards families, you can assume rides aren't going to be that intense. This is NOT the case with Velocicoaster. It has multiple intense launches, tries to throw you out of your seat, and hold you upside down over the lake for just long enough to make even coaster veterans nervous. The queue is also pretty amazing, including a close encounter with a very realistic dinosaur and some funny informational videos. I ended up riding twice, once in Single Rider and one in the normal queue. This is one ride where the standby line is frequently the same or even shorter than single rider, and with the additional theming, I highly recommend just doing standby. I waited about 40 minutes for single rider and 45 for standby. The coaster is fantastic, sending you flying through a dinosaur enclosure before giving you views across the park. The restraints are comfortable, which isn't always the case with coasters, and the ride is so smooth while it flies though corners.





Up next is the Wizarding World! Hogsmeade is my favorite section of Islands and it's easy to see why. Forbidden Journey takes you inside Hogwarts, and the queue is made up of many famous rooms from the movies/books. The ride has Hermione enchanting your bench so you can fly around the school grounds with Harry and Ron. I used the single rider queue and was on in about 5 minutes, as opposed to a 60 minute posted wait. If you've never been, the single rider queue cuts out most of the rooms from inside the castle, so do the standard one at least once, but after that single rider is the way to go. The benches are only 4 across so there isn't a huge advantage to picking where you sit.

After finishing the ride, I grabbed my first Butterbeer and hopped in the single rider line for Hagrid's Magical Motorbike Adventure, my top ride in all of Orlando. The queue takes you by Hagrid's house and into the areas where takes care of magical creatures for Hogwarts. Another line I recommend doing once, since single rider bypasses you to the final room and almost guarantees you'll be riding the sidecar. Waited about 35 minutes compared to the posted 70 and it was fantastic as always! Got lucky again with the first row, and you feel so much speed even though the entire track is low to the ground. It also has a very cool life-sized Hagrid animatronic. Even if you don't normally like coasters, I think launched rides are a bit easier to handle than big drops, so try this one. Last but not least, I had lunch at Three Broomsticks. Both the Wizarding World restaurants have good food that isn't too heavy for a theme park day, so I highly recommend them. I had a chicken and rib combo platter plus another Butterbeer, both of which were great.



Took a quick walk through the rest of the land before heading to the front of the park. If I had express pass I definitely would've taken the Hogwarts Express, but the line was unusually long for the Hogsmeade side, so I decided to walk it and stop in at the Hard Rock Hotel. It's not right on the way from one park to the other, but it's a very pretty walk and the only premier hotel I've never visited, so I thought it was worth the time. The theming is pretty basic, other than high end resort, but they have lots of memorabilia from famous musicians. Everyone from Taylor Swift to Paul McCartney to Judas Priest. All the Universal hotels have great pool areas and this was no exception. After grabbing a water and relaxing in the lobby for a bit, I made the 5 minute walk back to Universal Studios.



At the time, Universal's Mardi Gras festival was going on. They set up food and drink booths like you would see for an Epcot festival and have different Mardi Gras foods from around the world. They also have a parade and concert most nights. I started off the park with Rip, Ride, Rockit, another large roller coaster with a vertical lift hill and drop, plus the giant twisting loop you can see around the park. I also went on Transformers, a dark ride similar to Spiderman. For an afternoon snack, I got some hot chicken mac n cheese from a food truck they had set up along the water. Very tasty, but also insanely spicy. Next time I might go for the mild version, and I normally like spicy foods.



Next I went into Diagon Alley, what I think is the best themed land of any park in Orlando and possibly the world. Every shop, food stand, facade, and back alley is pretty much perfect. While Hogsmeade has the better attractions, this is where the story really comes to life. It's also home to most of the interactive wand locations. I was going to ride Escape From Gringotts, a combination roller coaster and dark ride featuring some of the best Harry Potter villains, but it was unfortunately down when I was there, so I didn't spend as much time in the area as I normally would. Did one ride on the Simpsons before getting to the real reason I wanted to get to Universal today: I was riding in the Mardi Gras parade! Signups happen every day in the park around noon and spots fill up quickly. Luckily I was able to reserve a spot ahead of time thanks to passholder early access. The parade was so much fun and I definitely recommend anyone ride on a float if you have the chance. The whole process takes about 2 hours from sign in to the end of the route but is worth the time.




After the whole parade experience, rain was quickly approaching. I hopped on ET and the Simpsons ride again, each with about a 10 minute wait, and the rain started coming down like crazy. There were around 50 of us waiting in the Simpsons queue before I decided it was time to just brave the water. It was after 9 pm at this point, so I made my way through the streets and back to the parking deck. Even with the wet end it was a fantastic day, and I'm very happy I gave up a day of Disney to head across town. If you've never been to Universal, I highly recommend trying at least 1 day. Ubers are quick and there are plenty of cabs in the area to get you from one property to the other. I focused on the big thrill rides, but there are plenty of family-friendly dark rides and flat rides for people who don't like coasters.

This might sound silly, but on the way home I was able to stop at my favorite convenience store that I don't normally have access to: Wawa. Since moving away from New Jersey in 2014, it is very rarely for me to get my favorite Wawa subs, mac n cheese, and warm cookies. I brought my food back to Wilderness Lodge and ate in my favorite little sitting area again. I really can't understate how much I love this resort and how much it feels like a home away from home. It's the first time where I see the appeal of not going to the parks every single day, even as someone who doesn't really need a break and can handle 7 park days in a row. DVC has been a better decision every time I visit Orlando.

Today's Summary:

Attractions

• Hulk
• Spiderman
• Velocicoaster x2
• Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure
• Rip, Ride, Rockit
• Transformers
• Simpson's Ride x2
• ET
• Mardi Gras Parade Float

Food and Drinks

• Three Broomsticks Chicken and Rib combo
• Butterbeer x2
• Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Fishy Green Ale
• Wawa Italian sub and mac n cheese

Not quite the attraction filled day of Magic Kingdom, but if you're there for early entry and don't spend 2 hours at the parade you can do a lot of rides in one day. Even more if you have express pass. For me, the easiest way to try Universal would be spending 2 or 3 nights on site, and in a premier hotel if that's in the budget. Royal Pacific can sometimes be found for the same price as a Disney moderate, and even at their worst Hard Rock and Portofino are in the middle of the deluxe price range. Plus express pass for 4 guests, which on it's own can be $800 a day in value. Tomorrow is unfortunately my departure day, but it's a late flight so I'll do a smaller post about my Disney Springs day and overall thoughts about travelling to Orlando on a holiday weekend. Thanks for reading!

 

[cccory]

I really enjoyed your trip report. Thank you for taking the time to write such great details.

 

[bbn1122]

Great trip report! Welcome to DVC.
Wilderness Lodge is such a beautiful place.

 

[jimmymc]

Disney Springs and Departure Day

Well unfortunately the time has come for me to be heading home. I knew it would be a short trip thanks to having a 4 day weekend, plus needing to use my vacation days later this year, but I think it was worth it to get on Ratatouille, use my Universal AP one last time before it expires, see the new nighttime shows, and try some new food. After my day report, I'll recap the whole trip with my favorites and things I might do differently. Hopefully this can help you if you're looking at doing a short or adults only.



Since my flight doesn't depart until 7:30 pm, I decided to sleep in a bit and then spend the rest of the day at Disney Springs. I've never been a huge fan of the Springs, but it seems like I always end up there at the end of long park day during the most crowded shopping week of the century, so I was curious to see what it's like at lunchtime on Monday. Ideally the stores and paths would be easy to walk around, and I could actually shop at a few places. In addition, I planned a lunch reservation at Homecomin, somewhere I've heard countless good to amazing reviews about but was always skeptical of. The idea of paying $30 for soul food is a little insane when you've been to southern restaurants outside of Disney. But so much good feedback, and meeting chef Art Smith at last year's Dis Family Reunion, convinced me.



The day starts out slowly as I pack my bag. For the first time all trip, I had the chance to sit out on my little patio. Unfortunately the one thing that disappointed me about the resort was the view. I was on the first floor facing Boulder Ridge, which comes with a view of a nice wide sidewalk and the wall surrounding the quiet pool. So at all times of the day and night people might be walking just outside your door. If I were coming for a longer trip I would definitely request a room on a high floor near the end of the hallway. Either way, it was nice to just sit outside and enjoy the last of my cookies I had from Karamell Kuche. I got the car loaded up with all 1 of my bags and started driving to Disney Springs.



I drove up to the Lime garage and got a parking spot within a minute or two. It was about 30 minutes until my lunch reservation, so I walked right out over the bridge towards some of the more well-known restaurants. The only one I've tried before is Jaleo and that was a fantastic meal. Top 10 of all time, including Disney and non. After just taking in the sites, I checked in a little early and was seated within 5 minutes. The restaurant was full but didn't seem crowded, and there were a few available high-tops around the bar if you wanted to try a walk up. The reservations here go fast, so I was lucky to get one 60+3 days out. I sat inside because years of living in Michigan have declimatized me from hot and humid weather. Started off the meal with the Blue Hooch, a cocktail made with Blue Flame and Lemon moonshines. It was strong but still drinkable during a hot day, and tasted pretty much like southern lemonade. I would definitely recommend getting this, it's one of my favorite drinks around Disney, as long as you can handle a good amount of sugar. Instead of an appetizer, I ordered a side of cheddar drop biscuits with some butter. These were baked fresh and still hot when they arrived at the table, and I would also recommend splitting a basket with your group.

For the main course, I selected the country fried steak. I feel like this dish really goes under the radar at a lot of restaurants, especially when fried chicken or bbq are options. In case you're unaware, country fried steak (or as I learned it, chicken fried steak) is a cheap cut of steak that's been pounded thin, flour-dredged, and pan fried until golden brown, served with gravy on top. The steak came with a side of succotash, although you can substitute that for any of the sides on the menu. I would normally try the mac n cheese, but I ate that twice yesterday and needed some kind of actual vegetable. Both dishes were amazing! The steak was nice and thin, the breading was light and crunchy, and the succotash was sweet n delicious. The mashed potatoes (which I forgot even came with the meal until I posted the photo below) were not my favorite. They needed a little bit more butter and a lot more garlic. But by the time I got to them, I was so full from the steak and biscuits that it really didn't matter. Maybe swap out the mashed for mac n cheese if you have room for everything. Rather than have dessert, I ordered one more moonshine drink, the strawberry lemonade. It tastes just like you'd imagine, and while I think I liked the blue hooch a little better I would also get this again. Overall it was a great meal, and at least the entrees are a good enough value for what you pay. The appetizers look expensive and smaller, but the mains are so large you really don't need them. Next time I probably will try the fried chicken, just to see what the hype is about.



Now that lunch was over, I had around 3 hours to explore the area before making my way to the airport. As I was leaving lunch, I noticed the Gideon's line was only a few people long and no mobile return time needed, so I hopped in to wait. Gideon's is another place where I've heard a lot about it and many good reviews, but I wasn't going to spend 2 hours just waiting for cookies. But for 10 minutes, why not grab some for the plane ride home. I love the decor inside this shop and how everything is displayed. Fortunately they still had the breakfast specialty coffee cake cookie, so I got one of those and the original chocolate chip. After trying both that night, I would 100% return for the coffee cake, but the chocolate chip is just average. Didn't try any of the coffees this time, but on my next trip I think I will make a point to get the coffee cake cookie and a peanut butter cold brew, plus maybe another flavor. If it's got a short line then I definitely recommend getting something, but if it's a long wait then just get something at your local bakery when you get home.



The rest of the afternoon isn't too eventful, just walked around some of the shops until it was time to head out. I was still way too full from lunch to eat again, but there were plenty of restaurants I still want to try in the future. Wine Bar George, The Edison, Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar, and The Boathouse are at the top of the list, and hopefully I'll save room for Salt n Straw and Ghirardelli. Unfortunately the shopping is still just ok. The World of Disney store is obviously great for souvenirs and homeware, but pretty much all the clothing and other branded stores are things I can get at home in a nicer setting. I'm lucky to live pretty close to a high end mall that might actually have more stores. But as much as the shopping is disappointing, the food is fantastic and a reason to come back. If this weren't my checkout day, I would've loved to head back to the pool after lunch with a box of cookies in hand, and when I have more time I will definitely be doing just that.

Final Thoughts

Since today was shorter, I'll summarize my trip on this same post. This will be split into a few topics:

Genie+

Perhaps the most controversial thing Disney has done in recent years, I really enjoyed it on those two days. I believe I got more use out of it than I did with Fastpass+, and the extra $15 a day wasn't enough to dissuade me from getting it. And if you ride more smaller attractions than I do, you will probably get even more use out of it. I could've hopped on Flying Carpets, Dumbo, or Barnstormer at any time during my Magic Kingdom day if I wasn't holding on to reservations for the bigger rides. And I could've gotten even more done if I didn't have a dinner reservation at a resort. I would even use it in Epcot again. Skipping the lines for Frozen and Soarin alone are worth $15, especially if it's a short trip and you only have one day at the park. On a longer trip I would definitely pick a choose a few days to use it, but on a short trip I think it's worth the extra money just so you aren't forced to choose between two favorites. Is the system perfect? No, but neither was FP+, and G+ in my mind is a little bit better. If I were to do it again, the only change I would make is putting the dinner reservation at lunchtime. You really take advantage of return times between 3 and closing. I also might try to rope drop Jungle Cruise rather than getting a later return spot, but I'll just have to see what's available.

Resort

I suppose I took a big risk buying a good number of points at Copper Creek without ever staying there before, but that gamble paid off tremendously. I had seen the common areas on previous visits, so I knew the pool and theming were my style, and the price and expiration date were perfect when I was buying in. Well the rooms are just as amazing. Everything from the furniture to the showers to the kitchenette either met or exceeded my expectations, and I really can't wait to visit again. The boat to MK is so much better than taking the long bus ride. Everyone gets a seat, you rarely have to wait for the next one, and they seem to just run smoothly. I can't wait to book a longer stay here, possibly in a larger room to really take advantage of the resort activities.

Renting a Car

Not worth it. I could've taken Lyfts everywhere I went for way less money, and even then I would probably save the money on property and just use the Disney busses. Unless you plan on going to the beach or are driving in anyway, I don't think it's worth the money.

Overall Review

I'm so happy I did this trip, and would definitely do a short one again. Now that I know I'll be back, the pressure to visit every park or get hopper tickets is much less than before. I look forward to using my points and continuing to know WDW as a home, not just a resort. Try Universal, Sea World, and Busch Gardens for a day. Eat at resort restaurants and Disney Springs. If you want a splurge, the La Cava Experience is the single best one I can think of after a VIP tour, and way less money. Go to the lobby of Wilderness Lodge, even if you just sit there for a while (but the spot by the 4th floor fireplace is mine). And most importantly, the magic is still there. Don't let negative reviews drive you away. Get down here and experience it for yourself.