MikeandReneePlus5
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2010
- Messages
- 2,136
We were at the Poly 8/6 - 8/12 -
In no particular order -
1. It was busy and HOT! but we did fine with morning rope drops, afternoon breaks, FP usage and longer evenings.
2. We were very impressed with the new FL. It is fantastic and it isn't even done. The main centerpiece is still under construction and all that is done is the outskirts of Belle's Cottage, Beast's Castle, Gaston's Tavern and the Mermaid area. The theming and views are remarkable and it will be sooo much better when that Mine Train and mountain are finished.
I've heard it said it's a kiddie ride, a restaurant and a meet and greet but that is way too snarky and way to negative. It's gorgeous, and if that Mine Train ride is a good one (and it looks like it will be) the whole area will be a smashing success. Very impressed.
3. We enjoyed LeFou's Brew greatly. I recommend it.
4. MK in general has never looked better IMO. It sparkles. So much is new and/or newly painted or refurbished. The Tea Cup roof looks AMAZING. the facades on Main St. are fabulous. The Tangled area, Pinocchio's Haus...wonderful. all that scrim usage is really paying off.
5. BOG restaurant is gorgeous. The rooms inside make you feel as if you stepped into the movie.
6. I expected to dislike new TT and I loved it. The car design was fun and we all had a blast making them. And you see your design several times (I think 3) during the ride and they compete against each other in various categories and it was fun razzing and cheering each other when you won/lost. And we liked the clean new futuristic feel of the queue and the ride itself. Thumbs up. Hopefully they can get it to be more reliable because it's a great ride.
7. We stayed at the Poly and it is a bummer when monorails stop running. We stayed for an EMH and the boat situation afterwards was not ideal.
8. We rode the resort monorail a LOT and it didn't pause or break down once in our week.
9. With heavy crowds and hot days, many do the rope drop thing. for example, we got to Epcot at 8:30 or so and it was already crowded. Park opened at 8:45 or so and by the time we got to Test Track (9 am) the FPs were out to 10:25 and the line was 50 minutes long. If you really want to get the full benefits of RD you need to be there by 8 am, or 8:15 the latest. Yes, every 5 minutes makes a difference.
10. WDW lost and found is amazing. We lost an iPhone on Dinosaur at roughly noon one day and it was at the L&F right next to our hotel 24 hours later. that's' great logistics
11. We did HDDR and loved it.
12. We found people to be polite and courteous across the board. No horror stories.
13. ETWB was great...if you enjoy meeting characters and that's a part of your trips you will love it. If not you won't. Then again, you don't actually meet Belle unless you are in the little skit but roughly a third of the group gets in it so your chances are good. Also, other little kids can queue up for a quick meet with Belle afterwards even if they aren't in the skit.
14. In 2011/2012 we noticed the Soarin film was dirty...there were lots of comments on here about it and rightfully so. No more. It was clean and the ride looked great.
15. The Mickey readers are everywhere for park entry and dining and shopping and our KTTW card worked 99% of the time on the first go.
16. The in-park and resort WiFi was fast and reliable for the whole week. No problems whatsoever. The MDE app on my phone also worked flawlessly.
17. FP+ is what it is and we all know the worries and fears that are posted here ad nauseum. But the entire MM+ thing is pretty impressive when you see it in action and I began to appreciate how archaic the paper based FP system really is (right around the time I was hoofing it back and forth between Soarin and TT in 90+ degree heat). I predict they are going to get it to work well...and people are going to love it.
I could go on and on....we had a great trip.
In no particular order -
1. It was busy and HOT! but we did fine with morning rope drops, afternoon breaks, FP usage and longer evenings.
2. We were very impressed with the new FL. It is fantastic and it isn't even done. The main centerpiece is still under construction and all that is done is the outskirts of Belle's Cottage, Beast's Castle, Gaston's Tavern and the Mermaid area. The theming and views are remarkable and it will be sooo much better when that Mine Train and mountain are finished.
I've heard it said it's a kiddie ride, a restaurant and a meet and greet but that is way too snarky and way to negative. It's gorgeous, and if that Mine Train ride is a good one (and it looks like it will be) the whole area will be a smashing success. Very impressed.
3. We enjoyed LeFou's Brew greatly. I recommend it.
4. MK in general has never looked better IMO. It sparkles. So much is new and/or newly painted or refurbished. The Tea Cup roof looks AMAZING. the facades on Main St. are fabulous. The Tangled area, Pinocchio's Haus...wonderful. all that scrim usage is really paying off.
5. BOG restaurant is gorgeous. The rooms inside make you feel as if you stepped into the movie.
6. I expected to dislike new TT and I loved it. The car design was fun and we all had a blast making them. And you see your design several times (I think 3) during the ride and they compete against each other in various categories and it was fun razzing and cheering each other when you won/lost. And we liked the clean new futuristic feel of the queue and the ride itself. Thumbs up. Hopefully they can get it to be more reliable because it's a great ride.
7. We stayed at the Poly and it is a bummer when monorails stop running. We stayed for an EMH and the boat situation afterwards was not ideal.
8. We rode the resort monorail a LOT and it didn't pause or break down once in our week.
9. With heavy crowds and hot days, many do the rope drop thing. for example, we got to Epcot at 8:30 or so and it was already crowded. Park opened at 8:45 or so and by the time we got to Test Track (9 am) the FPs were out to 10:25 and the line was 50 minutes long. If you really want to get the full benefits of RD you need to be there by 8 am, or 8:15 the latest. Yes, every 5 minutes makes a difference.
10. WDW lost and found is amazing. We lost an iPhone on Dinosaur at roughly noon one day and it was at the L&F right next to our hotel 24 hours later. that's' great logistics
11. We did HDDR and loved it.
12. We found people to be polite and courteous across the board. No horror stories.
13. ETWB was great...if you enjoy meeting characters and that's a part of your trips you will love it. If not you won't. Then again, you don't actually meet Belle unless you are in the little skit but roughly a third of the group gets in it so your chances are good. Also, other little kids can queue up for a quick meet with Belle afterwards even if they aren't in the skit.
14. In 2011/2012 we noticed the Soarin film was dirty...there were lots of comments on here about it and rightfully so. No more. It was clean and the ride looked great.
15. The Mickey readers are everywhere for park entry and dining and shopping and our KTTW card worked 99% of the time on the first go.
16. The in-park and resort WiFi was fast and reliable for the whole week. No problems whatsoever. The MDE app on my phone also worked flawlessly.
17. FP+ is what it is and we all know the worries and fears that are posted here ad nauseum. But the entire MM+ thing is pretty impressive when you see it in action and I began to appreciate how archaic the paper based FP system really is (right around the time I was hoofing it back and forth between Soarin and TT in 90+ degree heat). I predict they are going to get it to work well...and people are going to love it.
I could go on and on....we had a great trip.
