** Official August 2024 Thread **

[msmith1026]

OMMMMGGGGG AMAZING!!!!

This sounds like an absolutely amazing trip!! Your safari at AK!!!!!

What savanna are you facing?! How did the upgrade come about?!

Please come back and tell us about evening hours. I’m living vicariously but also it’s helping my count down go by smoothly.

We are on the Kudu trail, on the Sunset Savanna. Honestly, when we checked in they said nothing that indicated we were given an upgrade. The person who checked is in was friendly but all business and quickly checked us in - it was fairly busy when we checked in.

Evening hours at Epcot were good- wait times are definitely inflated, and if you are familiar enough with the queue you can tell. We were able to grab a VQ for Guardians and were called very early in the evening. We walked on to Spaceship Earth, Nemo, and Soarin. We waited about 15 for Remi. We did not do Frozen.

Our Halloween party was a lot of fun. Originally we were going to try to do the Jack and Sally meet and Greet, but we decided to arrive after 5, and posted wait time when we arrived was 2 hours so we skipped it. We caught the first parade over in Frontierland. We did Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Big Thunder, Small World and a bunch of the photo ops. We also hit the trick or treat stations and got to see Maleficent and the Evil Queen. No one was there when we went in so we got to chat it up with the Evil Queen- she was fantastic.

We also did Hollywood Studios After Hours. We had a blast there. Rode everything at least once and then did some fun photos in Galaxys Edge. Rise did go down when we were there — I think it was down for awhile but it didn’t seem to impact wait times elsewhere. It definitely did not feel crowded at all. We had a blast and I would do it again.

We started calling our the “just happy to be here” trip. We pretty much just did whatever popped into our head and were happy to just experience what we did. It was hot and instead of pushing through it we took breaks and would wander the resort and unwind and then go back out.

We had dinner at Monsieur Paul and it was incredible. Every course was fantastic and our server, Laura, was wonderful. It was honestly one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life. We had an amazing view of the fireworks while we ate dinner.

Today we went back to Hollywood Studios and had so much fun watching the shows. We had a LL for Tower and after we rode it, we were the last people out of the ride vehicle and the cast member stopped me and asked if we enjoyed the ride. I said yes, and she asked if we wanted to ride it again. We were so excited and said yes. Another cast member brought us up to the main queue and got us right on the next ride. It was such a fun experience. Cast members really are the magic. We had so many fun interactions with them—it was so apparent they appreciated being thanked and talked with.

This trip has been so amazing. I hope everyone here now or traveling soon have wonderful trips as well. We have one more day and then it’s time to return to reality.

 

[123SA]

Ty for reporting!!!!

Did you go to MNSSHP?

Yes, on Tuesday 13th and Friday 16th. However, I really overbooked and was exhausted. On Tuesday we saw the hitchhiking ghosts in Frontierland, watched the first parade at the Castle Hub, dessert party (all of us), fireworks, Sanderson Sisters. My boys rode Pirates and Space multiple times and did some photopass photos. I think they did one trick or treat stop - well just the one did, the other has celiac disease and didn't feel like messing around with the coins. We left before the second parade.

The second party we rode Pooh & Mine train (6:15 - 6:55) while the boys rode Tron. (My boys are 18 & 21) Met up for a snack. Split up again for Space & Buzz. Guys went shopping and did photopass photos on Main Street, I got a parade spot on Main Street, dessert party & FW for me & husband while boys went back to Space & Tron.

The next trip I plan, I think I have to plan a down day, or late start or party days. We usually can go all day & night, but we were suffering this time. However, I did do everything I wanted during the party. I really just want the neat photos & entertainment. I don't need any candy and we had 3 Magic Kingdom days, so I didn't need many rides...just Pooh & Mine Train. My boys are too old to make them meet the characters, but I do miss that. (I did request one; we met Mickey at Town Square on a non-party day)


For the parade, at 7:30 I stood where the path from Tomorrowland meets the castle hub -- right at the taped mark. Great photos with the castle in the background. I did have to really stand my ground -- people keep standing on the wrong side of the tape and when the workers moved them along...well I had to constantly not allow myself to be shoved over.

The second party, at 7:45 I stood as you face the castle, the right side of Main St. There is a walkway in between the Plaza Icecream and the dessert party garden, they put up ropes. I was on the side closer to the Castle -- it was the rope, about 3 feet of space and then a trashcan. I think people thought it wasn't a space, which was why it was still available at 7:45. I put myself next to the trashcan, another woman and her child fit next to me on the curb -- not a big space which was great because we were not jostled. My one son sat in front of me and my husband and other son behind us which filled the space. The other side of the trashcan...people are just awful arriving at the last minute and then shoving in.

 

[BellesRosesAndBooks]

We arrived!!! Our AKL room is on kudu trail on sunset Savanah. I can’t even begin to describe how magical things have been IN UNDER 24 HOURS.

Is this real life?!?!?

 

[msmith1026]

We arrived!!! Our AKL room is on kudu trail on sunset Savanah. I can’t even begin to describe how magical things have been IN UNDER 24 HOURS.

Is this real life?!?!?

That was where we were and it was honestly incredible. One of the feeding times is 4:30, so there will be so many animals to see at that time.

I hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We bought MPLL for today at MK and it has worked out great. A bunch of rides were down at rope drop, including the Mine Ride, Peter Pan, etc, but the 9am Buzz LL worked great. We were able to get LL for almost everything today. And we had VQ for Tron. But we do have to go back into MK tonight for Peter Pan and Tianna. We had some rain and very wet shoes. But it has been great so far.

 

[123SA]

I'm starting to look through my photos from our trip. I knew the crowds felt low, but here is some startling proof:

Sat 8/17 1:04 pm at RNRC - I have a photo of my boys in front of the big guitar -- literally no one else in the photo and it is not a zoomed in photo, and yes, RNRC was open.

Tuesday 8/13 1:16pm at the Gaston statue photo -- again, no one else at all in the photo

Sunday 8/12 12:50pm at the fountain outside American Adventure in Epcot - no else in the photo

Friday Aug 16th, early entry at MK was 7:30am this day - we got on the bus at 6:54am (not the first bus to MK) the driver waited a few minutes and finally left with just my family on the bus

Friday Aug 16th, park opened at 8am, at 8.54am I have a photo in front of the castle and the only other people you can see are little dots of people in the pathway through the tunnel

I also have a great photo in front of the Tree at AK, but that was taken at 7:20am on a 7:30am early entry day, so that makes sense.

I feel pretty confident saying the largest crowds we experienced were at the Halloween Party. I'm not saying the Halloween Party was too crowded.

Wait...the MK Fireworks on Sunday Aug 18th were horrible, but I guess it's always that way in the center near the Walt Disney statue and I just usually avoid it with a dessert party.

 

[Pills]

To conclude my saga - we just got a large refund from Delta. I have to say, besides the initial canceling of the flight right before boarding (not sure whose call that was) and, well, sending our bags down without us, they've been great to deal with.

There was one thing I hadn't mentioned. When we told Delta that we weren't going to fly down to MCO but we wanted to keep our flights back, they said it would be $1700 to do so (about $425 each). We ended up losing contact with the person that told us that and the next person that got on told my wife that, no, we weren't going to be charged anything else to keep our flights back, and we weren't.

 

[BellesRosesAndBooks]

I'm starting to look through my photos from our trip. I knew the crowds felt low, but here is some startling proof:

Sat 8/17 1:04 pm at RNRC - I have a photo of my boys in front of the big guitar -- literally no one else in the photo and it is not a zoomed in photo, and yes, RNRC was open.

Tuesday 8/13 1:16pm at the Gaston statue photo -- again, no one else at all in the photo

Sunday 8/12 12:50pm at the fountain outside American Adventure in Epcot - no else in the photo

Friday Aug 16th, early entry at MK was 7:30am this day - we got on the bus at 6:54am (not the first bus to MK) the driver waited a few minutes and finally left with just my family on the bus

Friday Aug 16th, park opened at 8am, at 8.54am I have a photo in front of the castle and the only other people you can see are little dots of people in the pathway through the tunnel

I also have a great photo in front of the Tree at AK, but that was taken at 7:20am on a 7:30am early entry day, so that makes sense.

I feel pretty confident saying the largest crowds we experienced were at the Halloween Party. I'm not saying the Halloween Party was too crowded.

Wait...the MK Fireworks on Sunday Aug 18th were horrible, but I guess it's always that way in the center near the Walt Disney statue and I just usually avoid it with a dessert party.

FoP standby yesterday was 25 minutes….
Remy was also 25 minutes….
ToT was a walk on….

I actually didn’t love the Halloween party. I’m glad we went, and we got to meet Jack and Sally but it was waaaaaay more crowded than I thought it’d be.

MK has actually been my least favorite park. Overly crowded. It was great for Cinderella’s Royal Table and going in at 7:40. But once it hit 10 AM? I was glad to have already finished princess meetings and be moving on to another park.

Edited to add - I enjoyed Happily Ever After fireworks way more than the Halloween Party Fireworks…

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are at the airport for our flight home. If you want to go to WDW when the parks have very low crowds and the resorts are half empty, go the last week of August. We have never seen them so empty in the mornings. We had a couple afternoon downpours with totally wet shoes, but only twice. It was very hot but the low crowds made it lots of fun.

 

[BellesRosesAndBooks]

Does anyone know what Disney does if they forgot to put an item you purchased in the bag? I have the receipt but not the food and wine tshirt

Update! I was so upset, my husband called and they said they will process a replacement. Trying not to get my hopes up still because it was the Remy 2024 Food and Wine shirt. But they did say they would replace it!