Brian Noble
Gratefully in Recovery
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2004
- Messages
- 19,053
Sitting in the SkyClub at MCO waiting to board my flight back. A few very brief notes.
The MCO Hyatt is a godsend for late-arriving flights---especially if you have Chase URs that can transfer to Hyatt. I appreciated the sensor-activated slipper lights, but I'm bougie like that.
I didn't think the ongoing exterior work was particularly disruptive for those whose rooms are not directly impacted. I also think it is timely; the "logs" are definitely showing signs of wear, and the material underneath is much lighter in color so wear can be pretty obvious.
The trees around the cascade cabins have really started to grow in. We were overlooking the quiet pool on the 5th floor, and the cabins were barely noticeable.
Shenanigans at Whispering Canyon were in full force.
Yes, LSL is visible from CCV/BRV. But, I did not think it was the terrible eyesore from that angle that many make it out to be. Yes, it is big, but Bay Lake is bigger. It is not hard to still enjoy the larger view. I also suspect that once they have the final exterior, it will blend in a bit better than the bright colors of the construction material.
I am not a studio person. It was fine for a long weekend. I don't think I want to do that for my longer trips.
The current guard shack is on Timberline, west of the intersection with the first connector to the parking lot. It looks like they are pouring footers for something---maybe gate access---to the east of that intersection. If that's what they are doing suspect that might end up being related to whatever the plan is for Guest vehicle access to LSL.
I know that @lentesta and the folks at Touring Plans have mentioned that the LL/Standby mix has been changed in favor of Standby. Even knowing that, I was surprised at how much more smoothly the Standby lines seem to be moving. I got in a couple lines that I was sure were longer than posted based on how far back they went given my past experiences. They were either posted a little high, or right on the nose.
I did not purchase a single LL nor do a single rope drop. We were show/entertainment focused this time, and were only in the parks in the afternoons/evenings. Even so, we hit a few more popular attractions with what I thought were tolerable waits. I can imagine taking this approach to the parks given the current state of Operations.
MNSSHP was a lot of fun! I don't think it's a thing I need to do more than once every many years, unless I am with a first-timer who is a fan of spooky season.
The Litlte Mermaid update is very well done. The bones of the show are the same, but the experience has been plussed. The Villains show is fun, though maybe not a ton of repeat value? Not sure yet. I thought the Hook character was spectacularly funny and campy. Semi-relatedly: Cruella is experiencing a serious renaissance. I lost count of how many Cruellas were at the Party.
Harmonious is growing on me after a few viewings.
More if I think of it!
The MCO Hyatt is a godsend for late-arriving flights---especially if you have Chase URs that can transfer to Hyatt. I appreciated the sensor-activated slipper lights, but I'm bougie like that.
I didn't think the ongoing exterior work was particularly disruptive for those whose rooms are not directly impacted. I also think it is timely; the "logs" are definitely showing signs of wear, and the material underneath is much lighter in color so wear can be pretty obvious.
The trees around the cascade cabins have really started to grow in. We were overlooking the quiet pool on the 5th floor, and the cabins were barely noticeable.
Shenanigans at Whispering Canyon were in full force.
Yes, LSL is visible from CCV/BRV. But, I did not think it was the terrible eyesore from that angle that many make it out to be. Yes, it is big, but Bay Lake is bigger. It is not hard to still enjoy the larger view. I also suspect that once they have the final exterior, it will blend in a bit better than the bright colors of the construction material.
I am not a studio person. It was fine for a long weekend. I don't think I want to do that for my longer trips.
The current guard shack is on Timberline, west of the intersection with the first connector to the parking lot. It looks like they are pouring footers for something---maybe gate access---to the east of that intersection. If that's what they are doing suspect that might end up being related to whatever the plan is for Guest vehicle access to LSL.
I know that @lentesta and the folks at Touring Plans have mentioned that the LL/Standby mix has been changed in favor of Standby. Even knowing that, I was surprised at how much more smoothly the Standby lines seem to be moving. I got in a couple lines that I was sure were longer than posted based on how far back they went given my past experiences. They were either posted a little high, or right on the nose.
I did not purchase a single LL nor do a single rope drop. We were show/entertainment focused this time, and were only in the parks in the afternoons/evenings. Even so, we hit a few more popular attractions with what I thought were tolerable waits. I can imagine taking this approach to the parks given the current state of Operations.
MNSSHP was a lot of fun! I don't think it's a thing I need to do more than once every many years, unless I am with a first-timer who is a fan of spooky season.
The Litlte Mermaid update is very well done. The bones of the show are the same, but the experience has been plussed. The Villains show is fun, though maybe not a ton of repeat value? Not sure yet. I thought the Hook character was spectacularly funny and campy. Semi-relatedly: Cruella is experiencing a serious renaissance. I lost count of how many Cruellas were at the Party.
Harmonious is growing on me after a few viewings.
More if I think of it!
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