Random Questions a week before we leave!

[dina444444]

Thanks! What about ponchos? Do people wear them on Splash and the river rapids? I don't usually wear one on Splash at WDW but I read you get wetter on the Splash at DL.

You may want them for grizzly cause you can get completely soaked through on that, but for splash you can get wet but it's not the same as an entire wave of water coming over and on to you like what can and does happen on grizzly.

 

[wendow]

The stores and restaurants in DTD that are not Disney stores do not accept Disney Gift Cards.

Good to know (and I'm glad I asked)!

 

[DizneyMommy]

Thanks! What about ponchos? Do people wear them on Splash and the river rapids? I don't usually wear one on Splash at WDW but I read you get wetter on the Splash at DL.

River Rapids, I always wear one and let the kids get wet. Mean Mom. lol.

I have never worn one on Splash. Its a crap shoot, I've gotten fairly wet and gotten spritzed. Never anything close to River Rapids though. RR has lockers you can put your things in short term for free, so don't worry about your stuff. Just do it mid-day and you'll be ok. Don't try that at 5pm, you may not dry fast enough and then get cold!

 

[Winnowill]

Oh also, will be need our cooling towels? It doesn't seem like June is *that* hot. My dh got those and ponchos out but I'm not sure we really need either.

Doesn't hurt to have them. I often wear the ponchos on Splash and ALWAYS on GRR (I put my tote bag under it to keep it dry, also. I got pretty wet on Splash in December - if it's chilly out, I'd definitely wear one (actually, I avoid Splash and GRR when it's chilly out).

 

[DizneyMommy]

So, speaking of the wheelchair, my dd can stand in wait in lines that are 10-15 lines long but anything longer (guessing most of ours will be...), she needs to stay in her chair in the queue. No other issues with waiting so she does not need a DAS. How does this work with FP? Do we pull a FP and then show up at the exit of non-accessible rides. Will we allowed to ride right away or do we wait the length of the FP line? We won't be issued a return time like with the DAS, right?

At WDW, all the queues, other than like 3, are accessible. The few that are not wide enough, she has just been sent to the exit, where we wait 1-2 ride cycles, and then the CM takes us. If we come in with a FP, they tend to take us right away BUT we travel in Sept usually and if you have a FP, there is pretty much no wait.

There are a lot more lines at DL that are not accessible because they are old and built in the 50's/60's. Most of Fantasyland you won't fit a wheelchair through, but the lines do tend to be shorter. Pirates you cannot, Haunted Mansion you cannot, Splash you cannot, Star Tours you cannot, Space I think you cannot, Small World you can keep your wheelchair, and Big Thunder you cannot. Indiana Jones you cannot, and Jungle Cruise you cannot. Mostly you cannot. The lines are just too narrow for a chair to fit.

DCA is another story, it is newer and built with wider lines so you should be mostly fine there.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... If you have any questions on how to board a ride, feel free to ask a CM. While your daughter may be able to walk the queues, also consider some rides require her to board quickly (using the disabled boarding area for SPace and Cars provides time for her to load without worrying about speed.) And this is for all disabled, while they have separate boarding areas, remember if the ride is E-stopped, you will have to get yourself off. Some aren't as easy as others. BTMRR has a lot of stairs involved. *IF* you get stuck, you will need to walk the steps off. I don't ride this on a "bad" day.

Keep asking questions!

This info is important to note! The ride loading and unloading cycles are rather short. If a guest takes too long to load or unload, it can stop the whole ride for everyone. Then the ride has to be evacuated and the system rebooted. This accounts for some of the frequent complaints here about rides going down so often. If you think your daughter may need even a little extra time to load or unload, ask the CM in the queue about using the HC loading area (if there is one). Other rides, like HM, have a different set up. There are ways to accommodate special needs, all you need to do is communicate with the CMs and ask ahead of time!

 

[wendow]

River Rapids, I always wear one and let the kids get wet. Mean Mom. lol.

Mean Moms, unite! Right there with ya lol. My dh doesn't want to take the ponchos so I told him just to bring one for me I don't like getting soaked. Kids can deal!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Mean Moms, unite! Right there with ya lol. My dh doesn't want to take the ponchos so I told him just to bring one for me I don't like getting soaked. Kids can deal!

One of the great advantages to ponchos (or rain gear) is that if you ride Splash or GRR early or late in the day when there aren't many other guests, the CMs often let you ride repeatedly ("You want to go again?" YES!). If you are wearing protective gear, you can just keep going as many times as you want.

 

[Angrose]

Thanks! What about ponchos? Do people wear them on Splash and the river rapids? I don't usually wear one on Splash at WDW but I read you get wetter on the Splash at DL.

A word on ponchos...you probably won't need them for Splash since it's hit or miss in terms of how wet you'll get. My best tip is to put your feet up under the lip of the log if you can so they don't get soaked, or wear waterproof sandals. There's nothing worse than walking around in wet socks/shoes. GRR is another story. I ALWAYS get soaked on that ride, through to my skin. Even when I've worn a poncho, it keeps the top half of me dry, but most of the water comes up from the bottom somehow and the bottom half of me still gets soaked! I try to plan my ride for when it's really hot and I'll dry fast or when I know I'm heading back to the room and can change.

I also want to second lunch or dinner at Tangaroa Terrace/Trader Sam's at DLH. It's one of my most favorite areas at DLR, such a great place to escape the crowds and Tangaora Terrace is never very busy. There's plenty of outside seating on the terrace overlooking the pools and you can still pop into Trader Sam's to get cocktails and take them outside. It's super easy to get over there via Monorail from Tomorrowland. The DTD Monorail stop is right across from the Lego store and just a minute's walk to DLH. You can also grab your Dole Whip from the Coffee House on the other side of the pools...no lines there, compared to the ones in the park. Speaking of Dole Whips, if you do get them in the park, use the line that's inside the Tiki Room waiting area, much better and often much shorter.

 

[DizneyMommy]

A word on ponchos...you probably won't need them for Splash since it's hit or miss in terms of how wet you'll get. My best tip is to put your feet up under the lip of the log if you can so they don't get soaked, or wear waterproof sandals. There's nothing worse than walking around in wet socks/shoes. GRR is another story. I ALWAYS get soaked on that ride, through to my skin. Even when I've worn a poncho, it keeps the top half of me dry, but most of the water comes up from the bottom somehow and the bottom half of me still gets soaked! I try to plan my ride for when it's really hot and I'll dry fast or when I know I'm heading back to the room and can change.

I also want to second lunch or dinner at Tangaroa Terrace/Trader Sam's at DLH. It's one of my most favorite areas at DLR, such a great place to escape the crowds and Tangaora Terrace is never very busy. There's plenty of outside seating on the terrace overlooking the pools and you can still pop into Trader Sam's to get cocktails and take them outside. It's super easy to get over there via Monorail from Tomorrowland. The DTD Monorail stop is right across from the Lego store and just a minute's walk to DLH. You can also grab your Dole Whip from the Coffee House on the other side of the pools...no lines there, compared to the ones in the park. Speaking of Dole Whips, if you do get them in the park, use the line that's inside the Tiki Room waiting area, much better and often much shorter.

They changed this recently and took out the turnstiles to Tiki Room and aa a result the inside line got crazy long like the outside like. I don’t know if the purpose was to distribute the line or what. Sometimes the back side is closed too. It seems they are playing around with what works best or adjusting based on crowd level. No more inside short line though :-(

 

[nursejackie]

Eating at the Pool CS is one of our favorite ways to resort hop Can you grab food and sit in a lounge chair, or is the pool fenced off, and has a separate eating area?

Unfortunately the pools are fenced off at all the hotels. It didn't stop us enjoying the atmosphere and lovely food on a nice sunny evening. We ate at Tarangoa Terrace twice, it has an outside terrace.

 

[nursejackie]

When in WDW visiting the other hotels to dine, and experience the theming, is a big part of our holiday. Last year we visited DL California and ate at all three Disney hotels. We had a character breakfast at Storytellers cafe, and were surprised how few people were there. The food was delicious and the characters came round several times. In the evening we drove to the other two hotels for dinner, and enjoyed having a look around the hotel, shops, dining options etc.

I am very envious, enjoy your holiday