Melora
Disney Dreaming
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2003
- Messages
- 2,556
We got back from our one week trip with 8 people from January 18-26
staying in 3 rooms at the All-Star Movie Resort.
It took me a while to get back into real life.
I am writing a proper trip report but thought I would write out my observations and overview here.
I tend to divide things into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
I'll start with the worst so I can end on a positive note since overall we had an absolute blast.
The Ugly
Disney Genie + was awful.
I didn't buy it because (as I said) we had 8 people and the price was too much for a daily purchase.
I was thinking about maybe doing it for one day for DHS to get the big rides in, but by 8 AM most of the lightning lanes were
pushed off until late afternoon or early evening or not available.
I checked the ILL for Rise of the Resistance exactly at 7 AM and they offered me one for 12:30 (we had lunch ressies so couldn't do that)
and when I refreshed it a few minutes later they were gone for the day.
I know most of you have already heard the basic complaints about only being able to do one ride a day and that was also a factor.
It's just such a disappointment that even if I was willing to pay for it for one or two days it didn't seem worth it.
I watched a documentary on the "History of Fastpasses" on Youtube and it really is fascinating.
I highly recommend it to better understand what's going on and why it's going to be hard for Disney to change the way they are doing things now.
Forgot to add this the first time around...
No Magical Express made everyone in our party VERY sad both because we missed taking that first ride to the park
with the anticipation of finally arriving at the World but mostly because we had to book to 2 XL Lyfts to get us there (SO much luggage)
and it was just another cost I had to factor in to an already REALLY expensive trip.
The Bad
The crowds were ridiculous for it being mid-January.
I realize that people having put off previous trips was most likely the reason behind it but I was really taken aback by how many people were there.
We got to DHS BEFORE they were supposed to let in resort guests (arriving a little after 8 AM when opening for resort guests was supposed to be at 8:30)
and not only had they already let people in but Rise of the Resistance was already a 2-hour wait.
We ended up bypassing that and going on Smugglers Run which was a walk-on. By the time we got out, it's wait time was an hour and a half.
It was REALLY cold. And it rained.
This complaint is nothing that could have been changed and it was my own fault for not being better prepared.
I generally over prepare for everything and this time I fell short. I brought rain ponchos but failed to bring them to the parks
on the days we needed them and we ended up getting soaked and freezing to death.
And because it rained a lot a couple of the days I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked.
Again, nothing that could have been changed.
The restaurant prices were truly outrageous.
I know Disney is expensive but $55 - $75 for a meal is really a price point I can't justify.
Partly because we were traveling with so many people I couldn't even consider going to any of the pre-priced sit-down meals.
$450+ for all of us (including a 4-year-old who only eats french fries) wasn't even an option.
We did Tokyo Dining one evening which has always been one of our family favorites.
We had to pay extra to get a bowl of rice with Chicken Teriyaki which was already $30.
I know people pay it, but holy moly!
The Good
Aside from the prices, the food was absolutely wonderful!
Every single place we ate (including the food court at the All Stars) was delicious.
One of my kids had some dietary restrictions and he was always able to find something to eat.
If there wasn't anything that looked like he could eat, he was able to ask if something could be changed and 99% of the time
he was able to do that.
At the food court, he ate salmon and green beans every time and it was fantastic.
I didn't use mobile ordering at first until we tried to eat at one counter service places that didn't accept walk-ups
and I became an instant fan of ordering everything on my phone (and being able to customize food if need be) and clicking order.
They automatically charged my card and food was ready in no time.
I was REALLY worried about going with how bad the virus was spreading but needed a vacation so badly that we decided we would go
and do everything possible to stay safe. Everyone in our group was fully vaccinated and everyone who was due for a booster had one.
We had a 4-year-old so she was the one we worried most about.
We got her a really great mask that covered her face well and didn't slip down.
The cast members were really on top of making sure people had their masks on properly and there was hand sanitizer
at the entrance, in the queue, and at the exit to every ride. I know that transmission via hand to mouth is low but it still felt good to be able to clean your hands
especially when you touch railings constantly while you are in line.
It had been 10+ years since we went last time so there were a whole lot of new rides for us to experience.
Each and every one did not disappoint.
Soarin over the World, the Star Wars rides, the Pandora ride, Ratatouille, Slinky's Coaster.
All of them were truly awe-inspiring and I CAN NOT wait to go back and do them again (hopefully in September of this year).
We rented a wheelchair for me because I have a bad knee and every cast member was SO helpful.
Also on a number of occasions, the wait times for the rides were significantly less than posted.
We would get in the queue expecting to wait about an hour and it was half that. (Test track and Soarin' as two examples)
Of course, on 2 occasions the waits times were quite a bit longer because the ride had issues.
I needed to ask a question the night we checked in and a lady named Jennifer was behind the desk and she started our trip with a lot of Disney magic.
She gave us buttons for the newlyweds in our group, a button for me to wear for my upcoming birthday, buttons for the first timer's and a lot of helpful advice for making our trip the best it could be.
She also gave us actual cards (tickets) so we could get into our rooms and get the 4-year old into the parks without having to use our phones (which I preferred).
Younger people still used their phones but kept the tickets as souvenirs.
She let everyone pick out which character they wanted on their card which took some time but you could tell she was really enjoying helping us.
The resort granted our request for adjoining rooms on the ground floor and for the third room being directly next door.
The resort was clean and the beds were very comfy.
We had maid service every other day and they took out the trash and replenished the coffee cups and coffee pods each time.
After only staying at Old Key West, I was worried about staying here and I was not disappointed at all.
Overall we had a spectacular time and I am already planning on going back in the Fall.
With a LOT less people next time though!
It is not easy to travel with a big group even if everyone gets along.
Bathroom breaks were consistently longer than they should be because we couldn't get everyone to realize that as long we were stopped, just GO right when we pull up to the bathroom.
A couple of people would go in, a few minutes later a few more people would decide to go and by the time the first people were coming out
the last people decided they might as well go and by the time everyone cycled in and out 15 minutes had passed.
But if that was my biggest complaint about the family I guess it's not all that bad!
staying in 3 rooms at the All-Star Movie Resort.
It took me a while to get back into real life.
I am writing a proper trip report but thought I would write out my observations and overview here.
I tend to divide things into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
I'll start with the worst so I can end on a positive note since overall we had an absolute blast.
The Ugly
Disney Genie + was awful.
I didn't buy it because (as I said) we had 8 people and the price was too much for a daily purchase.
I was thinking about maybe doing it for one day for DHS to get the big rides in, but by 8 AM most of the lightning lanes were
pushed off until late afternoon or early evening or not available.
I checked the ILL for Rise of the Resistance exactly at 7 AM and they offered me one for 12:30 (we had lunch ressies so couldn't do that)
and when I refreshed it a few minutes later they were gone for the day.
I know most of you have already heard the basic complaints about only being able to do one ride a day and that was also a factor.
It's just such a disappointment that even if I was willing to pay for it for one or two days it didn't seem worth it.
I watched a documentary on the "History of Fastpasses" on Youtube and it really is fascinating.
I highly recommend it to better understand what's going on and why it's going to be hard for Disney to change the way they are doing things now.
Forgot to add this the first time around...
No Magical Express made everyone in our party VERY sad both because we missed taking that first ride to the park
with the anticipation of finally arriving at the World but mostly because we had to book to 2 XL Lyfts to get us there (SO much luggage)
and it was just another cost I had to factor in to an already REALLY expensive trip.
The Bad
The crowds were ridiculous for it being mid-January.
I realize that people having put off previous trips was most likely the reason behind it but I was really taken aback by how many people were there.
We got to DHS BEFORE they were supposed to let in resort guests (arriving a little after 8 AM when opening for resort guests was supposed to be at 8:30)
and not only had they already let people in but Rise of the Resistance was already a 2-hour wait.
We ended up bypassing that and going on Smugglers Run which was a walk-on. By the time we got out, it's wait time was an hour and a half.
It was REALLY cold. And it rained.
This complaint is nothing that could have been changed and it was my own fault for not being better prepared.
I generally over prepare for everything and this time I fell short. I brought rain ponchos but failed to bring them to the parks
on the days we needed them and we ended up getting soaked and freezing to death.
And because it rained a lot a couple of the days I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked.
Again, nothing that could have been changed.
The restaurant prices were truly outrageous.
I know Disney is expensive but $55 - $75 for a meal is really a price point I can't justify.
Partly because we were traveling with so many people I couldn't even consider going to any of the pre-priced sit-down meals.
$450+ for all of us (including a 4-year-old who only eats french fries) wasn't even an option.
We did Tokyo Dining one evening which has always been one of our family favorites.
We had to pay extra to get a bowl of rice with Chicken Teriyaki which was already $30.
I know people pay it, but holy moly!
The Good
Aside from the prices, the food was absolutely wonderful!
Every single place we ate (including the food court at the All Stars) was delicious.
One of my kids had some dietary restrictions and he was always able to find something to eat.
If there wasn't anything that looked like he could eat, he was able to ask if something could be changed and 99% of the time
he was able to do that.
At the food court, he ate salmon and green beans every time and it was fantastic.
I didn't use mobile ordering at first until we tried to eat at one counter service places that didn't accept walk-ups
and I became an instant fan of ordering everything on my phone (and being able to customize food if need be) and clicking order.
They automatically charged my card and food was ready in no time.
I was REALLY worried about going with how bad the virus was spreading but needed a vacation so badly that we decided we would go
and do everything possible to stay safe. Everyone in our group was fully vaccinated and everyone who was due for a booster had one.
We had a 4-year-old so she was the one we worried most about.
We got her a really great mask that covered her face well and didn't slip down.
The cast members were really on top of making sure people had their masks on properly and there was hand sanitizer
at the entrance, in the queue, and at the exit to every ride. I know that transmission via hand to mouth is low but it still felt good to be able to clean your hands
especially when you touch railings constantly while you are in line.
It had been 10+ years since we went last time so there were a whole lot of new rides for us to experience.
Each and every one did not disappoint.
Soarin over the World, the Star Wars rides, the Pandora ride, Ratatouille, Slinky's Coaster.
All of them were truly awe-inspiring and I CAN NOT wait to go back and do them again (hopefully in September of this year).
We rented a wheelchair for me because I have a bad knee and every cast member was SO helpful.
Also on a number of occasions, the wait times for the rides were significantly less than posted.
We would get in the queue expecting to wait about an hour and it was half that. (Test track and Soarin' as two examples)
Of course, on 2 occasions the waits times were quite a bit longer because the ride had issues.
I needed to ask a question the night we checked in and a lady named Jennifer was behind the desk and she started our trip with a lot of Disney magic.
She gave us buttons for the newlyweds in our group, a button for me to wear for my upcoming birthday, buttons for the first timer's and a lot of helpful advice for making our trip the best it could be.
She also gave us actual cards (tickets) so we could get into our rooms and get the 4-year old into the parks without having to use our phones (which I preferred).
Younger people still used their phones but kept the tickets as souvenirs.
She let everyone pick out which character they wanted on their card which took some time but you could tell she was really enjoying helping us.
The resort granted our request for adjoining rooms on the ground floor and for the third room being directly next door.
The resort was clean and the beds were very comfy.
We had maid service every other day and they took out the trash and replenished the coffee cups and coffee pods each time.
After only staying at Old Key West, I was worried about staying here and I was not disappointed at all.
Overall we had a spectacular time and I am already planning on going back in the Fall.
With a LOT less people next time though!
It is not easy to travel with a big group even if everyone gets along.
Bathroom breaks were consistently longer than they should be because we couldn't get everyone to realize that as long we were stopped, just GO right when we pull up to the bathroom.
A couple of people would go in, a few minutes later a few more people would decide to go and by the time the first people were coming out
the last people decided they might as well go and by the time everyone cycled in and out 15 minutes had passed.
But if that was my biggest complaint about the family I guess it's not all that bad!
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