shm_helene
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2010
- Messages
- 492
I know I always like reading these when it was about time for me to leave and I apologize if all doesn't belong in "Theme Parks". We were there in the middle of July, so here goes the things I saw/learned (for us - family of 4) - This is really long, sorry for those of you who know many things in here, I'm long winded 
:
What everyone wants to know
(1) MagicBands - LOVED them except when my 5 yo didn't put it on when I gave it to her and I had to go to the Guest Relations to get her a temporary pass. Lines were horrific there though, several people had magicband issues I think. It was just so nice to have key/credit/fp/memory maker on one thing.
(2) FP+ - 95% loved The 5% that I didn't love was getting up so early to book - needed A and E and that you needed 3 from the same park. Also, app a little quirky at the park. I had read someone's post about not doing their FP until the afternoon so they didn't feel the "need" to try to get 4, 5, 6 (only did that on one day) so on the last day I booked A&E in the afternoon - wish I hadn't done that because I couldn't get any the rest of the AM. Liked much better being able to get them done early so I could try to get more and do things that aren't as long in the in-betweens. We had no issues getting 4, 5, 6 for the non-headlinersand Buzz (at MK) within 30 mins of booking them (mostly was within 10 mins or 5 mins). I never had to wait in line at the kiosk, they were shorter than under FP-. At the other parks, with less options, it was harder.
Parks / Park Type Stuff:
(1) Peter Pan Queue - Had read on here how awesome it was so we go there at 9:10 (park opening at 9) and it was amazing BUT not worth the wait - took us over 30 mins and it was so squished in there that I could barely enjoy.
(2) Character M&G - At MK, unless it has a FP or at least an indoor wait in the summer I wouldn't do, at least with young kids. We got to PP three times within 10 mins of opening a 40 min set and it was closed already. I know what some more experienced people are going to say, that you have to be there 15 mins early BUT it was 97 not including humidity and in the blazing sun with a 5 and 3 yo - not gonna happen, also sometimes it is hard to get places quickly with them. Tiana was unexpectedly abs 3 mornings when we went there specifically to meet her. Also posted m&g times were wrong I heard on the MDE app (I used Kenny). We did have good luck with Aurora (maybe 5 mins) and Mary Poppins (though MP was wandering and we had to chase her - that was her thing that day), Minnie was about 10/15 in the sun. We did catch a glimpse of Flynn walking by us, not sure if he was going to do a M and G or not. Didn't do Merida...my oldest didn't want to, unfortunately. At AK we had OK luck, Chip n Dale went on break JUST as we got to the front of the line, so that turned into 10-15 mins but it was in the shade, Rafiki my daughter had a blast with, that was maybe 10 mins, but inside/air conditioned, Pocahontas and Meeko were maybe 10/15 mins, randomly met Tarzan (0 min wait).
My kids weren't scared of them but my older daughter was hesitant to "interact" with them until we had been there a few days, then she got into it a little more and planned at least one question before we got up.
IF you want to meet Peter I would do that cruise.
The only character meal we did was Hollywood and Vine (it just takes too long for my kids to order and eat/QS is for us...sigh...for now). We loved it, kids had a great time. Food was good and you can get in and out reasonably quick.
(3) My girls could have spent at least 3 full days at MK and at least one full day at AK.
(4) HS is a mess. The timings on everything are off, things are spread apart, and I felt like we barely got anything done there. QS close early for a lot of places, so it took us a while to find a place to eat the evening we went for fireworks. Frozen fireworks are great though as is the sing-a-long. Annoying that things like the "Honey I Shrunk..." and QS restaurants closed early. My kids would have loved Shrunk and it just was something we couldn't get to because the shows just ate too much time (did Frozen Fever, Frozen Sing a Long, Hollywood and Vine, TSMM, and walked through Walt's); partly my fault also because it's really a 2/3 day park and I only gave it a morning and an evening.
(5) Didn't do DTD.
(6) Hopping - When my girls were younger it wasn't worth the $$ but it worked for us this time. The only thing was I thought since we were at Poly it wouldn't be a big deal to go over to MK for an hour or 2 in the AM (8AM opening days) and then hop someplace else. Bad move. Bad, bad move. It worked well with the morning EMH, stayed until around 12, but otherwise it made the morning too crazy and never panned out to get what we wanted done anyways.
(7) Mid afternoon break - If I didn't have to do it everyday, I would skip on a lot of days. We only skipped on AK day b/c youngest actually slept in stroller. It just cost us a lot of time, especially because we tried to be in bed around 10 most nights which means at Poly around 9.
(8) Memory Maker - Loved it Will do it every time because I didn't bring my DSLR into the park and it was easier. One thing - think of different poses because we have a ton in the exact same configuration - something I realized about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through. So for example we have a few places where we crouched/kneeled down on our girls level - these ALL came out great, on shoulders, piggy back, hugs, my husband standing around me with his arms draped, more casual. Mimic "Inside Out" my daughters go to so picture with all the different emotions. I didn't need to ask for too many magic shots - mostly we were offered, got lumiere, timon/pumba, tink (multiple), stitch (multiple). Try to catch the balloons in the background, got some great pics on main street with that. We lucked out and there was a roving PP guy at the Poly the day we left! I do wish we had started being more creative from the beginning. I ended with about 350 pictures and I didn't even do different combinations more than maybe 3 or 4 times and we didn't do any of the mountains. Also if you do ETWB they take the pictures for you, which is nice b/c it's hard to get a good shot in there. Lastly, it freed me up to video all the m&g's. They didn't take quite as many candids as I would have liked but next time I will just gently ask them to .
(9) Ride the Main St. Vehicles - they are fun and at least when we were using them never crowded.
(10) Used the bridge to Tomorrowland for fireworks viewing - wasn't perfect - a little obstructed and sound isn't as loud, but not at all crowded (noone was in front of us) and we moved there after the castle show. There are parts you can't stand, I heard the CM "yelling" at people, but that's not where I was.
Other:
(1) Stayed at Poly - construction noises (East Pool) minimal. Service was below what I expect. Last time everyone who worked there was so friendly, not so much this time. Location is still awesome and my kids loved the pool area and kids area (ages 3 and 5). Also, it might shorter for some people to take the monorail back to TTC and walk - the stops at TTC and Contemporary take longer - don't know that though, I'm sure many on here do.
(2) I HATE Disney transportation. We have a car, so I didn't depend on it. Monorail on shortened hours which is frustration, I like the boats just fine but one day it took 27 minutes to get over to the park because it was so long between boats and the captain was very chatty. Monorail was not working on several occasions, also frustrating. Used the bus at FW and (I know I'm not accustomed to having to wait) when we were going into the resort it was fine, coming out it was so long between buses, several people were complaining about it, they would fill up and you would have to miss...and it's definitely the worst behavior I've seen. At AK it took us 17 mins from getting on the tram to getting into the park b/c they were waiting for people and then there was another tram at the front - normally I walk but we chose not to...bad choice.
(3) Heat - it wasn't as bad as I remembered, was over 95 all but one of 6 days (other it was 93) but since we were going in and out of buildings and attractions so much it wasn't as big of a deal. Also, not having to run for FP's was awesome with the heat. All we brought was a spray mister (Ok, we bought one at the park when I forgot our portable fans and were at AK for a whole day), portable fans (used a lot at MK) and some hand towels from the hotel.
(4) Bags - My mom let me use this backpack (though I swear she said she paid 19.99). It was AMAZING. Best bag I've used. EVER. It was SUPER light weight and usually my back will bother me even after 30 minutes of wearing one but this one I wore all day without issue. It's really breathable so it didn't even bother me in the heat. HIGHLY suggest!!!
(5) Day off - Had one, really liked it BUT we went off property to eat (Sweet Tomatoes - yummy and not $$) and to go to the Character Warehouse (was NOT worth it for me) and I wish we hadn't done that. I know it's not everyones thing but I like the Disney bubble and going off really took away some magic on that day. Also, it ate like 3 hours of time.
(6) Kids Clubs - LOVED LOVED LOVED them. It was kind of $$ b/c we have two kids. They stayed for 4 hours and they both had a full meal and snacks (and the girl told me to just circle all of them and they would give them all of them). I loved it b/c with all the over stimulation I think for my girls to sit and play with toys and do crafts and play on their own (not family time ) really recharged them. My 5 yo actually started crying when we got there. My husband and I had the night of what can go wrong will go wrong, so for us not such a great night but good for them.
(7) We didn't follow all my plans. We accomplished maybe 60-70%. I read that on here. I've lived it before but still I was sure this would be it it wasn't and that led to a lot of frustration for me bc I kept thinking of the things I missed.
I wish everyone the best of luck! All in all the frustrations at HS, the Peter Pan and Tiana (PP is my daughters absolute favorite charater) and with transportation left me with the most disappointed feeling I'ved had leaving Disney but a couple weeks out and I'm already planning my next trip!
:What everyone wants to know
(1) MagicBands - LOVED them
except when my 5 yo didn't put it on when I gave it to her and I had to go to the Guest Relations to get her a temporary pass. Lines were horrific there though, several people had magicband issues I think. It was just so nice to have key/credit/fp/memory maker on one thing.(2) FP+ - 95% loved
The 5% that I didn't love was getting up so early to book - needed A and E and that you needed 3 from the same park. Also, app a little quirky at the park. I had read someone's post about not doing their FP until the afternoon so they didn't feel the "need" to try to get 4, 5, 6 (only did that on one day) so on the last day I booked A&E in the afternoon - wish I hadn't done that because I couldn't get any the rest of the AM. Liked much better being able to get them done early so I could try to get more and do things that aren't as long in the in-betweens. We had no issues getting 4, 5, 6 for the non-headlinersand Buzz (at MK) within 30 mins of booking them (mostly was within 10 mins or 5 mins). I never had to wait in line at the kiosk, they were shorter than under FP-. At the other parks, with less options, it was harder.Parks / Park Type Stuff:
(1) Peter Pan Queue - Had read on here how awesome it was so we go there at 9:10 (park opening at 9) and it was amazing BUT not worth the wait - took us over 30 mins and it was so squished in there that I could barely enjoy.
(2) Character M&G - At MK, unless it has a FP or at least an indoor wait in the summer I wouldn't do, at least with young kids. We got to PP three times within 10 mins of opening a 40 min set and it was closed already. I know what some more experienced people are going to say, that you have to be there 15 mins early BUT it was 97 not including humidity and in the blazing sun with a 5 and 3 yo - not gonna happen, also sometimes it is hard to get places quickly with them. Tiana was unexpectedly abs 3 mornings when we went there specifically to meet her. Also posted m&g times were wrong I heard on the MDE app (I used Kenny). We did have good luck with Aurora (maybe 5 mins) and Mary Poppins (though MP was wandering and we had to chase her - that was her thing that day), Minnie was about 10/15 in the sun. We did catch a glimpse of Flynn walking by us, not sure if he was going to do a M and G or not. Didn't do Merida...my oldest didn't want to, unfortunately. At AK we had OK luck, Chip n Dale went on break JUST as we got to the front of the line, so that turned into 10-15 mins but it was in the shade, Rafiki my daughter had a blast with, that was maybe 10 mins, but inside/air conditioned, Pocahontas and Meeko were maybe 10/15 mins, randomly met Tarzan (0 min wait).
My kids weren't scared of them but my older daughter was hesitant to "interact" with them until we had been there a few days, then she got into it a little more and planned at least one question before we got up.
IF you want to meet Peter I would do that cruise.
The only character meal we did was Hollywood and Vine (it just takes too long for my kids to order and eat/QS is for us...sigh...for now). We loved it, kids had a great time. Food was good and you can get in and out reasonably quick.
(3) My girls could have spent at least 3 full days at MK and at least one full day at AK.
(4) HS is a mess. The timings on everything are off, things are spread apart, and I felt like we barely got anything done there. QS close early for a lot of places, so it took us a while to find a place to eat the evening we went for fireworks. Frozen fireworks are great though
as is the sing-a-long. Annoying that things like the "Honey I Shrunk..." and QS restaurants closed early. My kids would have loved Shrunk and it just was something we couldn't get to because the shows just ate too much time (did Frozen Fever, Frozen Sing a Long, Hollywood and Vine, TSMM, and walked through Walt's); partly my fault also because it's really a 2/3 day park and I only gave it a morning and an evening.(5) Didn't do DTD.
(6) Hopping - When my girls were younger it wasn't worth the $$ but it worked for us this time. The only thing was I thought since we were at Poly it wouldn't be a big deal to go over to MK for an hour or 2 in the AM (8AM opening days) and then hop someplace else. Bad move. Bad, bad move. It worked well with the morning EMH, stayed until around 12, but otherwise it made the morning too crazy and never panned out to get what we wanted done anyways.
(7) Mid afternoon break - If I didn't have to do it everyday, I would skip on a lot of days. We only skipped on AK day b/c youngest actually slept in stroller. It just cost us a lot of time, especially because we tried to be in bed around 10 most nights which means at Poly around 9.
(8) Memory Maker - Loved it
Will do it every time because I didn't bring my DSLR into the park and it was easier. One thing - think of different poses because we have a ton in the exact same configuration - something I realized about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through. So for example we have a few places where we crouched/kneeled down on our girls level - these ALL came out great, on shoulders, piggy back, hugs, my husband standing around me with his arms draped, more casual. Mimic "Inside Out" my daughters go to so picture with all the different emotions. I didn't need to ask for too many magic shots - mostly we were offered, got lumiere, timon/pumba, tink (multiple), stitch (multiple). Try to catch the balloons in the background, got some great pics on main street with that. We lucked out and there was a roving PP guy at the Poly the day we left! I do wish we had started being more creative from the beginning. I ended with about 350 pictures and I didn't even do different combinations more than maybe 3 or 4 times and we didn't do any of the mountains. Also if you do ETWB they take the pictures for you, which is nice b/c it's hard to get a good shot in there. Lastly, it freed me up to video all the m&g's. They didn't take quite as many candids as I would have liked but next time I will just gently ask them to . (9) Ride the Main St. Vehicles - they are fun and at least when we were using them never crowded.
(10) Used the bridge to Tomorrowland for fireworks viewing - wasn't perfect - a little obstructed and sound isn't as loud, but not at all crowded (noone was in front of us) and we moved there after the castle show. There are parts you can't stand, I heard the CM "yelling" at people, but that's not where I was.
Other:
(1) Stayed at Poly - construction noises (East Pool) minimal. Service was below what I expect. Last time everyone who worked there was so friendly, not so much this time. Location is still awesome and my kids loved the pool area and kids area (ages 3 and 5). Also, it might shorter for some people to take the monorail back to TTC and walk - the stops at TTC and Contemporary take longer - don't know that though, I'm sure many on here do.
(2) I HATE Disney transportation. We have a car, so I didn't depend on it. Monorail on shortened hours which is frustration, I like the boats just fine but one day it took 27 minutes to get over to the park because it was so long between boats and the captain was very chatty. Monorail was not working on several occasions, also frustrating. Used the bus at FW and (I know I'm not accustomed to having to wait) when we were going into the resort it was fine, coming out it was so long between buses, several people were complaining about it, they would fill up and you would have to miss...and it's definitely the worst behavior I've seen. At AK it took us 17 mins from getting on the tram to getting into the park b/c they were waiting for people and then there was another tram at the front - normally I walk but we chose not to...bad choice.
(3) Heat - it wasn't as bad as I remembered, was over 95 all but one of 6 days (other it was 93) but since we were going in and out of buildings and attractions so much it wasn't as big of a deal. Also, not having to run for FP's was awesome with the heat. All we brought was a spray mister (Ok, we bought one at the park when I forgot our portable fans and were at AK for a whole day), portable fans (used a lot at MK) and some hand towels from the hotel.
(4) Bags - My mom let me use this backpack (though I swear she said she paid 19.99). It was AMAZING. Best bag I've used. EVER. It was SUPER light weight and usually my back will bother me even after 30 minutes of wearing one but this one I wore all day without issue. It's really breathable so it didn't even bother me in the heat. HIGHLY suggest!!!
(5) Day off - Had one, really liked it BUT we went off property to eat (Sweet Tomatoes - yummy and not $$) and to go to the Character Warehouse (was NOT worth it for me) and I wish we hadn't done that. I know it's not everyones thing but I like the Disney bubble and going off really took away some magic on that day. Also, it ate like 3 hours of time.
(6) Kids Clubs - LOVED LOVED LOVED them. It was kind of $$ b/c we have two kids. They stayed for 4 hours and they both had a full meal and snacks (and the girl told me to just circle all of them and they would give them all of them). I loved it b/c with all the over stimulation I think for my girls to sit and play with toys and do crafts and play on their own (not family time
) really recharged them. My 5 yo actually started crying when we got there. My husband and I had the night of what can go wrong will go wrong, so for us not such a great night but good for them.(7) We didn't follow all my plans. We accomplished maybe 60-70%. I read that on here. I've lived it before but still I was sure this would be it
it wasn't and that led to a lot of frustration for me bc I kept thinking of the things I missed.I wish everyone the best of luck! All in all the frustrations at HS, the Peter Pan and Tiana (PP is my daughters absolute favorite charater) and with transportation left me with the most disappointed feeling I'ved had leaving Disney but a couple weeks out and I'm already planning my next trip!
