The WOO's thoughts on being a Magic Key holder

[KittyKitty]

You guys should all go watch his video series from earlier this year when he went on a road trip with his dad.

I just love that trip with his Dad. He is a hoot!

 

[aquamanalaska]

I agree, the only Disneyland vloggers I follow are Fresh Baked and Five Fires.

I am so grateful for FB David, he was giving me info when nobody else was. I miss Ian. Now David just reads me the newspaper and is not very entertaining. Mondo from Five Fires is awesome. Speculation Sunday with Danny is very informative. I found Adventures In Design on YT during the snap. Brickey is hardcore Disneyland only and he understands the park like most everyone in these forums. I was sold after I watched his "I Set A Disneyland World Record".

 

[RadarTechnician]

+1 for Adventures In Design

 

[jknc]

Not a fan of this guy. Will leave it at that.

this was very helpful. thank you.

 

[whiteness]

I'm not comparing accomplishments of the two, just the general style of long, drawn out, slow talking videos.

1. YouTube allows you to speed up videos up to 2x normal. It even shifts the audio pitch back down so dialog doesn't sound like Chip and Dale. Just click on the little gear and change the playback speed. It really helps slow talkers get to the point.

2. Hang on: you mean there is no penalty for no shows here in Florida? Good to know.

 

[bwvBound]

1. YouTube allows you to speed up videos up to 2x normal. It even shifts the audio pitch back down so dialog doesn't sound like Chip and Dale. Just click on the little gear and change the playback speed. It really helps slow talkers get to the point.

I run nearly every YouTube at 1.5x normal. Shifted Woo to 2x and still found his delivery style insufferable. Just not my cup of tea at any speed, I guess.

 

[Disney0010]

Well I was glad to help.

this was very helpful. thank you.

 

[jordan13402]

I run nearly every YouTube at 1.5x normal. Shifted Woo to 2x and still found his delivery style insufferable. Just not my cup of tea at any speed, I guess.

yeah I get this...I spent 6 months researching our first trip to WDW from about jan to june of this year (was a fantastic trip, we hit the parks at the time when no masks were needed for vaxxed folks like us)...anyway, discovered Adam the Woo and will say he is not the same style as some at DLR...he's a "hit play and listen while doing work on my PC kind of vlogger"

 

[GatorChris]

Man, a lot of disdain for The Woo on here. Surprised. He's a legend! Granted, you don't watch his videos for simple information wrapped up in 4 minutes. You watch him because he leads a pretty interesting life. His travels are epic!

I will say this after watching this video. It makes me want to live in SoCal. But like The Woo said, part of the magic of living in SoCal and having an AP is getting off work and then heading to DL to hit Pirates or Soarin' or something. Can't do that anymore. Takes the fun out of having an AP.

 

[DLRExpert]

The main issue (as stated in the video) I have with the Magic Key is that MKH (Magic Key Holders) are obviously booking up days (especially weekends) far in advance. They then cancel them the day before. Sold out days on the Res Calendar for MKH seems to open up the night before. Usually starts to be noticeable around 6pm. This will only get worse as more and more people are picking up Magic Keys.

Disney needs to keep the penalty, but allow people to cancel the day of as they will be quickly picked up by MKH that want to go the day of.

 

[VandVsmama]

The new AP policies are such that it makes a spontaneous spur-of-the-moment visit to DL pretty much impossible. I think that's the main point that Adam the Woo was trying to make in his video.

 

[whiteness]

The new AP policies are such that it makes a spontaneous spur-of-the-moment visit to DL pretty much impossible. I think that's the main point that Adam the Woo was trying to make in his video.

And I guess that was what Disney was aiming for.

I'm a former DL Passholder. Used to live in Irvine, about the same driving time from the parks there as we are now in Kissimmee. We just visited Magic Kingdom as Passholders for the first time yesterday.

I must say, it is a much less intimate and spontaneous experience. Don't get me wrong: MK is great! Massive, generally better dining options, better foot traffic control inside the park. We were amazed how easy it was to exit the park after the fireworks--and we were actually able to view the projections on the castle without having to camp out or anything, which was a first!

But, getting into and out of the parks has so much more "friction" and is a generally less pleasant experience. True, the trams are not running in EITHER park, but I actually preferred walking from Mickey and Friends through Downtown Disney anyway. In fact, it was "part of the ride" in the same way that walking through the picture gallery was "part of the ride" in the Haunted Mansion (in DL.) I looked forward to peeking into the shops, being tempted by the restaurants (which were often adorably themed), etc. In fact, it was our tradition to get some ice cream at Salt and Straw either before or after. After they put in the Pixar lot, the walk was even nicer.

And the lots, themselves, just felt cozier and more accessible. I loved the escalators, too. I loved being able to see into the parks from the upper levels. I watched Starwars Land being built from the 6th floor of Mickey and Friends. Getting to and from the 5 to the parking structure was a breeze, too, once you knew the little tricks.

Magic Kingdom parking is just not fun. You feel like you are traveling and walking forever, and it is not a pleasant trip. Even the trip down is just not as pleasant. It's wonderful that there is all of that parking available, but it's all surface parking and what a waste of space! And it means that travel times are much greater. It's my least favorite part of visiting the park.

I can totally see why people felt they could just pop into DL after work. And why they wouldn't be as inclined to do so at MK. The other parks (esp. EPCOT and Hollywood Studios) do seem nicer in that regard. Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I agree, the only Disneyland vloggers I follow are Fresh Baked and Five Fires.

I love Five Fires. I keep his videos on as background when I'm working a lot. He has such a happy attitude, it's contagious. I absolutely LOVE Molly from All Ears, that entire channel is pure gold. She has a few recent ones from her trip to Disneyland that were fun, I'd recommend them. Especially her one on how terrifying our Fantasyland is.

 

[l4dyj8]

And I guess that was what Disney was aiming for.

I'm a former DL Passholder. Used to live in Irvine, about the same driving time from the parks there as we are now in Kissimmee. We just visited Magic Kingdom as Passholders for the first time yesterday.

I must say, it is a much less intimate and spontaneous experience. Don't get me wrong: MK is great! Massive, generally better dining options, better foot traffic control inside the park. We were amazed how easy it was to exit the park after the fireworks--and we were actually able to view the projections on the castle without having to camp out or anything, which was a first!

But, getting into and out of the parks has so much for friction and is a generally less pleasant experience. True, the trams are not running in EITHER park, but I actually preferred walking from Mickey and Friends through Downtown Disney anyway. In fact, it was "part of the ride" in the same way that walking through the picture gallery was "part of the ride" in the Haunted Mansion (in DL.) I looked forward to peeking into the shops, being tempted by the restaurant, etc. In fact, it was our tradition to get some ice cream at Salt and Straw either before or after. After to put in the Pixar lot, the walk was even nicer.

And the lots, themselves, just felt cozier and more accessible. I loved the escalators, too. I loved being able to see into the parks from the upper levels. I watched Starwars Land being built from the 6th floor of Mickey and Friends. Getting on and off the 5 from them was a breeze, too, once you knew the little tricks.

Magic Kingdom parking is just not fun. You feel like you are traveling and walking forever, and it is not a pleasant trip. Even the trip down is just not as pleasant. It's wonderful that there is all of that parking available, but it's all surface parking and what a waste of space! And it means that travel times are much greater. It's my least favorite part of visiting the park.

I can totally see why people felt they could just pop into DL after work. And why they wouldn't be as inclined to do so at MK. The other parks (esp. EPCOT and Hollywood Studios) do seem nicer in that regard. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I grew up 20 minutes away, now live 30-45 minutes away. With work and kids in school, our trips are always planned. So the reservation system isn't an issue for us. However, I agree that the appeal for most was the spontaneity. Maybe 2 of our many visits throughout the year have simply been about good weather (cloudy) and why not go. Every ride isn't a must. We enjoy food or seasonal events/decor. I do know plenty of (single) locals that were the after-work crowd. Or families that live in my area that go during the weekday. Those families are actually not renewing.

The thought of a WDW trip stresses me out. With all the planning I heard that you need to do. And the dining reservation / magic band windows you need to be aware of. And now that's part of DL now. I remember seeing WDW vets wondering about dining reservations for DL. And DL goers often reply, relaxed with "don't worry about... it will open up soon. And there will be plenty to choose from.." Well, that's gone...

 

[whiteness]

I grew up 20 minutes away, now live 30-45 minutes away. With work and kids in school, our trips are always planned. So the reservation system isn't an issue for us. However, I agree that the appeal for most was the spontaneity. Maybe 2 of our many visits throughout the year have simply been about good weather (cloudy) and why not go. Every ride isn't a must. We enjoy food or seasonal events/decor. I do know plenty of (single) locals that were the after-work crowd. Or families that live in my area that go during the weekday. Those families are actually not renewing.

The thought of a WDW trip stresses me out. With all the planning I heard that you need to do. And the dining reservation / magic band windows you need to be aware of. And now that's part of DL now. I remember seeing WDW vets wondering about dining reservations for DL. And DL goers often reply, relaxed with "don't worry about... it will open up soon. And there will be plenty to choose from.." Well, that's gone...

Well, to be honest, we just decided on the spur of the moment on Saturday to visit MK on Sunday, and made park reservations. All 4 parks were available, no problem at all.

We didn't reserve anything else. Just went. We were expecting to eat from walk up spots and use mobile ordering but while we were strolling into the park we noticed that Crystal Palace had a "space available" sign out. We were seated immediately, and had a nice buffet meal. The rest of the day was the same: standby everyplace. No planning at all. When we realized that the fireworks were going to start, we strolled in the general direction of the castle, and they were so close it was almost scary LOL.

Probably won't be like this next week, but we had a great day at MK. Aside from parking: that sucked.

 

[dieumeye]

The main issue (as stated in the video) I have with the Magic Key is that MKH (Magic Key Holders) are obviously booking up days (especially weekends) far in advance. They then cancel them the day before. Sold out days on the Res Calendar for MKH seems to open up the night before. Usually starts to be noticeable around 6pm. This will only get worse as more and more people are picking up Magic Keys.

Disney needs to keep the penalty, but allow people to cancel the day of as they will be quickly picked up by MKH that want to go the day of.

I think it would work if they allowed you to cancel your reservation up to say, noon or 1 PM same day, and then allowed someone else to pick up that reservation same day. Gives a little more flexibility for people to change their mind in the morning, and gives some people the opportunity to do those last minute evening visits. Everybody wins!

I don’t have any data but I would imagine that the number of people who would cancel same day if allowed, would be made up for by the number of people who would pick up a reservation same day if allowed.

If the park allows X reservations for Magic Keyholders in a day, and those reservations are fully booked (as they seem to be most weekends), then Disney can plan to staff to that level. Even if same-day cancellations and bookings are allowed, there’s no danger of ever exceeding the allotted X reservations, so there’s no danger of an unexpected influx of people.

I suppose the only danger is if a large number of Keyholders cancel a reservation, and hardly any of them get picked back up. Leaving the park “overstaffed”. Maybe that could happen on a day when it rains, but in that case it’s just as likely that a lot of people will leave the park anyway, so you have the same situation either way.

 

[DLgal]

I think it would work if they allowed you to cancel your reservation up to say, noon or 1 PM same day, and then allowed someone else to pick up that reservation same day. Gives a little more flexibility for people to change their mind in the morning, and gives some people the opportunity to do those last minute evening visits. Everybody wins!

I don’t have any data but I would imagine that the number of people who would cancel same day if allowed, would be made up for by the number of people who would pick up a reservation same day if allowed.

If the park allows X reservations for Magic Keyholders in a day, and those reservations are fully booked (as they seem to be most weekends), then Disney can plan to staff to that level. Even if same-day cancellations and bookings are allowed, there’s no danger of ever exceeding the allotted X reservations, so there’s no danger of an unexpected influx of people.

I suppose the only danger is if a large number of Keyholders cancel a reservation, and hardly any of them get picked back up. Leaving the park “overstaffed”. Maybe that could happen on a day when it rains, but in that case it’s just as likely that a lot of people will leave the park anyway, so you have the same situation either way.

I totally agree with you here. If they are going to allow a cancellation up until 11:59 the day before, at that point it's not a staffing issue. It's not like CMs sit at home on call and find out they have to cover a shift hours beforehand.

I really wish they would allow cancellations day of, even if it's limited to the minute before the parks open for the day, like 7:59 am on an 8am opening. We we t Saturday, but I woke up with a migraine and really wanted to just cancel, but didn't want the penalty, so rather than cancel, I drugged myself up as best I could, downed a Coke Zero and hoped for the best. We ended up going later than planned, but still got in just before noon and grabbed a Webslingers BG. It was a stressful morning.

I also DON'T think they release the reservations that MK holders cancel late the night before. I was listening to a podcast (maybe Fresh Baked) where he said they don't make last minute cancellations available for new reservations on a 1:1 basis. When you see availability open up, it's Disney "massaging the system" to make their desired quota for the day. Not sure how true that is, but it makes sense.

I was asked by a GR CM "how are you enjoying your Magic Keys so far?" I told him we were happy to have passes again, but HATED how far in advance we needed to reserve weekends. He was sympathetic. They probably hear that a lot.

The other thing that is maddening is same day reservations being available for single day ticket purchases but not MKs. That's how you know it has nothing to do with staffing.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I don’t have any data but I would imagine that the number of people who would cancel same day if allowed, would be made up for by the number of people who would pick up a reservation same day if allowed.

If the park allows X reservations for Magic Keyholders in a day, and those reservations are fully booked (as they seem to be most weekends), then Disney can plan to staff to that level. Even if same-day cancellations and bookings are allowed, there’s no danger of ever exceeding the allotted X reservations, so there’s no danger of an unexpected influx of people.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Disney0010]

I’m the opposite. I lived in FL for my first thirty-five years and have visited WDW more times than I can count. Now we live about 80 miles from DL. We purchased the AP and used it for the first time last week. We have days scheduled for each of the next three months. We don’t live close enough to show up in the evening so we plan.

At first I thought that we would not warm up to DL since we enjoyed WDW. We were wrong and now much prefer DL over WDW. We spent five nights at WDW in May and I was happy to board the plane home. WDW was packed with no social distancing (keep in mind that this was in May and WDW was still supposedly limiting park attendance and had the spacing tape in the queues), humid and hot and spending so much time getting to and from the parks. Epcot‘s Future World was a huge construction zone with walls up everywhere. Epcot has always been my favorite Disney park but no more. Maybe after they finish rebuilding FW my opinion might change.

DL is just much more intimate and easy to navigate. I also think some of the same rides such as HM, POTC, BTMR and a few others are better at DL. DL park has a special feeling. It’s easy to find hotels nearby that are not owned by Disney if people want that option. Not as easy at WDW and yes the parking at WDW is not fun. I can’t imagine having to navigate parking without the trams. IMHO this is just a cheap out by Disney along with not providing housekeeping at their hotels. They can pack the parks and rides but have used the pandemic as an excuse for not running trams or providing housekeeping. Maybe it’s a labor shortage but be transparent.

The good thing is that most people have options so if they prefer WDW then they can visit. Same with DL. For us, it’s DL.

And I guess that was what Disney was aiming for.

I'm a former DL Passholder. Used to live in Irvine, about the same driving time from the parks there as we are now in Kissimmee. We just visited Magic Kingdom as Passholders for the first time yesterday.

I must say, it is a much less intimate and spontaneous experience. Don't get me wrong: MK is great! Massive, generally better dining options, better foot traffic control inside the park. We were amazed how easy it was to exit the park after the fireworks--and we were actually able to view the projections on the castle without having to camp out or anything, which was a first!

But, getting into and out of the parks has so much more "friction" and is a generally less pleasant experience. True, the trams are not running in EITHER park, but I actually preferred walking from Mickey and Friends through Downtown Disney anyway. In fact, it was "part of the ride" in the same way that walking through the picture gallery was "part of the ride" in the Haunted Mansion (in DL.) I looked forward to peeking into the shops, being tempted by the restaurants (which were often adorably themed), etc. In fact, it was our tradition to get some ice cream at Salt and Straw either before or after. After they put in the Pixar lot, the walk was even nicer.

And the lots, themselves, just felt cozier and more accessible. I loved the escalators, too. I loved being able to see into the parks from the upper levels. I watched Starwars Land being built from the 6th floor of Mickey and Friends. Getting to and from the 5 to the parking structure was a breeze, too, once you knew the little tricks.

Magic Kingdom parking is just not fun. You feel like you are traveling and walking forever, and it is not a pleasant trip. Even the trip down is just not as pleasant. It's wonderful that there is all of that parking available, but it's all surface parking and what a waste of space! And it means that travel times are much greater. It's my least favorite part of visiting the park.

I can totally see why people felt they could just pop into DL after work. And why they wouldn't be as inclined to do so at MK. The other parks (esp. EPCOT and Hollywood Studios) do seem nicer in that regard. Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

1. I think that if it's ultimately true that "Magic Keys can't be used for spontaneous, day-of trips," that was always an option given the restrictions of the passes, as clearly outlined prior to purchasing.
2. I think it's SUPER PREMATURE to decide that's going to be the case long-term.

Magic Keys have only been out for one month, and initially reservations were wide open. The first Monday-Thursday to book up in advance was LAST Thursday, as in four days ago, and besides Halloween and Veteran's Day weekend, weekends were only booked up two weeks out as of seven days ago. Friday, Sept. 10 had same-day DCA-start reservations available that morning, so we're talking two Fridays so far where you couldn't wake up in the morning and think, "I'd like to go to Disneyland today" and book it. So while the current reservation calendar looks suddenly very-booked-up and not spontaneous, we're talking about a program that's very new and has only had this "issue" briefly.

We have no idea how Disney will adjust to this NEW situation - I'm not expecting them to immediately pivot on their AP policies due to things being booked up for like a week, especially when there's a lot else going on at the parks.

Long term, I do hope they'll make some adjustments. To me, same-day cancellations up to a certain time would make a LOT of sense on a whole variety of levels, and I hope they'll allow for that. I also think that if they can get staffing up and allow more people, reservations may become more plentiful, so days being full may be less of an issue.

Basically, I'm hopeful that some adjustments might allow for more spontaneity, but I also think that if nothing changes... I'm still getting what was advertised, and honestly, it's a lot more than I expected as of a few months ago when it didn't seem like something resembling APs was even coming back.