subtchr
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2005
- Messages
- 3,853
We arrived at AKL on Monday late afternoon, visited parks Tuesday to Friday, and fly home this afternoon. A few (hopefully) helpful hints:
1. Disney Springs is turning into a vibrant, fun place to be. We went on Monday evening, with the intent of a quick service meal and a visit to Guest Services to activate our Military Salute park passes. We took the bus from AKL, and strolled through the Marketplace to eat at Cooke's of Dublin (delicious, and they give a 20% military discount), and activated our passes with a lovely CM named Amylou at the Disney Quest GS window. Then we just strolled back toward the Marketplace bus stop, mostly window shopping.
The Landing area, where most of the new construction is, is lovely, and the live music throughout all of DS is great. We saw at least 5 sets of performers, an eclectic mix of genres. We did not have to wait long for a bus at either AKL or DS for the return.
2. Online crowd calendars, especially with the current attendance patterns, can be a guess at best now. But if you have a logical reason to choose one park over another, it can be very beneficial to your touring.
Tuesday we visited the Magic Kingdom from opening to about 4:00, knowing that there was a Christmas Party that night, so it would be less crowded during the day. This is because many guests without hoppers or party tickets would not want to go on a day that has no nighttime entertainment (other than the castle lighting at 6:15) and closes early. We then went to DHS to see the Osborne Lights and Fantasmic! -- amazing!
On Wednesday, we visited DHS from opening until about 4:30, when we went to MK for dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern and the nighttime shows there. (Castle lighting, MSEP, Celebrate the Magic, and Wishes). This was the only day of our park visits that did not have a Christmas party, so we knew it was our only chance to see those, even though it would be crowded. It turned out they added an hour to park hours that day, the morning of. The park was supposed to close at 10, with EMH 10-12, and they extended it to 11, EMH 11-1. We stayed until about 12:45, riding things with very short waits the last hour and a half. FYI, they did scan our bands at the entrance to every ride, starting at 11:01.
3. If you plan to use the Friendship boats between Epcot/Boardwalk area resorts/DHS in the evening, bring your patience. Better yet, walk. The boats are often not close together, and the main problem is that not enough people get off at each stop to make much room for those waiting to board, so it can take several boats to get on.
4. I may be in the minority, but I enjoy using the FP+ system. (And that's hard to admit for a former FP "power user" under the original paper FP system!) We were able to get optimum pre-reserved FP+, booking 60 days before our visit. Then in the parks, we always got fourth and subsequent FP using the kiosks. We would grab any FP from the kiosk, and then modify both time and attraction (limited of course to what is available). At the MK, we got a Space Mountain FP for our fourth, then playing around with it during dinner on my phone, I was able to switch it to Seven Dwarfs. Just keep playing with it to get what you want.
5. For AKL guests, I highly recommend Mara for breakfast. The breakfast flatbread is delicious and big enough to split. We also ate at Sanaa one night, our very favorite meal of the trip. So unique, wonderful service and atmosphere.
6. For smaller appetites, do not hesitate to order a kids' meal, no matter your age. My adult daughter did that at Mara every morning and several other places in the parks, without issue. Of course this does not apply to buffets or family-style restaurants.
7. We had great bus service overall to and from AKL. A couple times we had to stand, but the waits were never long.
8. Be early for park opening times. At the MK, the opening show was about 8:45 for a 9:00 opening. We did not arrive at the AK for opening, so not sure there. At Epcot, we waited at the Test Track rope (beside Mousegear), and were allowed in about 8:50. But the best was DHS. Full opening at 8:30 for a 9:00 scheduled opening. We rode Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and visited Launch Bay and visited with Chewbacca and Darth Vader, all before 9:15.
9. Memory Maker is definitely worth it. We stopped at many photographers, and it's so nice just to scan your band and know you will have all the photos to download.
10. Festival of Fantasy is the best Disney parade since Tapestry of Nations. Visual design, music, theme, and performance level are all stunning. Don't miss it.
I'm sure I'll think of more, but hopefully some of this info is helpful!
1. Disney Springs is turning into a vibrant, fun place to be. We went on Monday evening, with the intent of a quick service meal and a visit to Guest Services to activate our Military Salute park passes. We took the bus from AKL, and strolled through the Marketplace to eat at Cooke's of Dublin (delicious, and they give a 20% military discount), and activated our passes with a lovely CM named Amylou at the Disney Quest GS window. Then we just strolled back toward the Marketplace bus stop, mostly window shopping.
The Landing area, where most of the new construction is, is lovely, and the live music throughout all of DS is great. We saw at least 5 sets of performers, an eclectic mix of genres. We did not have to wait long for a bus at either AKL or DS for the return.
2. Online crowd calendars, especially with the current attendance patterns, can be a guess at best now. But if you have a logical reason to choose one park over another, it can be very beneficial to your touring.
Tuesday we visited the Magic Kingdom from opening to about 4:00, knowing that there was a Christmas Party that night, so it would be less crowded during the day. This is because many guests without hoppers or party tickets would not want to go on a day that has no nighttime entertainment (other than the castle lighting at 6:15) and closes early. We then went to DHS to see the Osborne Lights and Fantasmic! -- amazing!
On Wednesday, we visited DHS from opening until about 4:30, when we went to MK for dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern and the nighttime shows there. (Castle lighting, MSEP, Celebrate the Magic, and Wishes). This was the only day of our park visits that did not have a Christmas party, so we knew it was our only chance to see those, even though it would be crowded. It turned out they added an hour to park hours that day, the morning of. The park was supposed to close at 10, with EMH 10-12, and they extended it to 11, EMH 11-1. We stayed until about 12:45, riding things with very short waits the last hour and a half. FYI, they did scan our bands at the entrance to every ride, starting at 11:01.
3. If you plan to use the Friendship boats between Epcot/Boardwalk area resorts/DHS in the evening, bring your patience. Better yet, walk. The boats are often not close together, and the main problem is that not enough people get off at each stop to make much room for those waiting to board, so it can take several boats to get on.
4. I may be in the minority, but I enjoy using the FP+ system. (And that's hard to admit for a former FP "power user" under the original paper FP system!) We were able to get optimum pre-reserved FP+, booking 60 days before our visit. Then in the parks, we always got fourth and subsequent FP using the kiosks. We would grab any FP from the kiosk, and then modify both time and attraction (limited of course to what is available). At the MK, we got a Space Mountain FP for our fourth, then playing around with it during dinner on my phone, I was able to switch it to Seven Dwarfs. Just keep playing with it to get what you want.
5. For AKL guests, I highly recommend Mara for breakfast. The breakfast flatbread is delicious and big enough to split. We also ate at Sanaa one night, our very favorite meal of the trip. So unique, wonderful service and atmosphere.
6. For smaller appetites, do not hesitate to order a kids' meal, no matter your age. My adult daughter did that at Mara every morning and several other places in the parks, without issue. Of course this does not apply to buffets or family-style restaurants.
7. We had great bus service overall to and from AKL. A couple times we had to stand, but the waits were never long.
8. Be early for park opening times. At the MK, the opening show was about 8:45 for a 9:00 opening. We did not arrive at the AK for opening, so not sure there. At Epcot, we waited at the Test Track rope (beside Mousegear), and were allowed in about 8:50. But the best was DHS. Full opening at 8:30 for a 9:00 scheduled opening. We rode Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and visited Launch Bay and visited with Chewbacca and Darth Vader, all before 9:15.
9. Memory Maker is definitely worth it. We stopped at many photographers, and it's so nice just to scan your band and know you will have all the photos to download.
10. Festival of Fantasy is the best Disney parade since Tapestry of Nations. Visual design, music, theme, and performance level are all stunning. Don't miss it.
I'm sure I'll think of more, but hopefully some of this info is helpful!
