Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[yulilin3]

The waits seemed much better for the non-headliners (Star Tours was at an hour around noon and then a respectable 20 minutes when we came back later, haha), but there didn't seem to be too many changes in the app from like 4-5:30. The headliners didn't really change all that much after rope drop. MMRR hung around 40-50 minutes most of the day, which was cool.

After that I had my lightsaber appt and dinner at docking bay 7, so I stopped watching it!

I literally could not get into any of the SWGE shops, though (lines seemed team long)... Luckily we have a second DHS day on Friday so I can make that a priority...

Just letting you know that the merch found in the swge stores, aside from Dok', can be found at Disney spring and most at keystone clothier at dhs

 

[Lilias]

Just letting you know that the merch found in the swge stores, aside from Dok', can be found at Disney spring and most at keystone clothier at dhs

Mostly I've never been, so I wanted to check out the theming but it's good to know I can find the stuff elsewhere if I can't make it work.

I need Christmas Porg!!

 

[yulilin3]

Mostly I've never been, so I wanted to check out the theming but it's good to know I can find the stuff elsewhere if I can't make it work.

I need Christmas Porg!!

The Christmas porg is everywhere really. I actually don't think it'll be in Batuu

 

[Lilias]

The Christmas porg is everywhere really. I actually don't think it'll be in Batuu

He wasn't in Keystone, either My quest continues!

 

[What-r-ya Goofy?]

DHS yesterday; 9am opening, they let us in at 8:15. Brief hold at SDD. It looked like MRR was loading with a steady stream of people entering the ride building. Most posted wait times were way off all day. RR posted 50 minute wait. We were on in 20 minutes. We had maybe a 10 minute wait for Smugglers Run. That was at about 8:30 am. Overall, crowds were very manageable with everyone practicing SD for the most part. Weather is beautiful this time of the year. Never been in early December before.

 

[Ngwira]

How does the mobile order work? Do you select a time as soon as you enter the park? And then click I’m here when you are ready to eat?

 

[Lilias]

How does the mobile order work? Do you select a time as soon as you enter the park? And then click I’m here when you are ready to eat?

Yep! We used it twice yesterday and it was pretty easy. I made our dinner order while we were having our hotel break in the afternoon. It still takes like 10-15 minutes after you hit the "I'm here!" button, so keep that in mind

 

[yulilin3]

How does the mobile order work? Do you select a time as soon as you enter the park? And then click I’m here when you are ready to eat?

And if you don't pick your time early in the day by the time you want to eat you might have to walt for the next window to open. So better to reserve your time early

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

I found out the hard way that Table Service to Go is not the same as Mobile Order. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our visit. I had seen the Sanaa To Go options. We took a side trip to Universal. We were there until close (6:00PM for IoA). There were plenty of windows availble between 7 & 9 for Sanaa. By the time we got back there were 0.

Turns out those slots are limited. Makes sense & probably account for the open tables that would be full if the restaurant were operating at full capacity. So we ended up waiting until 9 and ordered bread service & samosas for a nice carby dinner .

 

[juju]

We were there for 10 days at the end of October, it was very hot for us (high 80s and humid, we are from Seattle and not used to that heat) and wearing the masks all day was very uncomfortable. Although we said not again, we are looking at another trip beginning of February to get another trip in on our annual pass. With the potential for lower temps would it be more comfortable? Not sure about the weather/temp patterns.

 

[GBRforWDW]

We were there for 10 days at the end of October, it was very hot for us (high 80s and humid, we are from Seattle and not used to that heat) and wearing the masks all day was very uncomfortable. Although we said not again, we are looking at another trip beginning of February to get another trip in on our annual pass. With the potential for lower temps would it be more comfortable? Not sure about the weather/temp patterns.

I've been using the accuweather 30 day forecast for Orlando, looks like they have projected temps through mid February, mostly 60s and 70s for highs.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/orlando/32801/daily-weather-forecast/328169

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We were there for 10 days at the end of October, it was very hot for us (high 80s and humid, we are from Seattle and not used to that heat) and wearing the masks all day was very uncomfortable. Although we said not again, we are looking at another trip beginning of February to get another trip in on our annual pass. With the potential for lower temps would it be more comfortable? Not sure about the weather/temp patterns.

read somewhere someone said they minded the masks more in the colder weather because the mask felt cold and damp compared to the heat of earlier trips. dont know if that would apply to you

 

[PrincessV]

We were there for 10 days at the end of October, it was very hot for us (high 80s and humid, we are from Seattle and not used to that heat) and wearing the masks all day was very uncomfortable. Although we said not again, we are looking at another trip beginning of February to get another trip in on our annual pass. With the potential for lower temps would it be more comfortable? Not sure about the weather/temp patterns.

read somewhere someone said they minded the masks more in the colder weather because the mask felt cold and damp compared to the heat of earlier trips. dont know if that would apply to you

Yep, that's me. I genuinely was not even aware of my cotton (Vera Bradley) masks in the heat of Aug., or even slightly cooler Oct., but I absolutely HATED wearing them last week when it was cold. The worst day was a high of 58 and a low of 45: the humidity plus my breath kept the mask a bit damp, but the air was cold enough to also make it chilled, and I was just really, really aware of it the whole time I was wearing it. The few times I was indoors for a few minutes, it felt better. I swapped out for a fresh one every couple hours, but it only felt good for a few minutes. But full disclosure: I'm a Floridian of 30 years and struggle to be warm, in general, in that weather, so the added chill of the mask was unwelcome.

 

[Poohbear538]

We were there for 10 days at the end of October, it was very hot for us (high 80s and humid, we are from Seattle and not used to that heat) and wearing the masks all day was very uncomfortable. Although we said not again, we are looking at another trip beginning of February to get another trip in on our annual pass. With the potential for lower temps would it be more comfortable? Not sure about the weather/temp patterns.

Yep, that's me. I genuinely was not even aware of my cotton (Vera Bradley) masks in the heat of Aug., or even slightly cooler Oct., but I absolutely HATED wearing them last week when it was cold. The worst day was a high of 58 and a low of 45: the humidity plus my breath kept the mask a bit damp, but the air was cold enough to also make it chilled, and I was just really, really aware of it the whole time I was wearing it. The few times I was indoors for a few minutes, it felt better. I swapped out for a fresh one every couple hours, but it only felt good for a few minutes. But full disclosure: I'm a Floridian of 30 years and struggle to be warm, in general, in that weather, so the added chill of the mask was unwelcome.

And from the opposite side, my hubby and I cannot deal with the masks in the heat. They are miserable and we have tried all different types. But we went for a day in November and then 3 days last week and they were manageable. The coldest days were the best for us, and like PrincessV, we are long time Florida resident, 40+ years. It is just really personal preference.

 

[Newbie500]

I've been using the accuweather 30 day forecast for Orlando, looks like they have projected temps through mid February, mostly 60s and 70s for highs.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/orlando/32801/daily-weather-forecast/328169

Would the rope drop temps for those days be 40s and 50s?

 

[Mr. Drauer]

Would the rope drop temps for those days be 40s and 50s?

anywhere between 30 and 72. Your just guessing if you think anyone can predict the weather in Florida in winter. 72 hours out is about the best you can hope for. Even when they forecast cold fronts to come, there are many variables that affect the timing. Best rule of thumb: the next night after a front comes through is the coldest night/morning. prepare with layers so that you can adjust as the day warms / cools.

 

[yulilin3]

He wasn't in Keystone, either My quest continues!

Not sure if you're still at dhs the Christmas porg is at Mickey's of Hollywood, and discounted too

 

[Lilias]

Not sure if you're still at dhs the Christmas porg is at Mickey's of Hollywood, and discounted too

Thanks, we're going back on Friday! The porg will be mine, oh yes.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Just left MCO and was not impressed. The TSA is all about moving the lines and they are not even paying attention to the signs telling passengers to stay 6 feet apart. It was pretty disheartening. But I am not a fan of TSA at that airport from the ‘Great Before’ . So while it was disturbing to me, it wasn’t surprising.

The TSA at MCO was really disappointing when I flew out of there after Thanksgiving. I have a medical device on me that can't go through the scanners (although metal detector is fine). I told them about it and that I needed either the metal detector or a pat down and they choose pat down. That was fine but they were really rude about it, the guy I talked to made some sort of comment about it and yelled to another guy that a pat down was needed. The other guy rolled his eyes and said, "Geez another one!". Then the first guy I talked to made me stand in a spot to wait that blocked the flow of other travelers and in the meantime while I waited they had four people go through the metal detector. Luckily I didn't have to worry about my bag because my husband could get it for me. The lady that did the pat down was marginally nicer but overall I was made to feel like I was doing something wrong and I was inconveniencing them. The security area wasn't busy at all. I was really bothered by it, especially since the TSA in Minneapolis had been really nice about it and they were more busy at the time than Orlando had been.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

Thank you for that tip crazycat
You're correct! Going left is not only shorter (.5 miles vs .7 miles) but alot faster (10 minutes vs 14 minutes).

View attachment 543925
More clearly we see this after comparing the 2 routes to China.
China intuitively feels like it might be best going right tho even that is quicker when going left.
View attachment 543926
China is the same .6 miles either way but going left is 2 minutes quicker, likely due to the grading and swerving on the right.
Measure from where the 2 paths branch apart... the distance to Frozen/Norway is much shorter from the left.

That's a huge difference at rope drop! Thanks again

Plus IG - England - Canada you are going down hill so that saves time and fatigue.

I think going over the bridge to France is uphill and then it levels off till after Germany. And there are alot of bothersome little shops, stage theaters and obstacles along the lake while you can cut pretty close to the lake on the Mexico route.