Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping
gatechfan99
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 29, 2013
Just back, thought I'd give a little summary of our trip to let people know what is and isn't reasonable with the crowds in the park:
-last Thursday - got there around 12. Rode Peoplemover, Space, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Small World before dinner at 4 and then we left to go check in at Poly. Only thing I would note is the line for HM extended past the Liberty Belle. I've never seen it remotely like that at any previous visit in the 10 years we've been coming including on busy holiday weekends. Took about 40 minutes.
-Friday - got to AK parking lot around 7:30. By the time we were inside and in line for FoP, they said 90 minute wait which turned out to be about 60. Afterwards, did Everest, Kali River, and Dinosaur, had lunch and were out by 12:30. Spent the afternoon at the pool and then dinner at Ohana which was good but not as good as before.
-Saturday - full day of MK. Did Splash, POTC, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Pooh, Ariel, Teacups, Country Bears before going back for an afternoon break. Came back at 5 for dinner at Tonys, did Big Thunder with a 30 minutes wait and then Space with a 60. Got to Main Street for fireworks with about 20 minutes to spare. Wound up walking back to Poly with the new walkway which took just less than 30 minutes with 2 kids.
-Sunday - DHS. Was worried about fitting things in between 2 dining reservations and another for Savi's workshop. Got RnR and MMRR done before 11:00 lunch. Boarding group worked perfectly from a timing stand point and went straight to RotR after lunch before Savi's. My 8 year old loved Savi's of course and his new lightsaber. Did TSM before early dinner and left.
-Monday - did shopping at DS at 10 before TRex at 11. Went to Epcot around 2 and stayed until 10. Did every ride except Frozen which we probably could've made if a monsoon hadn't stranded us for a long time in the Test Track store waiting out the rain.
So in summary, I thought it was a good trip. We're veterans that know exactly what we want to do and how to plan it. I feel sorry for first time guests. Lines everywhere look overwhelming and it's very difficult to know which are more doable than they appear if you're not familiar with the rides. The heat is brutal (duh!) but we're from Alabama so it's what we're used to. Also my kids are now old enough (13, 11, and 8) to be good sports in lines (phones help!). It would feel very difficult to have to do line after line with no quick options that are just 5-10 minutes if they were still 8, 6, and 2.
I will also say that even for someone that works in the medical profession and has probably been exposed to Covid more times than I can count over the past 18 months, it was still a little disconcerting to be packed into the rooms in the queue in places like Haunted Mansion and Rock n Roller Coaster. If you can't just put Covid fears out of your mind while you're there right now, it probably isn't a good time to go.
-last Thursday - got there around 12. Rode Peoplemover, Space, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Small World before dinner at 4 and then we left to go check in at Poly. Only thing I would note is the line for HM extended past the Liberty Belle. I've never seen it remotely like that at any previous visit in the 10 years we've been coming including on busy holiday weekends. Took about 40 minutes.
-Friday - got to AK parking lot around 7:30. By the time we were inside and in line for FoP, they said 90 minute wait which turned out to be about 60. Afterwards, did Everest, Kali River, and Dinosaur, had lunch and were out by 12:30. Spent the afternoon at the pool and then dinner at Ohana which was good but not as good as before.
-Saturday - full day of MK. Did Splash, POTC, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Pooh, Ariel, Teacups, Country Bears before going back for an afternoon break. Came back at 5 for dinner at Tonys, did Big Thunder with a 30 minutes wait and then Space with a 60. Got to Main Street for fireworks with about 20 minutes to spare. Wound up walking back to Poly with the new walkway which took just less than 30 minutes with 2 kids.
-Sunday - DHS. Was worried about fitting things in between 2 dining reservations and another for Savi's workshop. Got RnR and MMRR done before 11:00 lunch. Boarding group worked perfectly from a timing stand point and went straight to RotR after lunch before Savi's. My 8 year old loved Savi's of course and his new lightsaber. Did TSM before early dinner and left.
-Monday - did shopping at DS at 10 before TRex at 11. Went to Epcot around 2 and stayed until 10. Did every ride except Frozen which we probably could've made if a monsoon hadn't stranded us for a long time in the Test Track store waiting out the rain.
So in summary, I thought it was a good trip. We're veterans that know exactly what we want to do and how to plan it. I feel sorry for first time guests. Lines everywhere look overwhelming and it's very difficult to know which are more doable than they appear if you're not familiar with the rides. The heat is brutal (duh!) but we're from Alabama so it's what we're used to. Also my kids are now old enough (13, 11, and 8) to be good sports in lines (phones help!). It would feel very difficult to have to do line after line with no quick options that are just 5-10 minutes if they were still 8, 6, and 2.
I will also say that even for someone that works in the medical profession and has probably been exposed to Covid more times than I can count over the past 18 months, it was still a little disconcerting to be packed into the rooms in the queue in places like Haunted Mansion and Rock n Roller Coaster. If you can't just put Covid fears out of your mind while you're there right now, it probably isn't a good time to go.
PrestonatorSR
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2016
Hello all,
FWIW, we were in the parks over the course of 5 days in mid-July. And also stayed 10 days between SSR and AKL-Kidani
Winners:
1. Mobile ordering...this is actually a very good thing. Easy, efficient process--a definite enhancement.
2. Dining Magic...desired a last-minute venue change in restaurants...multiple cast members worked to make it happen. Went above and beyond.
3. Rise of Resistance...some cast members really played their character roles extremely well, interacting with all of us. Great fun. Experience is technologically impressive, creative and I'm guessing especially appreciated by SW fans. For my money, however, Flight of Passage is still the superior experience.
Losers:
1. Lack of FP option: While stand-by waits were not unbearable, the loss of this benefit is extremely disappointing to those of us who were used to it. I fear it's not coming back, at least not as a free option--and that will be a killer for us. Sorry, I'll do the long waits on most everything for one trip, but not as a matter of routine. I suspect those who never really leveraged FP won't care much, but for those of us who leveraged the feature to its full advantage--this is a big issue that will adversely affect future visits.
2. Communication and service in the resorts was inconsistent and poorly communicated. We stayed at AKL for 7 nights and could not get a straight answer on when rooms would be cleaned/serviced, etc. Front desk and housekeeping staff members gave us a variety of answers and no one seemed clear on much of anything regarding the routines and timing/frequency. Also, 2 minor, but hugely irritants: there was no TP in room first night--which was problematic for my wife's first visit to the restroom at 2:30 a.m. Seems like an inexcusable oversight. 2. When we FINALLY did "qualify" for a linen change, we got a sheet with a long human hair stuck to it--ugh, gross. These points under #2 are outliers compared to our many other visits here over the years, but disappointing nonetheless. Overall, things just seemed a bit off. Oh well, I"m sure it will be great next time. No big deal in the grand scheme of things...
FWIW, we were in the parks over the course of 5 days in mid-July. And also stayed 10 days between SSR and AKL-Kidani
Winners:
1. Mobile ordering...this is actually a very good thing. Easy, efficient process--a definite enhancement.
2. Dining Magic...desired a last-minute venue change in restaurants...multiple cast members worked to make it happen. Went above and beyond.
3. Rise of Resistance...some cast members really played their character roles extremely well, interacting with all of us. Great fun. Experience is technologically impressive, creative and I'm guessing especially appreciated by SW fans. For my money, however, Flight of Passage is still the superior experience.
Losers:
1. Lack of FP option: While stand-by waits were not unbearable, the loss of this benefit is extremely disappointing to those of us who were used to it. I fear it's not coming back, at least not as a free option--and that will be a killer for us. Sorry, I'll do the long waits on most everything for one trip, but not as a matter of routine. I suspect those who never really leveraged FP won't care much, but for those of us who leveraged the feature to its full advantage--this is a big issue that will adversely affect future visits.
2. Communication and service in the resorts was inconsistent and poorly communicated. We stayed at AKL for 7 nights and could not get a straight answer on when rooms would be cleaned/serviced, etc. Front desk and housekeeping staff members gave us a variety of answers and no one seemed clear on much of anything regarding the routines and timing/frequency. Also, 2 minor, but hugely irritants: there was no TP in room first night--which was problematic for my wife's first visit to the restroom at 2:30 a.m. Seems like an inexcusable oversight. 2. When we FINALLY did "qualify" for a linen change, we got a sheet with a long human hair stuck to it--ugh, gross. These points under #2 are outliers compared to our many other visits here over the years, but disappointing nonetheless. Overall, things just seemed a bit off. Oh well, I"m sure it will be great next time. No big deal in the grand scheme of things...
cakebaker
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2013
Back at the MK for another round of HEA and celebrating both my daughters birthday.
Had our first glitch today and it was a doozy. We were making a lightsaber and using a visa rewards card. The CM was clearly new, and could not get it it to work. She swiped it 3 times, told us it was our card that was the issue.
I gave her one of my gift cards to use and it worked. Went shopping later and the rewards card showed a 0 balance when there should’ve been nearly 300.00 on it. Turns out every time she swiped the card it was debiting the account and with 3 swipes it was empty.
Went to guest services and got a very unsatisfactory response from CM who claimed it was a Chase issue and refused to do anything. Asked for a supervisor who called Chase, verified the debits and credited our card with a bonus added for our trouble. They also gave us a few guest recovery passes as it ate up 4 hrs dealing with it and really messed up MK plans tonight.
So no rides tonight, just fireworks and we’ll catch up on Saturday. It isn’t a trip if there isn’t a glitch. lol
Had our first glitch today and it was a doozy. We were making a lightsaber and using a visa rewards card. The CM was clearly new, and could not get it it to work. She swiped it 3 times, told us it was our card that was the issue.
I gave her one of my gift cards to use and it worked. Went shopping later and the rewards card showed a 0 balance when there should’ve been nearly 300.00 on it. Turns out every time she swiped the card it was debiting the account and with 3 swipes it was empty.
Went to guest services and got a very unsatisfactory response from CM who claimed it was a Chase issue and refused to do anything. Asked for a supervisor who called Chase, verified the debits and credited our card with a bonus added for our trouble. They also gave us a few guest recovery passes as it ate up 4 hrs dealing with it and really messed up MK plans tonight.
So no rides tonight, just fireworks and we’ll catch up on Saturday. It isn’t a trip if there isn’t a glitch. lol
The13thLetter
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2018
Mask required indoors starting 7/30
https://blogmickey.com/2021/07/disn...require-all-guests-to-wear-face-mask-indoors/
https://blogmickey.com/2021/07/disn...require-all-guests-to-wear-face-mask-indoors/
DaniMoon
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
Epcot day today. After two days of standing in lines our kids requested that we enjoy what the parks have to offer besides rides, more like we used to. Right now, in the parks, it’s kind of one or the other. Will update this post throughout today
Looking forward to a nice relaxing day. We are not trying to cram in many rides today. We are going to try to hop to AK and hit FOP at park close at AK tonight. We will see how that goes.
World showcase is pretty empty at noon today.
View attachment 592887
at Via Napoli for lunch right now.
View attachment 592922
OK, that pizza was the bomb! We went to Via Napoli five years ago and walked away not all that impressed. Glad we tried it again. Today was altogether different. Great experience and the pizza was fantastic.
Taking a leisurely pace. Two hours later and we have made it through Germany, China, and now are in the Mexico pavilion.. 2:20pm Three Caballeros coming up! Posted 40 minutes. On the boat in 18 minutes. For reference, the line to get into the Mexico pavilion was about 10 people deep when we got in line and it was 18 minutes total till we got on the ride.
View attachment 592921
finished up the Mexico pavilion and went to Joffrey‘s for some caffeine and then to Shimmering sips kiosk for this, For my son
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3:31 PM got in line for Spaceship Earth. Posted wait time was 20 minutes. We were on in 10.
4:05 PM, in line for mission space, Orange. Posted 60 minutes. On in 25 minutes
Kids are requesting Figment so we are getting in line now. 5:07 PM. Posted 25 minutes. On in 5 minutes.
View attachment 592933
BTW, Test track has been down since around noon and they just announced that it would be down for at least another hour. There has been rain all afternoon. It may have just stopped though
5:24 PM, heading to AK so that we can eat at Satu’li and knock out flight of passage and whatever else we feel like in Pandora. That way tomorrow morning we can do everything else at AK while the lines are long for FOP. At least that’s the hope.
6:26 PM. Crowds outside of Satu’li canteen. About normal for this time of year I would say
View attachment 592945
Best QS on property in my humble opinion.
View attachment 592946
6:54 PM now. Doing Navi. Posted 35 minutes. On in 28 minutes
7:36 PM. In line for FOP. Posted 95 minutes. On the ride in 65 minutes, your mileage may vary.
View attachment 592964
Dan
Bonus: You’ve heard about the terra-cotta warriors in the China pavilion correct? Well these little guys were in the gift shop. The stuff of nightmares
View attachment 592947
Really enjoying your updates. We arrive next Friday. I do think we are going to skip the AK rope drop rush to FOP and try it at park close.
DisneyFive
When is the 3:00 parade?
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2011
We are here now and have not had anything pushed to my phone and neither have any of the other four in my family.
I understand it though. With all the outbreaks they are having down here you could see it coming. At least it is not outdoors in the sun and heat.
Dan
It’s all attractions so that means a lot are in the sun and heat.
harleyquinn
<font color=red>Wishes she could take photos of th
- Joined
- May 22, 2003
You have a great attitude about those 4 hours! Glad they compensated you.
DisneyFive
When is the 3:00 parade?
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2011
First of all, thank you! We are glad that we did it this way as well. It is a stress-free way to do it. No speedwalking, maneuvering, running over grandma, etc…. It was also very cool to leave through Pandora at night with very few guests and all the stuff lit up in the dark.
It’s only indoors. Disney did not word the announcement very well, but by how I read it, it is only the indoor portions of attractions and such. I don’t believe the actual attraction starts until you pass through the portion where they list the standby and fast pass return times. Some of that is outdoors but not much and they may (probably?) only require masks when you actually get indoors. We will just have to see. I will report back I am sure.
Dan
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
Just wrapped up day 2 of our 8 day trip. Tuesday, we rope dropped FOP at AK. Got plenty of stuff done, then back to hotel for nap, followed by evening at EPCOT. Then "rope dropped" Space Mountain this morning, followed by other stuff, lunch at Crystal Palace, then nap, and on to HS evening.
Quick notes -
- Parks seemed crowded, but no more than normal for this time of year. The parking lots were empty enough that I was scratching my head as to how much capacity the missing attractions could take up. We don't have attendance numbers, but I am guessing the numbers won't look particularly great to management.
- not having fastpasses sucks. But it only sucks for those of us that do a good job planning. I bet the average "i just showed up at the park and expect this to be like Six Flags Plus" crowd is having a great time. The clerk at our hotel was telling us about the time she stood in line 4 hours for FOP. Pretty sure she would have been really happy waiting up to a max of 90 minutes yesterday when we were at AK.
- just guessing here, but it seems clear to me that Disney doesn't intend to not have a fastpass option (betting on a paid variation) for too long. The queues snaking out into the open sun are so "not Disney." I would have expected them to create more shade and install fans (at the very least) if they think they are going to stick around for any significant amount of time. An ugly line with no theming in the hot sun is not a very magical feeling.
- RD fop was totally worth it. The let us stream into FOP about 740 if i remember correctly. We were quite a bit back in the crowd and we were on in about 20 minutes. Most of that was walking thru the endless track of queue without stopping.. Not sure why i let my 10 year old talk me into "rope dropping" Space Mountain, but it didn't turn out very efficiently. The crowd was already pretty intense by 8:30. I took some pictures of the crowd behind us and in the hub while we waited at the Tomorrowland Bridge at 8:45. As previously reported, they don't let anyone thru until exactly 9am. I will try to attach pics. It seemed like the expected wait time for SM was exactly the same at 9:30 as it was when we got on. We are "rope dropping" (quotes bc they don't let you thru until 9am, so not sure it really counts) MK tomorrow, too, and hopefully will report back more successful results by going to BTM first.
- the heat is a factor. Although it isn't a deal breaker, it will zap you.
- avoiding the lines with a paid fp option will definitely be utilized by people like me, even at a significant cost. I live 12 hours by car away and try to visit once a year (but in reality less than that). For us, trying to coordinate a time when family members can go is going to result in going when school is out. And that means crowds. And I am willing to pay to optimize our trip.
My 19 year old said today that instead of going once a year, she thinks we should go once every 3 years and save for a couple or 3 days of ViP service if we get other family members to go, too. I think that is the sort of direction paid fp will take us - going less often and spending more when we go.
Quick notes -
- Parks seemed crowded, but no more than normal for this time of year. The parking lots were empty enough that I was scratching my head as to how much capacity the missing attractions could take up. We don't have attendance numbers, but I am guessing the numbers won't look particularly great to management.
- not having fastpasses sucks. But it only sucks for those of us that do a good job planning. I bet the average "i just showed up at the park and expect this to be like Six Flags Plus" crowd is having a great time. The clerk at our hotel was telling us about the time she stood in line 4 hours for FOP. Pretty sure she would have been really happy waiting up to a max of 90 minutes yesterday when we were at AK.
- just guessing here, but it seems clear to me that Disney doesn't intend to not have a fastpass option (betting on a paid variation) for too long. The queues snaking out into the open sun are so "not Disney." I would have expected them to create more shade and install fans (at the very least) if they think they are going to stick around for any significant amount of time. An ugly line with no theming in the hot sun is not a very magical feeling.
- RD fop was totally worth it. The let us stream into FOP about 740 if i remember correctly. We were quite a bit back in the crowd and we were on in about 20 minutes. Most of that was walking thru the endless track of queue without stopping.. Not sure why i let my 10 year old talk me into "rope dropping" Space Mountain, but it didn't turn out very efficiently. The crowd was already pretty intense by 8:30. I took some pictures of the crowd behind us and in the hub while we waited at the Tomorrowland Bridge at 8:45. As previously reported, they don't let anyone thru until exactly 9am. I will try to attach pics. It seemed like the expected wait time for SM was exactly the same at 9:30 as it was when we got on. We are "rope dropping" (quotes bc they don't let you thru until 9am, so not sure it really counts) MK tomorrow, too, and hopefully will report back more successful results by going to BTM first.
- the heat is a factor. Although it isn't a deal breaker, it will zap you.
- avoiding the lines with a paid fp option will definitely be utilized by people like me, even at a significant cost. I live 12 hours by car away and try to visit once a year (but in reality less than that). For us, trying to coordinate a time when family members can go is going to result in going when school is out. And that means crowds. And I am willing to pay to optimize our trip.
My 19 year old said today that instead of going once a year, she thinks we should go once every 3 years and save for a couple or 3 days of ViP service if we get other family members to go, too. I think that is the sort of direction paid fp will take us - going less often and spending more when we go.
disny_luvr
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2008
But it’s all attractions, so that includes ones that are outside too - Safari, Jungle Cruise, etc. I’m sure you’ll have to mask up outdoors in line for those.
DisneyFive
When is the 3:00 parade?
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2011
Yuck, I didn’t think of that, but I guess we will have to see how it plays out. Like I said, the wording is really bad on their part. Maybe they will make it only strictly indoors. Period. We will be the first to know LOL.
Dan
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
I don't read their announcement as all attractions. It sounds to me like only indoor stuff.
disny_luvr
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2008
I really, really hope this is the case!
Meglen
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2016
Do we think Disney will hault park pass sales now ? With these types of crowds having to wear a mask inside vs out legit makes no difference.
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