Bay Lake Tower April 30th to May 7th
First off the weather was fantastic. 4 days of heat, one wet but manageable wednesday, and 3 fantastic days topping out in the high 70s.
The pros:
I love Magicbands. Worked seamlessly everywhere. Not to mention that a couple rides now personalize the endings based on secretly reading your Magicbands at some point. That'll make some x-files types queasy, but I like it.
Fastpass+ is growing on me. I hate planning that far out, but I was able to shuffle quite a few around on the fly. I also was able to use the 4th Fastpass on multiple occasions.
I can't believe I'm saying this but I highly recommend the memory maker of you have little kids. The pics show up on the app wishing an hour or two from when they're taken. The ride pics are now easily linked to your bands by just touching your band to the Mickey head below the screen showing the picture. Worked great.
Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys are still a hit with my kids (4yo & 6yo).
The new arrival boards at the bus stops are a nice feature. Takes the guesswork out of answering the classic "dad, when is the bus getting here?" question.
New hub and surrounding area is great for firework viewing and to be used as "picnic" areas for quick service meals during the day. No more stalking tables at Caseys...
7dmt is a really great kids coaster. Once the wait times settle down, it'll be a great addition.
Dole whip. That is all.
Main St electrical parade is still great.
I rented a searaycer with my oldest son and we had a great time cruising all around bay lake and seven seas lagoon. When I was a kid I remember those being very popular but we had the lakes to ourselves.
Hoop di do revue is still funny after all these years.
The cons:
Maintenance: monorail breaks down too frequently, BLT kiddie pool sprinklers are working at about 50%, moving walkway on SM not working, Pooh ride was broken down 2x when we were going to ride, IASW had a few features not functioning (the sun wasn't rotating!), spaceship earth screens were glitchy 2 out of 3 rides, and I could go on and on. They need to figure this maintenance issue out before it's too late. After maintenance gets spread too thin, accidents start to occur...
The Tomorrowland terrace fireworks party is quite a ripoff if you are on the second tier. Heck, I can't imagine it's worth it to be on the 1st tier!
The food at the quick service joints wasn't terrific. Especially for the price.
Ohana is not the same as it used to be. The breakfast food was cold, the experience was rushed and they don't even give you a lei unless you ask for it. Typing that made me chuckle.
Only one dumbo is running. Aren't they new?
I miss the old Polynesian lobby. Not that the new one is bad, it's more about sentimentality.
Overall we had a fantastic time. The crowds were very manageable besides a strange overcrowded Thursday at AK (110 min wait for the safari!). Bay lake tower was very clean and all the cast members were friendly and courteous. I can't wait to get back in 2018.
