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  1. #1
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    Default Quick Trip WDW Observations

    Made a quick trip down to WDW last week... Pretty much a last second trip, planned maybe 2 weeks prior to going... Here are my thoughts, observations, and experiences:

    RESORTS: Stay was split between Saratoga Springs and BoardWalk... Asked for Congress Park with a DTD view... Did not get a DTD view but got upper level Congress Park... Oh well, requests aren't promised for guaranteed, so no issues on my end... Really didn't matter to me honestly... BoardWalk, however, they got me the view I wanted, over looking the pool with ToT in the background... Was wonderful at night, sitting on the balcony, listening to Fantasmic, as if I were there, and when Microsoft rented out DHS, I was able to watch their fireworks show.. Plus, we got to see the Frozen Summer Fun fireworks show, with the music audible in the background... BoardWalk is wonderful... I loved the hard wood floors in my villa... and the cooling unit, holy cow... My room was an ice box!!! Polynesian: I don't like the lobby... I don't hate it, but don't like it... I feel it is missing that ambiance it once had... The DVC rooms there though are gorgeous... The studio is unreal and the bungalos are jaw dropping... They gave me a tour of the rooms as a DVC member... if you didn't see the rooms yet, and are a member, set up an appointment to take a look... WOW!!!! I didn't get to see the other resorts on this trip...

    MAGIC KINGDOM: Park looked great... Spent 16 hours straight there, from 8:00 AM to closing.. Was able to ride everything except Pirates which is closed for much needed refurbishment... Found out what they are doing, and I think we'll all be very happy with the finished product... I believe Pirates will be as good as new once done... All other attractions looked great... Didn't do Stitch or Laugh Floor, but did see CoP twice, rode Peoplemover twice... Got on 7D for the first time... Ride was down upon opening, but maybe an hour or two later, it opened... Waited only 30 minutes to get on... Opinion on 7D: good fun ride, no way an E ticket... They missed the mark honestly, but I feel they missed the mark with the new Fantasyland area in general... the Dwarf AA's were fantastic, and that's about the best I can say for the ride... It's fun, but too short... Mermaid looks much better since the enhancements were installed... Still exited the ride thinking HUH??? But it looks much more like a classic Disney dark ride now than it did before... Had a great skipper on Jungle Cruise... Tiki Birds were once again a delight... Country Bears played to a packed theater... Festival of Fantasy is a fantastic parade... i don't care much for the music, but the floats are spectacular... Main Street Electrical Parade needs to go... Really... Wishes needs to go... Watched both, did not come away impressed anymore... The park looked as clean as I can remember... Still love Splash and Haunted Mansion... The HM gift shop has some pretty neat merchandise... While MK does need another expansion (one may actually be coming, say Hi to FRONTIERLAND), the park looked great!!!

    EPCOT: Oh so sad... Epcot was always my second favorite WDW theme park, behind MK... My how fast the mighty have fallen... Epcot, in my opinion, is really in a state of despair... If they ever took away Food/Wine and Flower/Garden, the park would be dead... Entered through International Gateway, walked over to Spaceship Earth... I like the ride, but yet, hate it... The script is boring, Judy Dench's voice is so monotone, it is coma inducing... The best part this trip was the descent back to earth only cause my friend and I decided to be idiots and made faces at the camera taking our picture... Made for a funny flash animation movie... But AGH... Skipped Mission Space (can't stand it)... Got on Living With the Land... Still an under appreciated treasure... FP'd Soarin' and good thing I did... Wait times barely dipped below 170 minutes... Hit Test Track with single rider... Yes we were split up but I didn't care... We weren't waiting over 60 minutes... Nemo is dull... Imagination needs to go (maybe it is)... Gran Fietsa Tour in Mexico was cute the first time but now is just another example of how NOT to do the World Showcase attractions... Sadly, they haven't learned as they shoehorn in Frozen to an area is doesn't belong... We actually didn't spend all day in Epcot either.. No need to... We left early afternoon, and returned late afternoon, early evening to make sure we caught Illuminations, which is my favorite night time show on property... Glad to say it doesn't appear to be going away just yet, but should be receiving enhancements... YIPPEE!!!!
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

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  3. #2
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    FASTPASS: Still don't like the booking 60 days in advance nonsense... I will say, however, I found no issues with booking FP after making a spur of the moment trip decision... A week and a half out I was able to book: Soarin (the tiering prevented me from booking Test Track too, but TT was also available), Nemo (had to waste a FP on this garbage cause of that stupid tiering in Epcot), and Spaceship Earth (honestly was needed as the attraction had a 45 minute wait time when my FP time slot arrived) in Epcot, and Spalsh Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom... Splash and Thunder were taken offline due to rain in the area, so when they opened up again, their lines were extremely long, including the FP lines.. They were honoring all FP's which were affected during the closure any time the user wanted... well, they seemed to all want to use it once the rides reopened... FP was longer than stand by lol... However, they really did knock the FP line down quickly... I felt bad for stand by, they weren't moving at all... 7D were already booked so I couldn't prebook FP for that ride.. The Anna and Elsa meet and greet were also booked up, but didn't matter to me as I don't have a little girl lol...

    FASTPASS KIOSKS: Need more of them in the parks... The first one I saw was by Frontierland, and the line was longer than most of the stand by lines... I found more over in Tomorrowland by Stitch and the lines were not nearly as long, cause they have several machines... Problem I saw was most people had no clue how to use the machine, and when the attendant showed them, the guests had no idea which FP choices to make... After I used my three in MK (Splash, Space, BTMRR), I stopped at the Tomorrowland kiosks to see what was available... Most everything was expect 7D, but the times were either later at night or during the parades/fireworks... I wanted a Fp for Peter Pan as that queue was 70 minutes all day long... and I managed a FP for it at 11:00 PM... Opinion: The kiosks work fine if you know what you are doing and know what you want... Have to expect the FP's to be sold out for the most popular attractions, so plan on the second tier stuff... Have an idea what you want when going to the kiosk.. I spent no longer than 1 minute cause I knew what I was doing and knew what I wanted... Other people were there for 5-10 minutes... Really puts a damper on your day waiting that long... Otherwise, I had no issues but could see where other people might...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  4. #3
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    ONLINE CHECK IN: Did online check in for Saratoga and BoadWalk... I selected the time I expected to be arriving (drove down from NJ and knew exactly when I'd be there)... An hour before arrival, I received a text from Disney saying my room wasn't ready yet... OK, no problem... Seemed like the system would work... But still, I decided to go to check in anyway... Spoke to the lady at the front desk, she knew where I would be located, just didn't have a room number for me, as the room was not ready at the time I said I would be arriving... OK, no problem I thought since they only say best effort... Went over to Concierge to help me with my theme park tickets (bought them only a few days before my trip so I had to speak to someone to make sure they were linked to my bands)... Went over to WalMart... Received the text that the room was ready.... Now for BoardWalk... I stated I'd be there at 10:00 AM since we were coming from Saratoga.. Again, got the text that the room was ready for my arrival... Went to the front desk just to make sure... Yep, not ready... So we went off to Epcot... Got the text around 12:30 saying room was ready... Had lunch and left Epcot to go bring our stuff to the room... The online check in worked as it was meant to... I received the texts, though I know some people don't... I'll use this system agian...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  5. #4
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    Now for the fun parts: The third theater in Soarin is under construction... Visible from inside the park... Soarin Over the Horizon is rumored to be coming to Epcot once this theater is completed... if unsure what Soarin Over the Horizon is about, Disney has released a description of it for Shanghai... This version is reportedly going to make its way to Epcot too...

    Frontierland is on the clock... A make over and expansion is on the verge of greenlit... and no, doesn't appear to be part of the $350 million recently approved for MK... Seems to be a separate project with a separate budget... Should include an E ticket attraction, and possibly an update to Country Bears (the holiday shows!!!)... Just take this with a grain of salt though... Came from respected and trusted people, and being backed up by insiders and a person who is scheduled to work on the project...

    Did not venture into DHS or DAK... But heard Toy Story Playland will NOT be similar to the current Toy Story Playlands in Paris and Hong Kong... If that is true, good... They look rather cheesy and cheap... Was told not to believe anything read online about the DHS make over concerning Indiana Jones, Star Wars, or Cars Land... They said truth is, only a select few people know the true plans, and they aren't leaking things... Just yet... But, that we will be pleasantly surprised and very happy with the outcome, in 2021.... As for DAK, only know whaty we already know... Sorry, no new info..

    I was able to get a tour of Golden Oak.. If anyone is unfamiliar, Golden Oak is the luxury living community Disney has built on property, on 535 just down the road from the Port Orleans resorts, on the same property as Four Seasons... One word: WOW... I walked into the model home and my jaw dropped to the floor... I was speechless... Multi million dollar homes... They start at $2.2 million and go up from there.... I toured the property with an agent as an agent (I do real estate up here in NJ)... She gave me marketing material, and showed me around the property... Gorgeous!!!! Now, I know you all want to lend a hand, so I'm setting up a crowd funding account... Get me to 7 million dollars and I'll buy a home... And give you all a thanks as I live in the lap of luxury!!! LOL... Any questions about Golden Oak, please feel free to ask...

    So that's it... My observations from last week... Not a true trip report, maybe I'll do one, maybe not... Please feel free to share your thoughts...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  6. #5
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    Moving to trip reports - keep your hands and arms inside the forum and grab small children firmly by the hand!
    John - aka. The Master Control Program
    Owner, Chairman & Chief Imagination Officer - INTERCOT

  7. #6
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    Thanks for the report and I agree with you on the new Fantasyland....cute but underwhelming.
    Rita (aka NJGIRL)

  8. #7
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    Glad it's still possible to successfully plan a trip on short notice!!
    Linda aka: Faline
    INTERCOT Staff: Vacation Planning,Trip Reports and Disney Camping
    [email protected]

  9. #8
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    Sounds like much of the on-line information about the expansions/renovations is wishful thinking, but what about the budgets? Are the those pretty solid numbers?

    Thanks.

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by faline View Post
    Glad it's still possible to successfully plan a trip on short notice!!
    Truth be told, this was one of my concerns when this system first came into play... And while it did work for me, it may not work for everyone... So I still won't call it a success based on my experience, as everyone has different experiences...

    Look at the thread created stating the online check in failing for many of the members here... yet, the system worked perfectly, or at least as intended, for me... I can't say the system isn't broken cause obviously it is, if others are having major issues...

    Truth is, many guests are still upset and annoyed over all the planning that now goes into a WDW vacation.... Many guests do feel it is a chore, and honestly, not worth it.. What management has turned a WDW vacation into is really putting a drain on guests...

    And as I stated, the tier system in Epcot, and in DHS, is for the birds... Only 2 things are worth a fast pass in Epcot, Test Track and Soarin... Everything else is a wasted FP... And, where in the past, at 12:30 I was still able to get a FP for either Test Track or Soarin, now by 12:30 all FP's are sold out... That's just insane... And really unfair for day visitors...

    I'm glad things went off for me without any hiccups... But I am a WDW veteran... I knew what to expect and planned for it... I feel bad for the first time visitor who is bombarded with this nonsense...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Park Hopper View Post
    Sounds like much of the on-line information about the expansions/renovations is wishful thinking, but what about the budgets? Are the those pretty solid numbers?

    Thanks.
    Fanboy dreams... The numbers are solid... The BoD did approve over $3 billion for WDW.... $2.8 billion for DHS, $350 million for MK, $350 million or so for Epcot... And several more million for the rest of the resort to get things up to par for the 50th... The info about what's coming to DHS though has been nothing but rampant speculation, and anyone saying they know for a fact (like that click bait article) is just trying to get 15 minutes of fame... Sadly, WDW fans are hungry for something big, and they are eating up all these "insider" articles... Only thing they are doing is feeding the pockets of the so called writers...

    Wait for Disney to announce the plans... Good things are coming, according to those who do know but cannot speak to specifics... And these people, I trust...

    Oh, and another thing: Disney seems to be willing to once again utilize new ride systems in their upcoming projects... Which is a good thing as they used to do that in the past... Thing is, most if not all of these projects supposedly will rely on screens or simulator technology... I stress supposedly...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  12. #11
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    Thanks for the report!

    The tour of Golden Oaks must have been wonderful. I am in awe of some of the floor plans.
    - Lynn -
    INTERCOT Staff: Theme Parks, DVC

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by VWL Mom View Post
    Thanks for the report!

    The tour of Golden Oaks must have been wonderful. I am in awe of some of the floor plans.
    Golden Oaks is a dream... Just amazing... Beautiful in every sense of the word...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by DizneyFreak2002 View Post
    Fanboy dreams... The numbers are solid... The BoD did approve over $3 billion for WDW.... $2.8 billion for DHS, $350 million for MK, $350 million or so for Epcot... And several more million for the rest of the resort to get things up to par for the 50th...
    Thanks - this is exciting. Although Disney World and I were both started the same year and I am not thrilled about soon being 50!

  15. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Park Hopper View Post
    Thanks - this is exciting. Although Disney World and I were both started the same year and I am not thrilled about soon being 50!
    Just sit back and enjoy the ride...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  16. #15
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    Good reports...DizneyFreak keeping it real for both sides!

    I'm anxious for more news on the DHS updates and when we might see results? 2017 initial? 2019 complete?
    Beth & David

    09/82 Treehouse Villas, 06/86 BVP, 10/95 CBR, 10/99 DI, 08/03 PORS, 10/05 POP, 11/06 AKL, 09/09 POLY, 10/10 Wonder, 05/11 Dream/PORS, 08/13 POLY, 11/13 GF, 04/15 POLY, 11/15 BLT, 11/16 Aulani, 03/17 BLT, 08/18 BLT, 07/19 AKL, 06/21 BLT

  17. #16
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    Awesome updates!! Thanks so much.
    "Is there a 12 step program for this Mouse addiction?"

    Next Trips:

    11/18-11/29 Destination D:Amazing Adventures!! GF for two nights then Caribbean Beach with free dining...

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    Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us!

    All of the pre-planning is a ton of work! And trying to keep everything straight once you get there is a lot of work too! I made up a word file with clear instructions on it for all of my newbie friends planning their first trip. It's completely overwhelming and I sympathize with them!

    Thanks for clearing up the rumours! You always have great info on WDW and Universal and I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
    Haunted Mansion Girl
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    2017 Sept Coronado!

  19. #18
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    Awesome!! I really enjoyed your report!!! I am really impressed at your planning skills at 2 wks out!! I have just planned a trip 45 days out and found that within 4 hours I had most fast passes and the dining I wanted secured without a problem. It took about 9 days of checking but I was also able to get 7DMT. Also, I wasn't looking at character meals but some openings have popped up if I had wanted any.
    Mary Ellen

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    Sept8-13 2016 OKW
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  20. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldburke View Post
    Good reports...DizneyFreak keeping it real for both sides!

    I'm anxious for more news on the DHS updates and when we might see results? 2017 initial? 2019 complete?
    2020 more than likely, with Toy Story finishing first, just my guess...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

  21. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by hauntedmansiongirl View Post
    Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us!

    All of the pre-planning is a ton of work! And trying to keep everything straight once you get there is a lot of work too! I made up a word file with clear instructions on it for all of my newbie friends planning their first trip. It's completely overwhelming and I sympathize with them!

    Thanks for clearing up the rumours! You always have great info on WDW and Universal and I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
    I used to be that big planner... Not any more... And I wondered what this MM_ nonsense would do to people like me who don't plan every minute of their day... And how would it affect last minute trips... After this July trip, I can say it didn't affect me at all... I did little to no planning... Things worked just fine..

    Still don't like the system and the concept of MM+ but I can't sit here and say it would ruin a last second trip... At least it didn't ruin mine...
    Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...

    TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...

    BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

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