WiltonJohn
06-08-2010, 02:47 PM
We have just returned from a wonderful week at Disney World (June 1-7). Last time we were there was 2 years ago.
The weather was HOT, as might be expected. Mostly low 90's. Humidity varied from not too bad to awful. Most afternoons we had a thunderstorm. But it did not last long.
We stayed at Pop Century, fourth floor in the 90 section. The room was refurbished.
Interestingly, we found the parks relatively uncrowded this week.
The longest wait we experienced was for "Soarin",..... and that was only a 1 hour wait. And that was by FAR the longest wait we had for any attraction. For a lot of stuff we just about walked right on. More typical waits for us were in the 5 to 15 minute range. And there were a lot at only the 5 minute mark. Add in a good use of the FastPass system,... and we spent very, very little time waiting in lines.
We did do "high volume" attractions like TestTrack, Soarin, Mission Space, Kilamanjaro Safari, Buzz Lightyear, Toystory, Splash Mountain, and so on. However please note: we are not the "Tower of Terror" or "Rockin Roller Coaster" types. However we saw maximum lines on those of no more than about 1 hour to 70 minutes either.
We skipped the Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studios...... to miss the inevitable crowds. Went on the Thursday before..... and simply walked onto the Star Tours ride about four times.
Our last night there..... the Magic Kingdom's "Night-tastic" fireworks show was ...well..... aptly named.... fantastic. Hook and the boys try to capture the castle in a barrage of cannon fire...... but Tink and the Good Faries eventually save the day. Place was PACKED for that premier.
We experienced a Disney first for us: on one day all of the parks experienced a power outage due to a thunderstorm. It took them about 1 1/2 hours to restore full operations. Clearly they were in a bit of a "tizzy"! Most people started leaving...... since we were at the Animal Kingdom, we just headed to the safari ride and looked at the animals again..... that attraction did not depend on normal electrical power. (5 minute wait!)
One day we took the Backstage Safari Tour. it was an awesome experience........well worth every penny. According to our guide, (the head of the program) it was an unusually small group.... 4 people! That let him do a little more "behind the scenes" of the behind the scenes tour.
:secret: We were the first 4 of the public allowed to get to see the new 2 week old baby elephant that was born there, named Luna. They were working on getting the herd used to her and her to the herd in the backlot pen area. We all also almost got "marked" (like a dog does a hydrant!) by a male White Rino in the backlot area. They spray a long way!!!!
Fantastic food, great service, wonderful rides and shows...... all in all... a great vacation.
best,
.............john
The weather was HOT, as might be expected. Mostly low 90's. Humidity varied from not too bad to awful. Most afternoons we had a thunderstorm. But it did not last long.
We stayed at Pop Century, fourth floor in the 90 section. The room was refurbished.
Interestingly, we found the parks relatively uncrowded this week.
The longest wait we experienced was for "Soarin",..... and that was only a 1 hour wait. And that was by FAR the longest wait we had for any attraction. For a lot of stuff we just about walked right on. More typical waits for us were in the 5 to 15 minute range. And there were a lot at only the 5 minute mark. Add in a good use of the FastPass system,... and we spent very, very little time waiting in lines.
We did do "high volume" attractions like TestTrack, Soarin, Mission Space, Kilamanjaro Safari, Buzz Lightyear, Toystory, Splash Mountain, and so on. However please note: we are not the "Tower of Terror" or "Rockin Roller Coaster" types. However we saw maximum lines on those of no more than about 1 hour to 70 minutes either.
We skipped the Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studios...... to miss the inevitable crowds. Went on the Thursday before..... and simply walked onto the Star Tours ride about four times.
Our last night there..... the Magic Kingdom's "Night-tastic" fireworks show was ...well..... aptly named.... fantastic. Hook and the boys try to capture the castle in a barrage of cannon fire...... but Tink and the Good Faries eventually save the day. Place was PACKED for that premier.
We experienced a Disney first for us: on one day all of the parks experienced a power outage due to a thunderstorm. It took them about 1 1/2 hours to restore full operations. Clearly they were in a bit of a "tizzy"! Most people started leaving...... since we were at the Animal Kingdom, we just headed to the safari ride and looked at the animals again..... that attraction did not depend on normal electrical power. (5 minute wait!)
One day we took the Backstage Safari Tour. it was an awesome experience........well worth every penny. According to our guide, (the head of the program) it was an unusually small group.... 4 people! That let him do a little more "behind the scenes" of the behind the scenes tour.
:secret: We were the first 4 of the public allowed to get to see the new 2 week old baby elephant that was born there, named Luna. They were working on getting the herd used to her and her to the herd in the backlot pen area. We all also almost got "marked" (like a dog does a hydrant!) by a male White Rino in the backlot area. They spray a long way!!!!
Fantastic food, great service, wonderful rides and shows...... all in all... a great vacation.
best,
.............john