Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Eric Graham]

There is a wonderful Florida restaurant that sits right on the ocean that I like to go to, so relaxing and so very nice where you don't have to pay for overly exorbitant fees for rides and sit in long waits for rides. And relax, and just have a beverage and so very delicious seafood caught fresh daily. So very nice to eat your food while your watching the sunset and dolphins frolic over the water. So Awesome!

 

[John park hopper]

Don't keep us in suspense ----is it Laguna Beach Pensacola FL?

 

[Eric Graham]

Don't keep us in suspense ----is it Laguna Beach Pensacola FL?

It's the Back Porch in Destin, Florida

theBackPorch

www.theback-porch.com

 

[John park hopper]

It's the Back Porch in Destin, Florida

theBackPorch

www.theback-porch.com

Know Destin well back in the early 70's stationed at Eglin AFB before all the development- could drive on the beach to the inlet. Sons now live in Gulf Breeze will have to give Back Porch a try next time we are down there.

 

[Eric Graham]

Know Destin well back in the early 70's stationed at Eglin AFB before eel the development could drive on the beach to the inlet. Sons now live in Gulf Breeze will have to give Back Porch a try next time we are down there.

Oh very cool that you were stationed in the military. Thank you so much for your service. My grandfather was at Oak Ridge before the WW2 and was at Nagasaki. We didn't find out that until after his death because he had to keep all of that a secret. And we used to have a house at Beaufort, SC. And a number of our neighbors flew FA18s. One time one of the pilots buzzed the neighborhood, which is not a great thing to do because it can shatter all of the windows in homes. While I was there, they filmed Forrest Gump and GI Jane there. It was really cool when I took my wife back a few years ago and it was so cool a few FA18s were screaming in the air over us.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Just checked wait times today.…would have expected to see higher waits being spring break / Easter week

 

[marni1971]

So why don’t they charge $35 every day?

Daily crowds vs demand analytics. Charging what they can to make the most that day

 

[Eric Graham]

Funny, there used to be definite down times in the park during the year....May/September etc Now it seems every time we end up going it is a busy time.

 

[HauntedPirate]

But did they know?? You did not need Genie+ or ILL this past week because everything was available and not a long wait...at all! Why was Genie+ so high and the parks were so light? The week before was opposite, packed and "cheaper" pricing. This company is nuts I tell ya.

They’ve succeeded in conditioning many/most guests into believing they “need” Genie- to do the things they want to do.

 

[Eric Graham]

My wife showed me pictures from the Daily Mail today of all of the parks. I know it's Spring Break, but those pictures were crazy busy. On the site, they told people flying to Orlando to give themselves three hours leeway for the flight.

 

[LittleBuford]

There is a wonderful Florida restaurant that sits right on the ocean that I like to go to, so relaxing and so very nice where you don't have to pay for overly exorbitant fees for rides and sit in long waits for rides. And relax, and just have a beverage and so very delicious seafood caught fresh daily. So very nice to eat your food while your watching the sunset and dolphins frolic over the water. So Awesome!

That’s great. But it sounds like a totally different experience from a holiday at WDW.

 

[Ayla]

My wife showed me pictures from the Daily Mail today of all of the parks. I know it's Spring Break, but those pictures were crazy busy. On the site, they told people flying to Orlando to give themselves three hours leeway for the flight.

Three hours is standard for international flights. Daily Mail is also tabloid garbage.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Three hours is standard for international flights. Daily Mail is also tabloid garbage.

and anyone can take a photo at Disney in a certain area at a certain time to make it look busy whether it is or not

Also, I would probably be at the MCO airport 3 hours ahead of time regardless. Which is why I usually fly into Orlando / Sanford

 

[JD80]

They have been saying arrive at MCO 3 hours early for years.

 

[networkpro]

Just checked wait times today.…would have expected to see higher waits being spring break / Easter week

I've been watching the highway traffic this weekend and aside from the usual suspects ( before and after Savannah on I95, Ocala to just past the Turnpike on I75, I-4 from Orlando to Lakeland and Tampa Bay -St Pete ) its rather quiet.

 

[Andrew25]

I've been watching the highway traffic this weekend and aside from the usual suspects ( before and after Savannah on I95, Ocala to just past the Turnpike on I75, I-4 from Orlando to Lakeland and Tampa Bay -St Pete ) its rather quiet.

As someone who uses I4 daily... it's been weird.

This past week was bad, but not ridicously bad. The week before was absolutely wonderful... no traffic whatsoever, it was bizarre.

Yesterday definitely picked up a bit, but not to an insane level. The parks are busy, but I think people have become "smarter" and now know what days to avoid... making the "busy" forecasted days actually empty.

 

[Eric Graham]

Three hours is standard for international flights. Daily Mail is also tabloid garbage.

This was 3 hours for domestic flights to Orlando, not International. And they showed pictures from Epcot and MK...

 

[GhostHost1000]

This was 3 hours for domestic flights to Orlando, not International. And they showed pictures from Epcot and MK...

Plenty of spots at MK and Epcot where bottlenecks of people can occur regardless of the crowd levels and 3 hours before for any flight at MCO is pretty much recommended for all

 

[Ayla]

This was 3 hours for domestic flights to Orlando, not International. And they showed pictures from Epcot and MK...

MCO is a domestic airport where three hours is recommended, because security is terrible. They aren't breaking any news.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Magical isn’t it? I remember going on a Disney vacation to destress back in the good ol days

We visited in the latter days of the COVID pandemic, during late August, when everything was standby-only, masking requirements were still in place, and crowds were low, and we were keenly aware that G+ and ILL were soon to be introduced, which would then incentivize WDW to keep attractions short-staffed and ride lines long, forever after.

It was the most wonderful Disney vacation we've ever taken, or ever could take: it was like the dreams we all have sometimes where we have an entire theme park to ourselves! As my family sauntered spontaneously into a constantly-moving 20-minute Slinky Dog Dash line in the middle of the afternoon, I said to the kids, "remember this vacation, you guys: enjoy every moment and hold onto it forever, because after this, Disney trips are all going to be downhill from here." When we came back two years later during the same week, with unrelenting long lines, needless short-staffing, and the stress of being on one side or the other of a visible caste system for every attraction, my son -- my teenage son -- actually looked at me and said, "Wow Mom, you were right!" (Talk about a moment to hold onto forever!)