I’ve finally recovered from our trip last week, 10/4/14 through 10/10/14. Had a decent sized group along (8 total : my wife and I plus our two kids, G7 and B6, along with my wife’s parents, my mom, and one of my brothers). We were staying at Bay Lake Tower on cash reservations: a 2 bedroom (8129) and two studios (8125 and 8123).
The Good
- I really can’t say enough good things about BLT. The location and amenities can’t be beat. Being able to walk to the MK alone is almost worth the ludicrous pricing. The 2 bedroom (and 1 bedroom) villa layouts are phenomenal. The lake view from a high floor is a stunner, and while the daytime theme park view is underwhelming (helloooo parking lot!) the nighttime view of the fireworks is fantastic, especially if they are firing off perimeter fireworks. Check-in having moved to the lobby of BLT is a plus as it was always far less chaotic than at the Contemporary.
- Excellent staff interactions throughout. Didn’t run into a single sourpuss and in almost every interaction cast members went above and beyond my expectations. My father-in-law had a bit of a medical issue while at Animal Kingdom and once I alerted a plush vendor we needed assistance a manager swooped in with a wheelchair and spirited us off to First Aid. The First Aid staff was great and my father-in-law was ultimately taken to the ER in Celebration – Disney comped the ambulance ride and the taxi back to the resort. Very well done all around and completely unexpected.
- Had never been to Food & Wine at Epcot on Monday, 10/6 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a few average things but most of what I sampled was very good, especially the beer at the Scotland stand.
- Great meal at Artist Point, although I probably still prefer California Grill. By the way, don’t order the Lo Mein unless you get really jazzed about drinking ocean water. Saltiest thing I’ve ever tasted.
- The Wave is still a hidden gem. Food is always good and it’s almost never crowded. We arrived at 2pm and our rooms weren’t ready so we retired to one of the lounge rooms at The Wave for drinks and a snack while watching some college football games – we had the place to ourselves and the staff doted on us.
- We booked a Wishes Fireworks cruise (the “deluxe” boat which I think is a 25 foot pontoon as opposed to the “basic” which I believe is a 21 footer; not a huge difference here) – possibly the highlight of the trip. The weather was great and it was a perfect night out on the water. My kids don’t do well being close to fireworks so being lined up right outside the park worked out wonderfully for them. A great night.
- The weather was excellent. I know the area had been deluged with rain for the few weeks leading up to our trip so I was prepared for the worst. Not a single drop of rain the entire week – low to mid 80’s from Saturday through Tuesday spiking to 90 Wednesday through Friday. But man, that Florida sun is HOT.
- Pecos Bills: I ate here once years ago and was never planning on returning, but my kids needed a break to just chill out and recharge before the Halloween Party and it was nearby so we got a nice big table in front of a window and decompressed a little in the shade. Due to a variety of factors (mostly my daughter taking forever to get her costume on for the party) we ended up eating an early dinner here. I was shocked that, for a frozen burger patty, it wasn’t half bad. I was expecting a hockey puck and it was better than a (admittedly lame) McDonald’s/Wendy’s/Burger King burger. Damning with faint praise, sure…but it exceeded my low expectations. I don’t plan on going back but I wouldn’t avoid it like the plague, either.
The Bad
- BLT rooms still look awfully worn – rode hard and put away wet. There weren’t any major defects, and I know they see a ton of traffic, but they could really use a refurb. Scuffed walls and stained furniture appear to be the norm, especially in the non-studio rooms.
- Orlando water still smells funky.
- The text message alerts for when your rooms are ready didn’t work. From the commentary I’ve seen online it appears this is a 50/50 proposition as to whether it works correctly…given that we had no problems with our Magicbands whatsoever I found this comical. This is a basic technology that seems absurd to not get right.
- Break downs galore! In previous trips I had never been on a single ride that broke down, which I guess means I had some karmic retribution coming my way. Over the course of 7 days we experienced breakdowns while on: Little Mermaid, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, It’s a Small World (AHHHH! GET ME OFF OF THIS RIDE!), Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, and the monorail. Toy Story was interesting in that we were just about to get on the ride using our FP+ when they evacuated the entire building. We were given paper Fastpasses to return any time, which was interesting because while we effectively walked right onto the ride (well, would have if we weren’t evaced) when we returned a couple of hours later we ended up in a 20 minute long line to ride.
- While this didn’t impact us much since we already had FP+ scheduled, Disney randomly deciding to run a FP+ only test on Toy Story struck me as incredibly poor form.
- Related to the above, I’ve always appreciated Disney’s “flexible” scheduling in which they adjust hours based on expected attendance. But with the bizarre advent of having to pre-plan meals and rides months in advance this really makes the whole thing feel like they are working at cross purposes and can lead to a lot of annoyance.
- The Hollywood Brown Derby was mediocre. I assume it’s been dramatically dumbed down for the masses.
- Pinocchio Village Haus: we were pressed into eating dinner here based on a variety of factors and I knew it would suck…but this went beyond that. It was another circle of Hell. Massive lines, shrieking children everywhere, dirty, and the food was atrocious. Never again.
- Pizzafari: Still sucks. I had vowed to never eat there again but due to my father-in-law’s trip to First Aid we were somewhat forced into it. Blech.
The Random
- FastPass+ thoughts: I can see how being a commando tourer or having the original FP system gamed out would make someone opposed to the current FP+ implementation. It drops a huge limit on how you can make use of the system. That being said, I loved it. It could not have worked out better for my group with a couple of young kids. We aren’t going at a breakneck pace and it was super convenient to have the day somewhat mapped out so we could get the things done that the kids wanted to do without having to get up super early for park opening. Using the “Lines” app helped us target low wait attractions for when we didn’t have FP+ or were between windows, and if the adults wanted to hit headliners multiple times they could either show up early for rope drop or return to the parks for late nights when everyone starts to clear out. All of the adults (none of whom are particularly Disney savvy) couldn’t believe how many lines we were skipping throughout the day.
- I never used the FP+ kiosks and they always seemed swamped (when I could find them).
- I still think they should tier the number of FP+ reservations you can make based on resort level. Make 3 the default and ratchet it up.
- Magicband thoughts: Never had an issue with any of them – worked as expected throughout the trip. I did find them to be a little irritating on the skin. Loved having them when at the pool as I didn’t need to worry about locking a wallet away or making sure my keycard hadn’t floated out of my swim trunks. Very convenient in that respect.
- Peter Pan needs a serious refresh – get some modern animatronics and sets in there and it would be a great ride.
- Great Movie Ride also could use a refresh.
- Mission: Space visuals need a refresh. I can’t believe it would be very costly to just re-do the CGI sequences. Looked super dated already, especially when compared to Star Tours.
- I’ve never ridden the “new” Journey Into Your Imagination. I wish I never had. What an obnoxiously annoying ride.
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride is cute, short. Throwing another full show scene in there should have been a no-brainer and would have improved the ride substantially.
- Our last trip was in Dec 2011 when apparently every damn effect on Splash Mountain was broken. A completely different experience this time – it was in great shape.
- Had never experienced Monster Inc Laugh Floor before and we stopped in to kill some time; much more entertaining than I expected.
- Legend of the Lion King is still a great show and the expanded Harambe area is a massive improvement.
- Did the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on Sunday, 10/5. Loved it! There was a very noticeable extra vibe in the crowd during the party and getting dressed up was a ton of fun, especially for the kids. They are still blown away that we actually trick-or-treated inside the Magic Kingdom. Phenomenal parade, too! We skipped the fireworks but I ended up watching them from BLT a few nights later – wow! They were substantially better than the normal Wishes fireworks.
- I still think it’s completely lame that the Top of the World Lounge at BLT is exclusive to DVC members. I understand the rationale but given the extortionate rates I’m paying for a cash reservation it would be nice to have full access to the amenities in the resort. Oh well.
- Lots of international guests – I’m sure there’s some confirmation bias going on here but it seemed like every time I walked past someone or overheard a conversation it was in a foreign language.
- Granted we tended to be in the parks during busier parts of the day, but the parks just seemed much, much busier than I expected. Not unmanageably so but the first week of October seems like a random week for so many people to be there. DON’T THESE PEOPLE HAVE JOBS?!
The Good
- I really can’t say enough good things about BLT. The location and amenities can’t be beat. Being able to walk to the MK alone is almost worth the ludicrous pricing. The 2 bedroom (and 1 bedroom) villa layouts are phenomenal. The lake view from a high floor is a stunner, and while the daytime theme park view is underwhelming (helloooo parking lot!) the nighttime view of the fireworks is fantastic, especially if they are firing off perimeter fireworks. Check-in having moved to the lobby of BLT is a plus as it was always far less chaotic than at the Contemporary.
- Excellent staff interactions throughout. Didn’t run into a single sourpuss and in almost every interaction cast members went above and beyond my expectations. My father-in-law had a bit of a medical issue while at Animal Kingdom and once I alerted a plush vendor we needed assistance a manager swooped in with a wheelchair and spirited us off to First Aid. The First Aid staff was great and my father-in-law was ultimately taken to the ER in Celebration – Disney comped the ambulance ride and the taxi back to the resort. Very well done all around and completely unexpected.
- Had never been to Food & Wine at Epcot on Monday, 10/6 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a few average things but most of what I sampled was very good, especially the beer at the Scotland stand.
- Great meal at Artist Point, although I probably still prefer California Grill. By the way, don’t order the Lo Mein unless you get really jazzed about drinking ocean water. Saltiest thing I’ve ever tasted.
- The Wave is still a hidden gem. Food is always good and it’s almost never crowded. We arrived at 2pm and our rooms weren’t ready so we retired to one of the lounge rooms at The Wave for drinks and a snack while watching some college football games – we had the place to ourselves and the staff doted on us.
- We booked a Wishes Fireworks cruise (the “deluxe” boat which I think is a 25 foot pontoon as opposed to the “basic” which I believe is a 21 footer; not a huge difference here) – possibly the highlight of the trip. The weather was great and it was a perfect night out on the water. My kids don’t do well being close to fireworks so being lined up right outside the park worked out wonderfully for them. A great night.
- The weather was excellent. I know the area had been deluged with rain for the few weeks leading up to our trip so I was prepared for the worst. Not a single drop of rain the entire week – low to mid 80’s from Saturday through Tuesday spiking to 90 Wednesday through Friday. But man, that Florida sun is HOT.
- Pecos Bills: I ate here once years ago and was never planning on returning, but my kids needed a break to just chill out and recharge before the Halloween Party and it was nearby so we got a nice big table in front of a window and decompressed a little in the shade. Due to a variety of factors (mostly my daughter taking forever to get her costume on for the party) we ended up eating an early dinner here. I was shocked that, for a frozen burger patty, it wasn’t half bad. I was expecting a hockey puck and it was better than a (admittedly lame) McDonald’s/Wendy’s/Burger King burger. Damning with faint praise, sure…but it exceeded my low expectations. I don’t plan on going back but I wouldn’t avoid it like the plague, either.
The Bad
- BLT rooms still look awfully worn – rode hard and put away wet. There weren’t any major defects, and I know they see a ton of traffic, but they could really use a refurb. Scuffed walls and stained furniture appear to be the norm, especially in the non-studio rooms.
- Orlando water still smells funky.
- The text message alerts for when your rooms are ready didn’t work. From the commentary I’ve seen online it appears this is a 50/50 proposition as to whether it works correctly…given that we had no problems with our Magicbands whatsoever I found this comical. This is a basic technology that seems absurd to not get right.
- Break downs galore! In previous trips I had never been on a single ride that broke down, which I guess means I had some karmic retribution coming my way. Over the course of 7 days we experienced breakdowns while on: Little Mermaid, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, It’s a Small World (AHHHH! GET ME OFF OF THIS RIDE!), Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, and the monorail. Toy Story was interesting in that we were just about to get on the ride using our FP+ when they evacuated the entire building. We were given paper Fastpasses to return any time, which was interesting because while we effectively walked right onto the ride (well, would have if we weren’t evaced) when we returned a couple of hours later we ended up in a 20 minute long line to ride.
- While this didn’t impact us much since we already had FP+ scheduled, Disney randomly deciding to run a FP+ only test on Toy Story struck me as incredibly poor form.
- Related to the above, I’ve always appreciated Disney’s “flexible” scheduling in which they adjust hours based on expected attendance. But with the bizarre advent of having to pre-plan meals and rides months in advance this really makes the whole thing feel like they are working at cross purposes and can lead to a lot of annoyance.
- The Hollywood Brown Derby was mediocre. I assume it’s been dramatically dumbed down for the masses.
- Pinocchio Village Haus: we were pressed into eating dinner here based on a variety of factors and I knew it would suck…but this went beyond that. It was another circle of Hell. Massive lines, shrieking children everywhere, dirty, and the food was atrocious. Never again.
- Pizzafari: Still sucks. I had vowed to never eat there again but due to my father-in-law’s trip to First Aid we were somewhat forced into it. Blech.
The Random
- FastPass+ thoughts: I can see how being a commando tourer or having the original FP system gamed out would make someone opposed to the current FP+ implementation. It drops a huge limit on how you can make use of the system. That being said, I loved it. It could not have worked out better for my group with a couple of young kids. We aren’t going at a breakneck pace and it was super convenient to have the day somewhat mapped out so we could get the things done that the kids wanted to do without having to get up super early for park opening. Using the “Lines” app helped us target low wait attractions for when we didn’t have FP+ or were between windows, and if the adults wanted to hit headliners multiple times they could either show up early for rope drop or return to the parks for late nights when everyone starts to clear out. All of the adults (none of whom are particularly Disney savvy) couldn’t believe how many lines we were skipping throughout the day.
- I never used the FP+ kiosks and they always seemed swamped (when I could find them).
- I still think they should tier the number of FP+ reservations you can make based on resort level. Make 3 the default and ratchet it up.
- Magicband thoughts: Never had an issue with any of them – worked as expected throughout the trip. I did find them to be a little irritating on the skin. Loved having them when at the pool as I didn’t need to worry about locking a wallet away or making sure my keycard hadn’t floated out of my swim trunks. Very convenient in that respect.
- Peter Pan needs a serious refresh – get some modern animatronics and sets in there and it would be a great ride.
- Great Movie Ride also could use a refresh.
- Mission: Space visuals need a refresh. I can’t believe it would be very costly to just re-do the CGI sequences. Looked super dated already, especially when compared to Star Tours.
- I’ve never ridden the “new” Journey Into Your Imagination. I wish I never had. What an obnoxiously annoying ride.
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride is cute, short. Throwing another full show scene in there should have been a no-brainer and would have improved the ride substantially.
- Our last trip was in Dec 2011 when apparently every damn effect on Splash Mountain was broken. A completely different experience this time – it was in great shape.
- Had never experienced Monster Inc Laugh Floor before and we stopped in to kill some time; much more entertaining than I expected.
- Legend of the Lion King is still a great show and the expanded Harambe area is a massive improvement.
- Did the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on Sunday, 10/5. Loved it! There was a very noticeable extra vibe in the crowd during the party and getting dressed up was a ton of fun, especially for the kids. They are still blown away that we actually trick-or-treated inside the Magic Kingdom. Phenomenal parade, too! We skipped the fireworks but I ended up watching them from BLT a few nights later – wow! They were substantially better than the normal Wishes fireworks.
- I still think it’s completely lame that the Top of the World Lounge at BLT is exclusive to DVC members. I understand the rationale but given the extortionate rates I’m paying for a cash reservation it would be nice to have full access to the amenities in the resort. Oh well.
- Lots of international guests – I’m sure there’s some confirmation bias going on here but it seemed like every time I walked past someone or overheard a conversation it was in a foreign language.
- Granted we tended to be in the parks during busier parts of the day, but the parks just seemed much, much busier than I expected. Not unmanageably so but the first week of October seems like a random week for so many people to be there. DON’T THESE PEOPLE HAVE JOBS?!