Background is that we haven't been to WDW in nearly 7 years. Prior to that, we were mostly on a once per year 5-6 night stay cadence. I say mostly because we went to Disneyland one year, and threw in a few Universal trips. The pandemic stopped that because we didn't want to go with strange or odd restrictions, plus we did some other non-theme park trips that were just as great. But this year was time to go back. We were there from Dec 20 to Dec 24, very busy time, but I thought it was manageable. Here are my observations on the changes from the last 7 years:
1) I think the new lightning lane system is great. I remember on our prior visits thinking I would gladly pay more to reduce the number of visitors, and while I know that's not what this does, it has the intended effect. The system works very well. I was ready at 7am 7 days prior and had no trouble getting all the major headliners. I also used the individual passes as well. I figure if I'm spending a large amount of money to be there, adding ~10% on top of that is worth it.
2) I think early entry for resort guests every day is also great. And they do it very well. They don't just open the park 30 minutes early, rather they have people pretty much on the ride 30 minutes early. Was able to do a super headliner, maybe even another, and get in line for a 3rd by the time the park normal opening hours.
3) I'm not sure why the change to Tiana is controversial, I thought it was really good. I had never seen Song of the South, nor have I seen the Princess and the Frog, so I had no emotional attachment to either...perhaps just a little to Zip a Dee Do Dah, but that was only a small part of Splash Mountain.
4) Maybe it's just my imagination, but I seem to think there are less scooters.
5) The bubble toys have GOT to go. I understand that kids would like them, but do parents really have no clue that maybe the people directly behind them don't want to have bubbles in their faces? We went on the Regal Carousel (it was late on our last night and we were trying to say we rode everything) and this family in the horses in front of us had a little kid who ran the bubble toy the entire time. My kids are older teenagers now, and I would have never bought them that, and if I had, I wouldn't have let them run it in tightly packed areas.
6) Never realized that if you just happen to time it JUST right, you can be on the people mover exactly at the moment Tinkerbell flies over. Not planned at all, we just decided to get on it, and as we came out of the last building, there she was flying nearly right over us.
7) Cosmic rewind is amazing. I think it's what space mountain would've been if it were built with today's technology.
8) I miss the Magical Express bus service, but Uber is definitely faster and more convenient.
9) Mobile ordering is great. WAY better than waiting in line to order.
10) New Test Track theming is pretty cool, not sure if I like it better than the version where you design a car or not.
11) Typically, I think that when a new ride replaces the old one, if thinking objectively about it, the new ride is usually better. But that is not my opinion with Mickey Minnie Railway. It's fine, but definitely prefer the Great Movie Ride.
12) Galaxy's edge is quite incredible. Flying the Millenium Falcon is a dream come true. Rise of the Resistance is one of the best attractions even BEFORE you get on the actual ride. I would like to spend a whole day JUST there, but of the 4 of us, I'm the only die hard Star Wars fan, so I had to compromise.
13) Sad to see Dinoland USA go away. I LOVED the idea of the older theming. Roadside attractions trying to capitalize on a nearby attraction...exactly like the land around Disneyland. Got to ride Dinosaur one last time. But looking forward to the new theming.
14) Also sad that I didn't get to go on one more loop on the Liberty Belle Riverboat.
15) Tron - Very cool...wouldn't necessarily wait a long time for it though.
16) Remy ride was pretty good. Very similar to Mickey Minnie Railway.
17) Zootopia 3D movie...Meh.
18) The new condensed Nemo musical was still pretty good.
19) I knew that the pre-show for Aerosmith is no longer being shown, so I watched it beforehand. Excited to see the Muppets version.
20) REALLY sad that Muppetvision is gone. That was one of my favorite attractions.
21) I was nervous relying on our phones and app for everything, so we got the cards at hotel check in. However, the phones worked great all the time (park tickets, fast passes) and the app for lightning lanes, mobile ordering, wait times, etc. No issues at all.
22) Lastly...monorail still smells like horse.
All in all, great trip. Had never been there this close to christmas. Usually stll visit during peak times (Presidents week, spring break, or summer). But I didn't think this was any worse than those times, maybe I'm just used to the crowds and it's normal to me. Staying on property and using lightning lanes made all the difference. I'd definitely go again the same time.
1) I think the new lightning lane system is great. I remember on our prior visits thinking I would gladly pay more to reduce the number of visitors, and while I know that's not what this does, it has the intended effect. The system works very well. I was ready at 7am 7 days prior and had no trouble getting all the major headliners. I also used the individual passes as well. I figure if I'm spending a large amount of money to be there, adding ~10% on top of that is worth it.
2) I think early entry for resort guests every day is also great. And they do it very well. They don't just open the park 30 minutes early, rather they have people pretty much on the ride 30 minutes early. Was able to do a super headliner, maybe even another, and get in line for a 3rd by the time the park normal opening hours.
3) I'm not sure why the change to Tiana is controversial, I thought it was really good. I had never seen Song of the South, nor have I seen the Princess and the Frog, so I had no emotional attachment to either...perhaps just a little to Zip a Dee Do Dah, but that was only a small part of Splash Mountain.
4) Maybe it's just my imagination, but I seem to think there are less scooters.
5) The bubble toys have GOT to go. I understand that kids would like them, but do parents really have no clue that maybe the people directly behind them don't want to have bubbles in their faces? We went on the Regal Carousel (it was late on our last night and we were trying to say we rode everything) and this family in the horses in front of us had a little kid who ran the bubble toy the entire time. My kids are older teenagers now, and I would have never bought them that, and if I had, I wouldn't have let them run it in tightly packed areas.
6) Never realized that if you just happen to time it JUST right, you can be on the people mover exactly at the moment Tinkerbell flies over. Not planned at all, we just decided to get on it, and as we came out of the last building, there she was flying nearly right over us.
7) Cosmic rewind is amazing. I think it's what space mountain would've been if it were built with today's technology.
8) I miss the Magical Express bus service, but Uber is definitely faster and more convenient.
9) Mobile ordering is great. WAY better than waiting in line to order.
10) New Test Track theming is pretty cool, not sure if I like it better than the version where you design a car or not.
11) Typically, I think that when a new ride replaces the old one, if thinking objectively about it, the new ride is usually better. But that is not my opinion with Mickey Minnie Railway. It's fine, but definitely prefer the Great Movie Ride.
12) Galaxy's edge is quite incredible. Flying the Millenium Falcon is a dream come true. Rise of the Resistance is one of the best attractions even BEFORE you get on the actual ride. I would like to spend a whole day JUST there, but of the 4 of us, I'm the only die hard Star Wars fan, so I had to compromise.
13) Sad to see Dinoland USA go away. I LOVED the idea of the older theming. Roadside attractions trying to capitalize on a nearby attraction...exactly like the land around Disneyland. Got to ride Dinosaur one last time. But looking forward to the new theming.
14) Also sad that I didn't get to go on one more loop on the Liberty Belle Riverboat.
15) Tron - Very cool...wouldn't necessarily wait a long time for it though.
16) Remy ride was pretty good. Very similar to Mickey Minnie Railway.
17) Zootopia 3D movie...Meh.
18) The new condensed Nemo musical was still pretty good.
19) I knew that the pre-show for Aerosmith is no longer being shown, so I watched it beforehand. Excited to see the Muppets version.
20) REALLY sad that Muppetvision is gone. That was one of my favorite attractions.
21) I was nervous relying on our phones and app for everything, so we got the cards at hotel check in. However, the phones worked great all the time (park tickets, fast passes) and the app for lightning lanes, mobile ordering, wait times, etc. No issues at all.
22) Lastly...monorail still smells like horse.
All in all, great trip. Had never been there this close to christmas. Usually stll visit during peak times (Presidents week, spring break, or summer). But I didn't think this was any worse than those times, maybe I'm just used to the crowds and it's normal to me. Staying on property and using lightning lanes made all the difference. I'd definitely go again the same time.
