So I've been in a spending spree on taking first-timers to Disney World. I love taking people who have never been. My parents hate it, because I pay for everything except their meals. But I'm oddly okay with it. I normally take my friends from college, who are usually all broke and depressed and have never been outside of the state of South Carolina. So I like to give them a bit of life motivation after taking them on a free Disney vacation! I work my butt off to save up for it each year. And this was probably the best trip I've had in a long, long time! So here we go!
The trip was from April 30th - May 5th, with travel dates on the 30th and 5th and park days on May 1st through the 4th. The crowds were very pleasant, and the weather was absolutely amazing! Not too hot, not too cold. It was either just warm, or cool. It was PERFECT. We get out of school the 2nd to the last week of April, so we were BLESSED! We drove, we did not fly. Much cheaper. 8 hour car drive, and we didn't have any traffic.
After staying at the Hilton Palace last October (which ended up being a terrible trip, sadly.), I vowed to never stay offsite ever again. Although, they almost got me with those parking fees, the room rates were lower by about 15/20 bucks during the week we were going, so it ended up costing about the same price as if we were going to Disney over the peak summer time without parking fees. We stayed in the 90's section of Pop Century resort, and I've gotta say, the refurbished rooms are very nice! The shower is great! The hotel was relatively quiet and not crowded at all when we were there. After we checked into our room that afternoon, we went to WalMart to get pop tarts, milk and cereal for breakfast for the week. Then we got back to our resort and watched the movie night by the pool. They played Treasure Planet!
I'd just like to point out that Blazin' Pizza at Disney Springs is the best and most affordable casual dining at Disney Springs. We ate there for Dinner.
MAY 1st - Magic Kingdom
Here is a list of everything we did in order, and the ranking by each of us. 1 star being the lowest and 5 stars being the highest. (Keep in mind my two friends have never been to Disney before.)
TTC - We took the Ferryboat to MK and back from MK that night. It was pleasant! My friend Lois loves ferryboats so she was excited to ride it.
Milner (Me): ** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
Main Street Train Station - We arrived at MK at exactly 9:00 am. We took the train from Main Street over to Fantasyland. It was a pleasant ride, but I wish there was more to see on it.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid - Same as it always is! I've always enjoyed the ride. Although the constant slowing down throughout the ride gets very annoying. Especially when it happens about 3 times. This was the first experience that Drayton and Lois got at WDW, so they were mesmerized! They thought it was a really good attraction! I think it's about average. But I'm also aware of all the other attractions in the park. Wait time: walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Mickey's Philharmagic - Personally, I think they should update this show to make it a similar experience like Star Tours, where when you go see it, there's a different collage of films every single time! Disney has enough material to pull from... Keep all of the current scenes and add in Hercules, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Tangled, Frozen, Pinocchio, Moana, Ect. They have the technology, they're able to execute it, I think it'd be awesome! Drayton and Lois absolutely LOVED this film. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
Space Mountain (FP+) - I got us a FP+ for Space Mountain at 10:50 am, knowing how often it shuts down. Me being a Disney park know-it-all, I was upset that none of the sound effects were working during the ride, and I also know how much of a state of disrepair it is in. I know it needs a lot of work, and after riding the version at disneyland, I know what it COULD be. My friends, of course, were not aware of these things! Hence, they don't affect their rating. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
TTA PeopleMover - LOOOTS of cones for empty cars. Looks like this thing needs a good refurb. The track was a bit bumpy/jerky most of the time too. It's still a pleasant people watcher. I hate the fact that this ride actually has a line now. Even on a slow day. I remember when it could be a walk on and you could ride it on a loop. Also, side note, the attraction stopped 3 times back to back while we were waiting in line for it, but did not stop while we were on it. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: * Drayton: **
Carousel of Progress - You know it's time for an attraction to either be replaced, or MASSIVELY updated, when you have to CONSTANTLY tell your first timer friends that this attraction was a big hit in the 60s and 70s, even if it IS a historically nostalgic attraction. This show is in a terribly sad state. Sorry, guys. My friends were terribly bored. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - I see what everyone on the forums means when they say this attraction feels a bit nasty/unsanitary. The ride still serves its purpose well, and is highly enjoyable! It did make a complete stop a maximum of 2 times on our ride. It's good fun. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: *****
Laugh Floor Comedy Club - Ya'll! We caught probably the funniest of all the shows I've ever seen this done! My friends were shocked at how good the show actually was, because the pre-show is misleading as it's pretty bad, TBH. That's what they said, not I. There were two ladies both named Brittany, and the actor onscreen was picking on them because they both married their mom-in-law's 2 sons, which happened to be twins. It was a perfect comedic moment! Lots of belly laughs. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Great Moments in History... The Muppets - This was the show without the dude talking to everyone on the street level. Drayton and Lois are HHUUUUGE Muppets fans so I made sure I got around to see this show for them! They absolutely LOVED it! I wish they had some more park presence like this scattered throughout all the lands and different parks. Wait time: Streetmosphere
Milner: ** Lois: * Drayton: ?
Hall of Presidents - I'm gonna be honest. I only ever come to see this show for the animatronics. Lois thought it was boring, and Drayton was asleep for most of the experience. So take that for what it's worth. Morgan Freeman was also a better narrator. Wait time: Walk on
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
The Haunted Mansion - This classic attraction still holds up so well today! ....... When people don't turn their flash cameras on. It's ALWAYS during Madam Leota's scene that people feel the need to take a flash picture. I shouted at the TOP of my lungs "TURN OFF YOU FREAKING FLASH OR I'LL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT." There were no more flash pictures around us for the rest of the ride. I wish they would have metal detectors outside of The Haunted Mansion specifically so that guests have to put their cell phones in lockers. It'd cause a ruckus, sure, but it'd be worth it. So worth it. The ride is still great! It did stop 4 times during our ride, though. Wait time: 25 minutes
Milner: *** Lois: * Drayton: ***
The Country Bear Jamboree - Okay, so this is my childhood favorite. So I'm pretty biased. I love this show. The audio is too soft, though. They need to turn it up. I also wish they would totally replace the animatronics with some new ones that are as advanced as the on in Na'vi River Journey. Make the show equally as impressive as it was in the 70s! The only reason animatronic shows aren't popular anymore is because the animatronics SCREAM 70s and 80s. Upgrade them to those multi million dollar ones! I bet they'd be a hit again! I know that'll never happen. Lois hated the show. Drayton loved it. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Lunch: Pecos Bill Cafe - The beef nachos are an INCREDIBLE deal when you take full advantage of the salad/salsa bar! This was also the first time I tried churros. I highly recommend them. They are good.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (FP+) - It's always a fun ride. That's honestly about it! I wish the collapsing cave effects would ever work. Lois and Drayton loved it. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: *****
Princess Fairytale Hall (FP+) - We were going to ride Pirates of the Caribbean while we waited on our FP+ for Splash Mountain, but as soon as we got to the dock, the ride broke down, the lights turned on, ect. ect. We left, and they gave us an extra FP+. Drayton wanted to meet some princesses so I took him to the Princess Fairytale Hall. I've personally never been big on the meet and greets, and Lois hasn't either. So it was more for him than for us. He got to meet Tiana and Rapunzel! Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: **
It's a Small World - It is what it is. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: ** Drayton: *****
Splash Mountain (FP+) - Always a great ride! My favorite water ride in the history of any water ride! Lois hated it, as she hates big drops. Drayton loved it. All the effects and animatronics were working. It was a good time. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Great Moments in History... The Muppets - We were lucky enough to catch the other version of the show as we were passing by.. Drayton and Lois absolutely loved it as well! Wait time: Streetmosphere.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Jungle Cruise - Always a good time on this ride! We enjoyed it. The staff at this particular attraction were highly energetic and in very good moods! (I would like to point out that all of the cast members throughout the week were AMAZING! We had great conversations with the staff at the World of Disney store, and at Blazin' Pizza! I've never had so much cast member interaction before! It made L&D's first experience so much more magical!) Wait time - Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Pirates of the Caribbean - So pirates opened back up later in the day. I'd like to re-state that I wish the animatronics were as advanced as maybe Jack Sparrow. It would make the attraction more impressive. Wait time: 30 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Dinner: Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - This was a nice place to eat Dinner! It was about 6:30 when we ate. We did mobile ordering. Super convenient. It was quiet, Not many people were there. Good food.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Happily Ever After - We got up pretty close to the castle! Lois and Drayton were completely baffled by the whole experience! It was great. We got there an hour before the show.
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
7 Dwarves Mine Train - As soon as the fireworks ended, we speed walked over to 7 Dwarves. It was a 90 minute wait when we got there in the morning. So I decided to wait until the night. It was worth that wait as we didn't wait nearly as long as we would have! It's an insanely fun ride. Even more fun at night! Wait time: 25 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: *** Drayton: **
Peter Pan's Flight - 9:50. We walked really fast to cram this last ride in. I normally skip it, but I really wanted to see the new queue line that I never got to experience before! I think the queue line is a LOT more impressive than the ride itself, and it builds your expectations up for the ride more than they should be. It was a nice way to end the day, though. Wait time: Walk on.
DAY 2 - EPCOT
Milner: *** Lois: ** Drayton: **
Spaceship Earth - The ride is getting a bit rickety and bumpy. A refurb would be pretty nice. Friends were pretty bored on this one. The ride stopped once. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Test Track (FP+) - Also knowing how often this ride shuts down throughout the day, we got on this in the morning as well! The ride was a lot of fun! Easily the best attraction at EPCOT. Wait time: 15 minutes
Milner: ** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
Mission: Space (Orange) - I personally have never cared for this ride, but my friends absolutely loved it! They really liked the G-Force and they thought the ride was cool. I, personally, miss the original version more. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Lunch: Electric Umbrella - My favorite counter service place in all of Disney World. Not sure why. I guess I just enjoy the dark atmosphere and the music. It was quiet. Hardly anyone eating. Great food.
Milner: ** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Soarin' - It's kind of a bore to me now. Friends loved it. Not too much to say, here! Wait time: 30 minutes.
NOTE: By this point, Drayton decided to break away from me and Lois to go get a picture with ALL of the princesses across the countries in EPCOT. So from here on, it's just me and Lois. (Drayton did get to catch them all!)
Milner: ** Lois: ***
Living with the Land (FP+) - I'm ready for that refurb rumored to be coming! I'd love to see what they do with the nature scenes. Lois thought the ride was pretty cool. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: **
The Seas with Nemo & Friends - Eh. It's pretty annoying. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: **
Journey Into Imagination with Figment - I had to introduce Lois to Figment, since she didn't know who he was. I just wish there could've been a better way! She thought the ride was cute. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: ***
O' Canada Starring Martin Short - I've gotta admit, this is getting dated. I think the old film projector flickers were giving me a headache, TBH. I always enjoy Martin Short. I was shocked to find out that Lois actually really enjoyed it too. Apparently she loves Martin Short! Wait time: Walk on
Milner: ***** Lois: *** Drayton: *****
The American Adventure - When Drayton took off, I told him to make sure he saw this show. He did! So I have his review as well. It's always an impressive show! Lois thought it was boring, but better than Hall of Presidents. Drayton absolutely loved it. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: ***
Frozen Ever After - It's a cute, fun ride that isn't worth the wait time. FP+s were unavailable for it. We ran out of stuff to do at Epcot and Drayton wasn't finished, so we figured, why not? Wait time: 65 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: **
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the 3 Caballeros - It is what it is. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ***** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Dinner: D-Lux Burger at Disney Springs - Ya'll. THE. FOOD. HERE. IS. SO. GOOD!!! I highly recommend it.
In the end, EPCOT went from my realizing it went from my favorite theme park to my least favorite. Out of the 4, it's the most boring and just bleh park. Ready for all of those additions and updates coming.
DAY 3 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Toy Story Mania - We rope dropped for Toy Story Mania. That was an EXCITING experience! It's a fun ride. Wait time: 30 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Voyage of the Little Mermaid -Dated, but still serves its purpose. My friends don't realize that it is dated, as it was their first time experiencing the show. They did acknowledge the fact that the show is very rushed. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: * Drayton: ***
Star Wars Launch Bay Theater - Drayton was the Star Wars fan out of us 3. Me and Lois don't really care for Star Wars. The movie is boring. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ****
Meet Kylo Ren/Chewbacca/BB-8 - All for Drayton! Wait times: 10 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
Walt Disney Presents - I always love this little museum. It's a good time.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Meet Groot+Starlord - This is by far probably the only meet and greet I've ever actually really enjoyed! Very funny to interact with! Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: * Drayton: *
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - Yes! They were playing the film! They haven't played a movie preview at any of my trips so far. Must be pure luck! In the words of Lois: "Milner, I'm pretty sure THAT is your favorite thing in this park." Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Indiana Jones: Epic Stunt Spectacular (FP+) - What seems dated to us on the forums, is still jaw dropping to the first timers! My friends were in absolute awe of this show! The actors seemed more energetic than normal, as well. I also recommend doing FP+ for this show if you want good seats. Otherwise you'll be sitting on the very far ends. Even on a slow day! It was still a full house!
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Lunch: Mama Melrose - I normally get dining reservations at Sci-Fi but they were sold out. So we went here instead. BOOOY this was the first time I've ever been here and by god, the food was GREAT! I highly recommend the chicken parmesan. Great service!
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Muppet*Vision 3D - As you already know, my friends absolutely love the muppets. My only complaint would be that the Statler and Waldorf animatronics need to be refurbished. Statler's mouth did not work at all, and they were a bit stiff. The bunny and chef animatronics looked great though! Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: *****
Star Tours II: The Adventures Continue - Lois and I got nauseous. Drayton loved it. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Rockin' Roller Coaster (FP+) - Just a freaking. Awesome. Coaster! 'nough said! Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: ***** Drayton: *****
Tower of Terror (FP+) - Lois refused to get on it since she hates drops. We didn't even need a fastpass for this ride. The queue was completely empty up until the queue after the pre-show. It's always been an impressive ride. Drayton was not expecting so much from it! Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage - Okay, you know it's time for a show to be either replaced or updated when FIRST TIMERS tell you that it seems a bit dated. Still a good show for what it is, in the same sense as Little Mermaid. We just got done doing Beauty and the Beast at North Greenville University so we actually did end up enjoying the show a lot more than we would have if that wasn't the case. Wait time: Walk on.
A Frozen Singalong Celebration (FP+) - My friends didn't understand why we were going to see this show. The ended up absolutely loving it. The two hosts are HILARIOUS! These two hosts are different hosts than the ones I saw before, and I actually thought they were better. It was a fun time. Wait time: Walk on.
Dinner: ABC Commissary - We finally ran out of stuff to do at about around 7:00 pm. Which was fine because we got to sit down and rest until Fantasmic! An unexpected reaction came from Lois and Drayton. They were visually impressed with ABC Commissary... of all things to be impressed by. I dont know, that took me off guard! The food and service was great! Again, very quiet. Mobile ordering is nice. They actually took the food to our table!
NOTE: Drayton enjoys doing his own thing. So while me and Lois waited at ABC Commissary, he went to go ride Star Tours and Rockin' Roller Coaster again.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Fantasmic! (FP+) - YOU GUYS!!!! The past 5 times I've tried to see this show, it was either cancelled for weather, technical difficulties, or stopped mid show! I FIIIINALLYYY got to see this show in its entirety! I absolutely loved it, and missed it! Drayton and Lois was taken off-guard at how big the show was going to be. A funny thing happened, too! As we were walking to the theatre, Drayton asks me: "Does Pocahontas have any park presence?" and I just smiled and laughed at him. He was confused. Then as soon as the Pocahontas scene came onstage, I nudged him, and he laughed. It was a great time. I highly recommend getting a FP+ for this after you use up your other 3 FP+s. Also get here an hour early. Like Indiana Jones, you'll be stuck sitting on the very ends of the amphitheater if you don't get a FP+. We got the top row in the very center. It was spectacular.
DAY 4 - ANIMAL KINGDOM
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Avatar: Flight of Passage (EMH) - We rope dropped for this ride. We got to the park at exactly 7:50 am (EMH start at 8:00 am!) and we headed directly to it! The wait time posted was 60 minutes, but I knew that it wouldn't get any better than that as the day went on. Fun fact! We only ended up waiting 20 minutes! It was a good time! Lois and Drayton was in complete awe the whole time. Amazing ride. Wait time: 20 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
DINOSAUR (EMH) - This ride is SO EPICALLY AWESOME!!!!! I don't care what you forum oldies say. I like this ride so much. I love Dinosaurs. So I like it better that the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland as well. This ride makes you lose your sense of reality! Drayton admitted that he actually got incredibly scared when he was next to the big scary dino! Funny fact! That was during the picture and you can SEE the fear on his face! It was hilarious! This was such a great ride. It is my favorite thrill ride in all of WDW and is seriously underrated by old people who get back pain way too easily. This is for the teens and college students, mates! Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: *****
Primeval Whirl (EMH) - This ride is honestly just good fun! We had a fun time laughing on this one. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ****
Meet Pocahontas - The park just opened to everyone at 9:00 am, the meet and greet opened, and Drayton wanted to go see Pocahontas. The wait time was low. So me and Lois were like, "why not?" Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
It's Tough to be a Bug! - Gosh, this show is so underrated! I wish they would do a massive upgrade to the animation, similar to what Universal did with the animation for Spider Man. It would really upgrade the show. Lois did not like the special effects. Drayton loved it. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: * Drayton: **
Up! A Great Bird Adventure - It was a bunch of rubbish. Friends hated it to. And that was me not saying ANYthing about the previous show until AFTER I got their opinion on it. They said it was a baby show, and the Russell and Dug were annoying. They would have preferred to just listen to the speakers on their own. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: ****
Lunch: Rainforest Cafe - I absolutely love this place. I, again, recommend their chicken parmesan. The quesadillas are also amazing.
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Festival of the Lion King - It's a great show! Always is! Lots of interaction, a fun time. Friends enjoyed it.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Finding Nemo: The Musical (FP+) - My friends didn't know what to expect from this show. But they were in total awe of how professional the show was done and how impressive it was. We're all theatre majors. So it's nice to actually hear people say how impressed they were (and to say it's better than Festival of the Lion King for once! Haha!) Also, I could almost swear that the ENTIRE cast is new! The energy onstage was absolutely AMAZING and it was probably the best cast I've ever seen perform in that show! I swear everyone is new, because all of the voices sounded very unique and different compared to my last viewing. Wait time: Walk on.
NOTE: We took a bus back to the hotel to take a nap for about 2 hours. Then we ate dinner at Taco Bell and returned to Animal Kingdom. I would like to point out that when we came back to AK to park in the section they told us to park in, the transportation tram rode right past us. It wasn't just us, but there was a LARGE group of people waiting at the particular point in the parking lot for the tram. It rode right past us and dropped off people a very long way away from us. EVERYone was confused and we all just said screw it, basically, and walked across the entire parking lot all the way to the park entrance. We were in the dinosaur parking lot. That was probably the only ", Disney?" moment we had on the trip.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
Na'vi River Journey (FP+) - Yep! It was up and running! Lois said that she thinks the ride is equally as good as The 3 Caballeros ride at EPCOT. She would have been mad at me if I made them wait the posted 90 minutes for it. The ride "eh." Lois and Drayton said it was relaxing, but that's all they could say about it. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Kilimajaro Safaris - I had been putting this ride off until later in the day because we couldn't get a FP+ for it and it had been crowded all day. But we were running out of stuff to do at AK so we decided to wait for it. Drayton grew up in Africa, so he was in complete awe of this ride and the queue line. It was a great time! We got to see the baby hippo! Wait time: 65 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
Expedition Everest (FP+) - The ride was broken down when we arrived. We waited for about 20 minutes and they got it back up and running at about 9:30 pm. Lois and Drayton loved it. Lois was originally scared to get on because she doesn't like heights. Also, Lois was upset by all the hair bands thrown on the ride. Wait time: Technically 30 minutes.
DINOSAUR - I wanted to catch this ride one last time, because I never know if it'll close down unannounced or not. It's my favorite. We all still had fun! See review above. Wait time: 25 minutes.
And yea! It was absolutely a fantastic trip! I think I will start going to WDW EVERY first week of May from now on!
The trip was from April 30th - May 5th, with travel dates on the 30th and 5th and park days on May 1st through the 4th. The crowds were very pleasant, and the weather was absolutely amazing! Not too hot, not too cold. It was either just warm, or cool. It was PERFECT. We get out of school the 2nd to the last week of April, so we were BLESSED! We drove, we did not fly. Much cheaper. 8 hour car drive, and we didn't have any traffic.
After staying at the Hilton Palace last October (which ended up being a terrible trip, sadly.), I vowed to never stay offsite ever again. Although, they almost got me with those parking fees, the room rates were lower by about 15/20 bucks during the week we were going, so it ended up costing about the same price as if we were going to Disney over the peak summer time without parking fees. We stayed in the 90's section of Pop Century resort, and I've gotta say, the refurbished rooms are very nice! The shower is great! The hotel was relatively quiet and not crowded at all when we were there. After we checked into our room that afternoon, we went to WalMart to get pop tarts, milk and cereal for breakfast for the week. Then we got back to our resort and watched the movie night by the pool. They played Treasure Planet!
I'd just like to point out that Blazin' Pizza at Disney Springs is the best and most affordable casual dining at Disney Springs. We ate there for Dinner.
MAY 1st - Magic Kingdom
Here is a list of everything we did in order, and the ranking by each of us. 1 star being the lowest and 5 stars being the highest. (Keep in mind my two friends have never been to Disney before.)
TTC - We took the Ferryboat to MK and back from MK that night. It was pleasant! My friend Lois loves ferryboats so she was excited to ride it.
Milner (Me): ** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
Main Street Train Station - We arrived at MK at exactly 9:00 am. We took the train from Main Street over to Fantasyland. It was a pleasant ride, but I wish there was more to see on it.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid - Same as it always is! I've always enjoyed the ride. Although the constant slowing down throughout the ride gets very annoying. Especially when it happens about 3 times. This was the first experience that Drayton and Lois got at WDW, so they were mesmerized! They thought it was a really good attraction! I think it's about average. But I'm also aware of all the other attractions in the park. Wait time: walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Mickey's Philharmagic - Personally, I think they should update this show to make it a similar experience like Star Tours, where when you go see it, there's a different collage of films every single time! Disney has enough material to pull from... Keep all of the current scenes and add in Hercules, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Tangled, Frozen, Pinocchio, Moana, Ect. They have the technology, they're able to execute it, I think it'd be awesome! Drayton and Lois absolutely LOVED this film. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
Space Mountain (FP+) - I got us a FP+ for Space Mountain at 10:50 am, knowing how often it shuts down. Me being a Disney park know-it-all, I was upset that none of the sound effects were working during the ride, and I also know how much of a state of disrepair it is in. I know it needs a lot of work, and after riding the version at disneyland, I know what it COULD be. My friends, of course, were not aware of these things! Hence, they don't affect their rating. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
TTA PeopleMover - LOOOTS of cones for empty cars. Looks like this thing needs a good refurb. The track was a bit bumpy/jerky most of the time too. It's still a pleasant people watcher. I hate the fact that this ride actually has a line now. Even on a slow day. I remember when it could be a walk on and you could ride it on a loop. Also, side note, the attraction stopped 3 times back to back while we were waiting in line for it, but did not stop while we were on it. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: * Drayton: **
Carousel of Progress - You know it's time for an attraction to either be replaced, or MASSIVELY updated, when you have to CONSTANTLY tell your first timer friends that this attraction was a big hit in the 60s and 70s, even if it IS a historically nostalgic attraction. This show is in a terribly sad state. Sorry, guys. My friends were terribly bored. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - I see what everyone on the forums means when they say this attraction feels a bit nasty/unsanitary. The ride still serves its purpose well, and is highly enjoyable! It did make a complete stop a maximum of 2 times on our ride. It's good fun. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: *****
Laugh Floor Comedy Club - Ya'll! We caught probably the funniest of all the shows I've ever seen this done! My friends were shocked at how good the show actually was, because the pre-show is misleading as it's pretty bad, TBH. That's what they said, not I. There were two ladies both named Brittany, and the actor onscreen was picking on them because they both married their mom-in-law's 2 sons, which happened to be twins. It was a perfect comedic moment! Lots of belly laughs. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Great Moments in History... The Muppets - This was the show without the dude talking to everyone on the street level. Drayton and Lois are HHUUUUGE Muppets fans so I made sure I got around to see this show for them! They absolutely LOVED it! I wish they had some more park presence like this scattered throughout all the lands and different parks. Wait time: Streetmosphere
Milner: ** Lois: * Drayton: ?
Hall of Presidents - I'm gonna be honest. I only ever come to see this show for the animatronics. Lois thought it was boring, and Drayton was asleep for most of the experience. So take that for what it's worth. Morgan Freeman was also a better narrator. Wait time: Walk on
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
The Haunted Mansion - This classic attraction still holds up so well today! ....... When people don't turn their flash cameras on. It's ALWAYS during Madam Leota's scene that people feel the need to take a flash picture. I shouted at the TOP of my lungs "TURN OFF YOU FREAKING FLASH OR I'LL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT." There were no more flash pictures around us for the rest of the ride. I wish they would have metal detectors outside of The Haunted Mansion specifically so that guests have to put their cell phones in lockers. It'd cause a ruckus, sure, but it'd be worth it. So worth it. The ride is still great! It did stop 4 times during our ride, though. Wait time: 25 minutes
Milner: *** Lois: * Drayton: ***
The Country Bear Jamboree - Okay, so this is my childhood favorite. So I'm pretty biased. I love this show. The audio is too soft, though. They need to turn it up. I also wish they would totally replace the animatronics with some new ones that are as advanced as the on in Na'vi River Journey. Make the show equally as impressive as it was in the 70s! The only reason animatronic shows aren't popular anymore is because the animatronics SCREAM 70s and 80s. Upgrade them to those multi million dollar ones! I bet they'd be a hit again! I know that'll never happen. Lois hated the show. Drayton loved it. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Lunch: Pecos Bill Cafe - The beef nachos are an INCREDIBLE deal when you take full advantage of the salad/salsa bar! This was also the first time I tried churros. I highly recommend them. They are good.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (FP+) - It's always a fun ride. That's honestly about it! I wish the collapsing cave effects would ever work. Lois and Drayton loved it. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: *****
Princess Fairytale Hall (FP+) - We were going to ride Pirates of the Caribbean while we waited on our FP+ for Splash Mountain, but as soon as we got to the dock, the ride broke down, the lights turned on, ect. ect. We left, and they gave us an extra FP+. Drayton wanted to meet some princesses so I took him to the Princess Fairytale Hall. I've personally never been big on the meet and greets, and Lois hasn't either. So it was more for him than for us. He got to meet Tiana and Rapunzel! Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: **
It's a Small World - It is what it is. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: ** Drayton: *****
Splash Mountain (FP+) - Always a great ride! My favorite water ride in the history of any water ride! Lois hated it, as she hates big drops. Drayton loved it. All the effects and animatronics were working. It was a good time. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Great Moments in History... The Muppets - We were lucky enough to catch the other version of the show as we were passing by.. Drayton and Lois absolutely loved it as well! Wait time: Streetmosphere.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Jungle Cruise - Always a good time on this ride! We enjoyed it. The staff at this particular attraction were highly energetic and in very good moods! (I would like to point out that all of the cast members throughout the week were AMAZING! We had great conversations with the staff at the World of Disney store, and at Blazin' Pizza! I've never had so much cast member interaction before! It made L&D's first experience so much more magical!) Wait time - Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Pirates of the Caribbean - So pirates opened back up later in the day. I'd like to re-state that I wish the animatronics were as advanced as maybe Jack Sparrow. It would make the attraction more impressive. Wait time: 30 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Dinner: Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - This was a nice place to eat Dinner! It was about 6:30 when we ate. We did mobile ordering. Super convenient. It was quiet, Not many people were there. Good food.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Happily Ever After - We got up pretty close to the castle! Lois and Drayton were completely baffled by the whole experience! It was great. We got there an hour before the show.
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
7 Dwarves Mine Train - As soon as the fireworks ended, we speed walked over to 7 Dwarves. It was a 90 minute wait when we got there in the morning. So I decided to wait until the night. It was worth that wait as we didn't wait nearly as long as we would have! It's an insanely fun ride. Even more fun at night! Wait time: 25 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: *** Drayton: **
Peter Pan's Flight - 9:50. We walked really fast to cram this last ride in. I normally skip it, but I really wanted to see the new queue line that I never got to experience before! I think the queue line is a LOT more impressive than the ride itself, and it builds your expectations up for the ride more than they should be. It was a nice way to end the day, though. Wait time: Walk on.
DAY 2 - EPCOT
Milner: *** Lois: ** Drayton: **
Spaceship Earth - The ride is getting a bit rickety and bumpy. A refurb would be pretty nice. Friends were pretty bored on this one. The ride stopped once. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Test Track (FP+) - Also knowing how often this ride shuts down throughout the day, we got on this in the morning as well! The ride was a lot of fun! Easily the best attraction at EPCOT. Wait time: 15 minutes
Milner: ** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
Mission: Space (Orange) - I personally have never cared for this ride, but my friends absolutely loved it! They really liked the G-Force and they thought the ride was cool. I, personally, miss the original version more. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Lunch: Electric Umbrella - My favorite counter service place in all of Disney World. Not sure why. I guess I just enjoy the dark atmosphere and the music. It was quiet. Hardly anyone eating. Great food.
Milner: ** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Soarin' - It's kind of a bore to me now. Friends loved it. Not too much to say, here! Wait time: 30 minutes.
NOTE: By this point, Drayton decided to break away from me and Lois to go get a picture with ALL of the princesses across the countries in EPCOT. So from here on, it's just me and Lois. (Drayton did get to catch them all!)
Milner: ** Lois: ***
Living with the Land (FP+) - I'm ready for that refurb rumored to be coming! I'd love to see what they do with the nature scenes. Lois thought the ride was pretty cool. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: **
The Seas with Nemo & Friends - Eh. It's pretty annoying. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: **
Journey Into Imagination with Figment - I had to introduce Lois to Figment, since she didn't know who he was. I just wish there could've been a better way! She thought the ride was cute. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: ***
O' Canada Starring Martin Short - I've gotta admit, this is getting dated. I think the old film projector flickers were giving me a headache, TBH. I always enjoy Martin Short. I was shocked to find out that Lois actually really enjoyed it too. Apparently she loves Martin Short! Wait time: Walk on
Milner: ***** Lois: *** Drayton: *****
The American Adventure - When Drayton took off, I told him to make sure he saw this show. He did! So I have his review as well. It's always an impressive show! Lois thought it was boring, but better than Hall of Presidents. Drayton absolutely loved it. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: ***
Frozen Ever After - It's a cute, fun ride that isn't worth the wait time. FP+s were unavailable for it. We ran out of stuff to do at Epcot and Drayton wasn't finished, so we figured, why not? Wait time: 65 minutes.
Milner: ** Lois: **
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the 3 Caballeros - It is what it is. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ***** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Dinner: D-Lux Burger at Disney Springs - Ya'll. THE. FOOD. HERE. IS. SO. GOOD!!! I highly recommend it.
In the end, EPCOT went from my realizing it went from my favorite theme park to my least favorite. Out of the 4, it's the most boring and just bleh park. Ready for all of those additions and updates coming.
DAY 3 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Toy Story Mania - We rope dropped for Toy Story Mania. That was an EXCITING experience! It's a fun ride. Wait time: 30 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ***
Voyage of the Little Mermaid -Dated, but still serves its purpose. My friends don't realize that it is dated, as it was their first time experiencing the show. They did acknowledge the fact that the show is very rushed. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: * Drayton: ***
Star Wars Launch Bay Theater - Drayton was the Star Wars fan out of us 3. Me and Lois don't really care for Star Wars. The movie is boring. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ****
Meet Kylo Ren/Chewbacca/BB-8 - All for Drayton! Wait times: 10 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
Walt Disney Presents - I always love this little museum. It's a good time.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Meet Groot+Starlord - This is by far probably the only meet and greet I've ever actually really enjoyed! Very funny to interact with! Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: * Drayton: *
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - Yes! They were playing the film! They haven't played a movie preview at any of my trips so far. Must be pure luck! In the words of Lois: "Milner, I'm pretty sure THAT is your favorite thing in this park." Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Indiana Jones: Epic Stunt Spectacular (FP+) - What seems dated to us on the forums, is still jaw dropping to the first timers! My friends were in absolute awe of this show! The actors seemed more energetic than normal, as well. I also recommend doing FP+ for this show if you want good seats. Otherwise you'll be sitting on the very far ends. Even on a slow day! It was still a full house!
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: ****
Lunch: Mama Melrose - I normally get dining reservations at Sci-Fi but they were sold out. So we went here instead. BOOOY this was the first time I've ever been here and by god, the food was GREAT! I highly recommend the chicken parmesan. Great service!
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Muppet*Vision 3D - As you already know, my friends absolutely love the muppets. My only complaint would be that the Statler and Waldorf animatronics need to be refurbished. Statler's mouth did not work at all, and they were a bit stiff. The bunny and chef animatronics looked great though! Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: *****
Star Tours II: The Adventures Continue - Lois and I got nauseous. Drayton loved it. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Rockin' Roller Coaster (FP+) - Just a freaking. Awesome. Coaster! 'nough said! Wait time: 15 minutes.
Milner: ***** Drayton: *****
Tower of Terror (FP+) - Lois refused to get on it since she hates drops. We didn't even need a fastpass for this ride. The queue was completely empty up until the queue after the pre-show. It's always been an impressive ride. Drayton was not expecting so much from it! Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage - Okay, you know it's time for a show to be either replaced or updated when FIRST TIMERS tell you that it seems a bit dated. Still a good show for what it is, in the same sense as Little Mermaid. We just got done doing Beauty and the Beast at North Greenville University so we actually did end up enjoying the show a lot more than we would have if that wasn't the case. Wait time: Walk on.
A Frozen Singalong Celebration (FP+) - My friends didn't understand why we were going to see this show. The ended up absolutely loving it. The two hosts are HILARIOUS! These two hosts are different hosts than the ones I saw before, and I actually thought they were better. It was a fun time. Wait time: Walk on.
Dinner: ABC Commissary - We finally ran out of stuff to do at about around 7:00 pm. Which was fine because we got to sit down and rest until Fantasmic! An unexpected reaction came from Lois and Drayton. They were visually impressed with ABC Commissary... of all things to be impressed by. I dont know, that took me off guard! The food and service was great! Again, very quiet. Mobile ordering is nice. They actually took the food to our table!
NOTE: Drayton enjoys doing his own thing. So while me and Lois waited at ABC Commissary, he went to go ride Star Tours and Rockin' Roller Coaster again.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Fantasmic! (FP+) - YOU GUYS!!!! The past 5 times I've tried to see this show, it was either cancelled for weather, technical difficulties, or stopped mid show! I FIIIINALLYYY got to see this show in its entirety! I absolutely loved it, and missed it! Drayton and Lois was taken off-guard at how big the show was going to be. A funny thing happened, too! As we were walking to the theatre, Drayton asks me: "Does Pocahontas have any park presence?" and I just smiled and laughed at him. He was confused. Then as soon as the Pocahontas scene came onstage, I nudged him, and he laughed. It was a great time. I highly recommend getting a FP+ for this after you use up your other 3 FP+s. Also get here an hour early. Like Indiana Jones, you'll be stuck sitting on the very ends of the amphitheater if you don't get a FP+. We got the top row in the very center. It was spectacular.
DAY 4 - ANIMAL KINGDOM
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Avatar: Flight of Passage (EMH) - We rope dropped for this ride. We got to the park at exactly 7:50 am (EMH start at 8:00 am!) and we headed directly to it! The wait time posted was 60 minutes, but I knew that it wouldn't get any better than that as the day went on. Fun fact! We only ended up waiting 20 minutes! It was a good time! Lois and Drayton was in complete awe the whole time. Amazing ride. Wait time: 20 minutes.
Milner: ***** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
DINOSAUR (EMH) - This ride is SO EPICALLY AWESOME!!!!! I don't care what you forum oldies say. I like this ride so much. I love Dinosaurs. So I like it better that the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland as well. This ride makes you lose your sense of reality! Drayton admitted that he actually got incredibly scared when he was next to the big scary dino! Funny fact! That was during the picture and you can SEE the fear on his face! It was hilarious! This was such a great ride. It is my favorite thrill ride in all of WDW and is seriously underrated by old people who get back pain way too easily. This is for the teens and college students, mates! Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: *** Lois: *** Drayton: *****
Primeval Whirl (EMH) - This ride is honestly just good fun! We had a fun time laughing on this one. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ****
Meet Pocahontas - The park just opened to everyone at 9:00 am, the meet and greet opened, and Drayton wanted to go see Pocahontas. The wait time was low. So me and Lois were like, "why not?" Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
It's Tough to be a Bug! - Gosh, this show is so underrated! I wish they would do a massive upgrade to the animation, similar to what Universal did with the animation for Spider Man. It would really upgrade the show. Lois did not like the special effects. Drayton loved it. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: * Lois: * Drayton: **
Up! A Great Bird Adventure - It was a bunch of rubbish. Friends hated it to. And that was me not saying ANYthing about the previous show until AFTER I got their opinion on it. They said it was a baby show, and the Russell and Dug were annoying. They would have preferred to just listen to the speakers on their own. Wait time: Walk on.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: ****
Lunch: Rainforest Cafe - I absolutely love this place. I, again, recommend their chicken parmesan. The quesadillas are also amazing.
Milner: **** Lois: *** Drayton: ****
Festival of the Lion King - It's a great show! Always is! Lots of interaction, a fun time. Friends enjoyed it.
Milner: ***** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Finding Nemo: The Musical (FP+) - My friends didn't know what to expect from this show. But they were in total awe of how professional the show was done and how impressive it was. We're all theatre majors. So it's nice to actually hear people say how impressed they were (and to say it's better than Festival of the Lion King for once! Haha!) Also, I could almost swear that the ENTIRE cast is new! The energy onstage was absolutely AMAZING and it was probably the best cast I've ever seen perform in that show! I swear everyone is new, because all of the voices sounded very unique and different compared to my last viewing. Wait time: Walk on.
NOTE: We took a bus back to the hotel to take a nap for about 2 hours. Then we ate dinner at Taco Bell and returned to Animal Kingdom. I would like to point out that when we came back to AK to park in the section they told us to park in, the transportation tram rode right past us. It wasn't just us, but there was a LARGE group of people waiting at the particular point in the parking lot for the tram. It rode right past us and dropped off people a very long way away from us. EVERYone was confused and we all just said screw it, basically, and walked across the entire parking lot all the way to the park entrance. We were in the dinosaur parking lot. That was probably the only ", Disney?" moment we had on the trip.
Milner: ** Lois: ** Drayton: ***
Na'vi River Journey (FP+) - Yep! It was up and running! Lois said that she thinks the ride is equally as good as The 3 Caballeros ride at EPCOT. She would have been mad at me if I made them wait the posted 90 minutes for it. The ride "eh." Lois and Drayton said it was relaxing, but that's all they could say about it. Wait time: 10 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: ***** Drayton: *****
Kilimajaro Safaris - I had been putting this ride off until later in the day because we couldn't get a FP+ for it and it had been crowded all day. But we were running out of stuff to do at AK so we decided to wait for it. Drayton grew up in Africa, so he was in complete awe of this ride and the queue line. It was a great time! We got to see the baby hippo! Wait time: 65 minutes.
Milner: **** Lois: **** Drayton: *****
Expedition Everest (FP+) - The ride was broken down when we arrived. We waited for about 20 minutes and they got it back up and running at about 9:30 pm. Lois and Drayton loved it. Lois was originally scared to get on because she doesn't like heights. Also, Lois was upset by all the hair bands thrown on the ride. Wait time: Technically 30 minutes.
DINOSAUR - I wanted to catch this ride one last time, because I never know if it'll close down unannounced or not. It's my favorite. We all still had fun! See review above. Wait time: 25 minutes.
And yea! It was absolutely a fantastic trip! I think I will start going to WDW EVERY first week of May from now on!