Christmas and New Year 2013 capacity phased closings and wait times

[Pixie VaVoom]

Thanks for posting your observations at the Epcot Resorts.

This Christmas, a Standard View Beach Club room is $660/night and prices for other rooms only go up from there.

Yeah, they just might have reached a tipping point. I nearly fell over when I saw those prices.

I paid just over $700 for an entire week at my 1 bdrm deluxe condo at Vacation Village Resort. We paid less than that for an entire week cruise to the Carribean !! Yeah - I would say we have reached a tipping point. At least for MY family budget !!

 

[JenniferS]

Any temperature is Warmer there in Orlano than here in Pittsburgh right now.

-17 Celsius (with windchill) here in SW Ontario.
That's about 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Snowing and blowing like crazy.

On the plus side, power has finally been restored to all, 9 days after the ice storm.

 

[Hobnail Boot]

Anyone else have pics of the rediculous queues in the parks today? I would love to see them.

I'll snap some as we go around the park. I may not get to post them until later today though.

 

[Bryansworld]

I remember when Rooms cost a good amount less. But here is where It starting to go out of my budget. I was fine with Higher than most park admission prices... it is how much the cost of Food and drinks have gone up in just the past 2 years that is pricing me out. It used to cost $2.19 for a soft drink. Now it is at $3.

 

[MissM]

I remember when Rooms cost a good amount less. But here is where It starting to go out of my budget. I was fine with Higher than most park admission prices... it is how much the cost of Food and drinks have gone up in just the past 2 years that is pricing me out. It used to cost $2.19 for a soft drink. Now it is at $3.

It used to be under $20 for us to get two burgers/fries and split a soda. Now it's minimum $25 for the same thing. Burger combos are $10 now. I realize it's not earth-shattering but it's definitely gone way up, really fast.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Not sure this is what you had in mind, but here's a cell phone pic I just took looking out of my 3rd floor apartment breezeway here in Tampa:

LOL It's 66 and overcast/partly sunny today. Not overly "beautiful" of a day but it's nice that it's not so darn hot!

Still, beautiful! It looks warm. 66 is warm, compared to here

Any temperature is Warmer there in Orlano than here in Pittsburgh right now.

So true. It's only gonna get colder... High of 18 for Friday. I fear downtown Pgh, it's always so much colder there.

 

[Bryansworld]

It used to be under $20 for us to get two burgers/fries and split a soda. Now it's minimum $25 for the same thing. Burger combos are $10 now. I realize it's not earth-shattering but it's definitely gone way up, really fast.

I know! It is crazy. I used to be able to budget $12 a person for Lunch. Including a soft drink. Now its more like 15-16. Muliply that by 2 times a day and 5-7 days for the vacation and it makes a huge budget difference. Not to mention a few Sit Downs.

 

[Bryansworld]

Still, beautiful! It looks warm. 66 is warm, compared to here


So true. It's only gonna get colder... High of 18 for Friday. I fear downtown Pgh, it's always so much colder there.

I work Downtown... YES is it always COLDER here. Esp with the winds off the river.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I work Downtown... YES is it always COLDER here. Esp with the winds off the river.

Same! I hate it in the winter!


Does anyone at MK right now have a view of the stores? Is merch moving along with the huge crowds?

 

[PhilharMagician]

Imagination at 60 minutes
Nemo at 45 minutes
MS at 210
Soarin' at 210
TT at 245
BTMRR 180
Space 165
PPF 150

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I know! It is crazy. I used to be able to budget $12 a person for Lunch. Including a soft drink. Now its more like 15-16. Muliply that by 2 times a day and 5-7 days for the vacation and it makes a huge budget difference. Not to mention a few Sit Downs.

...I don't recall a single time I bought lunch or dinner and it costing less than $15 each time. Snacks never under $4 each... I've never spent so much on food before without being at the grocery store. :/

 

[Bryansworld]

Imagination at 60 minutes
Nemo at 45 minutes
MS at 210
Soarin' at 210
TT at 245
BTMRR 180
Space 165
PPF 150

WOW! I wonder where the queue for Mission Space Goes! I never saw the outside queue over the curved wall.

 

[Hobnail Boot]

Same! I hate it in the winter!


Does anyone at MK right now have a view of the stores? Is merch moving along with the huge crowds?

I just passed through Uptown and the Confectionary on the way to Tony's. They weren't that busy really.

 

[wdwmagic]

How is the park wifi holding up?

 

[Ralphlaw]

So two years ago, my friends and I did open to close at Magic Kingdom. The majority of our day was spent in the rocking chairs at Tom Sawyer's Island before finding other places to relax and just watch the people.

We played card games and did other off the beaten path things.

We knew what we were in for. Have no idea how we made it all the way to fireworks.

All that being said? No effing way you will ever get me to do that again.

A couple years back we started or last day with Morning Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom. At about 1 pm my son said he wanted to ride the new Star Tours one last time, so we zipped on over to Studios. After that and a few other things at Studios, we decided to wander through Epcot and then take the monorail back to Bay Lake. We actually did a few attractions at Epcot, and then grabbed the monorail. To get the kids out of my wife's hair so she could pack, we went swimming in the Baylake pool. Suddenly, everyone felt rejuvenated, so we wandered on over and closed Magic Kingdom, ending with cinnamon rolls on Main Street as the park closed.

Yup, one day, four parks AND swimming. The funny part, we didn't plan it that way at all, and my wife and I are in our 40's and my kids were 5 and 12 at the time--not exactly prime ages for turbo park hopping. Memorable day, and I'll never do it again.

 

[mousehockey37]

I can't wait to hear the stories of how MM+ has failed on this one. It seems, at first glance, that it's causing more harm than good. And since all of the parks are mainly full, where is MM+ going to send you since all the rides have ludicrous wait times?

 

[draybook]

So two years ago, my friends and I did open to close at Magic Kingdom. The majority of our day was spent in the rocking chairs at Tom Sawyer's Island before finding other places to relax and just watch the people.

We played card games and did other off the beaten path things.

We knew what we were in for. Have no idea how we made it all the way to fireworks.

All that being said? No effing way you will ever get me to do that again.

If I lived close to WDW I'd love to have a relaxing day like that.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

-17 Celsius (with windchill) here in SW Ontario.
That's about 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Snowing and blowing like crazy.

On the plus side, power has finally been restored to all, 9 days after the ice storm.

For some reason the My Canada song popped in my head while reading this...Oh which reminds me..MARTY Sent Me!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Not sure this is what you had in mind, but here's a cell phone pic I just took looking out of my 3rd floor apartment breezeway here in Tampa:

LOL It's 66 and overcast/partly sunny today. Not overly "beautiful" of a day but it's nice that it's not so darn hot!

Ugh, I'm totally jealous... 33 (feels like 26 with wind chill) here in NJ with a snow storm headed this way... supposed to hit 2 degrees Friday.... ugh
Did I mention I was jealous?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Imagination at 60 minutes
Nemo at 45 minutes
MS at 210
Soarin' at 210
TT at 245
BTMRR 180
Space 165
PPF 150

Now I bet Captain EO must have HUUUGE Lines......Right.......Right?