First Visit to MK: Disneylander Documentation

[Stevek]

I really, really liked October. I would absolutely do September if there was any hope of me ever being able to get off in that month for an extended period of time.

Perhaps there's something to May, as I was kind of amazed at how much Raven was able to do considering the amount of time she had in the park.

I think you just have to avoid the holiday weekend. If you look at any of the videos from the weekend, especially today, it's nuts.

My oldest daughter wants to go back, just she and I because my wife and 21yr old daughter really don't have any desire to return. I have a lot of flexibility after 30 years at my job so I can pretty much pick whatever month I want to go. Not sure it will happen this year though.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Oh there's far worse, dated airports out there than MCO. LaGuardia (though apparently it's getting a remodel that may actually improve it) in NYC in 2016 was ugly, narrow, old, and falling apart inside and out. Looked like an airport you might see in some remote, impoverished city in some far off country and not one of the airports servicing one of the world's premier cities.

And despite the terrible security lines I would rather deal with MCO than LAX any day.

I will agree to Florida having this vaguely tired, dated feeling everywhere though.

I haven’t flown into LaGuardia in nearly 10 years, so I don’t remember, but I’ll take your word for it. LAX is more up to date, but it’s a nightmare.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Believe the parks typically get a lot of British visitors. Even more pent up demand with them as they were not able to travel over here for quite a while.

Pre-COVID, the UK and Brazil represented the highest % of visitors to WDW outside of the USA/Canada.

 

[Californian Elitist]

About 15 years ago I flew into and out of MIA on business. It felt more 3rd world than some 3rd world airports I've experienced. I would not have been surprised to see people toting crates of live chickens. And again, the humidity.

Yikes. So I guess it’s a Florida thing then?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Regarding the layout of WDW in general… That puppy is massive. Really massive. I only went to one park and was wiped out after just five hours (the weather didn’t help). I can’t imagine doing the entire resort at once, and the size is not the main reason, but one of the reasons. I know a lot of people love the bubble, and while not seeing any homeless people around was great, the bubble didn’t capture me. It was kinda weird not seeing anything around the resort. And the parks are soooooooo far from each other.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Food: We had a reservation for Crystal Palace, but we cancelled it because it was extremely hot by the time we got to our hotel nearby, which was maybe around 3:15 or 3:30 and our reservation was at 5:15. Also, we weren’t quite hungry and we just didn’t feel like eating there anymore. When we did eat, we had Cosmic Ray’s. It was comparable to similar food served at Disneyland, so decent. I can’t say much else. There aren’t as many nice quick service options, but we knew that going in.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Food: We had a reservation for Crystal Palace, but we cancelled it because it was extremely hot by the time we got to our hotel nearby, which was maybe around 3:15 or 3:30 and our reservation was at 5:15. Also, we weren’t quite hungry and we just didn’t feel like eating there anymore. When we did eat, we had Cosmic Ray’s. It was comparable to similar food served at Disneyland, so decent. I can’t say much else. There aren’t as many nice quick service options, but we knew that going in.

Cosmic Ray's has such a terrible reputation, I would have suggested somewhere else like Columbia Harbor House, but I'm glad to hear you at least found the food edible, lol

Also, I don't know what it is with Tomorrowland fast food. They're all bad no matter what version you're in.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Maintenance and Upkeep: I mentioned this last night, but MK was dirty. There was trash in the queues and in other places around the park. Some of the ride vehicles were dirty, too. When I started training as a CM at DL, cleanliness was emphasized and they made sure that we understood that it wasn’t just the janitors’ jobs to keep the park clean. If we saw trash, we were to pick it up and toss it. DL janitors come through ride queues and sweep and clean. I never witnessed this at MK. Not sure if this isn’t a thing there or if it is a thing and I just didn’t see it. This was another example where my friend and I were influenced by our previous DL CM experience. No one else noticed the trash and were probably bewildered by our incessant need to point out every piece of garbage in the queues. If they did notice the trash, they didn’t care. When I pointed out the bottles in Pirates’ queue, one woman looked at me like I was crazy. Couldnt help it though, my instincts kicked in. Had I had a pair of gloves on me, I would have picked up the trash I had seen. Additionally, some of the dolls in small world were static or barely moving and, thanks to @PiratesMansion, I learned that the items floating around Madame Leota do actually move. They weren’t moving last night.

Disneyland also has maintenance issues and can be dirty at times. Indy never fully works, for example, and the park isn’t sparkling clean. But I do agree with many others when they say that, in general, DL does better in that department. Some examples of what we saw below:

Peoplemover vehicle (could use a deep cleaning)

Plastic bottles in Pirates’ queue:

Unclean small world boat and at unload:

Unclean Buzz queue:

Dirty cups in a seating area in the castle walkway:

Hopefully this was just bad timing and the park is cleaner than how we found it yesterday.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Cosmic Ray's has such a terrible reputation, I would have suggested somewhere else like Columbia Harbor House, but I'm glad to hear you at least found the food edible, lol

Also, I don't know what it is with Tomorrowland fast food. They're all bad no matter what version you're in.

We both agreed that the fries were really good. My chicken strips were good and my friend said her burger was fine. We each finished our food. The only thing that was bad was the water. And we both loved whatever it was that was singing in the seating area lol. It was an animatronic and it was cool.

You’re right, the food in DL’s TL is terrible. I haven’t eaten there in years and don’t plan on eating there any time soon.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

And we both loved whatever it was that was singing in the seating area lol. It was an animatronic and it was cool.

Sonny Eclipse!

One of the few remaining bits of "New Tomorrowland" from 1994, along with turning Star Jets into Astro Orbiter.

Alien Encounter and Timekeeper are long gone, sadly.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Regarding the layout of WDW in general… That puppy is massive. Really massive. I only went to one park and was wiped out after just five hours (the weather didn’t help). I can’t imagine doing the entire resort at once, and the size is not the main reason, but one of the reasons. I know a lot of people love the bubble, and while not seeing any homeless people around was great, the bubble didn’t capture me. It was kinda weird not seeing anything around the resort. And the parks are soooooooo far from each other.

The blessing or the curse of WDW is that there's no way to see everything in one trip unless you have unlimited time and money at your disposal. There are many areas of the resort that I haven't been to that I would like to get to at some point.

That said, it's not as difficult as some people say (including myself at times) to do everything you want to do if you have a week or so that you're able/willing to commit to. There's also a nice sense of balance with the parks in that MK and DHS are go go go (more than I prefer TBH) but Epcot and Animal Kingdom are much more relaxed. The non-park stuff is all generally more interesting than DLR's non-park stuff, reflecting the reality that you could certainly fill time at WDW without ever going to a park.

The Disney bubble itself I find to be overrated. The distance between things is annoying and the 'immersion' isn't always as perfect as people claim. For example, you can now see an off-property ferris wheel from the MK monorail line. I also can't see a universe where I could remotely justify paying Disney's prices. But if people want to blow outrageous amounts of money to have multiple on-property locations, that's fine. I'm much happier putting my money towards other things.

The only thing I like about the parks being separated is that they don't visually bleed into each other that much, and because of that, each park feels more distinct and like it stands on its own compared to the other resorts. No TOT visible from Main Street, no finding yourself staring at the back of Splash Mountain and the Castle as you wander around DisneySea, and so on. While those visual intrusions can't really be helped in the other resorts, it's nice on a cohesive level to go to a resort where they don't really exist on the same level.

Maintenance and Upkeep: I mentioned this last night, but MK was dirty. There was trash in the queues and in other places around the park. Some of the ride vehicles were dirty, too. When I started training as a CM at DL, cleanliness was emphasized and they made sure that we understood that it wasn’t just the janitors’ jobs to keep the park clean. If we saw trash, we were to pick it up and toss it. DL janitors come through ride queues and sweep and clean. I never witnessed this at MK. Not sure if this isn’t a thing there or if it is a thing and I just didn’t see it. This was another example where my friend and I were influenced by our previous DL CM experience. No one else noticed the trash and were probably bewildered by our incessant need to point out every piece of garbage in the queues. If they did notice the trash, they didn’t care. When I pointed out the bottles in Pirates’ queue, one woman looked at me like I was crazy. Couldnt help it though, my instincts kicked in. Had I had a pair of gloves on me, I would have picked up the trash I had seen. Additionally, some of the dolls in small world were static or barely moving and, thanks to @PiratesMansion, I learned that the items floating around Madame Leota do actually move. They weren’t moving last night.

Disneyland also has maintenance issues. Indy never fully works, for example, and the park isn’t sparkling clean. But I do agree with many others when they say that, in general, DL does better in that department. Some examples of what we saw below:

Peoplemover vehicle (could use a deep cleaning)
View attachment 642343

Plastic bottles in Pirates’ queue:

View attachment 642344

Unclean small world boat and at unload:

View attachment 642347

View attachment 642346

Unclean Buzz queue:

View attachment 642351

View attachment 642350

Dirty cups in a seating area in the castle walkway:

View attachment 642348

View attachment 642349

Hopefully this was just bad timing and the park is cleaner than how we found it yesterday.

Honestly that all looks pretty standard, unfortunately. There are many, MANY areas of the parks that could use a deep clean and more thorough maintenance than they generally receive.

Believe it or not Paris used to be worse than WDW, though apparently they've made strides in the years since. And Paris at least had the excuse that the complex dealt with legitimate money issues. No excuse in Florida where they have money zooming in from everywhere.

 

[mlayton144]

The blessing or the curse of WDW is that there's no way to see everything in one trip unless you have unlimited time and money at your disposal. There are many areas of the resort that I haven't been to that I would like to get to at some point.

That said, it's not as difficult as some people say (including myself at times) to do everything you want to do if you have a week or so that you're able/willing to commit to. There's also a nice sense of balance with the parks in that MK and DHS are go go go (more than I prefer TBH) but Epcot and Animal Kingdom are much more relaxed. The non-park stuff is all generally more interesting than DLR's non-park stuff, reflecting the reality that you could certainly fill time at WDW without ever going to a park.

The Disney bubble itself I find to be overrated. The distance between things is annoying and the 'immersion' isn't always as perfect as people claim. For example, you can now see an off-property ferris wheel from the MK monorail line. I also can't see a universe where I could remotely justify paying Disney's prices. But if people want to blow outrageous amounts of money to have multiple on-property locations, that's fine. I'm much happier putting my money towards other things.

The only thing I like about the parks being separated is that they don't visually bleed into each other that much, and because of that, each park feels more distinct and like it stands on its own compared to the other resorts. No TOT visible from Main Street, no finding yourself staring at the back of Splash Mountain and the Castle as you wander around DisneySea, and so on. While those visual intrusions can't really be helped in the other resorts, it's nice on a cohesive level to go to a resort where they don't really exist on the same level.

Honestly that all looks pretty standard, unfortunately. There are many, MANY areas of the parks that could use a deep clean and more thorough maintenance than they generally receive.

Believe it or not Paris used to be worse than WDW, though apparently they've made strides in the years since. And Paris at least had the excuse that the complex dealt with legitimate money issues. No excuse in Florida where they have money zooming in from everywhere.

Another thing along those same lines - there is much much more for adults to do at the world - world showcase, Animal kingdom animal exhibits and tours , Disney springs shopping and nightlife , resort lounges , many many more (good) real dining options from an African buffet to a quality steakhouse , Irish pub , real golf courses , horseback riding , rent a pontoon and fish , camp in an RV. The parks have a nice balance of nostalgia and adult vibe from carousel of progress , hall of presidents , living with the land , American adventure, spaceship earth , etc to the just have fun rides. So you mix all of this together and you have a complete vacation destination. Of course , none of this is cheap to have the best vacation experience - thats life

Disneyland is a totally different animal - charming , nostalgic , many more rides to just stroll to in a compact footprint, perfect for a quicker escape

The WDW water is truly horrendous no doubt , have a few cases delivered for $50 to last the week, easy peezy. The heat and humidity is unquestionably an issue for many - November through March are pretty reliable good weather most days

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Does the MK version have the “hurry back” spiel? We passed Little Leota very quickly and I noticed that she didn’t say that. It could have been timing. I’m not actually sure if “hurry back” is part of her spiel.

Yes she does say it

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Thank you both for explaining! I actually don’t mind the abruptness, but it’s good to know how it became that way.

Yeah it was a source of a UGE bottle neck between Iasw, Pan and entering Liberty square that’s still an issue but much better with a second entrance!

Nope. Standard at WDW.

Ive seen chars around main streets quite a bit, they make use of the train station especially early in the day. The Main Street vehicles are more in use early on too.

I wish I had known about the water before arriving. I know for next time I’m in Florida, whenever that’ll be.

My friend and I agreed to go to MK because the style of the park is what we’re most familiar with and it was what we wanted to see the most. It was a side trip, we were in Florida for a friend’s bachelorette. Not sure if or when I’ll return to WDW.

Weather is terrible from May-Sept but Oct- April it’s pretty barable

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Is the Orlando weather any better in March or April?

Absolutely! It’s much better then

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Regarding the layout of WDW in general… That puppy is massive. Really massive. I only went to one park and was wiped out after just five hours (the weather didn’t help). I can’t imagine doing the entire resort at once, and the size is not the main reason, but one of the reasons. I know a lot of people love the bubble, and while not seeing any homeless people around was great, the bubble didn’t capture me. It was kinda weird not seeing anything around the resort. And the parks are soooooooo far from each other.

It is big. If you ever visit again and have a day to spare, I suggest visiting the resort areas of MK and Epcot. MK you can monorail or boat to each resort, it’s fun to explore and they have better food options as well. They are kinda mini extensions to lands at mk. Contemporary is Tomorrowland, Poly is Adventureland, Grand Floridian is Main street, Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge is Frontierland. Epcot resorts are accessible by boat or skyliner and between Epcot and DHS so you can visit either park and enjoy the boardwalk, yacht and beach, swan and dolphin, riviera and Caribbean beach.

We both agreed that the fries were really good. My chicken strips were good and my friend said her burger was fine. We each finished our food. The only thing that was bad was the water. And we both loved whatever it was that was singing in the seating area lol. It was an animatronic and it was cool.

You’re right, the food in DL’s TL is terrible. I haven’t eaten there in years and don’t plan on eating there any time soon.

Yeah Epcot has the best food by far, lots of great options!

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Ive seen chars around main streets quite a bit, they make use of the train station especially early in the day. The Main Street vehicles are more in use early on too.

Do you mean characters waving from the train station? Or characters you can actually meet and interact with?

Main Street Vehicles always seem like a gamble in Florida while they are all day everyday at DL. I’m always happy to see them though.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Food: We had a reservation for Crystal Palace, but we cancelled it because it was extremely hot by the time we got to our hotel nearby, which was maybe around 3:15 or 3:30 and our reservation was at 5:15. Also, we weren’t quite hungry and we just didn’t feel like eating there anymore. When we did eat, we had Cosmic Ray’s. It was comparable to similar food served at Disneyland, so decent. I can’t say much else. There aren’t as many nice quick service options, but we knew that going in.

The Crystal Palace may be my favorite building in the Magic Kingdom. Its just beautiful inside and out, and the setting next to Adventureland makes it all the better. The park's attraction line up is definitely less, even weaker than Disneyland, but I still find enough unique attractions and charming areas to spend a very full day there.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Maintenance and Upkeep: I mentioned this last night, but MK was dirty. There was trash in the queues and in other places around the park. Some of the ride vehicles were dirty, too. When I started training as a CM at DL, cleanliness was emphasized and they made sure that we understood that it wasn’t just the janitors’ jobs to keep the park clean. If we saw trash, we were to pick it up and toss it. DL janitors come through ride queues and sweep and clean. I never witnessed this at MK. Not sure if this isn’t a thing there or if it is a thing and I just didn’t see it. This was another example where my friend and I were influenced by our previous DL CM experience. No one else noticed the trash and were probably bewildered by our incessant need to point out every piece of garbage in the queues. If they did notice the trash, they didn’t care. When I pointed out the bottles in Pirates’ queue, one woman looked at me like I was crazy. Couldnt help it though, my instincts kicked in. Had I had a pair of gloves on me, I would have picked up the trash I had seen. Additionally, some of the dolls in small world were static or barely moving and, thanks to @PiratesMansion, I learned that the items floating around Madame Leota do actually move. They weren’t moving last night.

Disneyland also has maintenance issues and can be dirty at times. Indy never fully works, for example, and the park isn’t sparkling clean. But I do agree with many others when they say that, in general, DL does better in that department. Some examples of what we saw below:

Peoplemover vehicle (could use a deep cleaning)
View attachment 642343

Plastic bottles in Pirates’ queue:

View attachment 642344

Unclean small world boat and at unload:

View attachment 642347

View attachment 642346

Unclean Buzz queue:

View attachment 642351

View attachment 642350

Dirty cups in a seating area in the castle walkway:

View attachment 642348

View attachment 642349

Hopefully this was just bad timing and the park is cleaner than how we found it yesterday.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Do you mean characters waving from the train station? Or characters you can actually meet and interact with?

Main Street Vehicles always seem like a gamble in Florida while they are all day everyday at DL. I’m always happy to see them though.

Yes waving, no interacting. But I haven’t been back since they took away distance measures.