Hi all,
Thought I'd limit my 8/19-8/26 trip details to 5 points:
The good:
BOG Prix Fixe menu: I enjoyed this very much. I thought the food was really great in every course (appetizer, entree and dessert). While it was a little pricey, when you're getting a filet mignon, it works out OK. As an aside, I love the setup by the servers as you walk in. "It seems the master is in tonight...". Well..where else would he be? Then my mind flashed to an image of the Beast on Test Track...kept myself entertained through the appetizer with that.
Flight of Passage: Worth waiting for. Truly the next generation of attraction. Had a fast pass early in the afternoon, and then (intentionally) waited over an hour in the standby queue at night. The queue is well themed to the movie as well. Pandora at night is also really well done.
POFQ renovated rooms: They are nice, clean...but rather un-Disney. Plenty of USB outlets everywhere, clean hardwood (vinyl tile) floors,and a very large TV, but with the exception of a Mickey made out of the beads on your first day, you'd never know it was a Disney room. The new bathrooms are functionally wonderful- they have removed the separation between the sink area and shower/ commode area (in my room anyway- have since seen a video that retained the curtain/ old layout), creating one large, very bright bathroom. The night light in the bathroom when the lights are off is a nice touch, especially when getting up at night (turning on the light in the middle of the night is like Christmas at the Griswolds). We stayed at AKL for the second half of the week, and while that room was definitely dated, it felt a lot more Disney to me (and my daughter). Very minor side note in the POFQ/ POR debate: if Disney Springs is important to you...choose Riverside if you want to take the boat. The boats start from Riverside, and can be full/ almost full by the time they get to FQ. This means extra time in the heat waiting under....flimsy umbrellas (or just take the bus).
The bad:
MyDisneyExperience app/ web site: This is really not that good; for it's age, I would expect this to be a lot more refined than it is. At multiple points I couldn't see my fast passes and had to log into the regular site on my phone just to see them (this had its own annoyances as I clicked "Remember Me" every time, but had to log in from scratch every time). After the first day I just took a screen shot of this page & set it to my lock screen- was a whole lot easier. And the bus times in the app defaulted to stating "Every 20 minutes" rather than an actual time 3 out of the 5 days we went to the parks. To be fair...this was the same on the video screens at the bus stop (but could have just made a sign carved out of wood and nailed it to the nearest post). One component that is actually useful though- keeping track of your charges (that is NEVER incorrect or glitchy)
In general the overall user experience is not that great.
The ugly:
Hollywood Studios death march: I'm fairly sure the walk to/ from HS during the daytime hours likely violates Geneva convention rules somewhere. As you know, they created a temporary bus loading/ unloading area while they rework the old bus/ parking lot area to make way for the Skyliner. It's at least a 10-15 minute walk to the front gate with no shelter, and the waiting area for the buses are a handful of... more flimsy umbrellas. They do have a standby bus with the AC cranked for shelter for people waiting for buses back to the resorts, but with Florida weather consistently set to "bake", the overall experience is really brutal. If you're going soon, be prepared for this.
Thought I'd limit my 8/19-8/26 trip details to 5 points:
The good:
BOG Prix Fixe menu: I enjoyed this very much. I thought the food was really great in every course (appetizer, entree and dessert). While it was a little pricey, when you're getting a filet mignon, it works out OK. As an aside, I love the setup by the servers as you walk in. "It seems the master is in tonight...". Well..where else would he be? Then my mind flashed to an image of the Beast on Test Track...kept myself entertained through the appetizer with that.
Flight of Passage: Worth waiting for. Truly the next generation of attraction. Had a fast pass early in the afternoon, and then (intentionally) waited over an hour in the standby queue at night. The queue is well themed to the movie as well. Pandora at night is also really well done.
POFQ renovated rooms: They are nice, clean...but rather un-Disney. Plenty of USB outlets everywhere, clean hardwood (vinyl tile) floors,and a very large TV, but with the exception of a Mickey made out of the beads on your first day, you'd never know it was a Disney room. The new bathrooms are functionally wonderful- they have removed the separation between the sink area and shower/ commode area (in my room anyway- have since seen a video that retained the curtain/ old layout), creating one large, very bright bathroom. The night light in the bathroom when the lights are off is a nice touch, especially when getting up at night (turning on the light in the middle of the night is like Christmas at the Griswolds). We stayed at AKL for the second half of the week, and while that room was definitely dated, it felt a lot more Disney to me (and my daughter). Very minor side note in the POFQ/ POR debate: if Disney Springs is important to you...choose Riverside if you want to take the boat. The boats start from Riverside, and can be full/ almost full by the time they get to FQ. This means extra time in the heat waiting under....flimsy umbrellas (or just take the bus).
The bad:
MyDisneyExperience app/ web site: This is really not that good; for it's age, I would expect this to be a lot more refined than it is. At multiple points I couldn't see my fast passes and had to log into the regular site on my phone just to see them (this had its own annoyances as I clicked "Remember Me" every time, but had to log in from scratch every time). After the first day I just took a screen shot of this page & set it to my lock screen- was a whole lot easier. And the bus times in the app defaulted to stating "Every 20 minutes" rather than an actual time 3 out of the 5 days we went to the parks. To be fair...this was the same on the video screens at the bus stop (but could have just made a sign carved out of wood and nailed it to the nearest post). One component that is actually useful though- keeping track of your charges (that is NEVER incorrect or glitchy)
In general the overall user experience is not that great.The ugly:
Hollywood Studios death march: I'm fairly sure the walk to/ from HS during the daytime hours likely violates Geneva convention rules somewhere. As you know, they created a temporary bus loading/ unloading area while they rework the old bus/ parking lot area to make way for the Skyliner. It's at least a 10-15 minute walk to the front gate with no shelter, and the waiting area for the buses are a handful of... more flimsy umbrellas. They do have a standby bus with the AC cranked for shelter for people waiting for buses back to the resorts, but with Florida weather consistently set to "bake", the overall experience is really brutal. If you're going soon, be prepared for this.