Just got back (1:30 yesterday morning) from a 5-night 4-day split-stay visit to hit the F&WF. Naturally, I had reset my expectations to the "new" reality and went in somewhat jaded and low expectations. We had 4-day military promotional hopper tickets.
I'm going to address this trip not day-by-day, or event-by-event, but by common complaints expressed here on the boards.
Crowds. This is typically a low-season owing to hot weather and the distinct possibility of hurricanes. We found that the weather this year was hotter than normal, and we lucked out on the tropical weather system activity, but despite both of those factors, the crowds were not exactly staying away. The pathways in the parks seemed busy crowded, and the pavilions in Epcot, the QS locations in MK, and the shops were all bustling with activity. But the pathways, though busy, were navigable, and I don't recall any instances of being stuck in a group. We saw ZERO tour groups from 24-28 Sep.
Lines. Rides were showing mid-to-long stand-by waits, and for the most part, the stand-by times shown were slightly shorter to slightly longer than listed. Some of that is an artifact of hitting rides in the 10-11 am hour, when guests are still arriving and rushing to hit their favorites, which can rapidly fill a line chicane before the system realizes it. A sampling of my times: ToT posted wait 25 minutes, actual wait 22. RnR posted 45 minutes, single rider wait 15. Star Tours posted wait 30 minutes, actual wait was 20. Toy Story Mania posted wait 25 minutes, actual wait 35. Imagination posted wait 5 minutes, actual wait zero. Pirates posted 20 minutes, actual wait 22. HM posted 25, actual wait 17. Small World posted 15, we waited 15.
FP+. We were able to get what we wanted 60+ days out, including two FoP FPs on two different days. The most popular rides were running both sets of Mickey heads (to discourage line jumpers?)... Ours worked well; no drop outs, no issues, and we were able to make our additional FPs without worry after our first set were used. Of course, there's not much left by mid-afternoon...
Food. We were there to try the F&WF, so we didn't make ADRs except on non-Epcot days. I'll break these down by park.
MK... we finally got to try the Jungle Cruise Skipper Canteen. Among the four of us, we tried the cold noodle salad, falafel, and shu mai dumplings appetizers, and the Spicy Thai noodles and Char Siu Pork entrees. All good. Caution: the Thai noodles were not "tourist" spicy. They were Thai spicy. The Char Siu pork was delicious as well, and portions were ample. Hint: ask for the off-the-menu appetizer "Shrimp in a cup." You get to keep the Skipper Canteen cup the shrimp come in, and they (and the slaw they sit on) were excellent!
AK... back to the Yak 'n' Yeti for our favorite appetizer-big-enough-to-be-a-meal, the Ahi Tuna Nachos. Not disappointed. If the idea of eating the ahi in a pile of nachos doesn't appeal to you, you can get the same thing deconstructed in the Seared Tuna Salad. Just as good, but without the aioli squeezed on top. Hint: get the Mango Pie dessert... it's big enough to share for two.
The rest of our meals were usually grab-n-go from the market or food court, and were at the worst just good, and in some cases, inspired. Examples: the pepperoni and cheese calzone at the Pepper Market food court was just good. But the allergen-free chicken with tomato, basil and non-dairy mozzarella prepared specially for DW's allergies at the Market at the Ale and Compass was INSPIRED... other notables... the Poke Bowl at Tiffins was excellent and especially when washed down with a glass of Old Elephant IPA...
All of the bites we tried in F&WF were excellent. The drinks we tried were also good. Anyone who tells you the margaritas are watered down is wrong. Or, at least, ours weren't.
Prices. Hoo boy. Yes, they're high. I won't get into too much detail here, but we budgeted about $5900 for the trip, and I think we hit it. If we didn't have to book two rooms per night, you could pull about $1800 out of that figure, but we like to be comfortable and have found that one room is just not big enough for the 4 of us. Food is expensive but we didn't eat anything we didn't like. We used military discounts whenever available, too, so that kept the cost in line with what we planned.
CMs. Didn't see a grumpy CM (or a CM Grumpy) the whole time we were there. Every one we talked to, and we engaged several directly, seemed genuinely happy to be working there.
Transportation. We hit all the modes available: bus, boat, monorail, foot... all worked out well for us. No breakdowns, no hot busses, no issues with scooter loading... I will say that the bus stop situation at DHS is ridiculous... the temporary stops are over a quarter mile from the gate, and with the screens set up to hide them away, make for a hot, dreary walk out to catch a bus. Sad to say the new bus stops won't be much closer, but at least they'll have a permanent covering over them to provide some shade/rain cover.
Overall Impression. It was a good trip. We timed it right, other than the heat, and had fun, walked ourselves into oblivion, and enjoyed the resort hotels, the food, and the ride experiences. I'm glad we did it. I can't imagine how they're going to handle the 2019 crowds when SW:GE opens, but the new infrastructure at DHS and the Skyliner resorts will help... some.
Kiss the IG experience good-bye, though... that'll be a zoo.
I'm going to address this trip not day-by-day, or event-by-event, but by common complaints expressed here on the boards.
Crowds. This is typically a low-season owing to hot weather and the distinct possibility of hurricanes. We found that the weather this year was hotter than normal, and we lucked out on the tropical weather system activity, but despite both of those factors, the crowds were not exactly staying away. The pathways in the parks seemed busy crowded, and the pavilions in Epcot, the QS locations in MK, and the shops were all bustling with activity. But the pathways, though busy, were navigable, and I don't recall any instances of being stuck in a group. We saw ZERO tour groups from 24-28 Sep.
Lines. Rides were showing mid-to-long stand-by waits, and for the most part, the stand-by times shown were slightly shorter to slightly longer than listed. Some of that is an artifact of hitting rides in the 10-11 am hour, when guests are still arriving and rushing to hit their favorites, which can rapidly fill a line chicane before the system realizes it. A sampling of my times: ToT posted wait 25 minutes, actual wait 22. RnR posted 45 minutes, single rider wait 15. Star Tours posted wait 30 minutes, actual wait was 20. Toy Story Mania posted wait 25 minutes, actual wait 35. Imagination posted wait 5 minutes, actual wait zero. Pirates posted 20 minutes, actual wait 22. HM posted 25, actual wait 17. Small World posted 15, we waited 15.
FP+. We were able to get what we wanted 60+ days out, including two FoP FPs on two different days. The most popular rides were running both sets of Mickey heads (to discourage line jumpers?)... Ours worked well; no drop outs, no issues, and we were able to make our additional FPs without worry after our first set were used. Of course, there's not much left by mid-afternoon...
Food. We were there to try the F&WF, so we didn't make ADRs except on non-Epcot days. I'll break these down by park.
MK... we finally got to try the Jungle Cruise Skipper Canteen. Among the four of us, we tried the cold noodle salad, falafel, and shu mai dumplings appetizers, and the Spicy Thai noodles and Char Siu Pork entrees. All good. Caution: the Thai noodles were not "tourist" spicy. They were Thai spicy. The Char Siu pork was delicious as well, and portions were ample. Hint: ask for the off-the-menu appetizer "Shrimp in a cup." You get to keep the Skipper Canteen cup the shrimp come in, and they (and the slaw they sit on) were excellent!
AK... back to the Yak 'n' Yeti for our favorite appetizer-big-enough-to-be-a-meal, the Ahi Tuna Nachos. Not disappointed. If the idea of eating the ahi in a pile of nachos doesn't appeal to you, you can get the same thing deconstructed in the Seared Tuna Salad. Just as good, but without the aioli squeezed on top. Hint: get the Mango Pie dessert... it's big enough to share for two.
The rest of our meals were usually grab-n-go from the market or food court, and were at the worst just good, and in some cases, inspired. Examples: the pepperoni and cheese calzone at the Pepper Market food court was just good. But the allergen-free chicken with tomato, basil and non-dairy mozzarella prepared specially for DW's allergies at the Market at the Ale and Compass was INSPIRED... other notables... the Poke Bowl at Tiffins was excellent and especially when washed down with a glass of Old Elephant IPA...
All of the bites we tried in F&WF were excellent. The drinks we tried were also good. Anyone who tells you the margaritas are watered down is wrong. Or, at least, ours weren't.
Prices. Hoo boy. Yes, they're high. I won't get into too much detail here, but we budgeted about $5900 for the trip, and I think we hit it. If we didn't have to book two rooms per night, you could pull about $1800 out of that figure, but we like to be comfortable and have found that one room is just not big enough for the 4 of us. Food is expensive but we didn't eat anything we didn't like. We used military discounts whenever available, too, so that kept the cost in line with what we planned.
CMs. Didn't see a grumpy CM (or a CM Grumpy) the whole time we were there. Every one we talked to, and we engaged several directly, seemed genuinely happy to be working there.
Transportation. We hit all the modes available: bus, boat, monorail, foot... all worked out well for us. No breakdowns, no hot busses, no issues with scooter loading... I will say that the bus stop situation at DHS is ridiculous... the temporary stops are over a quarter mile from the gate, and with the screens set up to hide them away, make for a hot, dreary walk out to catch a bus. Sad to say the new bus stops won't be much closer, but at least they'll have a permanent covering over them to provide some shade/rain cover.
Overall Impression. It was a good trip. We timed it right, other than the heat, and had fun, walked ourselves into oblivion, and enjoyed the resort hotels, the food, and the ride experiences. I'm glad we did it. I can't imagine how they're going to handle the 2019 crowds when SW:GE opens, but the new infrastructure at DHS and the Skyliner resorts will help... some.
Kiss the IG experience good-bye, though... that'll be a zoo.
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