Trip Report One Little Spark *COMPLETED*

One little spark of inspiration
Is at the heart of all creation
A dream can be
A dream come true
With just that spark
In me and you

One little spark ignited a relationship that is currently four decades long.

One little spark inspired a surprise (and very last-minute) birthday trip to WDW.

One little spark made a dream come true.

Who: Tuvalu and Woody
When: February 8-12, 2023
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 2, Thursday February 9

Woody and I were awake early and breakfasted in the room with items we had brought from home. Our plan was to get to DHS in time for Early Entry at 8:30 am. I had pondered purchasing ILLs for Rise of the Resistance so we wouldn’t have to do the mad dash there once we were in the park. However no ILLs were available. Rise was having technical difficulties and remained closed for most of the day.

Oh well, the pressure was off. The attraction I wanted to do most was Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, so we’d head there first.

We did not leave our room as early as we should have.

I’d like to take credit for these cute window decals but they were our next-door neighbors’. One of the reasons I like to stay at Pop is seeing the fun, decorated windows of guest rooms. There were many in just our little 60s section.

Since our room was so close to the Skyliner station, I thought we’d have an advantage when joining the queue. I was wrong. The end of the line had stretched to the other 60s building and we had a hike to get there.

So close and yet so far.

Woody set a timer on his watch when we got in line. Twelve minutes to step into our private cabin. The transfer at CBR was shorter in duration, but our entire journey to the park entrance was 21 minutes.

Getting through the tapstiles was a nightmare. It was difficult to discern what line was for resort guests, and many lines had to merge into one just to go through the tapstiles. Additionally, the readers may have been having issues as I saw CMs with raised hands (always a bad sign) to signal supervisors that help was needed.

Our wait to enter was almost 20 minutes and by then it was 9 am - the park now open for all guests.

A pit stop was necessary before joining another line. As we passed Oscar’s, I noticed a fleet of new ECVs which are taller than the former ones. The additional height seems it would be easier for guests to climb on/off.

 

[Loco_driver]

DHS is such a frustrating park to me, especially at opening!

 

[Mrs.JJP]

I'm late but here!!

And happy belated birthday!

 

[wdisney9000]

Are you familiar with the service chihuahua, @wdisney9000?

Ahhhh, yes! They are SUPPOSED to walk waaay ahead of their human and get distracted by everything and everyone around them. It's how they save lives!

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 2, con’t

As we walked towards MMRR, we saw that Tower of Terror was down (in addition to RotR). A little later, Rock ‘n Rollercoaster was also down - three headliners at the same time in a park with few attractions. Crowds in line for the rides that are open spill out onto walkways and clog the streets, making the ambiance of this once-quaint small park very unpleasant.

“I don’t like coming here anymore,” Woody announced as we entered the MMRR queue. It made me sad as I kinda felt the same way.

But thanks to park reservations, we were stuck.

9:05 am and the posted wait was already 45 minutes. “Maybe it really won’t be that long,” my optimistic self said to Woody.

A half hour passed and we were still outdoors. But the February sunshine felt good and there was a cool breeze blowing so neither of us minded.

I will add that the sun was directly in my face at this point so my lenses were as dark as they could be. I was also looking at the celebrity-signed cement slabs upside down. I got excited when I saw one for you, @MinnieM123. It wasn’t until after I had snapped the pic that I noticed that it wasn’t for Minnie Mouse.

Oh well, it gave me and Woody a good laugh!

A few minutes later we were inside. Nothing can stop us now, right?

Wrong. At the 40 minute mark, two CMs announced that the ride had gone down and they didn’t know when it would resume operation.

What to do? There weren’t many options. A total of 4 headliners now down and the first showtimes for Frozen, Indy and BatB were a ways out. I couldn’t imagine joining the masses in Toy Story Land now.

“Might as well wait for a while since this is one of your favorites,” Woody said.

I agreed.

 

[sheriffwoody]

Agree with you and Woody, I just don't care to go to DHS anymore. It's so sad! I hope they drop park hopping restrictions soon because I'd love to rope drop toy story land with LP and then just skip over to Epcot for the rest of the day. Last year we did runaway railway first thing and then just met characters and did a character meal the rest of our time there. haha...great use of a park ticket but the small child was happy, so i was happy!

 

[Loco_driver]

“I don’t like coming here anymore,” Woody announced as we entered the MMRR queue. It made me sad as I kinda felt the same way.

We both said the same thing on our trip. I’m seriously considering not making anymore park passes there and just hopping over in the evenings. I seem to have better luck later in the day there.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

I didn’t even book a DHS day this past trip. DHS used to be my favorite park too.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

One of the best things at Hollywood Studios is relaxing at Baseline, but I agree when those rides go down it can be a frustrating park.

 

[Spash007]

I feel really bad for those people who don’t get to go as often as we do, and try to fit DHS in one day when so many things go down. They need to add some serious capacity there.

But I agree - I have a love/hate relationship with DHS. It has some of my favorite rides and I like the theming, but it also just stressed me out because I feel like no matter what we will be getting in some very long lines.

 

[Songbird76]

There's really not a single ride in DHS that I love. I can only think of one that I even like (Toy Story Midway Mania), though to be fair, I haven't been there since GE opened, so I have never done those rides, nor have I ridden the Runaway train ride. We really only go there for the Frozen sing along and the restaurants. My husband and E love ToT, and my A likes Star tours. I want to do the 3 new ones I haven't been on this summer, but this is making me wonder what our strategy should be. I have 2 days of park reservations, but I don't plan on getting genie+ those days because there's not really a "must do". Any tips or advice? We love 50s Prime Time, but maybe it's worth skipping this time to avoid DHS?

 

[Tuvalu]

Agree with you and Woody, I just don't care to go to DHS anymore. It's so sad! I hope they drop park hopping restrictions soon because I'd love to rope drop toy story land with LP and then just skip over to Epcot for the rest of the day. Last year we did runaway railway first thing and then just met characters and did a character meal the rest of our time there. haha...great use of a park ticket but the small child was happy, so i was happy!

We both said the same thing on our trip. I’m seriously considering not making anymore park passes there and just hopping over in the evenings. I seem to have better luck later in the day there.

I didn’t even book a DHS day this past trip. DHS used to be my favorite park too.

One of the best things at Hollywood Studios is relaxing at Baseline, but I agree when those rides go down it can be a frustrating park.

I feel really bad for those people who don’t get to go as often as we do, and try to fit DHS in one day when so many things go down. They need to add some serious capacity there.

But I agree - I have a love/hate relationship with DHS. It has some of my favorite rides and I like the theming, but it also just stressed me out because I feel like no matter what we will be getting in some very long lines.

I’m sure there are many more guests who feel as we do and I hope Disney is not just paying attention to DHS’ issues but is actively working on improving the guest experience!!! (A gal can dream, can’t I?)

@sheriffwoody you’ll see shortly about our frustration with the park hopping restriction. (But a park ticket is never wasted on a child who is happy! )

@ajrwdwgirl there were so many people at Baseline that relaxing there wasn’t even an option!

@Spash007 your love/hate analogy sums up my feelings too.

There's really not a single ride in DHS that I love. I can only think of one that I even like (Toy Story Midway Mania), though to be fair, I haven't been there since GE opened, so I have never done those rides, nor have I ridden the Runaway train ride. We really only go there for the Frozen sing along and the restaurants. My husband and E love ToT, and my A likes Star tours. I want to do the 3 new ones I haven't been on this summer, but this is making me wonder what our strategy should be. I have 2 days of park reservations, but I don't plan on getting genie+ those days because there's not really a "must do". Any tips or advice? We love 50s Prime Time, but maybe it's worth skipping this time to avoid DHS?

Do you have park hoppers? If so, I would cut back to one day of park pass at DHS and go back in the evenings when it is less hot and busy (and when Fantasmic is eating up most of the crowds!)

If no on hoppers, then be there both mornings at rope drop, take a break, and return in the evening. On day one I suggest visiting the new attractions you haven’t seen. The “novelty” will help you be excited to be in the park. On day two revisit the old favorites. Skip the rides you find meh. You shouldn’t need to purchase Genie+.

Definitely 50s Prime Time.

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 2, con’t

Lots of people had left the queue as we approached 30 minutes of downtime. Woody and I were able to move up closer to the merge point, meaning we’d possibly be in the first group for the preshow when operations restarted.

Woody was first to notice that the background music had resumed which brought us hope the issue that caused the shutdown was almost restored. (Additionally the CMs had stopped their private conversations and were moving about.)

A couple minutes later a CM unhooked the chain and we began to move. Lots of cheers from the folks who had persevered through a 75 minute wait!

Woody and I were in the first group for the preshow.

Nothing can stop us now!

I have found that rows 3&4 for boarding put us in the best location for when the train breaks apart. And we were in row 4!

The ride was seamless and our best one yet. It was a great reward for our endurance. We even got to hear Daisy’s Wicked Witch cackle!

Enjoyed Goofy’s “jazz hands” and Chuuby’s juggling!

 

[k8einwdw]

Glad to see we’re not the only ones disenchanted with HS right now. It’s never been our favorite park, but that’s even more so the case with a little one. We’ve just chalked HS up as a half day park for now - we leave after lunch and do something else for the rest of the day. I’d love to see them add more (kid-friendly) filled rides there, so you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time when the bigger rides are down or have 90+ minute waits.

 

[Tuvalu]

Happy we finally got to ride!

 

[Tuvalu]

We mosied down to an attraction we knew wouldn’t have an insane wait. On the way we passed a new gelato stand.

(I thought about using this picture in the “Where in the World” thread, but @ajrwdwgirl is savvy, so….)

We’ve arrived.

THE CLOCK HAS BEEN FIXED! GONZO IS BACK!!

The special effects were GREAT. Everything was working as it was designed. I’m glad Muppets got a little love!

When it was over the CM told us to, “Wocka Wocka out the door to your right. And be careful to place your 3D glasses….NOT YOUR REGULAR GLASSES….in the bins after you exit.”

He added that we’d be surprised at how many pairs of glasses (which I assume are mostly sunglasses) are found in the bins.

I needed to stop in the restroom. As I entered I heard a beautiful voice singing, “How Great Thou Art.”

It was a cast member cleaning the stalls. Doing what most would consider a lowly job while praising God.

I thanked her for serving us guests with such a positive attitude and for the pleasure of listening to her sing.

 

[Tuvalu]

During the time we were killing at MMRR, Woody and I discussed lunch. I read him all the QS menus and let him decide where we should eat.

It was not our usual go-to. Woody couldn’t remember the last time he dined there. I placed the mobile order for an early meal.

We were in this exact spot when….

….my phone buzzed with this notification.

Very strange. I hadn’t even pushed “I’m Here” or gotten a notification that my arrival window had opened.

I sent this pic to Em. We are big Abbott’s Elementary fans.

Sure enough, our mobile order was waiting for us at the counter.

Both of us gave the Chicken Club Sandwich two thumbs up. The fries were hot and tasty too.

We lingered awhile and checked the app for attraction wait times. All were much to long for our liking. We’d also just missed the start of two shows.

Needed to come up with a plan. We couldn’t park hop for two more hours!!

Isn’t time to push back the hopping restriction, Disney? Please?!!

 

[Songbird76]

I’m sure there are many more guests who feel as we do and I hope Disney is not just paying attention to DHS’ issues but is actively working on improving the guest experience!!! (A gal can dream, can’t I?)

@sheriffwoody you’ll see shortly about our frustration with the park hopping restriction. (But a park ticket is never wasted on a child who is happy! )

@ajrwdwgirl there were so many people at Baseline that relaxing there wasn’t even an option!

@Spash007 your love/hate analogy sums up my feelings too.



Do you have park hoppers? If so, I would cut back to one day of park pass at DHS and go back in the evenings when it is less hot and busy (and when Fantasmic is eating up most of the crowds!)

If no on hoppers, then be there both mornings at rope drop, take a break, and return in the evening. On day one I suggest visiting the new attractions you haven’t seen. The “novelty” will help you be excited to be in the park. On day two revisit the old favorites. Skip the rides you find meh. You shouldn’t need to purchase Genie+.

Definitely 50s Prime Time.

Yes, we do have hoppers. We have 2 weeks total and I made pass reservations for 2 days each at AK and HS, and the rest are split up between Epcot and MK. The tickets we get from Europe are called "Ultimate tickets" and they are park hoppers, plus also allow visits to the water parks, and I think you get one visit to play mini golf, and maybe one visit at splitsville, but we've never used any of the extras except the water parks. We'll go to a water park at some point, but I am pretty sure I went ahead and made reservations for one of the main parks each day, because you don't need them for the waterparks, but we don't go to the water parks for the full day. So maybe that's the time to go to the water park....on the 2nd HS day. Go to the water park in the morning, and then hit HS in the late afternoon. Thanks!

 

[RememberWhen]

I had the same thing happen to me with a mobile order…

 

[Songbird76]

We mosied down to an attraction we knew wouldn’t have an insane wait. On the way we passed a new gelato stand.

View attachment 699949
(I thought about using this picture in the “Where in the World” thread, but @ajrwdwgirl is savvy, so….)

We’ve arrived.

View attachment 699950

THE CLOCK HAS BEEN FIXED! GONZO IS BACK!!

View attachment 699951

View attachment 699952

View attachment 699953

The special effects were GREAT. Everything was working as it was designed. I’m glad Muppets got a little love!

When it was over the CM told us to, “Wocka Wocka out the door to your right. And be careful to place your 3D glasses….NOT YOUR REGULAR GLASSES….in the bins after you exit.”

He added that we’d be surprised at how many pairs of glasses (which I assume are mostly sunglasses) are found in the bins.

I needed to stop in the restroom. As I entered I heard a beautiful voice singing, “How Great Thou Art.”

It was a cast member cleaning the stalls. Doing what most would consider a lowly job while praising God.

I thanked her for serving us guests with such a positive attitude and for the pleasure of listening to her sing.

Did you join her in song? I TOTALLY would have jumped in with a harmony!! That would have made my day right there. That's one of the songs I used to sing with my mom.