Purpledragon's trip report

I went down to WDW for a week with the family from 6/3 to 6/10. Crowds were very light in all parks on Thursday and Friday, almost everything was a walk on. Gaydays started on Friday and by Saturday the crowd levels increased significantly thru the weekend but wait times for most attractions were still reasonable (20 min +/-) . By Monday the crowds had increased from all the vacationers pouring in for the start of the summer season, the wait times for rides jumped a good bit but were still bearable.

Observations:

Magic Kingdom
Space Mountain - I like the new updates, but there is a HUGE problem with the games in the tunnel. People get involved in the game and don't realize the line is moving. We stood in the tunnel for a good 5 minutes not moving at all, then suddenly the whole line moved forward into the queue area, all because people were engulfed in the game and not watching the line. Also it may just be me but the lift hill is now super noisy, much more than I remember. All in all the updates were nice, its kind of a bummer that you can't see the track anymore from the queue, but its nice that the ride is that much darker when riding now.

Splash Mountain - I see why they are taking this attraction down for a refurb soon. I counted at least 5-6 AAs that had damaged parts that were not moving, 3 of them had an eye that had all the paint scraped off one side and would not move properly. None of the A/C units in there are working except a single unit in the lowest part in the beehive laughing place scene. Hopefully this attraction will be returned to its former glory after the refurb.

Haunted Mansion - We got stuck on this ride for a good 5 minutes right in the little Leota area, I was about to go nuts if I had to hear her say "Hurry Baaaaaaaaack" one more time. A CM walked past us with a flashlight then came back right before the ride resumed. Any CMs here that know what happened? It was on Thursday evening.

Peter Pan - Why the heck does this ride always have a 45+ minute wait, even when all other attractions are walk ons? It never ceases to amaze me how people pour into an almost 40 year old attraction that has never been updated and choose to bypass many more superior attraction. I haven't ridden Peter Pan in almost a decade and from what I remember its pretty bad.

MSEP - Had the pleasure of enjoying the opening night of this parade with MasterYoda, we met up in the hub area and got to watch the parade from a pretty good vantage point. Thanks MasterYoda for grabbing that spot. :wave: It was nice to see the parade again after 20+ years, there were a few hiccups mainly all the floats getting stuck on the bridge heading to Liberty square and a couple floats having lights that weren't working. But all in all a great opening night.

I didn't get a chance to really enjoy the new fireworks show, since my daughter and I were dashing onto rides during the show, since it was a new show every single attraction was a walk on during that time.

Beyond that everything in the park seems to be in great shape. I love the fact that along the walls infront of the FLE area, they have huge murals with descriptions of the new attractions coming with the expansion.


EPCOT
Test Track - This ride broke down while we were in line and then faulted out while I was on it. The ABS break test didn't work and we coasted down the track at about 2 miles an hour then took off just before the breaks kicked in, it was rather funny. They really need to take this attraction down and upgrade the cars and computer system, its 10 years old now and could really used an overhaul.

SSE - Good as always, but was shut down on Wednesday when we went back to the park, no clue why. Anyone know?

The construction on the new Mexico restaurant is still ongoing, I love the little temporary food counter they put out there next to it, looks like its always been there, fits the themeing perfectly.

Hollywood Studios
It was ridiculously hot on the day we hit DHS so we didn't stay long past doing lunch at 50's Prime Time, ToT, RnRC, and Playhouse Disney stage show for my son. The wait for TSM was 120 minutes and FP were long gone by 2PM, so we didn't even bother. Everything seemed good from what I could tell, we went on the Monday following SWW and crowds were not too bad aside from TSM. ToT was a 15 minute wait and RnRC was only 30.

Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur - When we rode the Carnotaurus was in full working order, and it seemed to me like they had fixed some of the lighting in the attraction. There was a lot more visible than I remember and more of the meteorite effects were working. My teenage daughter had the snot scared out of her. I should have gotten the pic so you guys could see, it was rather funny.

Expedition Everest - One waterfall was working but the bird was not and the Yeti room was completely dark. We shot thru there so fast I could not tell if there was a tarp up or if it was just dark. The audio of the Yeti growling was turned way down too so it looks like they are finally starting work on his repairs.

It was super hot when we hit this park as well so we didn't get to hit all the attractions, but everything I saw seemed to be in tip top shape aside from EE.

 

[devoy1701]

Well yes and no. The games will back up the queue a bit but not to the point that it takes longer to get on the attraction. There is quite a bit of queue between the last game and the load area. Without the games you would simply walk at continuous slow pace. With the games you might stop for a minute but you are right back to where you would have been a few seconds later. The queue games are a huge plus and I hope this becomes a trend.

I hate that you don't get to choose what track you want to ride anymore on SM. Worst part ever about the updates. :brick:

Where were you guys parked for MSEP anyway? You weren't camped out with blankets wearing a MSEP T-shirt from the 80s were you????

We watched it from infront of the watch gallery on Main Street. We weren't even sure if we were heading to the park that day until about 4pm. Shoulda reached out to meet up just incase anyway since Yoda's going to be planning our next California Adventure!

 

[Master Yoda]

I hate that you don't get to choose what track you want to ride anymore on SM. Worst part ever about the updates. :brick:

Where were you guys parked for MSEP anyway? You weren't camped out with blankets wearing a MSEP T-shirt from the 80s were you????

We watched it from infront of the watch gallery on Main Street. We weren't even sure if we were heading to the park that day until about 4pm. Shoulda reached out to meet up just incase anyway since Yoda's going to be planning our next California Adventure!

If the tracks were not mirror images of each other I would have an issue with it. Personally I never cared either way. We were behind the partners statue and we were still in our SWW gear. The crowds were beyond insane that night. We got there about 7:20 with the hopes of grabbing our usual spot in front of Casey's but it along with nearly every other decent spot was taken 1-1/2 hours before showtime.

 

[devoy1701]

If the tracks were not mirror images of each other I would have an issue with it. Personally I never cared either way. We were behind the partners statue and we were still in our SWW gear. The crowds were beyond insane that night. We got there about 7:20 with the hopes of grabbing our usual spot in front of Casey's but it along with nearly every other decent spot was taken 1-1/2 hours before showtime.

We are talking about Sunday right? because I thought the crowd levels were great! We ate dinner at Cosmic Rays at about 6:15 and there were no lines at the counter and more than half of the tables were empty. We grabbed our spot on Main Street around 7:15. You probably walked right by us.

 

[Master Yoda]

We are talking about Sunday right? because I thought the crowd levels were great! We ate dinner at Cosmic Rays at about 6:15 and there were no lines at the counter and more than half of the tables were empty. We grabbed our spot on Main Street around 7:15. You probably walked right by us.

I was talking about Saturday night but I was there on both nights. On Sunday I was in front of the partners statue right at the turn. Crowds were not as bad but we did get there earlier as well. For the fireworks on Sunday I had reserved the dessert buffet and it was well worth the money not to have to deal with the crowds. We had a bit of an issue with a family on Saturday night that almost made me want back hand a 7 year old girl.

 

[devoy1701]

I was talking about Saturday night but I was there on both nights. On Sunday I was in front of the partners statue right at the turn. Crowds were not as bad but we did get there earlier as well. For the fireworks on Sunday I had reserved the dessert buffet and it was well worth the money not to have to deal with the crowds. We had a bit of an issue with a family on Saturday night that almost made me want back hand a 7 year old girl.

Angry thoughts in Disney???

do tell...

 

[Master Yoda]

Angry thoughts in Disney???

do tell...

Oh it was nothing too major. A family made up of 4 of the most classless people on the planet weaseled their way into the 3 square feet of room in front of us about 15 minutes before the fireworks. The son was actually sitting on top of the Chip and Dale statue to the rear left of the Partners Statue. Dear old dad thought that was just the funniest thing in the world. The fact that it was right in front of the video camera I had set up for 2-1/2 hours did not seem to bother him in the least. Along with that their I am guessing 7 year old daughter kept telling stories of how she was telling off CM's that asked her repeatedly to step behind the tape during the parade to which her parents responded to with a resounding "You tell them Katleen!" To add insult to injury the family behind us, who were actually quite nice, but they were far to engrossed in their turkey legs to watch their kids who nearly knocked my tripod over twice. It was a crappy location for video anyway so I packed it up about 5 minutes before show time as I did not want a brand new video camera to hit the concrete.

Basically it was your average summer night in the MK.

 

[PurpleDragon]

Oh it was nothing too major. A family made up of 4 of the most classless people on the planet weaseled their way into the 3 square feet of room in front of us about 15 minutes before the fireworks. The son was actually sitting on top of the Chip and Dale statue to the rear left of the Partners Statue. Dear old dad thought that was just the funniest thing in the world. The fact that it was right in front of the video camera I had set up for 2-1/2 hours did not seem to bother him in the least. Along with that their I am guessing 7 year old daughter kept telling stories of how she was telling off CM's that asked her repeatedly to step behind the tape during the parade to which her parents responded to with a resounding "You tell them Katleen!" To add insult to injury the family behind us, who were actually quite nice, but they were far to engrossed in their turkey legs to watch their kids who nearly knocked my tripod over twice. It was a crappy location for video anyway so I packed it up about 5 minutes before show time as I did not want a brand new video camera to hit the concrete.

Basically it was your average summer night in the MK.

Was this on Saturday when I was there? I must have been completely oblivious to all that going on. ROFLMAO!!

EDIT: Oh wait that was before the fireworks, that was when my daughter was dragging me to get on all the rides. LOL!!

 

[devoy1701]

Oh it was nothing too major. A family made up of 4 of the most classless people on the planet weaseled their way into the 3 square feet of room in front of us about 15 minutes before the fireworks. The son was actually sitting on top of the Chip and Dale statue to the rear left of the Partners Statue. Dear old dad thought that was just the funniest thing in the world. The fact that it was right in front of the video camera I had set up for 2-1/2 hours did not seem to bother him in the least. Along with that their I am guessing 7 year old daughter kept telling stories of how she was telling off CM's that asked her repeatedly to step behind the tape during the parade to which her parents responded to with a resounding "You tell them Katleen!" To add insult to injury the family behind us, who were actually quite nice, but they were far to engrossed in their turkey legs to watch their kids who nearly knocked my tripod over twice. It was a crappy location for video anyway so I packed it up about 5 minutes before show time as I did not want a brand new video camera to hit the concrete.

Basically it was your average summer night in the MK.

We all tell off those CMs in our heads atleast. Though I would never let my child talk to someone older than them like that. We had 2 foreigners try to squeeze in between us and another couple about 30 mins before the parade. They asked if we could scoot over alittle and I thought about it for a split second and actually said "I'm sorry, no...we've been here 2 hours" The other family in the direction that we would have scooted supported the statement because they were still waiting on a father and a stroller to arrive in their party. But needless to say, they were shocked that we had said no.

But back to the CMs, I can't stand that they make you keep the center of Main Street open during the firework show to foot traffic. That is prime firework viewing locations. I spoke to a lead CM about how Disneyland uses the sidewalks for foot traffic with the right sidewalk for incoming and left sidewalk for outgoing, which makes it easier since you don't have people walking in different directions in the same space...but his reply was "That could never work here...our sidewalks are too small" :shrug:

 

[Master Yoda]

Was this on Saturday when I was there? I must have been completely oblivious to all that going on. ROFLMAO!!

EDIT: Oh wait that was before the fireworks, that was when my daughter was dragging me to get on all the rides. LOL!!

They showed up just after you left.

We all tell off those CMs in our heads atleast. Though I would never let my child talk to someone older than them like that. We had 2 foreigners try to squeeze in between us and another couple about 30 mins before the parade. They asked if we could scoot over alittle and I thought about it for a split second and actually said "I'm sorry, no...we've been here 2 hours" The other family in the direction that we would have scooted supported the statement because they were still waiting on a father and a stroller to arrive in their party. But needless to say, they were shocked that we had said no.

But back to the CMs, I can't stand that they make you keep the center of Main Street open during the firework show to foot traffic. That is prime firework viewing locations. I spoke to a lead CM about how Disneyland uses the sidewalks for foot traffic with the right sidewalk for incoming and left sidewalk for outgoing, which makes it easier since you don't have people walking in different directions in the same space...but his reply was "That could never work here...our sidewalks are too small" :shrug:

I hate to criticize crowd control at WDW. They do a better job of dealing with droves of people on a daily basis than pretty much everyone else on the planet. I tend to default to the position that they know more than I do on the subject.

 

[PurpleDragon]

I hate to criticize crowd control at WDW. They do a better job of dealing with droves of people on a daily basis than pretty much everyone else on the planet. I tend to default to the position that they know more than I do on the subject.

Agreed! They handle massive crowds on a daily basis, so I'm sure they know what their doing.

 

[lebeau]

Didn't it JUST get a refurb a few months ago? How depressing!!!! i was hoping to see everything in tip-top shape in my upcoming trip.

Sounds like a good trip though :wave:

When I saw it in March, it was the best looking I had ever seen it.

It's sad if three months really did that much damage!

 

[PurpleDragon]

When I saw it in March, it was the best looking I had ever seen it.

It's sad if three months really did that much damage!

Well let me clarify, the ride itself looked good, the lighting was great and most of the sets were in good condition. But what I noticed at least 5 or 6 AA's with damaged limbs/eyes, no working A/C, and condensation on everything. My guess is the A/C went out sometime during the week prior to my arrival and the increased humidity along with the high heat wreaked havoc on the AA's. I'm hoping that once the A/C is fixed they can fix the few damaged AA's during overnight walkthrus.

 

[lebeau]

Well let me clarify, the ride itself looked good, the lighting was great and most of the sets were in good condition. But what I noticed at least 5 or 6 AA's with damaged limbs/eyes, no working A/C, and condensation on everything. My guess is the A/C went out sometime during the week prior to my arrival and the increased humidity along with the high heat wreaked havoc on the AA's. I'm hoping that once the A/C is fixed they can fix the few damaged AA's during overnight walkthrus.

Hopefully.

It looked brand new in March. Even inspired me to buy a $30 t-shirt. I've never enjoyed Splash so much.

 

[PurpleDragon]

On a side note, my daughter tried a Dole Whip for the first time this trip, and now she is addicted to them as much as I am. Muuaaahahaahaahaha!! :goodnevil

 

[Master Yoda]

On a side note, my daughter tried a Dole Whip for the first time this trip, and now she is addicted to them as much as I am. Muuaaahahaahaahaha!! :goodnevil

Feed the addiction

Where to buy dole whip mix

Soft serve machine

How to make dole whip video

 

[PurpleDragon]

Feed the addiction

Where to buy dole whip mix

Soft serve machine

How to make dole whip video

ZOMG!!!!!!

Do you have that at home?

LOL! In all seriousness, the idea of having Dole Whips at home sounds great and all, but the lack of wonderful Adventureland atmosphere would diminish the joy of eating it. Getting a Dole whip is an integral part of my WDW trip.

EDIT: However I could play the Adventureland BGM on my headphones and close my eyes while eating it. :goodnevil

 

[Master Yoda]

ZOMG!!!!!!

Do you have that at home?

LOL! In all seriousness, the idea of having Dole Whips at home sounds great and all, but the lack of wonderful Adventureland atmosphere would diminish the joy of eating it. Getting a Dole whip is an integral part of my WDW trip.

EDIT: However I could play the Adventureland BGM on my headphones and close my eyes while eating it. :goodnevil

Yes I do. Every so often we do a Disney food night with dole whips, Figaro fries and the flank steak from the garden grill.

 

[PurpleDragon]

LOL I just called my daughter and told her about the dole whip mix and soft serve machine and she started begging my wife for us to get it. So looks like we may end up with Dole whips at home soon.:wave:

 

[Master Yoda]

LOL I just called my daughter and told her about the dole whip mix and soft serve machine and she started begging my wife for us to get it. So looks like we may end up with Dole whips at home soon.:wave:

Just make sure you watch the video before you make it. The mix comes prepackaged for an industrial size machine and has no mixing instructions for the smaller Cuisinart machine. You will also need to freeze the mixing container for the soft serve machine for at least 24 hours prior to using it.

 

[PurpleDragon]

Just make sure you watch the video before you make it. The mix comes prepackaged for an industrial size machine and has no mixing instructions for the smaller Cuisinart machine. You will also need to freeze the mixing container for the soft serve machine for at least 24 hours prior to using it.

Cool will do! :wave:

My daughter was in the car with my wife when I told her, they had me on speaker phone. I told my wife we would discuss it tonight, and tbh the more I think about it the more I want a Dole Whip. So I'm pretty sure we'll end up with it the house soon and I'll be making Dole Whips for the whole extended family. :lol: