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Strongly Considering a Trip to WDW: Please Help me plan or talk me out of it
- Thread starter mickEblu
- Start date
So I’ve been monitoring the app and lines have been longer but I think that can mostly all be attributed to the holidays and longer hours. I’m hoping that when I go in late February the waits times go down as it will be off season with shorter operating hours too. If the lines remain longer though I think that tips scales towards this trip not being worth it right now. Good thing cancellation policies are very lenient right now.
Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
My most recent trip to WDW was also in February (albeit, 8 years ago), but the wait times from my memory were pretty feasible.
Too many things on the "be sure you see ________" list, but make sure you go on Spaceship Earth and Expedition Everest for me!
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
1) Onky change I’d make is don’t try for Springs on night 1. Just stick to the hotel (or venture to another hotel if you get in early enough).
2) Make DAK and DHS the parks you visit on the weekend (if you only do one park on a weekend, do DHS). Avoid Epcot Fri-Sun unless there is something you really want from one of the only weekend only food booths (idk what those are for Arts yet).
3) While not crucial, being there at park open is really helpful for most of these parks. At Studios, it will be your best shot at Slinky Dog Dash and Millennium Falcon aside from Park Close (Save MMRR for when all lines are super long, it’s line looks scary, but hauls ).
Epcot doesn’t need to be rope dropped IMO. MK is super easy to knock out in the first few hours of the day but can be done later. DAK is up to you, but I’m in favor of getting there early simply because morning safaris are the best (sunset is a close second, but I don’t think they are running safaris that late atm).
4) Plan for DHS twice. This is the reservation most “at risk” to run out, so if you miss out on Rise one day, you can quickly switch DHS Day 1 to another park. If Rise works on Day 1, switch over your second day. I’m with you in being team give two days to AK, but most people find a second day most useful at MK or Epcot.
5) It’s super easy still, but the system is a tad different (magicBand integrated). Just ask the CM at the entrance to each ride.
6) I could write an encyclopedia on this, but cliff notes by park:
MK- As long as you don’t have super picky eaters, eat at Skipper Canteen. For other meals, take the boat/monorail/bigger boat to grab meals at Poly/Contemporary/Ft.Wilderness (respectively) or do snacks in park.
Epcot- Hard to go wrong, but TS is almost better than QS there as a rule. Don’t eat in future world, save it for world showcase. Best option for Picky Eaters is the BBQ place in America.
DHS- You can’t go wrong with Table Service here (except Melrose is meh). For Quick Service, stick to Docking Bay 7 and Woody’s Lunchbox.
DAK- Only do Quick Service here (anywhere but restaurantosaurus), unless you want to splurge for Tiffins or grab a drink at Nomad Lounge.
Springs- Hard to go wrong, but my fav is Homecomin’.
Resorts- Personal favs are Sana’a and Olivia’s.
7) With younger kids, park hoppers only tend to complicate things.
8)Coronado Springs is a beautiful resort, but the biggest downside is being solely reliant on bus transit (which can get exhausting) and the resort being sprawling to a fault (they built bridges to help, but it’s still rough if you are in a far building). Based on your situation, I’d recommend Caribbean if your budget allows for it, Gran Destino Tower specifically at Coronado if you like that resort, and if all else fails, Pop (request 50’s to be somewhat close to everything without paying extra as the 60’s section requires).
The big perk of Pop/CBR is that if you want to explore other resorts, you are a quick Skyliner ride away from all of the Crescent Lake Resorts and Skyliner Resorts.
Also, CBR is also spread out like Coronado, but it’s not as bad IMO.
9) It’s a little exhausting, but if the 5 year old can walk, I’d reccomend letting them do that and using a baby Bjorn for the baby. It’s easy to travel that way with none of the stroller hassle.
10)Just take the Disney Magical Express Buses. They are free and simple.
11)If you aren’t staying on the Skyliner or Monorail, don’t use them on park days (unless it’s for a midday lunch break from the park as recommended for MK).
From Coronado, bus to MK for Monorail and bus to DHS for Skyliner.
12) Springs doesn’t feel like a hassle before ~4 pm. I’d avoid it on evenings unless there is a special dinner you want to do.
13)A one day hopper is hectic but sufficient. This sounds bad, but if there is a way to ditch the kids when you do Universal, it might be for the best. At those ages there is very little for them to do there (especially with play areas closed).
14)Uber, but Uber the Hard Rock Hotel and walk from there.
15) No, haha. Everyone has travel fever. The only thing I’d recommend is flying Delta, as they have taken safety the most seriously out of everyone I flown. It’s only been a slight price increase from my other flying options and it’s been so worth it.
Stevek
Well-Known Member
Which is exactly why we did PoP Century twice.
First trip was Animal Kingdom Lodge because we wanted the first time to be special.
Second trip was PoP because we realized we weren't spending any time in our rooms.
Third trip was Caribbean Beach because it was just my wife and I and we wanted something a little different
Fourth trip was PoP again because after CB, we again realized it wasn't even worth the upgrade.
Pop has a nice pool, food court and shop. Of the value resorts, it used to (and may still) have the best bus service and it now has a skyliner station.
In a perfect world where money was no object, I'd probably stay at the Poly every day as I could stagger back to my room from drinking at Sam's. Really depends on your budget at the end of the day. If you want to spend a bit more, I've heard that Port Orleans are probably the best moderate resorts. They are definitely on our radar. That being said, I would have zero issues staying at PoP every time.
Oh heck ya! These two are MUST Do’s
Thank you for this! Lots of thought provoking stuff here.
I’ve been getting mixed opinions on when to visit DHS. Can you pleaseexplain why it’s better to do it and DAK on the weekend? Someone else said it’s because it’s always going to be busy anyway so you may as well enjoy the other parks on weekdays when there actually is a drop off in attendance. Makes sense to me but my questions is is there a difference in crowds at all at DHS on the weekdays? I’m also not planning on spending any time at Galaxies Edge unless I score a boarding pass for ROTR. Not sure if this fact would change your opinion at all.
I think DAK and DHS will be the two parks I head to early just because of FOP and slinky/ MMRR. I don’t feel the need to do MK early as I’ll be doing two days there and I’m pretty sure I’ll probably use one of my day tickets on my down days for Epcot and DHS to due to the convenience of the skyliner. I’m ok missing out on ROTR as I’ve been on it at Disneyland but would still irk to ride if given the chance. MMRR, TOT and Rock n Roller Coaster are higher priority for me so DHS two times probably is a good idea anyway.
Thanks for the advice on when to do MMRR. I instinctively would have probably ran there first after trying for a ROTR boarding pass (is there anything I should know about this process btw?) The line moving quick is a game changer. Doing Slinky first sounds like it makes more sense. With lines getting longer I’m starting to wonder if not getting those FP+ are hurting me more then helping. I seem to be a heck of a lot of planning anyway so it’s starting to sound nice knowing 3 big rides would be in my FPs in my back pocket each day.
Yeah something tells me in a perfect world I’d enjoy two days at AK the most but alas it’s not all about me.
Since I do have 2 days at MK I may take you up on doing a few meals at the MK resorts. Although how my kids are behaving will be the biggest factor on if I do it or not.
So POP Doesn’t charge extra to be next to the skyliner station but CBR does?
So if I end up staying at CBR or POP You DO recommend using the skyliner to get to the parks on those days? SoMeone else said they may be kind of backed up in the mornings and if I’m trying to get to DHS early that may be an issue. Ideally I’d love to get to both Epcot and DHS using the skyliner.
Yeah I’ve decided I’ll save Universal for another trip and just enough my time at WDW.
Thanks again for all the advice!
Oh for sure, in a perfect world I’d be staying at the Poly or Grand Floridian. Wish Port Orleans was open.
So the price difference for 7 nights the POP and 7 nights at CBR is only like $300.... unless I get upcharged for asking for rooms near the skyliner station. Would you still go with POP in this case?
Thanks for the insight!
cgersic
Well-Known Member
Hi there! Just my two cents (I think you have already changed location, but I'm writing this here for others as well) since I just stayed at the Hilton Disney Springs. The shuttles are very sporadic and you definitely have to find them in the parking lot for return. So bussing from here isn't your best option. The walking over to the Springs however, can't be beat. I was staying 2 nights recently with no parks, just resort hopping and Christmas shopping, so that's why I picked this Hilton. The hotel and staff are top notch, the only downfall is the bussing to/from the parks. Hope this helps!
Definitely helps! Thank you. I’d say it’s more than 2 cents. The fact that you just stayed there makes it the whole dollar !
The thought of Disney Springs being so convenient was nice but With the kids I’d rather have the more convenient buses to the parks.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
@mickEblu can you do us a favor when you get there and only refer to the entire place, or any component within it, as "Disney". Never say Disney World, or Walt Disney World. Only use the word "Disney" for any piece of it and all of it. Especially Magic Kingdom, only call it "Disney".
Examples:
To stewardess on plane "We are going to Disney."
To airport shuttle bus driver "We need to go to Disney."
To kids in the morning you are going to Magic Kingdom "Kids, today we're spending the day at Disney."
On phone to grandma back home "We're at Disney!"
To office coworkers when you return from vacation "We took the kids to Disney."
To neighbor who picked up your mail "Here's a little gift we got you at Disney."
I think this will enhance your visit. You will truly immerse yourself in Disney World's culture this way. It's magical!
Examples:
To stewardess on plane "We are going to Disney."
To airport shuttle bus driver "We need to go to Disney."
To kids in the morning you are going to Magic Kingdom "Kids, today we're spending the day at Disney."
On phone to grandma back home "We're at Disney!"
To office coworkers when you return from vacation "We took the kids to Disney."
To neighbor who picked up your mail "Here's a little gift we got you at Disney."
I think this will enhance your visit. You will truly immerse yourself in Disney World's culture this way. It's magical!
1HAPPYGHOSTHOST
Well-Known Member
Did no one see what I said about the man eating gators??!
lol will do! Right after I ride the Haunted House, “go on” the Enchanted Tiki Room ( you know, the one that was a restaurant until they changed it in the 70’s) and ride Autotopia.
Lol I think I might have missed it
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
DHS on a weekend is because, as you said, always busy, so might as well enjoy the other parks when their crowds drop.
DAK on a weekend (especially weekend evenings, although park hopping may change that dynamic) because it tends to see the lowest crowds, so even with the weekend swell, it’s still pretty reasonable.
No Galaxy’s Edge doesn’t really change much tbh, except switching your beginning of day DHS priorities to be just Toy Story Land.
Kids can be a bit hard to drag around to the MK resorts, but I’d say the best ones for that are Ft. Wilderness and Poly via boat. (Both involve short straight walks from dock to food).
Other way around. Pop’s “preferred” rooms are close to the Skyliner, main pool, restaurant, shop and the Lobby. That is the “60’s” section, and they cost extra. The “50’s” section is the next one over, has no extra charge, is request able, and also has a pool.
CBR is laid out in a spread out way. Imagine your phone is the resort: the top is Riviera, The midpoint Of the right side is the main pool, restaurant, and lobby. The bottom right is the pirate rooms and the other restaurant. Bottom left is Skyliner Station #1 and top left is Skyliner Station #2. The center screen is a lake that you have to walk around, except for one bridge dead in the middle. Preferred rooms are on the right side. The best rooms, imo, have no upcharge, and are the center-left. They put you roughly equidistant from both Skyliner Stations and the lobby/pool/food.
I 100% endorse Skyliner from CBR (as long as you get there a bit early and walk to the central station). I’d half-heartedly endorse using it to rope drop DHS from Pop. If you end up at Pop, just see if buses or Skyliner is running better. Worst case, you Uber/Lyft to the park one morning, then ride the Skyliner back.
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
Don't forget to check in advance for single rider lines and child swap. Especially at headlining attractions like Flight of Passage and ROTR.
Good idea! Thank you
Does the second party using the child switch usually get to go through the exit of the attractions or FP line? Not that it matters right now as there are no FP, which is a huge benefit in this case. Waiting for the second party to go through FP lines in addition to the first party waiting in the standby line on all the non kid friendly rides would kill a lot of time.
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Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
Second party is almost always sent through FP
Well I’m glad they aren’t doing FPs now then. Depending on the attraction, FP lines can be 20 minutes or more. Adds up especially when you add it on to how long the first party is waiting. So effectively child switch is like walking through the exit right now. This is actually a huge perk for my situation right now where we ll have to be child switching nearly every big attraction.
