After a very early morning flight from JFK to MCO we took the Magical Express to Coronado. I never used the ME bus before and it was actually quite a nice service. Upon arrival I checked in dropped off some carry on items in the room and promptly headed to MK. Upon our return to the room later that afternoon, our luggage was there. It made the entire process pretty easy, especially upon checkout, but I will mention that at the end.
Day One (1/7): Magic Kingdom, EPCOT (I will go into litle detail for Day One since it wasn't notable)
Magic Kingdom was still in Christmas mode, which while aesthetically pleasing, I could have done without as I have been out of Christmas mode at this point. I rather the traditional music over the christmas tunes. I actually love the Christmas decorations and atmosphere at the parks but it just felt out of season to still be up. Sorry to sound like a Scrooge, I was just mentally checked out with Christmas a week ago LOL.
We went to Cosmic Ray's for a quick lunch and I had a homogenized burger ( @WDW1974 ). The crowds were present at New Fantasyland. Then, I took a moment to check out Splash Mountain, which was scaffolded all along the drop and construction was well underway (seemingly quick work). They seem to be doing it right and @marni1971 said yesterday it appears to be a fix for AAs and structure pending there aren't any cuts. As of January 7th there was nothing notable on BTMRR but that changed come 1/10, which I will get to, there was some stuff to talk about!
Dinner was later in the evening at Coral Reef in EPCOT. The lobster bisque was good and the Rainbow Trout was ok. I wasn't blown away by the restaurant and it didn't live up to my memories of it from years ago. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but I wouldn't hate on it either. I couldn't help but wish the monorail was resort wide. Though since I was a kid I would go home thinking that (they are just cool and very Walt).
After dinner there was EMH at EPCOT which allowed for quick rides on Nemo, Soarin and TT. TT was cool, I enjoyed the design process quite a bit but I was disappointed to see the cars failing to load on ride (I think it is dependent on when you tap your card in). Also, some of the reworked scenes didn't make complete sense but they still looked really cool. There needs to be some tweaking to the scenes. I also must say I like the design style of the building all the way from the lettering in the logos to the new car scent they pump into the queue. TT is truly a pavilion now and the words 'World of Motion' are actually written on the front window. I liked the merch they had in the shop, though I didn't buy any (they had cool models of Chevy classics).
Day Two (1/8): Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom
DHS was fun for the four big rides (ToT, RnRC, TSM, ST) but the major note comes from the Backlot Tour. The Backlot Tour is just plain depressing. It used to be worthwhile... back when the driver gave the tour, and there was actually something to look at. To show how little they care about the attraction... the last time I was at DHS was in 2010, when Tron was about to be released. Well, the promotional billboards on the backside of LMA, to be viewed on the Backlot Tour are still promoting Tron's 2010 theatrical release. Considering the decay of the ride, it seems its removal may be inevitable.
For lunch we went by Pizza Planet and I truly think they could do SO much with that IP. Not only should DHS have a full fledged Pizza Planet like the movie but they should make one in Times Square, NYC. Perhaps where ESPN Zone used to be... I think it would be a great Disney experience to bring to some major cities world wide. (oh and I recommend Pizza Planet if you like doughy single portioned dish pizzas. If you are looking for some good 'ol New York pizza, this IS NOT your place LOL)
Now onto Magic Kingdom for the evening. Space Mountain... it really needs a new track, I can't see how having it down on a daily basis is okay at this point. I heard some unnerving clangs while riding it this time. Under The Sea was nice but not a Potter Swatter... the queue is nice and the ride is ok but not E-Ticket. I will say though that despite these forums and my own gripes with New Fantasyland, I think it was well done and a welcomed addition. My girlfriend became nostalgic and liked the music on Under The Sea, which is really what it is... a ride that takes you through the music of Little Mermaid. Nothing notable from the rest of the night besides my piece of advice I would like to share with you all. Do not look up towards the castle when exiting HM during the finale of the fireworks LOL. I got some debris in my eyes from the dust, my stupidity I guess.
Day Three (1/9): Animal Kingdom, EPCOT
First was AK... I can't help but think that Discovery Island should have less foliage. It isn't as good of a central hub as seen in DHS, EPCOT and MK. I wish there was more of a clean and open Main St, USA type passage up to the tree. Just a thought though.
Expedition Everest... my first ride was a complete dud. The ride stopped at the top of the hill climb but it provided a nice view. Then the ride took extra long on the track switch to go backwards. Once inside the mountain on the next switch the Yeti projection effect was broken and then disco Yeti was even broken. The ride was just blackness. Thankfully it was a one time deal and about an hour later though this was all fixed and everything worked, even disco yeti. We also road the Safari which is always pretty great, since I find it interesting. I noticed they removed the poacher elephant act, which I am actually ok with.
EPCOT was just a quick afternoon stop... yep AK only took us until 12. We rode TT, Imagination and Mission SPACE. TT was fun but once again broken on ride design sync but it is worth noting rerideability is actually up IMO because of the design center. Each time we rode, my girlfriend and I tried to beat our previous design score. The more we rode the better we got. It is neat to get off the ride and see your car's stats and how the match up with the best cars for the day.
Imagination... ugh... my girlfriend has no idea what any of the forum-goers say about it but we got off and she said "that ride is terrible" (it was her first time in EPCOT also). I wonder when TDO will make some changes to Imagination because the potential is there and lets face it the song is catchy.
MS, is definitely a cool ride however I can't help but feel it didn't find the right balance between realism and ride. That isn't to say it is bad but for a lot of people it has to be overly intense, hence the green version. On to Innoventions... the IBM THINK exhibit was open and I looked at it for a bit but didn't have time to fully look at it all. It is interesting but that isn't a surprise since IBM is doing some pretty cool stuff.
Later that night we went to California Grill for dinner, which was perhaps the highlight of the trip at this point. The food, while expensive, was great and the atmosphere/view was great. I had the beef filet (filet mignon), which came with carrots and sweet potatoes. It was excellent. We all shared a chocolate lava cake with ice cream for dessert. While I would recommend this dessert, they are rather small so don't share it if you still have an appetite. After dinner we stood out on the observation deck for the fireworks, which was cool since they played the audio on the observation deck (nice place to take a date FYI).
Day Four (1/10): Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT
We went to MK early and rode a few rides we wanted to get in on our last day of the short trip. This may have been the most note worthy day though of the trip, in regards to these forums. Overnight they removed the decorations and repainted many sections of the park's pathways, providing some nice touchups. Work at Splash continued but seemingly more feverishly. I missed out on a churro with chocolate dipping sauce, there is always next time!
While venturing over to BTMRR I noticed TSI was closed for the morning and a raft was pulling up. On board the raft was a few guys with hardhats, I believe a guy in a suit and a CM who was captaining said raft. One person had a decent sized piece of paper, perhaps more like cardboard thick. Obviously this is likely nothing but it is worth the mention just because of @whylightbulb 's thread on this area.
Then on BTMRR, they had added a few tarps that were not there a few days prior (to my knowledge at least). The tarps were on the rocks above the bone section of the track and on the eastern portion of the queue which I peeked through to see they were doing work on. I think it is a sign for some sort of triggered effect that is done by those waiting in the upcoming interactive queue.
Next DHS, we went on the big 4 rides and got fastpasses for RnRC for another ride later but it ended up being down the rest of the day. However throughout our trips to DHS we met a CM named Ken on RnRC. He made the ride more enjoyable during the preshow. I hope that more CM can be fun and outgoing like Ken. He added another element to the ride and it made it more fun. I always like when people get into the roll.
It is tradition to have lunch once at Sci-Fi Dine In, I like the goofy old trailers and cartoons. The shakes are the best (and I also like the reuben)! Oh and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the cool merch available for Star Wars and Muppets... they really need to build those areas up. They could help a whole lot.
Thought these Star Wars Potato Heads were funny and neat LOL. The SW merch was everywhere... not sure if they had this much before buying Lucasfilm but it was in every shop.
We went to EPCOT again for the evening and I only have some general things to mention about EPCOT. First off it is clearly in need of TLC. Imagination is pretty bad, Innoventions has shatter proof tube TVs (really? it is 2013 guys) & TT is really nice but still needs some tweaking. I would fix up the TT indoors portion slightly to make it thematically fit better and cover the outside portion... not necessarily for the ride but instead so the ride can remain open during the rain.
On our last night, we ate at Coronado's Pepper Market for dinner (cafeteria style place) and my steak was not cooked and the chefs were really y. I actually sent it back, something I would never do (and I like a rare steak). The next morning (1/11) we went to Cape May Cafe for breakfast and I recommend it. The food is buffet style but of good quality, especially if you like breakfast. Also if you have kids or if you like the characters, it is a character breakfast.
As I stated earlier the Magical Express service was great. At the end of your trip (on domestic participating airlines) you check your bags at the hotel (they have a skycap). Then you head off where you want until you have to go to the bus for the airport. At the pickup time they will pick you up and drop you at your terminal. All you need to have is your carry on items, boarding pass and Magical Express ticket. That morning we had woken up and found hanging on our door an envelope with our boarding passes printed out for us (automatic flight check in is handy!). I highly recommend taking advantage of this perk if you're staying on site.
Rundown:
Services:
Magical Express: highly recommended
Restaurants:
Cosmic Rays: not recommended but not discouraged either
California Grill: highly recommended, especially if you stay for fireworks
Cape May Cafe: recommended for breakfast, especially if you have kids
Sci-Fi Dine In: recommended (try a chocolate shake!)
Coronado Springs' Pepper Market: not recommended
Pizza Planet: recommended but read above
New Rides/Exhibits:
Under The Sea: kids and fans of the movie will like the music & the queue is very nice
IBM THINK Exhibit: I recommend this exhibit if you like technology and ingenuity
Day One (1/7): Magic Kingdom, EPCOT (I will go into litle detail for Day One since it wasn't notable)
Magic Kingdom was still in Christmas mode, which while aesthetically pleasing, I could have done without as I have been out of Christmas mode at this point. I rather the traditional music over the christmas tunes. I actually love the Christmas decorations and atmosphere at the parks but it just felt out of season to still be up. Sorry to sound like a Scrooge, I was just mentally checked out with Christmas a week ago LOL.
We went to Cosmic Ray's for a quick lunch and I had a homogenized burger ( @WDW1974 ). The crowds were present at New Fantasyland. Then, I took a moment to check out Splash Mountain, which was scaffolded all along the drop and construction was well underway (seemingly quick work). They seem to be doing it right and @marni1971 said yesterday it appears to be a fix for AAs and structure pending there aren't any cuts. As of January 7th there was nothing notable on BTMRR but that changed come 1/10, which I will get to, there was some stuff to talk about!
Dinner was later in the evening at Coral Reef in EPCOT. The lobster bisque was good and the Rainbow Trout was ok. I wasn't blown away by the restaurant and it didn't live up to my memories of it from years ago. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but I wouldn't hate on it either. I couldn't help but wish the monorail was resort wide. Though since I was a kid I would go home thinking that (they are just cool and very Walt).
After dinner there was EMH at EPCOT which allowed for quick rides on Nemo, Soarin and TT. TT was cool, I enjoyed the design process quite a bit but I was disappointed to see the cars failing to load on ride (I think it is dependent on when you tap your card in). Also, some of the reworked scenes didn't make complete sense but they still looked really cool. There needs to be some tweaking to the scenes. I also must say I like the design style of the building all the way from the lettering in the logos to the new car scent they pump into the queue. TT is truly a pavilion now and the words 'World of Motion' are actually written on the front window. I liked the merch they had in the shop, though I didn't buy any (they had cool models of Chevy classics).
Day Two (1/8): Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom
DHS was fun for the four big rides (ToT, RnRC, TSM, ST) but the major note comes from the Backlot Tour. The Backlot Tour is just plain depressing. It used to be worthwhile... back when the driver gave the tour, and there was actually something to look at. To show how little they care about the attraction... the last time I was at DHS was in 2010, when Tron was about to be released. Well, the promotional billboards on the backside of LMA, to be viewed on the Backlot Tour are still promoting Tron's 2010 theatrical release. Considering the decay of the ride, it seems its removal may be inevitable.
For lunch we went by Pizza Planet and I truly think they could do SO much with that IP. Not only should DHS have a full fledged Pizza Planet like the movie but they should make one in Times Square, NYC. Perhaps where ESPN Zone used to be... I think it would be a great Disney experience to bring to some major cities world wide. (oh and I recommend Pizza Planet if you like doughy single portioned dish pizzas. If you are looking for some good 'ol New York pizza, this IS NOT your place LOL)
Now onto Magic Kingdom for the evening. Space Mountain... it really needs a new track, I can't see how having it down on a daily basis is okay at this point. I heard some unnerving clangs while riding it this time. Under The Sea was nice but not a Potter Swatter... the queue is nice and the ride is ok but not E-Ticket. I will say though that despite these forums and my own gripes with New Fantasyland, I think it was well done and a welcomed addition. My girlfriend became nostalgic and liked the music on Under The Sea, which is really what it is... a ride that takes you through the music of Little Mermaid. Nothing notable from the rest of the night besides my piece of advice I would like to share with you all. Do not look up towards the castle when exiting HM during the finale of the fireworks LOL. I got some debris in my eyes from the dust, my stupidity I guess.
Day Three (1/9): Animal Kingdom, EPCOT
First was AK... I can't help but think that Discovery Island should have less foliage. It isn't as good of a central hub as seen in DHS, EPCOT and MK. I wish there was more of a clean and open Main St, USA type passage up to the tree. Just a thought though.
Expedition Everest... my first ride was a complete dud. The ride stopped at the top of the hill climb but it provided a nice view. Then the ride took extra long on the track switch to go backwards. Once inside the mountain on the next switch the Yeti projection effect was broken and then disco Yeti was even broken. The ride was just blackness. Thankfully it was a one time deal and about an hour later though this was all fixed and everything worked, even disco yeti. We also road the Safari which is always pretty great, since I find it interesting. I noticed they removed the poacher elephant act, which I am actually ok with.
EPCOT was just a quick afternoon stop... yep AK only took us until 12. We rode TT, Imagination and Mission SPACE. TT was fun but once again broken on ride design sync but it is worth noting rerideability is actually up IMO because of the design center. Each time we rode, my girlfriend and I tried to beat our previous design score. The more we rode the better we got. It is neat to get off the ride and see your car's stats and how the match up with the best cars for the day.
Imagination... ugh... my girlfriend has no idea what any of the forum-goers say about it but we got off and she said "that ride is terrible" (it was her first time in EPCOT also). I wonder when TDO will make some changes to Imagination because the potential is there and lets face it the song is catchy.
MS, is definitely a cool ride however I can't help but feel it didn't find the right balance between realism and ride. That isn't to say it is bad but for a lot of people it has to be overly intense, hence the green version. On to Innoventions... the IBM THINK exhibit was open and I looked at it for a bit but didn't have time to fully look at it all. It is interesting but that isn't a surprise since IBM is doing some pretty cool stuff.
Later that night we went to California Grill for dinner, which was perhaps the highlight of the trip at this point. The food, while expensive, was great and the atmosphere/view was great. I had the beef filet (filet mignon), which came with carrots and sweet potatoes. It was excellent. We all shared a chocolate lava cake with ice cream for dessert. While I would recommend this dessert, they are rather small so don't share it if you still have an appetite. After dinner we stood out on the observation deck for the fireworks, which was cool since they played the audio on the observation deck (nice place to take a date FYI).
Day Four (1/10): Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT
We went to MK early and rode a few rides we wanted to get in on our last day of the short trip. This may have been the most note worthy day though of the trip, in regards to these forums. Overnight they removed the decorations and repainted many sections of the park's pathways, providing some nice touchups. Work at Splash continued but seemingly more feverishly. I missed out on a churro with chocolate dipping sauce, there is always next time!
While venturing over to BTMRR I noticed TSI was closed for the morning and a raft was pulling up. On board the raft was a few guys with hardhats, I believe a guy in a suit and a CM who was captaining said raft. One person had a decent sized piece of paper, perhaps more like cardboard thick. Obviously this is likely nothing but it is worth the mention just because of @whylightbulb 's thread on this area.
Then on BTMRR, they had added a few tarps that were not there a few days prior (to my knowledge at least). The tarps were on the rocks above the bone section of the track and on the eastern portion of the queue which I peeked through to see they were doing work on. I think it is a sign for some sort of triggered effect that is done by those waiting in the upcoming interactive queue.
Next DHS, we went on the big 4 rides and got fastpasses for RnRC for another ride later but it ended up being down the rest of the day. However throughout our trips to DHS we met a CM named Ken on RnRC. He made the ride more enjoyable during the preshow. I hope that more CM can be fun and outgoing like Ken. He added another element to the ride and it made it more fun. I always like when people get into the roll.
It is tradition to have lunch once at Sci-Fi Dine In, I like the goofy old trailers and cartoons. The shakes are the best (and I also like the reuben)! Oh and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the cool merch available for Star Wars and Muppets... they really need to build those areas up. They could help a whole lot.
Thought these Star Wars Potato Heads were funny and neat LOL. The SW merch was everywhere... not sure if they had this much before buying Lucasfilm but it was in every shop.
We went to EPCOT again for the evening and I only have some general things to mention about EPCOT. First off it is clearly in need of TLC. Imagination is pretty bad, Innoventions has shatter proof tube TVs (really? it is 2013 guys) & TT is really nice but still needs some tweaking. I would fix up the TT indoors portion slightly to make it thematically fit better and cover the outside portion... not necessarily for the ride but instead so the ride can remain open during the rain.
On our last night, we ate at Coronado's Pepper Market for dinner (cafeteria style place) and my steak was not cooked and the chefs were really y. I actually sent it back, something I would never do (and I like a rare steak). The next morning (1/11) we went to Cape May Cafe for breakfast and I recommend it. The food is buffet style but of good quality, especially if you like breakfast. Also if you have kids or if you like the characters, it is a character breakfast.
As I stated earlier the Magical Express service was great. At the end of your trip (on domestic participating airlines) you check your bags at the hotel (they have a skycap). Then you head off where you want until you have to go to the bus for the airport. At the pickup time they will pick you up and drop you at your terminal. All you need to have is your carry on items, boarding pass and Magical Express ticket. That morning we had woken up and found hanging on our door an envelope with our boarding passes printed out for us (automatic flight check in is handy!). I highly recommend taking advantage of this perk if you're staying on site.
Rundown:
Services:
Magical Express: highly recommended
Restaurants:
Cosmic Rays: not recommended but not discouraged either
California Grill: highly recommended, especially if you stay for fireworks
Cape May Cafe: recommended for breakfast, especially if you have kids
Sci-Fi Dine In: recommended (try a chocolate shake!)
Coronado Springs' Pepper Market: not recommended
Pizza Planet: recommended but read above
New Rides/Exhibits:
Under The Sea: kids and fans of the movie will like the music & the queue is very nice
IBM THINK Exhibit: I recommend this exhibit if you like technology and ingenuity
.