Hi all
I’ve been on these boards for about a year now, but I don’t post that often, I just tend to keep myself updated on the new developments.
I’ve recently just returned from a dream trip to Orlando including WDW and Universal. Actually, the whole trip was based on these two places!
Bit of background – visited Orlando when I was really young back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Went back again as a teenager in 1998/1999, then went back again in 2005 in my mid twenties. All of those were family trips.
My love for Florida was reignited last year when we all went as a much larger family group in Oct 2015. As soon as I got home, my partner and I booked to go in 2016. We went late Sept for 3 weeks, and we came back last week.
Now, as before, I love it again, except now I’m older and my partner and I are lucky enough to make big decisions about expensive trips. We work hard and we both love Florida. We don’t have children so going actually isn’t THAT much more than the cost of going to an expensive UK destination and splashing out for a few weeks.
Firstly, it was stunning. Disney and Universal once again were amazing. Disney still has the edge for us with their attention to detail, stunning service and just overall feel of the parks. Universal is a different experience and their HHN/Harry Potter areas are unmatched….but their service isn’t the same.
I’ll keep it mainly Disney though for the review.
Magic Kingdom
Fantastic. I generally am a huge Disney fan and I admire their work and Walt’s vision anyway.
MK just has a feel about it that NO other place on earth manages to give you. I can’t describe it. It’s like coming home to the most fun place on earth.
Absolutely spotless and great service overall.
I used to be a bit nervous about some rollercoasters. I love attractions and entertainment at parks, so really I had enough to do anyway, but my Uncle told me when I was a child that Space Mountain might be too dark and fast for me. This stuck with me for a long time! I have NO idea why. I’ve been on worse coasters plenty of times.
I got a grip and went on it. Once. Then another 6-7 times over the 3 weeks we stayed. Hands down one of the best Disney rides ever.
Why? Fun, excitement, lots of build up, attention to detail, feel, theming, the lot.
I cannot get enough of it now. It does jar and bang about on some rides, depending where you sit, but it is so fun.
Other favourites? Still love 7DMT but we only got one ride.
Splash – after a few weeks of coasters my nerves of the ‘stomach drop’ feeling almost went away, and riding Splash made me realise I can easily handle that drop, it’s just fun!
There is SO much water in the dark ride sections. It creates waves which are fun to watch where they stop hahah!
Love the theming and music. A fun and safe dark ride/drop flume.
It looks amazing at night!
New Muppets Great Moments of/in History – Cool little show. Fun, informative, silly, great for everyone, nice to catch some rays. Works really well where it is. Bravo Disney.
Peoplemover – first ride we went on! I had to. I love it. Simple, smooth, relaxing. Love going through Space Mountain! Why? No idea…seems like one of those great ideas a child would have, and it works.
Be Our Guest – Superb Food. Really good theming. Fun. Loved it.
Jungle Cruise – on form and daft as usual. I hope they never get rid of it!
THE BEST FOOD AT DISNEY! - Skippers Canteen. Wow. This place is fantastic. We went twice. I could eat there every day. Great theming and Jungle Cruise jokes.
All of the fireworks and shows were great. I love the projections on the castle Unreal. Nice inclusion of Wreck it Ralph.
Pirates – barely got wet so it must be fixed now. Great ride. Mist projection is so awesome. The scene with the ship and the cannonballs hitting the water is still the best and still wows me.
Stitch – I actually like it! HAHAHHA! I’ve always liked it. I won’t mind when it goes though.
Peter Pan – timeless ride. I love it. Both my partner and I feel so happy when we go on it. Why? I don’t know. Classic Disney.
We went on virtually everything and loved it all. I love Carousel of Progress but my partner isn’t so keen. I still love it.
Hollywood Studios
Last year, it did feel a little bit disjointed with not that much to do.
With Star Wars now in full swing, there is plenty to do. I really enjoyed it. It still feels like a maze to me as there is so much promising construction going on.
Star Tours was a usual highlight. Every ride was different. I loved it. I can’t believe how good this old ride feels and looks. Perfectly themed and presented.
Phasma’s March – Brilliant. Nice touch to the park. Great to watch, costumes are perfect.
Star Wars presentation – Not sure what the formal name is, but the presentation at the stage during the day is cool. Highlights were Chewie, the droids, and Fett. Super cool. They could do with make Maul’s appearance a bit more dramatic…more cool effects, but I enjoyed this a lot.
Launch Bay – Now this is brilliant! So much to see for a SW fan. I was immediately impressed. The highlight was meeting Chewie. Kylo Ren was great and was in character and we felt awkward as we should in front on him hahah.
Ok, maybe the highlight was actually the Jawas. These have been done so well. They are playful and in character. Cheeky and funny and cute! I saw a young girl try to trade with one of them and the Jawa shook its head and looked sad after inspected what she had. Maybe they only trade if they like what they see?
RNR Rollercoaster – Once I had got over my initial anxiety over going back on rollercoasters, I loved it. Also, the more you ride the less intense your body reacts to it. That start is something else though! I started to get used to the feeling of it, but still, it catches you every time. PLEASE keep this ride Disney.
Tower of Terror – Ok, wanted to ride, can’t When I was younger I rode it and didn’t enjoy the constant drops. Drops are not my favourite sensation. I should have gone on it because it looks awesome.
Fantasmic – awesome. Love the build up like it’s a big event, love the effects and the amount of things going on. Cannot believe how old it is and how good it looks. Nothing like it.
Star Wars Fireworks – Super cool. The best part is the battles/laser effects/fireworks as explosions. Works incredibly well.
Muppets – I quite like the Muppets. The theming of the area is great and the new pizza place looks like it is taking shape. I do think the 3D movie needs updating though. I enjoyed it but I think Disney can do more.
Indiana Jones – Big fan of the movies. I’ve seen this a lot, so to me I was just rewatching it again. I imagine this won’t last long once the new areas open. Great show once or twice but I’d only go again to see it for a nice relax and to cool off and be entertained for a while.
Great Movie Ride - I love this ride. I hope when the new ride is build/themed they have something similar but with new tech. I like the fact the CM’s get involved on it. I sat right near the front this time and saw different things I hadn’t noticed before. The Alien section is still cool.
HIGHLIGHT – Toy Story Midway Mania – Last year, we didn’t get on this. 90+ min wait and no FP. This time, 3 rides with FP and the normal queues weren’t quite as long (although we just use FP). I assume this is due to the new track.
What can I say? This is like a big upgrade to Spaceranger Spin. SO funny, really frantic, really TIRING on your arm! It works really well, the theming is great, and it is unmatched.
It is a MUST do.
The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast shows are a must do, even for a 35 year old dude. It is cool!
FOOD – Starring Rolls have awesome sandwiches. Really filling and tasty. Not cheap, but worth it.
Animal Kingdom
This was much better than my last visit, as we had more time and the animals seemed to be more sociable. I’ve never doubted this place, in fact at one point it was my favourite park, but this time it seemed better than my last trip.
Less obvious building…more amazing views. Pandora is close but I didn’t notice the building work as much.
Shame about Rivers of Light, but late night safari and the Tree of Life coming to life are worth staying for, trust me. Rivers of Light will make this park a must do evening park.
The Night Safari is great. They’ve done a good job on making it feel different. We saw different animals this time around.
Tree of Life awakening is extremely clever. I thought it was just the animals moving every minute or so, which is impressive, but nope, much more to it!
You’ll find this odd. Before this trip, I’d ridden RNRR but never been on EE. NEVER. What was wrong with me?
EE – This is one of my trip highlights. This, along with Space Mountain, is one of the best rollercoasters I’ve been on. It’s MORE than just a coaster though, as we know.
Theming is perfection. Yes, the effects don’t all work….I would love more steam and this bird on a stick I’ve heard about (I think they could add extra at the peak and I think they will) and the Yeti was in full DISCO mode. But, the Yeti is still quite a shock if you stare at it. It DOES get close.
I hope they manage to fix it in a way that makes it one the coolest AAs out there. It looks amazing, it just needs to move. I think the ride could do with being a LITTLE slower going past it when they fix it.
The coaster is so smooth and fun it’s unreal. It feels ‘expensive’….it clearly took a lot of time to get the ride sections to be so smooth and right.
The best part is all of it. The backwards portion doesn’t really make my stomach drop; it’s weird feeling those pulls on you like you might go upside down….clearly intentional.
I rode it as much as I could. It’s weird to get to the top and still think ‘hey what if we DON’T stop’…
I rode it during early evening as well and it looked awesome.
Dinosaur was shut which was a huge blow for me, but I still loved the park.
Nemo and Lion King are massive show highlights. I personally preferred Nemo.
Epcot
Epcot is often my favourite park. It’s the one park I seem to remember the most about from my previous trips.
Highlight? The best ride is Soarin’. I haven’t been on this since I was in my mid twenties. The update is great. My partner has never tried it and loved it.
We got on Test Track in ten mins as single riders. I wanted to go on a few more times but we literally didn’t have time.
I thought Turtle Talk with Crush was well executed. It’s a clever little show. The Nemo ride isn’t perfect but it’s fun.
We couldn’t get on FEA. We are not Frozen fans, but I must admit I REALLY wanted to get on this ride. I’ve been on Maelstrom before and really liked it (as a very small child I never expected the drop and it felt bigger when I was little).
Spaceship Earth is always a highlight. This is classic Disney in my eyes…Classic Epcot.
The view at the top is very well executed.
Mission Space – I don’t ride the intense version. I am not a fan of intense spinning and my partner despite her bravery with all rides does not like the enclosed space, so we just went on the easy side. It’s quite a cool ride but I feel it needs an upgrade soon.
I don’t know if I’ve been on Imagination before when it was different. I do think it’s time something was changed about its current version. It’s nice to ride but not essential.
Ellen’s Energy Adventure is SUCH a huge building. This is the first time I’ve been on it in a long time. I remember seeing Dinosaurs before and the huge ride vehicles. I think the Dinosaur section is still well done, but I hear this is now on countdown to shut. I kinda see why. It’s fairly outdated. I enjoyed it though.
The highlight for me is the World Showcase. I love walking around all the different areas, meeting characters, trying food, trying beer, taking in the detail, soaking up the sun.
We were there with the F&W festival. It’s great. Fantastic atmosphere. I loved the Craft Beer building.
It is PACKED on the weekends during this period. I know I sound grumpy, and it’s not very ‘Disney’ but I don’t have children, and I doubt we will have any, so it was nice to have a more adult atmosphere in the park. I felt for those adults with double pushchairs with children who really were not enjoying the sun!
IllumiNations is one of the best shows on the planet in a park. Very impressive as always. This time I stood at one of the countries with a beer in hand and took it in properly without rushing.
The central ball will always be one of those sights you never forget.
Disney Springs
MASSIVELY different even to Sept/Oct 15! Massively. I’m really impressed. It is super clean, relaxing, plenty of space, plenty of things to look at, and just feels quite relaxing.
Because we were so busy we didn’t really have a nice relaxing evening here after the parks…we tended to go before the parks or just after the parks when we felt too tired and a little scruffy from a hot day.
It’s a very nice area. I imagine locals go there all the time….I know I would.
Car parking is superb. Free and fuss free.
Well – that’s it for now. I’ll be contributing more often now.
I’ve been on these boards for about a year now, but I don’t post that often, I just tend to keep myself updated on the new developments.
I’ve recently just returned from a dream trip to Orlando including WDW and Universal. Actually, the whole trip was based on these two places!
Bit of background – visited Orlando when I was really young back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Went back again as a teenager in 1998/1999, then went back again in 2005 in my mid twenties. All of those were family trips.
My love for Florida was reignited last year when we all went as a much larger family group in Oct 2015. As soon as I got home, my partner and I booked to go in 2016. We went late Sept for 3 weeks, and we came back last week.
Now, as before, I love it again, except now I’m older and my partner and I are lucky enough to make big decisions about expensive trips. We work hard and we both love Florida. We don’t have children so going actually isn’t THAT much more than the cost of going to an expensive UK destination and splashing out for a few weeks.
Firstly, it was stunning. Disney and Universal once again were amazing. Disney still has the edge for us with their attention to detail, stunning service and just overall feel of the parks. Universal is a different experience and their HHN/Harry Potter areas are unmatched….but their service isn’t the same.
I’ll keep it mainly Disney though for the review.
Magic Kingdom
Fantastic. I generally am a huge Disney fan and I admire their work and Walt’s vision anyway.
MK just has a feel about it that NO other place on earth manages to give you. I can’t describe it. It’s like coming home to the most fun place on earth.
Absolutely spotless and great service overall.
I used to be a bit nervous about some rollercoasters. I love attractions and entertainment at parks, so really I had enough to do anyway, but my Uncle told me when I was a child that Space Mountain might be too dark and fast for me. This stuck with me for a long time! I have NO idea why. I’ve been on worse coasters plenty of times.
I got a grip and went on it. Once. Then another 6-7 times over the 3 weeks we stayed. Hands down one of the best Disney rides ever.
Why? Fun, excitement, lots of build up, attention to detail, feel, theming, the lot.
I cannot get enough of it now. It does jar and bang about on some rides, depending where you sit, but it is so fun.
Other favourites? Still love 7DMT but we only got one ride.
Splash – after a few weeks of coasters my nerves of the ‘stomach drop’ feeling almost went away, and riding Splash made me realise I can easily handle that drop, it’s just fun!
There is SO much water in the dark ride sections. It creates waves which are fun to watch where they stop hahah!
Love the theming and music. A fun and safe dark ride/drop flume.
It looks amazing at night!
New Muppets Great Moments of/in History – Cool little show. Fun, informative, silly, great for everyone, nice to catch some rays. Works really well where it is. Bravo Disney.
Peoplemover – first ride we went on! I had to. I love it. Simple, smooth, relaxing. Love going through Space Mountain! Why? No idea…seems like one of those great ideas a child would have, and it works.
Be Our Guest – Superb Food. Really good theming. Fun. Loved it.
Jungle Cruise – on form and daft as usual. I hope they never get rid of it!
THE BEST FOOD AT DISNEY! - Skippers Canteen. Wow. This place is fantastic. We went twice. I could eat there every day. Great theming and Jungle Cruise jokes.
All of the fireworks and shows were great. I love the projections on the castle Unreal. Nice inclusion of Wreck it Ralph.
Pirates – barely got wet so it must be fixed now. Great ride. Mist projection is so awesome. The scene with the ship and the cannonballs hitting the water is still the best and still wows me.
Stitch – I actually like it! HAHAHHA! I’ve always liked it. I won’t mind when it goes though.
Peter Pan – timeless ride. I love it. Both my partner and I feel so happy when we go on it. Why? I don’t know. Classic Disney.
We went on virtually everything and loved it all. I love Carousel of Progress but my partner isn’t so keen. I still love it.
Hollywood Studios
Last year, it did feel a little bit disjointed with not that much to do.
With Star Wars now in full swing, there is plenty to do. I really enjoyed it. It still feels like a maze to me as there is so much promising construction going on.
Star Tours was a usual highlight. Every ride was different. I loved it. I can’t believe how good this old ride feels and looks. Perfectly themed and presented.
Phasma’s March – Brilliant. Nice touch to the park. Great to watch, costumes are perfect.
Star Wars presentation – Not sure what the formal name is, but the presentation at the stage during the day is cool. Highlights were Chewie, the droids, and Fett. Super cool. They could do with make Maul’s appearance a bit more dramatic…more cool effects, but I enjoyed this a lot.
Launch Bay – Now this is brilliant! So much to see for a SW fan. I was immediately impressed. The highlight was meeting Chewie. Kylo Ren was great and was in character and we felt awkward as we should in front on him hahah.
Ok, maybe the highlight was actually the Jawas. These have been done so well. They are playful and in character. Cheeky and funny and cute! I saw a young girl try to trade with one of them and the Jawa shook its head and looked sad after inspected what she had. Maybe they only trade if they like what they see?
RNR Rollercoaster – Once I had got over my initial anxiety over going back on rollercoasters, I loved it. Also, the more you ride the less intense your body reacts to it. That start is something else though! I started to get used to the feeling of it, but still, it catches you every time. PLEASE keep this ride Disney.
Tower of Terror – Ok, wanted to ride, can’t When I was younger I rode it and didn’t enjoy the constant drops. Drops are not my favourite sensation. I should have gone on it because it looks awesome.
Fantasmic – awesome. Love the build up like it’s a big event, love the effects and the amount of things going on. Cannot believe how old it is and how good it looks. Nothing like it.
Star Wars Fireworks – Super cool. The best part is the battles/laser effects/fireworks as explosions. Works incredibly well.
Muppets – I quite like the Muppets. The theming of the area is great and the new pizza place looks like it is taking shape. I do think the 3D movie needs updating though. I enjoyed it but I think Disney can do more.
Indiana Jones – Big fan of the movies. I’ve seen this a lot, so to me I was just rewatching it again. I imagine this won’t last long once the new areas open. Great show once or twice but I’d only go again to see it for a nice relax and to cool off and be entertained for a while.
Great Movie Ride - I love this ride. I hope when the new ride is build/themed they have something similar but with new tech. I like the fact the CM’s get involved on it. I sat right near the front this time and saw different things I hadn’t noticed before. The Alien section is still cool.
HIGHLIGHT – Toy Story Midway Mania – Last year, we didn’t get on this. 90+ min wait and no FP. This time, 3 rides with FP and the normal queues weren’t quite as long (although we just use FP). I assume this is due to the new track.
What can I say? This is like a big upgrade to Spaceranger Spin. SO funny, really frantic, really TIRING on your arm! It works really well, the theming is great, and it is unmatched.
It is a MUST do.
The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast shows are a must do, even for a 35 year old dude. It is cool!
FOOD – Starring Rolls have awesome sandwiches. Really filling and tasty. Not cheap, but worth it.
Animal Kingdom
This was much better than my last visit, as we had more time and the animals seemed to be more sociable. I’ve never doubted this place, in fact at one point it was my favourite park, but this time it seemed better than my last trip.
Less obvious building…more amazing views. Pandora is close but I didn’t notice the building work as much.
Shame about Rivers of Light, but late night safari and the Tree of Life coming to life are worth staying for, trust me. Rivers of Light will make this park a must do evening park.
The Night Safari is great. They’ve done a good job on making it feel different. We saw different animals this time around.
Tree of Life awakening is extremely clever. I thought it was just the animals moving every minute or so, which is impressive, but nope, much more to it!
You’ll find this odd. Before this trip, I’d ridden RNRR but never been on EE. NEVER. What was wrong with me?
EE – This is one of my trip highlights. This, along with Space Mountain, is one of the best rollercoasters I’ve been on. It’s MORE than just a coaster though, as we know.
Theming is perfection. Yes, the effects don’t all work….I would love more steam and this bird on a stick I’ve heard about (I think they could add extra at the peak and I think they will) and the Yeti was in full DISCO mode. But, the Yeti is still quite a shock if you stare at it. It DOES get close.
I hope they manage to fix it in a way that makes it one the coolest AAs out there. It looks amazing, it just needs to move. I think the ride could do with being a LITTLE slower going past it when they fix it.
The coaster is so smooth and fun it’s unreal. It feels ‘expensive’….it clearly took a lot of time to get the ride sections to be so smooth and right.
The best part is all of it. The backwards portion doesn’t really make my stomach drop; it’s weird feeling those pulls on you like you might go upside down….clearly intentional.
I rode it as much as I could. It’s weird to get to the top and still think ‘hey what if we DON’T stop’…
I rode it during early evening as well and it looked awesome.
Dinosaur was shut which was a huge blow for me, but I still loved the park.
Nemo and Lion King are massive show highlights. I personally preferred Nemo.
Epcot
Epcot is often my favourite park. It’s the one park I seem to remember the most about from my previous trips.
Highlight? The best ride is Soarin’. I haven’t been on this since I was in my mid twenties. The update is great. My partner has never tried it and loved it.
We got on Test Track in ten mins as single riders. I wanted to go on a few more times but we literally didn’t have time.
I thought Turtle Talk with Crush was well executed. It’s a clever little show. The Nemo ride isn’t perfect but it’s fun.
We couldn’t get on FEA. We are not Frozen fans, but I must admit I REALLY wanted to get on this ride. I’ve been on Maelstrom before and really liked it (as a very small child I never expected the drop and it felt bigger when I was little).
Spaceship Earth is always a highlight. This is classic Disney in my eyes…Classic Epcot.
The view at the top is very well executed.
Mission Space – I don’t ride the intense version. I am not a fan of intense spinning and my partner despite her bravery with all rides does not like the enclosed space, so we just went on the easy side. It’s quite a cool ride but I feel it needs an upgrade soon.
I don’t know if I’ve been on Imagination before when it was different. I do think it’s time something was changed about its current version. It’s nice to ride but not essential.
Ellen’s Energy Adventure is SUCH a huge building. This is the first time I’ve been on it in a long time. I remember seeing Dinosaurs before and the huge ride vehicles. I think the Dinosaur section is still well done, but I hear this is now on countdown to shut. I kinda see why. It’s fairly outdated. I enjoyed it though.
The highlight for me is the World Showcase. I love walking around all the different areas, meeting characters, trying food, trying beer, taking in the detail, soaking up the sun.
We were there with the F&W festival. It’s great. Fantastic atmosphere. I loved the Craft Beer building.
It is PACKED on the weekends during this period. I know I sound grumpy, and it’s not very ‘Disney’ but I don’t have children, and I doubt we will have any, so it was nice to have a more adult atmosphere in the park. I felt for those adults with double pushchairs with children who really were not enjoying the sun!
IllumiNations is one of the best shows on the planet in a park. Very impressive as always. This time I stood at one of the countries with a beer in hand and took it in properly without rushing.
The central ball will always be one of those sights you never forget.
Disney Springs
MASSIVELY different even to Sept/Oct 15! Massively. I’m really impressed. It is super clean, relaxing, plenty of space, plenty of things to look at, and just feels quite relaxing.
Because we were so busy we didn’t really have a nice relaxing evening here after the parks…we tended to go before the parks or just after the parks when we felt too tired and a little scruffy from a hot day.
It’s a very nice area. I imagine locals go there all the time….I know I would.
Car parking is superb. Free and fuss free.
Well – that’s it for now. I’ll be contributing more often now.
. Unfortunately, we were one of those families in late September with a double stroller in Epcot
. It was so hot for the little ones for sure! So we didn't get to spend as much time at F&W as we initially thought we would but that's okay-I'm happy we at least got the chance to experience it during our trip.
