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If it's anything like our experience with EMH at HS last week then it will be nuts. It was the most crowded I've ever seen the area at the end of Sunset Boulevard. We tried to go to the 2nd Fantasmic and it was so crowded we said screw it and headed over to Muppets and Star Tours.
Dang! we'll be at DHS on 10/31. I was hoping to get my 5 yo in on the Jedi school.
<--- me after discovering twenty one pilots is playing HOB the night I get in town, but my flight gets in to late to run over and catch the show). IIRC, Cirque du Soleil has a theater there, too.
to the folks taking costumes to MNSSHP! My daughter has her Kim Possible costume already done, and is working on her Malificent one. My wife and I outsourced our Anna and Kristoff costumes, but we'll finish our Lady and The Tramp ones over the next couple days.
We did a surprise trip several years ago. Ours was a bit more complicated because the kids were in school. Luckily they were in ES then, and it was easy to communicate with their teachers to get schoolwork for the kids to do on the trip (Drove DC-WDW, so they had time!) It was also this time of year (couple weeks later) and we could pack bags with summer clothes as we were transitioning to fall. We pulled the kids out of school early one day to get started on the drive, with them believing we were going to the Dr. to get flu shots. We sat them down to tell them the change in plans and they exploded, after a couple seconds of 'Really?' (I have it on video and will look for it) we told them to go pack a bag and pillow for the car, so we could leave. Shortly thereafter, my daughter (4/5ish at the time) was crying in her room; she was upset because she wasn't going to get the sticker from the Dr. after she got her shot!
I for one miss PI. I think it was a much needed outlet for adult/Sans kids travelers. But sadly it ruined by idiots being idiots.
And as mentioned earlier, there's something for everyone.
Such a great time of year to go. Have fun!
Do you have Park Hopper? Go every morning at rope drop at MK to the Be Our Guest hostess desk in Fantasyland and ask if there are cancellations. We got ours with this method.
This is probably your best bet. Showing up in person as early as possible sometimes summons Disney magic.
Most of the street signs have been rebranded "Disney Springs" but me and the kids got a kick out of finding all the places where "Downtown Disney" was still around - including the buses, road construction sign and almost no one I heard mention it called it Disney Springs, it was Downtown Disney.Downtown Disney Orlando is is a rebuild/rebrand mode, converting it to "Disney Springs". It might officially be Disney Springs now, but any signs or other references to Downtown Disney are pointing to the same place.
DD/DS is pleasant when not too crowded or too much construction going on. It's a bit of a hassle to park there, so if you can get over there by resort transportation, go for it. I recommend the boat shuttle from Port Orleans French Quarter (or Riverside).
On the retail side, there's a giantic Disney merch store that's like several merch stores from the parks stitched together. It's actually kind of a cool walk through even if you don't intend to buy anything. There's also a Disney Christmas store that is open year round - they do personalized ornaments, stockings, etc.
There's also a really big Lego store that has all kinds of Lego kits on the inside, and several Lego statues of characters and animals inside and outside the store.
One of the flagships used to be DisneyQuest, a multilevel interactive games/tech experience. Fun if a bit dated, can't remember if it's closed yet. It's on it's way out to make way for an NBA-themed restaurant, bar, and store.
Some good restaurants at varying price levels. I dig the Earl Of Sandwich QSR, if nothing more than to watch them roll out the volume they do at their speed.
Wolfgang Puck has a DD/DS presence. His Express casual joint is great. Haven't been to the more formal one.
The big set piece restaurant is a fish/seafood place called the Boathouse. For many, it's a tradition to done at on every Orlando trip. Never been. It does look really cool from the outside.
There's also other family-friendly dining there. I think that's where T-Rex is. Imagine a mashup of Rainforest Cafe and Build-A-Bear with a dinosaur theme. Makes you a little mad you didn't think of it yourself, doesn't it?
There's also a couple of live entertainment theaters, like House Of Blues. (
Folks who wax nostalgic about Downtown Disney will mention Pleasure Island, a series of bats under one umbrella and cover charge that covered a wide range of music and scenes. I'm a little too old to hop into cyphers these days, but remember joining in one at the 80s bar way back when. Sadly, Pleasure Island is gone now.
There's a running gag in this thread about a Princess-themed strip club at Downtown Disney. It doesn't actually exist. It should. It would be a huge moneymaker. But it does not exist, and there are no plans to open one on Disney property.
We were unpleasantly surprised by the crowds. We managed but it was much busier this year than in the past this time of year (that we remembered).
:limbersup:
Big thing here is that they have included the PhotoPass downloads and blackout dates, plus different options for Florida residents
During Halloween season at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion is reworked to a "The Nightmare Before Christmas" theme. It's awesome.Space Mountain also gets a Halloween skin. Instead of stars and planets, it's skulls setting on fire and blowing up and ####. It's less successful.
And parking is going up from $17 to $20.
I have to say that is the most impressed I've ever been on a Disney ride. Just blew me away.
Thanks. I know you've posted it before but any other sage advice is welcomed.
Yea we did the dinner thing for WOC tonight. Heading to carthay soon. Probably will pass on the Ferris wheel. Never been a fan.
