Disney Vacation (1 Viewer)

[B-Deep]

OK, may be covered, but Stroller rental

i have a special needs kid, 55 poundsish

we need a stroller for him, we need to invest in one but his umbrella stroller works for what we need around town, won;t cut it for disney

i see a lot of places renting jogger strollers that hol up to 75lbs

anyone use one of these places? any feedback?

 

[Godsbrother]

OK, may be covered, but Stroller rental

i have a special needs kid, 55 poundsish

we need a stroller for him, we need to invest in one but his umbrella stroller works for what we need around town, won;t cut it for disney

i see a lot of places renting jogger strollers that hol up to 75lbs

anyone use one of these places? any feedback?

Disney says their strollers hold up to 50 lbs which seems pretty close to what you need. $13/day

 

[kneeshooter]

OK, may be covered, but Stroller rental

i have a special needs kid, 55 poundsish

we need a stroller for him, we need to invest in one but his umbrella stroller works for what we need around town, won;t cut it for disney

i see a lot of places renting jogger strollers that hol up to 75lbs

anyone use one of these places? any feedback?

Disney says their strollers hold up to 50 lbs which seems pretty close to what you need. $13/day

Only problem with renting strollers in park is that you really need them outside the park as well. And it takes up valuable time to go rent one once you enter the park.

I rented through Orlando Stroller Rental. $75 for the week and they deliver/pick up. Couldn't have been easier.

 

[Godsbrother]

Anyone planning on going to Universal should know that they've just increased their admission prices as of May 17. You can still get 2012 discounted tickets at undercovertourist.com for a limited time.

Also, Disney normally increases their prices in early summer so you might want to buy now if you are planning a trip.

 

[AAABatteries]

OK, may be covered, but Stroller rental

i have a special needs kid, 55 poundsish

we need a stroller for him, we need to invest in one but his umbrella stroller works for what we need around town, won;t cut it for disney

i see a lot of places renting jogger strollers that hol up to 75lbs

anyone use one of these places? any feedback?

Disney says their strollers hold up to 50 lbs which seems pretty close to what you need. $13/day

Only problem with renting strollers in park is that you really need them outside the park as well. And it takes up valuable time to go rent one once you enter the park.

I rented through Orlando Stroller Rental. $75 for the week and they deliver/pick up. Couldn't have been easier.

We always do the same - we usually get a double stroller as 2 of our 4 were always the size to ride. I'm thinking the next time we go we may get a single or not even get one.

 

[AAABatteries]

As for park hopper - I'm with Stu on this one, we've never gotten them and it was never a problem. This year, we splurged on season passes so we can "hop" and during our last trip we did do that. Where I see it being a benefit is when parks close at different times. If AK is closing at 7 and you still want to go do something else you can head over to MK for fireworks/parade or go watch Fantasmic or IllumiNations. You could close out 3 parks in one day if you are so inclined.

I still owe a writeup from our trip in April - been too busy to write it out but will try and get to it soon. We should (hopefully) be getting our MagicBands in a couple months.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I'll be at Disneyland friday. If you want to hang out meet me in front of the castle at 10am. I'll be wearing a hat.

 

[Snotbubbles]

40 days and I'll be in Orlando.

 

[soothsayer]

Heading to WDW in October for a Cruise/Parks combo trip. We typically stay DVC at OKW or AK, but this time we are staying "off-site" at the Wyndham Bonnett Creek Resort renting through an owner. Does anyone here have expeirence at the Wyndham Bonnett Creek?

 

[Plaid Boxer]

Heading to WDW in October for a Cruise/Parks combo trip. We typically stay DVC at OKW or AK, but this time we are staying "off-site" at the Wyndham Bonnett Creek Resort renting through an owner. Does anyone here have expeirence at the Wyndham Bonnett Creek?

Yes, it was discussed a couple pages back. We have stayed there twice in the past 2 years for 8 nights each in a 2 bedroom. We love it, the kids like having choices in which pool to use, we love the separate bedroom and bath, full kitchen and the outdoor sitting area. Your own laundry in each room and we like to use a rental car, very close to all the parks.

 

[cstu]

I'll be at Disneyland friday. If you want to hang out meet me in front of the castle at 10am. I'll be wearing a hat.

Just missed you, was there yesterday.

BTW, did you mean to go there on the day it's open 24 hours straight? People were camping outside waiting for it to open...

Homer would have loved last night - high school graduation night and open until 3 am.

 

[cstu]

I'm not sure I understand the theory behind choosing a 5 day hopper at $325 over a 7 day non-hopper at $288. Little help?

Park hoppers allow you to jump from one park to another on the same day. Many people consider certain parks to be 1/2 day parks so they can hit, say the Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios in the morning and then hop over to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom for the evening. It also comes in handy if you encounter a park that is really crowded -- you can hop over to another park that is less crowded. It also allows you a lot more flexibility in dining. With a park hopper you are stuck in one park for the day -- even if you've done everything that you want in that park.

To many people 7 full days of theme parking is pretty exhausting anyway. It is much more relaxing to have a couple rest days during your stay where you can enjoy the amenities of the resort, take in Downtown Disney, golf, etc. In these cases a park hopper allows you hit multiple parks in one day, spending as much or as little time in each as you want.

Given a choice of 7 days/1 park vs 5 days/go to any park anytime & have 2 days away from the parks, I would choose the 5-day hopper every time. It is a personal preference though...

Agreed. My personal preference is to get the 7-day and take one or two (or more) afternoons off. At first I thought it would be too restrictive on dining, but with all the good options at resorts that didn't end up being a problem.

The last time I did the park hopper, I probably didn't hop until the last day. It was nice to hit a few scattered attractions we missed or wanted to repeat but didn't seem to be worth the extra price.

I may be in the minority though, as I don't really consider any of them to be "half day parks". I could see finishing AK and hopping to Epcot or MK for the evening, but I prefer to schedule a nice, leisurely dinner that evening instead. Then start fresh the next morning.

Like you said, personal preference...

I was at Disneyland from 9am to 9pm and I have no idea how people find this enjoyable while keeping a small child entertained and rested. After about 5 hours I was pretty tired of Disneyland but my daughter was excited about going on the ferris wheel at California Adventure (where she proceeded to get scared...) so we spent the afternoon of there.

 

[The Ref]

For what it's worth I hated port Orleans riverside. they put us as far away from the front as possible and it took 10 min to walk there. If you stay, make sure you have a room up front.

 

[Premier]

Some 24 hour disney voyeurism:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/monstrous-summer-all-nighter-livestream/

 

[cstu]

Some 24 hour disney voyeurism:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/monstrous-summer-all-nighter-livestream/

Yeah, umm...so what's with all the extremely fat people at Disney?

 

[Premier]

Some 24 hour disney voyeurism:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/monstrous-summer-all-nighter-livestream/

Yeah, umm...so what's with all the extremely fat people at Disney?

They love it. Bumping into people with their ####ing scooters.

 

[cstu]

Some 24 hour disney voyeurism:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/monstrous-summer-all-nighter-livestream/

Yeah, umm...so what's with all the extremely fat people at Disney?

They love it. Bumping into people with their ####ing scooters.

On that subject...my daughter who has a tendency to run off slipped out of hand and ran about 10 feet away. After I grabbed her some beast on a scooter glared out me at told me to watch my kid. Literally everything I could do not to go MOP on her.

 

[Prince Myshkin]

i've noticed Expedia and Priceline have rooms at Disney resorts for quite a bit cheaper than the disney site. Anybody go this route?

 

[steelerfeever]

We are planning our first trip to WDW for 2014. I’ve spent a couple hours going through this thread, thanks for all of the great tips everyone. We don’t get to do a whole lot of family vacations, so we want to do this one right and try to make it as stress-free (ha!) as possible. Thus, we will definitely be lodging in the park. To that end, what do you folks recommend for a “moderate resort”? Looks like there are 4 choices there: Caribbean Beach resort, Coronado Springs resort, Port Orleans- French Quarter, and Port Orleans- Riverside. The main things we are considering is ease of transportation and as kid friendly as possible (not that it should be a problem at Disney). Does anyone have an opinion on how easy it is to get around from these moderate resorts? We may consider going up to a Deluxe resort for the monorail if it will save us significant time/headache, but maybe it isn’t necessary? It is more important to me that we spend less time trying to get around then sitting on buses, etc., but if there isn’t a huge difference I wouldn’t mind saving a little money there. Age of the kids at the time of the trip will be 10 and 5. It is likely that we will have to go at some point around President’s Day (which falls on Feb. 17, 2014) due to work/school issues. From the crowd calendars, this looks like a pretty ugly week, but there’s not much we can do about that. We are considering doing the Disney Cruise/Park combo. Has anyone done this before? Basically it is 3 days cruise, 4 days in the parks, or vice versa. The parks we want to hit will be WDW (probably 2 days) and Epcot and/or Hollywood Studios (probably a day each, depending on how many days we are at the parks vs. on the water). I will need to go through a travel agent to get it figured out, and I think I will start with Mr. Ected’s recommendation of “Small World Vacations”. We will definitely do dining reservations around the 180 day mark so we are sure that we can get the restaurants we want.

October 2012... my wife and I took our 5 and 3 year old on a cruise/WDW trip. 2 days before at Animal Kingdom Lodge, followed by 7 day Disney Fantasy cruise to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Castaway Cay, then 2 days back at the park staying at the Value hotel Art of Animation (also on Disney property). If I had to do it again, I would've done 2 days at Art of Animation to begin followed by the cruise and went home after the cruise. Art of Animation was just totally remodeled. We stayed in a killer Cars suite. Pools were great. Check out the site. It may be a "value" property, but it's still pretty pricey and everything was very well done. My kids friggin' loved it. The cruise was our best trip ever, and we travel a lot. We loved it so much we booked the exact same cruise for October 2014. I love the cruise better than the parks because the lines for the character meet and greets are next to nothing and you have 3-5 daily options to meet them. You want to meet Snow White? Great, 5pm at the mezzonine today. The lines at WDW are ridiculous. By Day 3 on the cruise the kids met every single character and were over it. Hell, the characters came into the Kids Club and played and danced with them. Everything about the Disney Fantasy was amazing. In one of the restaurants (it is rotation dining you keep the same server all week)... I kid you not Crush from Finding Nemo comes out and has a real conversation with the guests. Just so much to do on that ship. Good luck.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

For what it's worth I hated port Orleans riverside. they put us as far away from the front as possible and it took 10 min to walk there. If you stay, make sure you have a room up front.

If you have a car with you, Riverside is great. You can park really close to your room, and driving to Epcot, DHS, AK is as fast or faster than the buses. (Bus to MK is still better because it bypasses TTC). Because of the many little buildings layout, you don't get much foot traffic past your door, especially early in the morning or late at night.I can see how the Riverside layout would be a pain if you don't have a car or don't want to drive while on a resort vacation. Walking 10 minutes to the restaurant may be the same time as walking to and waiting for the elevators at the big buildings, but it is more walking, and there is plenty of walking at the parks.I think one way to get a little closer to the central section of the resort is to ask for amenities that aren't in all of the buildings, like a trundle bed.

 

[The Ref]

For what it's worth I hated port Orleans riverside. they put us as far away from the front as possible and it took 10 min to walk there. If you stay, make sure you have a room up front.

If you have a car with you, Riverside is great. You can park really close to your room, and driving to Epcot, DHS, AK is as fast or faster than the buses. (Bus to MK is still better because it bypasses TTC). Because of the many little buildings layout, you don't get much foot traffic past your door, especially early in the morning or late at night.I can see how the Riverside layout would be a pain if you don't have a car or don't want to drive while on a resort vacation. Walking 10 minutes to the restaurant may be the same time as walking to and waiting for the elevators at the big buildings, but it is more walking, and there is plenty of walking at the parks.I think one way to get a little closer to the central section of the resort is to ask for amenities that aren't in all of the buildings, like a trundle bed.

I agree with all of this. If I wanted to drive this would be a much better resort choice. My only thing is if I'm going to drive I'm staying off property. When I stay on property I'm paying a little more or giving up some extras in order to be on the transportation system..... again just my personal opinion.

 

[parasaurolophus]

For what it's worth I hated port Orleans riverside. they put us as far away from the front as possible and it took 10 min to walk there. If you stay, make sure you have a room up front.

If you have a car with you, Riverside is great. You can park really close to your room, and driving to Epcot, DHS, AK is as fast or faster than the buses. (Bus to MK is still better because it bypasses TTC). Because of the many little buildings layout, you don't get much foot traffic past your door, especially early in the morning or late at night.I can see how the Riverside layout would be a pain if you don't have a car or don't want to drive while on a resort vacation. Walking 10 minutes to the restaurant may be the same time as walking to and waiting for the elevators at the big buildings, but it is more walking, and there is plenty of walking at the parks.I think one way to get a little closer to the central section of the resort is to ask for amenities that aren't in all of the buildings, like a trundle bed.

I agree with all of this. If I wanted to drive this would be a much better resort choice. My only thing is if I'm going to drive I'm staying off property. When I stay on property I'm paying a little more or giving up some extras in order to be on the transportation system..... again just my personal opinion.

We loved riverside when we went in November. I agree it is big and there is lots of walking, but we kind of like that. We also liked that they had Abita on tap. French Quarter was an easy walk and the sprawling grounds are gorgeous.

 

[The Commish]

Some 24 hour disney voyeurism:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/monstrous-summer-all-nighter-livestream/

Yeah, umm...so what's with all the extremely fat people at Disney?

They love it. Bumping into people with their ####ing scooters.

On that subject...my daughter who has a tendency to run off slipped out of hand and ran about 10 feet away. After I grabbed her some beast on a scooter glared out me at told me to watch my kid. Literally everything I could do not to go MOP on her.

I'd have said something.....can't handle those people.

 

[Godsbrother]

i've noticed Expedia and Priceline have rooms at Disney resorts for quite a bit cheaper than the disney site. Anybody go this route?

Nothing wrong going that route, just make sure you compare it to whatever promotion Disney is currently offering (Free dining, extra nights, etc.). In other words compare the total package. You can also get good deals going through AAA or travel agents that specialize in Disney.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

For what it's worth I hated port Orleans riverside. they put us as far away from the front as possible and it took 10 min to walk there. If you stay, make sure you have a room up front.

If you have a car with you, Riverside is great. You can park really close to your room, and driving to Epcot, DHS, AK is as fast or faster than the buses. (Bus to MK is still better because it bypasses TTC). Because of the many little buildings layout, you don't get much foot traffic past your door, especially early in the morning or late at night.I can see how the Riverside layout would be a pain if you don't have a car or don't want to drive while on a resort vacation. Walking 10 minutes to the restaurant may be the same time as walking to and waiting for the elevators at the big buildings, but it is more walking, and there is plenty of walking at the parks.I think one way to get a little closer to the central section of the resort is to ask for amenities that aren't in all of the buildings, like a trundle bed.

I agree with all of this. If I wanted to drive this would be a much better resort choice. My only thing is if I'm going to drive I'm staying off property. When I stay on property I'm paying a little more or giving up some extras in order to be on the transportation system..... again just my personal opinion.

Valid opinion, and I understand your frustration. When we stayed at Riverside, we drove to Orlando for a long stay that also included days at Universal and Sea World, so we knew we'd have a car with us, and driving to the theme park in the morning was part of the ritual. I didn't care for driving to breakfast at the on-site QSR. there were a couple mornings where I was volunteered to go pick up an assortment of bagels and muffins at the QSR to eat back at the room.

When we went to Disneyland last fall, we stayed at the Disneyland hotel and didn't visit any off-brand parks. It was nice not having to drive while on vacation; we flew to Orange County, and cabbed it to/from the hotel.

 

[schlesinj]

What is the latest you guys booked a trip? We would love to go with a family of 6 in mid October. Has anyone done that late with DVCrental.com?

 

[Battles]

What is the latest you guys booked a trip? We would love to go with a family of 6 in mid October. Has anyone done that late with DVCrental.com?

You're not really late. Non-home dvc resort reservations are allowed to be made 7 months in advance. There shouldn't be any problem, but I don't have experience with renting points. I would say 3 months out would be the minimum I'd want to do, but that really depends on your dining reservation needs and accommodation specifics.

 

[sartre]

What is the latest you guys booked a trip? We would love to go with a family of 6 in mid October. Has anyone done that late with DVCrental.com?

I just returned from a trip we booked through dvcrental. It was pretty last minute, pretty sure my wife made the reservations in March (for mid-May).

To answer your question, it depends on which resort you want. Our choices were very limited. My wife wanted to try the Bay Lake tower but that was unavailable. Saratoga Springs (which we booked) I think can be obtained on just a few weeks notice. Probably depends on the season as well.

 

[sartre]

OK, may be covered, but Stroller rental

i have a special needs kid, 55 poundsish

we need a stroller for him, we need to invest in one but his umbrella stroller works for what we need around town, won;t cut it for disney

i see a lot of places renting jogger strollers that hol up to 75lbs

anyone use one of these places? any feedback?

Depending on how many days you are staying, it might be better to buy online and have shipped directly to your room.

We did this, $30 on Amazon and it was there before we arrived. Of course we only needed a basic umbrella stroller.

 

[sartre]

Someone talk to me about the PhotoPass or PhotoCD. Wife said she heard it's $100 if you order before you go, or $150 when you get there. Give me the scoop, including if it's worth it and how to maximize it if I do it. We're going with another family, is it possible to share one "pass" between two families?

Tons of people share the thing. There are message boards where 5-7 families will all share the pass and then split the cost.

My wife likes to take pictures, so I don't see how we can get away without taking the camera. Leaving it behind would be a huge advantage, though, IMO. This blog post has me leaning against it, since we don't have any character meals and both families oldest is 3 1/2, so we won't have many ride photos. If we have our own camera, the rest of the photos can be taken with our own camera, I'm figuring....Thanks, by the way. Your input helps.

I've done a couple Photo Pass Shares and they have worked out great. You can find someone to share the Photo Pass with by going to facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/78167743594/?ref=ts&fref=ts

There are a lot of people looking to make groups of 4-6 people to split the cost. It works out great for us. We don't do the character meals but still get a lot of pictures with characters and pictures in front of the Castle etc using the Photo Pass photographers. I also bring my camera but it's nice to be in the pictures with the rest of the family. I always tell the photographer that we have pre purchased the CD so take a lot of pictures. Once the pictures are downloaded to their website you can edit them and add boarders and special characters and labels. After editing I ended up with over 400 pics last time we went. Well worth the $26.00 it cost me.

I just got back from DW and wish I had known about the Photopass sharing groups.

We decided to try photopass this year because I did not want to lug around my expensive camera and have to worry about it getting wet/stolen/dropped whatever.

We really liked it. The price is hefty if you go alone -- $170 after your trip or $120 if you prepay (we did).

One tip -- if you prepay and intend to maximize usage, make sure you keep track of all your shoots. It turned out Disney omitted 4 shoots (out of 25 or so for us). We almost didn't notice. We contacted them and they found the shots, so all is good.

 

[AcerFC]

Someone talk to me about the PhotoPass or PhotoCD. Wife said she heard it's $100 if you order before you go, or $150 when you get there. Give me the scoop, including if it's worth it and how to maximize it if I do it. We're going with another family, is it possible to share one "pass" between two families?

Tons of people share the thing. There are message boards where 5-7 families will all share the pass and then split the cost.

My wife likes to take pictures, so I don't see how we can get away without taking the camera. Leaving it behind would be a huge advantage, though, IMO. This blog post has me leaning against it, since we don't have any character meals and both families oldest is 3 1/2, so we won't have many ride photos. If we have our own camera, the rest of the photos can be taken with our own camera, I'm figuring....Thanks, by the way. Your input helps.

I've done a couple Photo Pass Shares and they have worked out great. You can find someone to share the Photo Pass with by going to facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/78167743594/?ref=ts&fref=ts

There are a lot of people looking to make groups of 4-6 people to split the cost. It works out great for us. We don't do the character meals but still get a lot of pictures with characters and pictures in front of the Castle etc using the Photo Pass photographers. I also bring my camera but it's nice to be in the pictures with the rest of the family. I always tell the photographer that we have pre purchased the CD so take a lot of pictures. Once the pictures are downloaded to their website you can edit them and add boarders and special characters and labels. After editing I ended up with over 400 pics last time we went. Well worth the $26.00 it cost me.

I just got back from DW and wish I had known about the Photopass sharing groups.

We decided to try photopass this year because I did not want to lug around my expensive camera and have to worry about it getting wet/stolen/dropped whatever.

We really liked it. The price is hefty if you go alone -- $170 after your trip or $120 if you prepay (we did).

One tip -- if you prepay and intend to maximize usage, make sure you keep track of all your shoots. It turned out Disney omitted 4 shoots (out of 25 or so for us). We almost didn't notice. We contacted them and they found the shots, so all is good.

They will also have shots from people not in your group so you have to watch out for that

 

[snogger]

Just saw this article about Disney Magicbands..

Aside from entry into the theme parks and resort hotels, guests will also have the option to connect other services to the device using the revamped My Disney Experience website. This includes FastPass+ reservations (a service that helps reduce the time you wait in line for rides and allows you to reserve seats for fireworks and parade viewing, shows and character greetings) and accessing photos taken by Disney photographers.

 

[Godsbrother]

Just saw this article about Disney Magicbands..

Aside from entry into the theme parks and resort hotels, guests will also have the option to connect other services to the device using the revamped My Disney Experience website. This includes FastPass+ reservations (a service that helps reduce the time you wait in line for rides and allows you to reserve seats for fireworks and parade viewing, shows and character greetings) and accessing photos taken by Disney photographers.

Some people love the idea of FastPass reservations and others hate it, saying that Disney is taking all of the spontaneity out of your vacation. I am taking a wait and see approach but on the surface I like it.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Well the good news is that it just got expensiver.

 

[Godsbrother]

Well the good news is that it just got expensiver.

If only someone would have warned us!

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=217533&p=15590116

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Still worth it.

 

[The Ref]

Still worth it.

I really like Disney world. That said I'm happy I'm a resident. Id never go as much as you guys do if I live out of state. The money they get is crazy.

 

[glvsav37]

FYI: If anyone is going to be there in august, the Wishes Dessert Party @ MK reservations are open. It fills up fast so get it quick.

Dessert party info

 

[glvsav37]

On the Magic Band stuff

Yes, I'm one of those who agree that they are taking a lot of 'spontaneous' nature of vacationing out of it. it kills me having to make decisions on what I want to eat 180 days out is too much. now adding attractions to this, geeze, if I wanted to keep a schedule, I'd stay at work. But I also understand that the crowds can make it so difficult to just show up without some plans in place already.

That said, the MB concept is amazing. In addition to the items above, there is talk that certain characters will be able to greet your kids by name—they are even experimenting with a talking Mickey Mouse (not pre recorded, but someone in the costume that can control the voice, like the Turtle Talk or Monsters Laugh Floor attractions). Also, you will be able to create a Small World doll online at home, link it to your band, an it will appear digitally when you ride. Things like this will be amazing and limitless for the experience.

The big question is $$$. I know the MBs are included with your ticket purchase, but I strongly feel there will be a lot of al la carte add on's that you will be able to add to the bands. for example:

Guests staying at a Deluxe resort get X amount of extra FPs on their bands

For $X you can get in a VIP area for parades

etc.

 

[FBGirl79]

Just left Ohana...probably the best meal we have had yet. Food was hot, cooked perfectly and service was top notch. And the bread pudding.. well...perfect as always! Ready for Star Wars Weekend tomorrow!

 

[snogger]

Just left Ohana...probably the best meal we have had yet. Food was hot, cooked perfectly and service was top notch. And the bread pudding.. well...perfect as always! Ready for Star Wars Weekend tomorrow!

Saw your looks like you are making the best of weather.. keep posting so I can make my wife want to head back down again

 

[DrJ]

What is the latest you guys booked a trip? We would love to go with a family of 6 in mid October. Has anyone done that late with DVCrental.com?

Booked a trip for this past Friday through this coming Wednesday about 2 weeks ago. I didn't have to worry about dinner reservations and all that, we typically aren't all that into that stuff. Has worked out well - we would find it super annoying running this thing around meal schedules. We just went straight through Disney, probably not the cheapest option but it didn't seem all that bad compared to the other stuff out there, especially if you stay at one of the value resorts which has been perfect for us. Kids don't need some fancy hotel with a lobby, they prefer seeing lizards right off the front porch all day long.Thanks to all of the people that recommended a day of rest in the middle. We checked in super early the 1st day (our room was ready at 5 AM despite it saying 8 AM was the earliest) and hit some parks that day so we'd have a day to relax in the middle. And boy do we need it. We'll be hanging by the pool and catching lizards today.Kids have loved this so far. Only line we've had to wait in was for the bus last night. Trying to hit the extended magic hours at MK was a mistake - fast passes are gone and there's still a ton of people there. Was way better when we went during Saturday's rain. We've hit a park in the morning come back to hotel for a couple hours to recharge and then go back to close out a different one. Except yesterday where we did 3 trying to do the MK extended hours. Seems like we avoid the peak crowds pretty well, it's really busy wherever we are by the time we leave but not as busy when we arrive at a new place. Water parks have been the biggest hit so far, especially Blizzard Beach.

 

[Premier]

Sounds like a Star Wars land and Cars Land is about to come to DHS. About time if true. You can presently do that park in about 3 hours:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201306/3524/

 

[AcerFC]

Sounds like a Star Wars land and Cars Land is about to come to DHS. About time if true. You can presently do that park in about 3 hours:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201306/3524/

inevitable and will make HS a lot better.

 

[AAABatteries]

Wow - very cool. Although 2018 sounds so far away. Also, by then my youngest (of four) will be 10 so we probably will spend more time at Universal by then.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Wife and I passed right of first refusalfor our dvc offer. So I guess we are offically owners of 170 points

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Sounds like a Star Wars land and Cars Land is about to come to DHS. About time if true. You can presently do that park in about 3 hours:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201306/3524/

It's true. Disney transferred the person who ran the day-to-day construction of Cars Land in DCA to Orlando for the project. Lassiter is protective of Cars Land and DCA, but the 4-5 year window before Cars Land was duplicated in WDW seemed about right.

Cars is in my bottom tier of Pixar favorites, yet Cars Land I still found amazing. You really do feel like you've been transported to Radiator Springs. Radiator Springs Racers is one of favorite rides in all of the Disney universe.

I like DHS a bit more than most: I could spend three hours on just the right side of the park. That said, there's a lot of dead real estate between Star Tours and Pixar that can be repurposed for Cars Land and Star Wars stuff: the car stunt show is expensive for such a limited appeal, and the backlot tour is a dud. There's a couple other attractions that few would miss near there, too: the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground goes unused by most parkgoers, the Muppetvision show has run its course, the Indiana Jones show frequently get shut down to run other events in the space, and even the American Idol theater will be stale during this makeover window.

The food choices in DCA Cars Land are fun: the food at Flo's was actually pretty good, and the "anything and everything in a cone" concept of Cozy Cone is wonderfully Disney if a bit impractical. I'd like to see DHS install an immersive Star Wars restaurant, like a Mos Eisley Cantina or a Bespin dining hall.

 

[Premier]

Sounds like a Star Wars land and Cars Land is about to come to DHS. About time if true. You can presently do that park in about 3 hours:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201306/3524/

It's true. Disney transferred the person who ran the day-to-day construction of Cars Land in DCA to Orlando for the project. Lassiter is protective of Cars Land and DCA, but the 4-5 year window before Cars Land was duplicated in WDW seemed about right.

Cars is in my bottom tier of Pixar favorites, yet Cars Land I still found amazing. You really do feel like you've been transported to Radiator Springs. Radiator Springs Racers is one of favorite rides in all of the Disney universe.

I like DHS a bit more than most: I could spend three hours on just the right side of the park. That said, there's a lot of dead real estate between Star Tours and Pixar that can be repurposed for Cars Land and Star Wars stuff: the car stunt show is expensive for such a limited appeal, and the backlot tour is a dud. There's a couple other attractions that few would miss near there, too: the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground goes unused by most parkgoers, the Muppetvision show has run its course, the Indiana Jones show frequently get shut down to run other events in the space, and even the American Idol theater will be stale during this makeover window.

The food choices in DCA Cars Land are fun: the food at Flo's was actually pretty good, and the "anything and everything in a cone" concept of Cozy Cone is wonderfully Disney if a bit impractical. I'd like to see DHS install an immersive Star Wars restaurant, like a Mos Eisley Cantina or a Bespin dining hall.

I like DHS; it's just that my fiancée won't ride ToT or RnRC with me so I am either going solo or skipping it. Then Toy Story has a 3 hour wait. Hopefully they bulldoze American Idol. I can't imagine a bigger waste of valuable space in any theme park in America.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

I like DHS; it's just that my fiancée won't ride ToT or RnRC with me so I am either going solo or skipping it. Then Toy Story has a 3 hour wait.

It's bizarre. DCA has to be the most underrated of the Disney Parks. When we went there last September, the bumrush was to Cars Land, especially Radiator Springs Racers. The rest of the park had almost no lines anywhere else. We walked right on to Toy Story Mania twice. The wait for Soarin' was shorter than the FastPass Return time, so we grabbed FastPasses, went through the regular queue, then our FastPasses were live. Tower of Terror never had more than a "13" minute wait (a cast member told us if the wait is 15 minutes or less, they post a 13-minute wait time to tie in with the 13 theme of the ride). We walked right on to the Little Mermaid dark ride during the day and at night, the same one featured in the Fantasyland expansion. Even California Screamin', their wooden rollercoaster in the pier where you do a loop around a big portrait of Mickey, never was worse than 25-30 minutes. Heck, one morning at park opening when Cars Land was packed, we did almost all the rides on the pier in about 90 minutes, including CS three times. And to top it off, the World Of Color show that closes the park is better than Fantasmic. It made me want to recommend DCA to anyone who ever called DHS/AK/EPCOT half-day parks.

Hopefully they bulldoze American Idol. I can't imagine a bigger waste of valuable space in any theme park in America.

When AI ruled the world, I understand why DHS wanted to latch on. But it doesn't make sense anymore. Why give FOX a year-around advertisement for a fading franchise right next to the Sorcerer's Hat, complete with blaring audio to remind you of it even when you can't see it?

Maybe DHS plays better for folks not in as much of a hurry, like season pass holders. When we went for TOAL, we had multiple days at DHS, so we were comfortable going to, say, the animation building for a couple hours to meet Sorcerer Mickey and take a couple drawing classes. If I only had one day at DHS and didn't know when I would make it back, it would feel risky committing that much time to passive activities. I'd probably spend that time running back and forth collecting FPs for Aerosmith, ToT, and Star Tours.

 

[AcerFC]

Im going to california adventure in about a month. Really hoping the crowds are thinned for cars land a bit. I thought that staying on site, you got to go in an hour early. But I just double checked and it looks like you only get in an hour early for fantasyland. Oh well, we will be one of those racing to cars land to get it done. But the parks are open to 10 and 12 so Im sure we will get it in using fast pass and trying to be smart.