Which ones?Amazing that we live 90 minutes away and go once a month and there are 4 places on yankee's list we haven't been to yet.
That June morning a few years back when my wife got up before sunrise to book the dining for TOAL I and locked in Christmas Morning breakfast inside Cinderella's Castle and Christmas Eve dinner at Ohana was a very happy day.That's my wife. Wake her up before her 8 hours and she will kill you with anything sharp in her presence, except when she has to be awake at 3:30 am to start the dining reservations.
Yes, and Cinderella and Step mother. The stepmother will try to marry off the stepsister to the guys in the room, young ones too.1900 park fairy is stepsisters and Prince Charming, yes?
Pretty damn good. Got 3/4 - been to Liberty Tree, haven't tried the Boathouse yet.1900
Olivia's
Liberty Tree
Askurshus
Olivia's is pretty solid. 1900 too.1900
Olivia's
Liberty Tree
Askurshus
My daughter was asked to dance by Prince Charming. Had fun thereYes, and Cinderella and Step mother. The stepmother will try to marry off the stepsister to the guys in the room, young ones too.
Hidden secret. If you have a daughter get there early before it opens. Have her dress up as Cinderella. The cast members choose one girl to open the place by saying bippity boppity boo by the door. And when she says it the door flies open and Cinderella is there to escorts her helper to their royal table.
If you have a young son have him bring a ring pop and propose to one of the sisters with it. It's hysterical.
Do the Boathouse. I think you would love it. Pro tip. Boathouse for dinner. Jellyrolls for some nightlife. Perfect married date night.Pretty damn good. Got 3/4 - been to Liberty Tree, haven't tried the Boathouse yet.
Awesome to hear that you had a good time. Bonus on getting the extra seats at Ohana. I know that was a concern of yours.Just got back today. Not that anyone probably wants my trip report, but for anyone who may be interested since this thread has helped me in the past.....
Background: Me (38), wife, 2 daughters (10, 9). Have been to MK and DHS several times but had not been to AK before and not to Epcot since like 1992.
Sunday:
Ohana. Great as usual. Were able to change from a party of 4 to a party of 6 when checking in. I could just sit and eat dumplings and bread pudding all night.
Monday: DHS
Highlights- Toy Story Mania; Fantasmic, Indiana Jones (have done all of these before)
Lowlights- N/A
Didn't get to do- Aerosmith Coaster (down half the day, huge wait the other half). Tower of terror (only because my wife/daughters want nothing to do with it)
Bottom line- this is a half day park right now that desperately needs its upcoming expansion. Will probably return to check it out but for now it's slim pickings, especially with the tiered fastpass system.
Tues/Thurs: MK
Highlights- 7 Dwarfs (love this ride, a good speed for all ages); Splash Mountain; Be Our Guest dinner (reeeeally impressed; what an atmosphere)
Lowlights- sucks being in this place between 11:00 and 6:00, basically. Stroller jail. Car to tram to monorail makes for a long entry. Also, are you telling me they couldn't get rid of Tom Sawyer Island and do something cool with it? Some others (Carousel of Progress, Swiss Family Robinson Tree; Tomorrowland Speedway) should be bulldozed as well. I rode Space Mountain for the first time in 25 years.....it was too much for me now. Too much being jerked around in the dark. My wife and 10 year old loved it though.
Didn't get to do- N/A. Two days and lots of fastpasses.
Bottom line- still has a few favorites and enough other rides still worth doing (Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Storytime w/Belle, Barnstormer) that it would be difficult to ever take this park out of the rotation.
Wed: Epcot
Highlights- Soarin. Might have been my favorite ride of the week. Very unique. Was pleasantly surprised with Frozen Ever After- we got there at rope drop to ensure we could ride it. Thought the Pixar movie shorts was well done.
Lowlights- Ellen's Energy Adventure? Journey into Imagination with Figment? Both were brutal, in my opinion. Ellen had seats for about 500 and there were only like 40 people in there.
Didn't get to do- Test Track (bad weather, long waits). Only saw a few minutes of Illuminations because it started pouring and my girls were freezing.
Bottom line- Enjoyed aspects of it; but may not be back. Whipped around the countries quick but maybe too fast to truly get much out of it. Wish Soarin was at a different park!
Friday: AK
Highlights- Safari; Lion King show; Everest (was a hair fast for me but I still enjoyed it; and it's a really unique and entertaining ride)
Lowlights- nothing really. Kali Rapids is a good ride that could have been great but we still rode it twice.
Didn't get to do- N/A
Bottom line- probably moved to our #2 park. Good mix of animals, shows & rides. Perfect amount to do in one day. Rivers of Light is the new nighttime show but it was not showing yesterday. Still enjoyed the Tree of Life mini-show thing.
Next trip- probably an MK day, an AK day, and maybe a DHS day depending on how the expansion looks. Didn't do Universal this year and have never done Universal IOA so may add at least of those in as well.
I caught about 10 minutes of it last weekend and was uninteresting as the first time I saw it.We've still never watched Avatar but I'll watch it before we head back in September. It never struck me as something I would enjoy but I'll give it a chance.
The food?When we go in September we are taking my FIL - it will be his first trip ever. He's somewhere around 58 and has already said he doesn't want to ride the roller coasters. I'm planning the trip around him and curious for input from you guys on can't miss attractions. Right now this is my lIst:
MK - Pirates, Hall of Presidents, Splash, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Train, COP and Tom Sawyer Island (probably Country Bears too)
AK - Safari, Train to conservatory, Lion King/Nemo shows, Avatar, Bird show
EP - World Showcase, Soarin, Test Track, Living with the Land, Aquarium, Spaceship Earth
HS - ToT, All the Star Wars stuff (he's a huge fan), TSM, muppets
All the nighttime shows and parades.
Plenty of breaks and dining.
Tell me what I'm missing.
Overall, you seem to have it covered GB.When we go in September we are taking my FIL - it will be his first trip ever. He's somewhere around 58 and has already said he doesn't want to ride the roller coasters. I'm planning the trip around him and curious for input from you guys on can't miss attractions. Right now this is my lIst:
MK - Pirates, Hall of Presidents, Splash, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Train, COP andTom SawyerIsland (probably Country Bears too)
Added: Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Riverboat, Mickey's Philharmagic, Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise. Removed TSI just b/c for a 58 year old man there is not much to do there but watch his grand kids run around (NTTAWWT).
AK - Safari, Train to conservatory, Lion King/Nemo shows, Avatar, Bird show
EP - World Showcase, Soarin, Test Track, Living with the Land, Aquarium, Spaceship Earth
HS - ToT, All the Star Wars stuff (he's a huge fan), TSM, muppets
Added: Indy Stunt Show, One Mans Dream
All the nighttime shows and parades.
Plenty of breaks and dining.
Tell me what I'm missing.
I always assumed this was a reaction to Harry Potter world.Its a great big beautiful tomorrow.......
Avatar was a movie you had to see in the movies to appreciate it. The story is nothing special. Its dances with wolves in space. But the 3d was insane for the time it came out. Ive only seen it once, in the theatres. But it was a great experience.
It struck me as very odd that disney would give an entire piece of land for its own thing. I could only imagine they didnt want universal to snatch it up.
A jungle book land would be much more awesome and Disney imo but who knew when that live adaptation came into the picture. That movie was super awesome. I can imagine a kaaa rollercoaster and a log flumey Baloo ride. Could have been great.
AAABatteries said:All the nighttime shows and parades.
Plenty of breaks and dining.
Tell me what I'm missing.
Oh, we got the food covered. It will be during Free Dining and during Food and Wine.Osaurus said:The food?
Here's a nice snapshot of restaurant costs to calculate their DDP value, might be helpful to see if you want to do a Dining Plan at all.Disney Dining Plans...anyone up for a cliff notes version on how best to leverage? Will not be in a park every day and do not want to plan the day around eating (the one thing I have heard about some of the plans).
Thanks Keith - I may ask him this week and see. If you are able to burn them I can buy some CDs and send to you.glvsav37 said:Overall, you seem to have it covered GB.
Not sure if he is into nostalgia or history, but I have some really good audio walking tours of the MK that he could listen to where he can get a nice base of the nuances in each of the lands. Then when he is there, he might notice some of the details a bit more and have an adult level of appreciation for it, over just being a theme park.
Yeah that was my initial take on it, too. After they dropped the ball on the HP theme park rights they were poised to snap up the next big "independent" movie theme park tie-in. Walking through Hogsmeade or especially Diagon Alley at UO, either or both of those would have fit in great at DHS.Capella said:I always assumed this was a reaction to Harry Potter world.
Based off the little we've seen I don't think you will need to have seen the movie to appreciate the land.
NP yes...they are a little old but they give a good overview of main st, liberty square and frontierland which have a good amount of history and thought behind them if you are looking for it.Thanks Keith - I may ask him this week and see. If you are able to burn them I can buy some CDs and send to you.
Are these the WDW Radio walking tours?
Good calls on these - when my son and I were discussing this we had mentioned Riverboat, Jungle Cruise and One Man's Dream - forgot about Tiki Room and Phillarmagic is always on our list so we should be good there.glvsav37 said:Added: Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Riverboat, Mickey's Philharmagic, Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise. Removed TSI just b/c for a 58 year old man there is not much to do there but watch his grand kids run around (NTTAWWT).
Added: Indy Stunt Show, One Mans Dream
The Indiana Jones Stunt Show has had several different closing dates announced, yet it keeps surviving the ax. Touring Plans (usually a solid source for stuff like this) doesn't have a closing date listed. IIRC, at one point there was the expectation that it would get shut down because part of Star Wars Land would be built on the site. But if that day is coming, it hasn't been announced yet.Good calls on these - when my son and I were discussing this we had mentioned Riverboat, Jungle Cruise and One Man's Dream - forgot about Tiki Room and Phillarmagic is always on our list so we should be good there.
Isn't the Stunt Show going away by September or do I have my dates wrong? He would love it if it's still around.
Monsters - hmm, probably put it on the list but won't be a must-see IMO
As for TSI - we already mentioned that to him and he seemed intrigued - I agree there's not much to do but it's a decent place to take a break and get some shade and eat a snack. Would be nice if there was easier access.
I'll add my 2 cents here.Disney Dining Plans...anyone up for a cliff notes version on how best to leverage? Will not be in a park every day and do not want to plan the day around eating (the one thing I have heard about some of the plans).
Just got to Disneyland today. Milled around downtown Disney...good call on security can't go through grand Californian like we used to but may just take the opportunity to just take the monorail into Disneyland then since we never do that.I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow.
Gonna do two DLR days, and do a side trip inland a bit to the Safari Park in Escondido run by the San Diego Zoo.
Curious to see if the crackdown on loitering Main Street for parade viewing is still going on. The Electrical Parade is back so that should be fun, though I am a fan of Paint The Night.
Looks coolSome interesting (and short) teaser video from the Pandora water ride.
https://mobile.twitter.com/visitpandora/status/837781023584845824/video/1
same stuff we have seen in the new commercial, just a little clearer.
Flight of Passage
Height Requirement: 44 inches tall
Age Interest: kids,tweens, teens, and adults
Official Description: “Get a banshee’s-eye view of the beauty and grandeur of Pandora on a rite of passage you won’t soon forget! Deep in the heart of the Valley of Mo’ara, discover Avatar Flight of Passage—an all-new expedition that lets interstellar explorers like you climb atop a mountain banshee for a breathtaking, first-person flight over the moon’s incredible landscape. Bonding with a mountain banshee is a crucial step in the life of a Na’vi hunter—and flying on the back of one of these powerful winged creatures represents an important rite of passage.Now, as a visitor to Pandora, you’ll finally have the chance to test yourself in a similar way!
FastPass+: yes
Navi River Journey
Height Requirement: none
Age Interest: everyone
Official Description: “Glide down a gentle, mysterious river and feel a sense of wonder as the full beauty of Pandora reveals itself. Located within the Valley of Mo’ara, Na’vi River Journey offers explorers an experience that has to be seen—and heard—to be believed! As your expedition begins, climb aboard a reed boat and drift downstream. After coasting through a series of caves, and passing by exotic glowing plants and amazing creatures of the rainforest, you’ll soon find yourself face-to-face with the Na’vi Shaman of Songs. The adventure comes to a conclusion as the Shaman demonstrates her deep connection to the life force of Pandora—and sends positive energy out into the forest through the power of her music!”
Thrill level: slow rides
FastPass+: yes
I'm curious about the last one, the Valley of Mo'ara. Interesting is they are considering this an 'attraction', but like with most of AK, there are plenty of walking paths and go-at-your-own-pace type of scenery. Very cool about the Wilderness explorers and curious about how they are going to work these in.Valley of Mo’ara
Height Requirement: none
Age interest : anyone
Official Description: “Walk about through the Valley of Mo’ara and get ready to discover a world like no other! There’s more to Pandora than expeditions like Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey… much more! All around its enormous floating mountains, you’ll quickly uncover the valley’s one-of-a-kind dining and shopping experiences—along with sights, sounds and experiences that include: Exotic plants that come to life with beautiful bioluminescence each night, A Na’vi-built drum circle containing instruments playable by all, Na’vi totems and other cultural items found throughout the land, Brand-new Wilderness Explorers challenges and badges to collect. You may even come across tour guides from Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE), scientists from the Pandora Conservation Initiative (PCI), or even an eclectic expat or two!