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Disney Vacation (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
Capella
Footballguy
You going this year?
I forgot to mention the outfits people wear is a big check mark in why to go. People really put effort into it. Met Hag last year for a minute and he was a dead ringer for Wreck it Ralph. My kid peed on me 35 seconds after we met so I went and bought a Ralph shirt in his honor to change into.
wlwiles
Footballguy
When I was there in May we saw a lady absolutely break down bawling at the FP desk at 7DMT. We were in standby, it was ~9 AM, and the cast member informed her that among her family of about 8 people, half had FPs for 9 AM, the other half had them for 9 PM. She was trying to explain how this was their first time to ever go to WDW, the FP booking system wouldn't let her group all of them together to make FP arrangements bc the website was glitchy that day, so she had to make two small groups and basically make all FP reservations twice, and it was confusing, and she didn't know how to maneuver the website, and on and on... I genuinely felt bad for her, it appeared she had made an honest mistake. Made me realize how lucky we were that we never had to plan our first couple trips, how difficult doing WDW is now for first-timers
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doowain
Footballguy
glvsav37
Footballguy
We did it for the 1st time last year. Its been a bucket list item for me but mainly b/c I love Halloween and we can normally only go in the summer.Psychopav said:
as others have said, its cool, but tends to be oversold and like most things WDW, you really need to plan, which was normally the big draw of these events.
The costumes are awesome, some people go all out.
Youll see characters at the parties that you cant see normally, Jack and Sally from Nightmare before Christmas and all 7 dwarfs in one shot. But those lines tend to be long and people will plan 1 party to meet characters and another to do other events, most people don't have that time to do 2 parties.
If you want candy, they give it to you—a lot of it. We left with bag fulls of it, so much my kids couldn't carry it at the end of the night.
The parade is great. One of my top 3 all time. The music is great, sticks in your head, and the headless horseman is a nice touch.
The stage show is fun too, again, something you cant see just any day.
They changed and added a few things this year. I've heard they really went crazy with the new fireworks and castle show. Overall, I say do it if you can just for the experience.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Speaking of costumes...
I saw a lot of women really pushing the boundaries of the rules on the no disney costumes on adults. So they werent wearing halloween costumes, but they were certainly doing everything they could to find actual clothes for sale that basically match up perfectly.
I saw a lot of women really pushing the boundaries of the rules on the no disney costumes on adults. So they werent wearing halloween costumes, but they were certainly doing everything they could to find actual clothes for sale that basically match up perfectly.
Psychopav
Help us, Joebi-Wan Brynobi, you're our only ho
Thanks for the responses, I think I'd have a steep uphill climb to convince the wife not to do it, so Mickey's party is likely in the cards for us. On the very last night, in fact (11/1).
New topic: where can I get the best deal on park tickets (with no other requirements, we're staying off propoerty). Are cheap tickets available anywhere? We're doing 2 days at WDW (MK on 11/1 and Hollywood Studios on either 11/2 or 11/4) and Universal 1 day...
New topic: where can I get the best deal on park tickets (with no other requirements, we're staying off propoerty). Are cheap tickets available anywhere? We're doing 2 days at WDW (MK on 11/1 and Hollywood Studios on either 11/2 or 11/4) and Universal 1 day...
Shaft41
Footballguy
Undercover Tourist usually has them at a slight discount. We bought them there for our last trip. Not sure how much savings you'll get on only 2 days though.
Psychopav
Help us, Joebi-Wan Brynobi, you're our only ho
Thanks, we looked at them yesterday. AAA has the best discount so far, and it looks like it needs to be 3+ days wherever we go in order to get a discount.
I was hoping when I read what Cappy said about attendance being down that we might be able to get tickets at a discount as a result. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!
glvsav37
Footballguy
shocking::not
I'm guessing Avery Desmond-Edwinn Robinson is the big dude in the red shirt, who at the time was "ready to go to jail to'night" looks like he may get his wish.
more in the article.
I'm guessing Avery Desmond-Edwinn Robinson is the big dude in the red shirt, who at the time was "ready to go to jail to'night" looks like he may get his wish.
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Don Quixote
Footballguy
Thinking of Disneyland next year — my son is pretty obsessed with the movie “Cars,” so want to hit “Cars Land” in particular. And I’ve never been to LA, so maybe can combine that with a few days checking out the area (probably about a week total between DisneyLand/LA).
How much time would be needed for Disneyland? It seems like 5 day passes are the best deal, but I know it is smaller than Disney World with all of its different kingdoms and parks, so that may be a bit much.
How much time would be needed for Disneyland? It seems like 5 day passes are the best deal, but I know it is smaller than Disney World with all of its different kingdoms and parks, so that may be a bit much.
My wife and I went in late June this year, no kids. We don't do a lot of the of the high demand attractions (didn't do Cars Land at all) and we used the MaxPass a few days which greatly cut down on wait times. We didn't do rope drop or rush to the parks in the morning. Given all of that, 2 days was enough time for us to do pretty much everything we wanted but we actually spent 4 days because we spent a half of 2 different days in Galaxy's Edge. I'd say with kids and spending most of a day in Galaxy's Edge, you're looking at 3 or 4 days. You could probably do it in 3 if you rope drop, use MaxPass and don't spend as much time in Galaxy's Edge.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
I hate paper straws. I hate that at plenty of the places you have to ask for a straw and that they don't have lids available. If I am going to pay 3.99 for a soda I don't want to have to worry about some stupid scooter running me over and causing me to spill it. If disney really cared about the environment they wouldn't have such crappy tasting water so that people didnt have to buy bottled water.
glvsav37
Footballguy
They don’t care about the environment
they care about straw people attacking them for not switching and saving $.0001 on each cup without a cover...plus the time to have an CM put it on.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Well the time savings is out the window at plenty of places. I never saw a single person not ask for a straw. Most people also asked for lids. Straws used to just be available to grab.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Ill just leave this here.......
https://piratesandprincesses.net/disney-parks-attendance-slump-2019/amp/
https://piratesandprincesses.net/disney-parks-attendance-slump-2019/amp/
glvsav37
Footballguy
he's not wrong.
side note, they are a really good podcast (dis unplugged), they are in my weekly 'must listen' rotation. Def not a pixie dust-type podcast. Pete tells it straight.
Capella
Footballguy
Redwes25
Footballguy
There has to be a limit on cost. Disney is a middle class vacation and the way they price it (especially the hotels) they think it is some luxury trip. I know you are paying for location but the service, food and rooms are way below what they are charging for.
glvsav37
Footballguy
New ride vehicles for the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster were shown. There are 2 cars per vehicle that have the ability to rotate to focus your attention and/or change your direction (figuratively). They announced that this coaster will have a 'backwards launch' which i guess means that the actual vehicle will be going in the same direction, but the cars will rotate so you are facing backwards.
the cars are nice, but notice that there is no shoulder harness, so I'm not putting this 'coaster' anywhere on the on the level of Rock'n Roller Coaster, and with the way the cars rotate, I'm guessing this will be pretty much exactly like Escape from Gringots over at Universal
the cars are nice, but notice that there is no shoulder harness, so I'm not putting this 'coaster' anywhere on the on the level of Rock'n Roller Coaster, and with the way the cars rotate, I'm guessing this will be pretty much exactly like Escape from Gringots over at Universal
glvsav37
Footballguy
on the topic of prices, I've been thinking of this a lot lately.
I consider myself fortunate. We own DVC, get to go every summer for 2 weeks, buy AP's, enjoy up-charge events like desert parties and extra magic hours, etc. I have 2 kids, 13 and 9.
I look at them and see how excited they get and how much they enjoy the parks and wonder—if cost trends continue—am I setting them up for future disappointment when they cant enjoy vacations at WDW with their families, the way we were able to provide to them as kids. I know, no one has a crystal ball, heck my kids could become pro athletes or marry millionaires, who knows? But assuming they will be average to upper middle class, will those vacations really be as available to them as for us?
I look at park ticket and DVC prices. We got a steal on our DVC. It was 2012 right as the recession was happening/improving and I had a good side job that gave me a good amount of "fun money". Direct prices were about $120/per point. We got a resale contract that was $55/pp for 230 points. Then that contract would have cost $27k, but I pain like $13k. Today, 7 years later, that contract is going for close to $52K. somewhat current cost chart
Park tickets are another issues. Listen, I'm in the camp that you still get tremendous value for your dollar when it comes to tickets to WDW vs other entertainment venues like sporting events, concerts and those 'single day' theme parks like 6 flags. But the major issue is that you need to buy in bulk (multiple days) to start seeing a savings but still multiply that by every family member. The sticker shock can be enough to put the vacation on hold. But recently they have increased special ticket events and decreased park hours. So that sticker shock is compounded by add on events, and for those who do not do their homework, they are getting kicked out of a park at 6pm while paying for a full day. Its just getting silly.
Historical (since 2005) ticket prices (here are older prices)
I dont have a solution or forecast, but I do know that we are going to start looking at other destinations now. Not so much because of cost, but I want to break them out of the WDW bubble—its been their main vacation every year—and start showing them other locations. But I'd be lying to say the thoughts above didnt play a small part in that as well.
I consider myself fortunate. We own DVC, get to go every summer for 2 weeks, buy AP's, enjoy up-charge events like desert parties and extra magic hours, etc. I have 2 kids, 13 and 9.
I look at them and see how excited they get and how much they enjoy the parks and wonder—if cost trends continue—am I setting them up for future disappointment when they cant enjoy vacations at WDW with their families, the way we were able to provide to them as kids. I know, no one has a crystal ball, heck my kids could become pro athletes or marry millionaires, who knows? But assuming they will be average to upper middle class, will those vacations really be as available to them as for us?
I look at park ticket and DVC prices. We got a steal on our DVC. It was 2012 right as the recession was happening/improving and I had a good side job that gave me a good amount of "fun money". Direct prices were about $120/per point. We got a resale contract that was $55/pp for 230 points. Then that contract would have cost $27k, but I pain like $13k. Today, 7 years later, that contract is going for close to $52K. somewhat current cost chart
Park tickets are another issues. Listen, I'm in the camp that you still get tremendous value for your dollar when it comes to tickets to WDW vs other entertainment venues like sporting events, concerts and those 'single day' theme parks like 6 flags. But the major issue is that you need to buy in bulk (multiple days) to start seeing a savings but still multiply that by every family member. The sticker shock can be enough to put the vacation on hold. But recently they have increased special ticket events and decreased park hours. So that sticker shock is compounded by add on events, and for those who do not do their homework, they are getting kicked out of a park at 6pm while paying for a full day. Its just getting silly.
Historical (since 2005) ticket prices (here are older prices)
I dont have a solution or forecast, but I do know that we are going to start looking at other destinations now. Not so much because of cost, but I want to break them out of the WDW bubble—its been their main vacation every year—and start showing them other locations. But I'd be lying to say the thoughts above didnt play a small part in that as well.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Funny. We did the opposite of you. We could have bought a DVC but opted for a beach condo in ocmd instead. that way we can leave it to them and no matter what, they will always be able to have a beach vacation.glvsav37 said:
Funny thing, is that we have still been able to hit Disney every year since 2008. They pretty much know it will be a Hanukkah or Christmas present every year and love it. We typically only go for 4 days and make a long weekend of it so price is not killer.
Im going to start saving for the SW cruise though bc that sounds AWESOME.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
We bought very close to each other. We bought Vero beach for 39 a point. We got 170 points. We just banked 150 and are trying to figure out what to do next year. We are only going once a year now since ticket prices are so stupid now.glvsav37 said:
Redwes25
Footballguy
I don't think most people are going to go the DVC route but it is a good representation of costs increasing. I think most middle class/upper middle class folks want to do a nice family vacation once a year and one of the options on that list is Disney. A Disney trip has gotten so expensive that other vacations options make more sense for a lot of folks. My main issue is staying on park has gotten very expensive as even the value resorts are expensive for what you get. All Star resort is probably the cheapest on property location and it is basically a cheap drive up motel with some theming and look at these prices - https://www.mousesavers.com/2019-all-star-sports-room-rates-season-dates/#rates. Of course you can stay off property but you get less hours/worse fast passes, etc. Tie this to ticket price increases and other nickel and diming they have added (need to pay for parking to stay on property, etc.) and I can see why attendance is down.glvsav37 said:
To be honest, the over pricing gets worse at the deluxe resorts and what they offer.
I will still take my family to Disney every couple of years since my kids love it but there is some sticker shock involved. Luckily I can handle it but I think for many folks it is becoming something they can't overcome.
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Punxsutawney Phil
Footballguy
"The head of theme parks steps down after sluggish star wars launch"
What means this? I thought the these park was a hit?
What means this? I thought the these park was a hit?
Redwes25
Footballguy
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Daughter is so hooked on disney it is insane. Now instead of bedtime stories she wants us to tell her about rides she didnt go on yet.
She is 2.5 yo. We are currently waitlisted for a stay one day before her 3rd bday. Figured we might as well try to squeeze in one last no park ticket trip for her if we can use DVC points. I will probably not get park tickets and just shuttle them around. Then relax the rest of the trip.
She is 2.5 yo. We are currently waitlisted for a stay one day before her 3rd bday. Figured we might as well try to squeeze in one last no park ticket trip for her if we can use DVC points. I will probably not get park tickets and just shuttle them around. Then relax the rest of the trip.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
glvsav37
Footballguy
its not a hit, if anything its been a huge marketing and planing misstep.
Marketing: they have done little to no advertising for this, relying on the fan community to whip up a frenzy the way they do for most new things at WDW. Iger said himself that this will be so huge that they won't need to advertise.
But that aside, the decisions to open both the lands 1/2 finished, is a head scratcher and screams knee-jerk reaction to things Universal is doing. Even at that, they opened CA with one ride, that was met with mild-to-mixed response, then stoped and opened Orlandos version with the exact same ride. So if you went to CA to see it, there is no rush to see it in Orlando. Likewise, the 2nd ride is supposed to be the far superior (apparently its a game change in the theme park industry) of the 2 rides, so even more reason to wait for that to be complete. BUT even at that, they made the decision to open Orlando's 2nd ride 1st (in December) and then go back and open DL's a few months later. This gives the west coast people even less reason to return soon, and maybe even a little butt-hurt that now they have to wait longer.
As I write this, Slink dog (60 min), Rock'n Roller Coaster(50) and Tower of Terror (45) all have equal or longer lines than Smugglers Run (45).
It's expected that 'heads will roll' if this does not meet guest and shareholder expectations. But frankly Disney does this to themselves all the time lately. They over hype , budget cut, and under deliver, take way too long to open an attraction and expect people to come just because its Disney. Likewise, the decision to open this on both coasts was purely out of greed, where as historically, they will rarely have matching versions of a ride/lan on both coasts—think Radiator Springs racers—let alone complete, duplicate lands.
I'm concerned about this Guardians Coaster in Epcot (and lets not talk about the complete Epcot retheme). They are on record as claiming its a 'revolutionary new ride vehicle' because it turns. You mean just like the ride vehicles in Universal's Escape From Gringots? You know what else has cars that turn? Haunted Mansion. Ohhhh....but it will have a 'reverse launch!" Right, so its gonna turn the car around and go backwards, so backwards like Expedition Everest? Right...and I noticed there are no shoulder restraints, so it can't really be going that fast, can we even call it a 'coaster' at that point? See...they love hype, but fall short of delivery lately.
And to round it out...toss in yet ANOTHER price increase. so yea, I think they are struggling a bit.
edit: adding that Flight of Passage (65) and 7 Dwarves Mine train (60) also have longer waits.
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Punxsutawney Phil
Footballguy
I think the price increases are a pretty big part of this. I also speculate that it's because it's at a smaller park than Epcot or MK. Then again, if Slink Dog has a longer wait maybe the ride just sucks.
The Commish
Footballguy
Capella
Footballguy
Punxsutawney Phil
Footballguy
Some cool house designed.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Been tracking crowd levels all week. Really excited about the (lack of) crowd size projections for Thursday and Friday.Capella said:
Flying in tomorrow. Staying at Riverside. Will stop by French Quarter for beignets before checking in. Get to bed early to hit up EEMH at DHS on Thursday.
Been studying for SWGE. That Play Disney App is a lot more robust now than it was at the media day preview. Gonna pass on building a droid or light saber but I will pick up one of those Sabacc decks. I collect playing cards and card games (my newest addition is a Field Of Dreams deck I picked up at Team Of Dreams 2019; I might drop in on the Baseball Forum to post about going to Team Of Dreams - walked the Field Of Dreams and through the corn past the outfield, saw the site where they will stage the White Sox/Yankees game there next year, learned Wade Boggs is a million laughs, heard Rickey Henderson confirm the story about him framing a signing bonus check for months without cashing it is 100% true, played catch with Squints from The Sandlot in the backyard of the Field Of Dreams farmhouse, watched a screening of Field Of Dreams while sitting in the outfield of the Field Of Dreams), so an "authentic" Sabacc deck is a must for my collection.
My MNSSHP costume this year is Vintage Mr Incredible. Dress code says no masks so I'll honor that.
My wife will be Anna from Frozen. The kid is going as Scarlet Witch from The Avengers.
There are still tickets available for our MNSSHP so we hope that means it won't be too crowded.
We will also do one of those "after-hours" MK events. After dinner at Ohana. That should be a fun day and night.
Haven't been to AK since they opened Pandora and renovated a lot of the river area. Looking forward to seeing that new-to-me content.
Food & Wine Festival will be a surgical strike. I have my plan mapped out to minimize walking and maximize flavor.
The Commish
Footballguy
This has been a crapshoot. Hopefully it works out, but the availability of tickets doesn't mean what it used to since they've increased the amount of people they let in for these events. It's just a guess, but Pandora will be the crown event of your trip. It continues to be the pinnacle of all the attractions Disney has to offer IMO and it's not even close.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
I hear you on the MNSSHP crowd levels. In the group of DPMP hopefuls I participate in I saw MNSSHP described as (paraphrasing) “originally designed to be as crowded as a Touring Plans 3, but now it’s about a 7”.
The after-hours event is apparently the one that feels more like an off-season day from 10 years ago.
The Commish
Footballguy
Good news is, things have cooled a bit here (at least to us)...be low 90s and humidity about 50% - 60% with a breeze. I am old enough to remember when that sounded miserable. Now it's a refreshing day in lovely fall weather
Capella
Footballguy
Sounds like an awesome week. We will be at food and wine Sunday morning, then back in a few weeks to build a droid with the kid.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
“Ohana: Your table is ready.”
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
This MK After Hours event is the bomb. No lines, hardly any little kids. Walked right on Buzz, Space Mountain twice, Tea Cups, Pooh, Little Mermaid, Peter Pan so far and still 90 minutes to go.
The Commish
Footballguy
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
When i was just there a couple weeks ago i thought it was weird that this ride was shut down, but not covered up. So they had a cast member standing in front of it all day telling people it was closed. Seemed inefficient. It was the same conversation over and over. My wife and daughter went on the triceratops spinning thing three times in a row so i just was sitting there listening.
glvsav37
Footballguy
The Commish
Footballguy
We've been down there a few times and I thought it was just bad luck that it was down each time we went by. It's one of my daughter's favorites. I had the same thought you did and wondered why on earth they were paying someone to stand there and tell everyone it was closed.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
I forgot how excruciating the bus transport is. Walked up to the station as the bus was pulling in. After 15 minutes of unloading wheelchairs & scooters and their companions, then unloading the rest of the passengers, then loading the new set of wheelchairs & scooters and their companions, THEN allowing the rest of the passengers to squeeze into the last few available seats... I could have installed the Lyft app, hailed a car, and been halfway to my destination by the time I got on the bus. And was lucky it didn’t fill on me.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Bread: DNP-CDBruce Dickinson said:
Salad: DNP-CD
Vegetables: DNP-CD
Noodles: DNP-CD
Potstickers: 4
Wings: 4
Sirloin: 1
Chicken: 5
Shrimp: 24 (OMG the pile of shells and tails was majestic)
Dessert: consumed by my travel companions while I took down my last half-dozen shrimp
We initially made an 8:30 reservation thinking we would watch the MK Fireworks from Ohana at 9:00. But then the MK After Hours event got our attention. So we got over the to Poly at about 7:30, asked really really nicely at the hostess stand if we could be seated early because we had MK After Hours tickets.
We were at our table at 7:50. And they brought the meats out with the noodles/potstickers/wings/veggies skillet because they knew we were on a schedule. Which was awesome for timing, and the kid’s favorite part of Ohana is cutting up noodles and chicken together, pouring peanut sauce over it, and taking it down.
We watched the start of the MK fireworks from the monorail riding over from Poly to the gate. And were inside the park just a couple minutes after the event started.
Capella
Footballguy
Never thought about this. Do the bus drivers have to physically lift the wheel chairs and scooters? Holy #### that’s exhausting.
