Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Saw online (most likely WDW Prep School) that Pandora might have a preview for Annual Passholders on April 8 and 9.
No idea what that entails.
No idea what that entails.
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Disney Vacation (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
glvsav37
Footballguy
yep...no real details conformed, but this is over a month before the official opening. So i doubt any of the attractions will be open. I assume its going to be mostly touring the grounds....and of course the gift shop. They also mention limited electronic device usage.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
If I haven't posted an elaborate reply to this by tomorrow afternoon, bump it. I want to give this question the answer it deserves, but I have NCAA Regionals tickets tonight and my ticketmates have told me they want to get to the bar/restaurant district next to the arena about six hours before tipoff.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Capella
Footballguy
They always have one ride open when they do these, and my wife will certainly be dragging me there in spite of the crowds, so we will report back.
MattFancy
Footballguy
Just got back from Disney late Tuesday night. We took our daughter for her 1st trip and she loved it. We stayed at the Art of Animation, which was nothing special, but was nice for transportation back and forth from all the parks.
She was able to get pictures with all the princesses minus Mulan (could never get there on time) and Moana (had to dip out to make a Fastpass), so she was really excited about that. There really weren't many characters we didn't get to see. I think the only ones we didn't get pictures with were Baymax, Buzz, and Woody. Her autograph book was overflowing by the time we left.
We didn't do too many rides, mainly because we scarred her on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. That was her first roller coaster and will probably be her last for a little bit lol. Her response when I asked her what she thought, "Not cool" lol. We did pretty much all the other kid rides like Small World, Dumbo, Magic Carpet, Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Imagination, etc. She seemed to love all those.
The highlight of the trip was the Incredibles dance party that they do at the Magic Kingdom. She was dancing her heart out with Elastic Girl and we got to have a "magic moment" and go backstage and get pictures with Mr Incredible and Elastic Girl, which was pretty awesome.
As for dining, we ate at Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast, which was really good. I got the beef tenderloin and egg, amazing! We ate at via Napoli in Italy at Epcot, which wasn't bad. Service was a tad slow, but the food was pretty solid. And on the last day, we ate at Hollywood and Vine. For a buffet, the food was pretty good, but pricey. Thankfully it was covered under the Meal Plan. I made sure to try some other food throughout the trip like the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich at MK. Of course, I had to get a Dole Whip. And then finished the trip off with the Gelato Sandwich in Italy.
All and all, it was a great trip and we're looking forward to going back in a couple of years with our son.
She was able to get pictures with all the princesses minus Mulan (could never get there on time) and Moana (had to dip out to make a Fastpass), so she was really excited about that. There really weren't many characters we didn't get to see. I think the only ones we didn't get pictures with were Baymax, Buzz, and Woody. Her autograph book was overflowing by the time we left.
We didn't do too many rides, mainly because we scarred her on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. That was her first roller coaster and will probably be her last for a little bit lol. Her response when I asked her what she thought, "Not cool" lol. We did pretty much all the other kid rides like Small World, Dumbo, Magic Carpet, Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Imagination, etc. She seemed to love all those.
The highlight of the trip was the Incredibles dance party that they do at the Magic Kingdom. She was dancing her heart out with Elastic Girl and we got to have a "magic moment" and go backstage and get pictures with Mr Incredible and Elastic Girl, which was pretty awesome.
As for dining, we ate at Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast, which was really good. I got the beef tenderloin and egg, amazing! We ate at via Napoli in Italy at Epcot, which wasn't bad. Service was a tad slow, but the food was pretty solid. And on the last day, we ate at Hollywood and Vine. For a buffet, the food was pretty good, but pricey. Thankfully it was covered under the Meal Plan. I made sure to try some other food throughout the trip like the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich at MK. Of course, I had to get a Dole Whip. And then finished the trip off with the Gelato Sandwich in Italy.
All and all, it was a great trip and we're looking forward to going back in a couple of years with our son.
Rick James
Footballguy
lol @ the Incredibles dance party...during our trip we spent about 8 hours at MK and every time we walked through Tomorrow Land, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl were crushing it on the dance floor. Cracked us up every time.
MattFancy
Footballguy
They were getting it lol. My daughter is 4 and all she does is dance. Between that and the Move it, Shake it street party, she was in heaven haha.
glvsav37
Footballguy
lol...its like the equivalent of a kid playing with the box the toy came in.
you look around at all the rides and stuff and think to yourself "Wait...all this money...just to dance?" lol.
kidding, its all just part of the fun.
MattFancy
Footballguy
Oh she would have been totally cool if all she did the whole time was dance haha. My wife kept trying to get our daughter to go to the pool at the resort. I'm glad she didn't want to. We didn't pay all this money to hang out in the pool lol.
Big Blue Wrecking Crew
downsized
Question: I have a FP for RoL, so wondering if the dinner package is still recommended? One requirement they had was your reservation had to be at least 3 hours in advance of your show, which really seemed to cut into our day.
glvsav37
Footballguy
really depends if you are happy with your FP and dining situation as it is now.
the downside with holding a FP for a nighttime show is that it kills your chance at getting a 4th (and more) FP once you use your original 3, simply bc/ your 3rd will be at the absolute end of the day. However, in this case, 1. AK is a pretty small park attraction-wise (that 4th and 5th FP is much more important in MK by comparison) and 2. with the theater being so small, pretty much the only way you are seeing ROL is with either the dining package or a FP.
So if you are happy with your day, then keep it. I don't think its a bad play. The only thing that could change is if you are going after Avatarland opens. If so, you will absolutely need a FP for one of those new attractions b/c i expect them to have huge lines simply b/c they are new. If thats the case, then the dining package is the way to go and may be worth modifying your day for. I always promote the dining packages anyway b/c you are really getting something for nothing...it doesn't cost anything extra for the package and if you were eating at the restaurant anyway, why pass it up. But I understand where you are at.
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glvsav37
Footballguy
there is always a fine line and debate about 'resort' time vs park time. Its all up to the individual tolerances. Me...as much as I love the parks, I can't go all out all day. I couldn't tell you the last time i did open > close in a single park. But to each their own. As long as everyone had fun, then it was a good trip in my book.
MattFancy
Footballguy
It may have been different, but it was her 1st trip to Disney, so of course she just wanted to hang out there all day, which was fine by me. I'm sure when we go back in a couple of years, she'll want more pool time.
jb1020
Footballguy
On our 3rd trip we finally let off the throttle a good bit and enjoyed the resorts. We enjoyed it. We made rope drop a time or two, but pretty much every night we ended up back at the pool around 6-7 pm. It was nearly perfect. There was a pool bar at the Poly that had some Fish Tacos, hit the freaking spot every night.
Supposed to be a rainy weekend here, think we're going to hit up Beauty and the Beast. I'm shocked we've made it a week without going.
skinrod876
Footballguy
I called them about the 3 hour thing and they told me that if the Dining Package showed as available that it didn't matter what time you ate. They said that whenever you ate they would give you something that allowed you into the reserved seating and would tell you what time your show was. I don't think that that the RoL Dining Package counts against your FP+ limit as I already had 3 FP for that day and was still able to get the RoL Dining Package on the same day.
glvsav37
Footballguy
there is no right/wrong answer. Hence the eternal debate.
1st trip...how could you NOT want to soak up the parks. But kids (and adults get tiered) too, so sometimes the break is good. Length of trip and also resort location factors into it. if its 4-5 day trip..later, i'm in the parks, I'll rest when i get home. 7 or so days, I recommend at least a 1/2 day break. Anything longer and its resorts time.
We normally do 10-14 days at a trip and really get a chance to enjoy the resort, but we go every year and the parks are not as much a priority as they once were.
glvsav37
Footballguy
it doesn't...and thats why it is recommended over the straight up FP whenever available.
But in BBWC case, he already has the FP and if it fits his schedule best so be it. If it was a different situation where FP's (and extra FPs) were more coveted like at MK, then I would advise against it a little stronger.
just remember with the 3 hours, you don't want to be slamming the food in your face and running. A sit down meal at any WDW location could be 1 to 1.5 hours depending on how busy it is. Then factor in loading time for the show which you want to be there at least 20-30 mins early to get in line, through the doors and settled. So that 3 hours gets eaten up real quick.
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rodg12
Footballguy
Heading to Disney World last week of July, first of August so eagerly awaiting your report.
Capella
Footballguy
AcerFC
Footballguy
Ok, so quick recap. We ate at Tiffens. Really good imo. I had the grilled octopus and then the braised ribs and waygu beef. Had some chocolate ganash thing for desert. Thought everything was really good. Octopus was a little well done in terms of char but edible. They lost money on my order since it was a set price of $69. My order was way over that.
The show was ok. Having seen fantasmic, illuminations and world of color, this is nothing special. It is not Disney themed at all which I think hurts it. No songs, no characters etc. Also no fireworks.
The middle projection stream was a little blurry and couldn't always tell what it was. Having said that, glad we did it once. Would probably not opt to see it again if given the chance.
Seating was also an issue for my two kids. They were lucky enough to be able to stand as the people behind us said it was cool. But it was jam packed and like I said, almost at full capacity 30 mins early.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Alrighty...
Folks here seemed to like my similiarities/differences posts about WDW and DLR, so I'm going to approach this one like I did those posts...
Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) is not as elaborate as Universal Orlando. It's one park instead of two, not as many rides, no big rollercoasters.
Most of what is unique to Orlando is the Islands Of Adventure stuff. No Marvel-themed stuff at all, no Dr. Seuss, no comic-strip or cartoon-themed water rides.
If you drive in, the general parking ramp is in a spot where you walk through CityWalk to get to the front gates. It's a bit more compressed than CityWalk in Orlando, more shopping than Orlando but still plenty of dining.
USH has three sections: Upper Lot, Lower Lot, and Studio Tour.
Upper Lot is a lot of the attractions from the Univeral Studios Orlando Park, with one major import from Islands Of Adventure:
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (same queue and video)
Shrek 4-D (same movie and theater)
Simpsons Ride (same 4-D rollercoaster simulator ride, Springfield area isn't as elaborate, though it does have the Dr. Nick Riviera storefront "If You Can Get It In, We Can Get It Out")
Animal Actors Stage (same premise, show changes seasonally and with whatever Universal property tie-ins are current)
The Walking Dead (haunted house-like attraction, don't recall if this is year-round at Orlando or just during Halloween)
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter (most of Hogsmeade stuff from Islands of Adventure: Forbidden Journey, Flight of Hippogriff, Olivander's, other stores)
Couple of unique-to-USH pieces in Upper Lot:
Super Silly Fun Land (little kids' section, playground, water features)
Special Effects Show (didn't catch it during our visit, demos of stunts and technology in moviemaking)
WaterWorld (20-minute elaborate stunt show based on the movie WaterWorld; yeah, go figure; this was one folks waited a while to get in and see, and I'll admit it, I dug it: fight scenes that spilled into the stands, jumps and flips into nets and splashing into water, gunfire effects, big splashes, fire effects, jet skis and boats racing around... I found it more entertaining than the movie)
Then there's ESCALATOR: THE RIDE!, a gigantic escalator ride down to the Lower Lot:
Jurassic Park The Ride (pretty much the same ride as at Islands Of Adventure, different path but same features)
Revenge Of The Mummy (indoor rollercoaster much like the Mummy coaster at Studios Orlando, minor differences but same premise)
Transformers The Ride (same experience as Studios Orlando, put on 3-D glasses, board cart, travel from screen to screen and watch different pairs of animated robots hit each other)
The Studio Tour boards from the Upper Lot. This is the most famous part of the park, and unique to the Hollywood park. You board a huge tram that seats 5-6 across. There's a live tour guide on the PA, and Jimmy Fallon recorded a lot of video tour guide material, too. The tour takes you through some backlots, some real, some staged. Some highlights: a disaster area from a Tom Cruise movie re-created that is also used as an animal rescue training facility, an Amity rebuild where you get a visit from Jaws, a drive-by of the Bates Motel, drive-thrus of sets from big city to old west.
Before you board you are given a pair of 3-D glasses. You put them on twice during the tour when your tram drives inside buildings with walls that are 3-D theaters. One is a King Kong battle, the other is a Fast & Furious chase. These shows are very, very difficult to see and follow if you are not on the outermost seats on the tram.
It's not that the Studio Tour isn't fun. It is. But we did it a couple days after the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, which we found much more immersive and informative. Doing the Universal tour seemed noisy and cookie-cutter after the personalized experience we got at WB. (I'll do a separate post about the WB Tour.)
If you've never been to a Universal park before, Universal Studios Hollywood will be a really fun day. You can get to everything in a single day, the weather will probably be spectacular, the attractions are a mix of humor, horror, and magic. But if you've been to Universal Florida before, there isn't much there that's new or different. The big ticket item unique to Hollywood is the Studio Tour, and IMO WB delivers on that experience much better.
glvsav37
Footballguy
can you expand on the bolded? were you on the dining plan?
Yea, RoL has had mixed reviews for sure. But you mention Illuminations and that has no direct Disney theme either. But yes, the fireworks are the main show. The prob with AK is that fireworks would spook the animals. So you rely have to rely on storytelling—which is hit or miss with some audiences. IDK if I'd like to see characters inserted into it to 'fix it' but I think it needs something. Good news is that the performance area is always a blank canvas (unlike a Fanstamic), and changing the show is not a huge undertaking.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Not on the dining plan. The appetizer was $16, main course $59 and then the desert for $12. But I got all that and tickets for rol for $69
We picked the wrong day for epcot. Waiting on a 30 min wait for figment and test track is 280. We have frozen fast passed. Doubt we hit soarin or test track today which my kids are real bummed about. Win some and lose some.
JackReacher
Footballguy
Thanks for the info on ROL dinner show. Definitely doing that. Sorry to hear you are shutout on TT and Soarin. Our plan of attack at EPCOT is to always get the TT fast pass, hit rope drop and book it straight to Frozen. We have done this three times and the wait has always been under 40 mins. We prefer TT to Soarin so always use our preferred FP on that. Also, the TT single rider line is usually decent if you don't have a FP.
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AcerFC
Footballguy
Well, frozen went down which gave us a fast pass for anything. So we are on standby for frozen and we will use the fast pass for test track.
We slept in today since the kids needed it. So that obviously put us behind the 8 ball. But the weather is nice and kids seem to still be in a good mood.
Kids love the passport thing. And loved the wilderness badges yesterday.
AcerFC
Footballguy
I dont know what constitutes a pattern, but we have done this the last two times and it has worked to perfection.
Get there at rope drop and head straight to adventureland. Hit up the first jungle cruise boat and go directly to Pirates. Then head to frontier for big thunder (which we chose to do twice) and splash. We had all of that out of the way by 10:05 and headed to 7D where there was a 75 minute wait for our fast pass.
Longest line we waited on was for our apple juice drinks at gastons tavern.
Get there at rope drop and head straight to adventureland. Hit up the first jungle cruise boat and go directly to Pirates. Then head to frontier for big thunder (which we chose to do twice) and splash. We had all of that out of the way by 10:05 and headed to 7D where there was a 75 minute wait for our fast pass.
Longest line we waited on was for our apple juice drinks at gastons tavern.
AcerFC
Footballguy
So, just a thought. When half your park is closed to make room for awesome new stuff, throw us a bone and let us fast pass something from the A list twice. Its 12:02 and after Indiana Jones and Frozen we will be done. Fast passes available for RnR coaster and toy story amd even the great movie ride. But we can not fast pass any of them.
Sweet
Sweet
Osaurus
Footballguy
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AcerFC
Footballguy
We have sci fi for the kids. Just annoying since there are fast passes available but we can not do anything twice. Would think they want to keep people in the park. This seems to do the opposite. My wife said they are taking the most restrictive park right now and making it even more restrictive.
If I didnt have a special ticket that makes you go to all 4, I would not even bother coming unless I had park hoppers.
Cant complain too much. This is my biggest gripe. We had a very populated MK and Epcot and navigated it beautifully if I do say so myself. Missed almost nothing.
glvsav37
Footballguy
I'm not trying to legitimize Studios as a full day park, but if you need to fill your day:
• go look on sunset for the streetmosphere performers. They generally put on a good show.
• Shop: they have some of the most unique gift shops around, I esp love the villain one
• Are you a Who Framed roger Rabbit fan? look up when walking around the streets. WFRR was supposed to be the main theme of HS and a lot of the building facades have indeed jokes and call backs to the move.
• Spend some time at "One Man's Dream" and really look at the props and models
other then that..i got nothin...lol
AcerFC
Footballguy
One mans dream has been half taken over by Moana character spot. Lots of the stuff my son loved is no longer there
glvsav37
Footballguy
jb1020
Footballguy
We managed to fill up a day at HS last time we were there, main reason being is the Jedi thing for the kid wasn't until the last round at 6pm.
This was the first time we hit up the shows though. Had the Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast. RnR (got lucky here- it was closed down during the day and we happened to be right there when they opened it back up), Tower (twice), Star Tours (probably 5 times), met all the star wars characters, long late lunch at Sci Fi then the Jedi training...
I think it gets sold a little short as being a had day park, but yeah, things have to fall into place to be a full day park.
My wife leaves tomorrow to go to Disney. The jealousy is starting to take over.
This was the first time we hit up the shows though. Had the Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast. RnR (got lucky here- it was closed down during the day and we happened to be right there when they opened it back up), Tower (twice), Star Tours (probably 5 times), met all the star wars characters, long late lunch at Sci Fi then the Jedi training...
I think it gets sold a little short as being a had day park, but yeah, things have to fall into place to be a full day park.
My wife leaves tomorrow to go to Disney. The jealousy is starting to take over.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Leaving today GB. Planned HS for the day we had to leave. Magical express comes at 5:55. Boooooo.
All good. Just dont know why you can only fast pass a ride once when there is not much else to do. I mean, I get why, just think its lame.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Osaurus
Footballguy
ThreeThousand
Footballguy
This is also exhibit "A" as to why you should bring a spare set of Magicbands or cards not linked to your MDE. BAM!! 3 more fastpasses!! They're same day fastpasses and you won't be able to make them in advance, but who cares? Make them in the kiosks at the park you're at.
AcerFC
Footballguy
ThreeThousand
Footballguy
The "not linked to your MDE" piece of this is key. I bought 4 old plastic ticket cards off of Ebay for about $4 apiece and first thing, when I get to a park, is to find a kiosk and get 3 additional fastpasses on the cards. It also helps with keeping the additional fastpasses segregated from the prebooked ones, having a set on the cards vs. on the bands. More details here:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/everything-sdfp-second-set-fp-long-faq.3520747/
glvsav37
Footballguy
Its official. MK will get a whole new screening procedure.
I'm interested in seeing how the resorts handle this. Esp the Contemporary where getting to the monorail is a very narrow hallway to begin with.
Begins April 3rd.
I'm interested in seeing how the resorts handle this. Esp the Contemporary where getting to the monorail is a very narrow hallway to begin with.
glvsav37
Footballguy
@ThreeThousand...thats diiiirty. And I like. lol.
I was the king of the paper fastpass back in the day. I had so many old, expired ticket cards that I would have a rack of FP tickets.
I was the king of the paper fastpass back in the day. I had so many old, expired ticket cards that I would have a rack of FP tickets.
glvsav37
Footballguy
I'm sure its no surprise, that I collect some disney stuff...my weak spot is books, esp large coffee table types. I just hit a minor score and grabbed a few from a guy who was selling his collection.
picked up these:
Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s renaissance man
tales from the haunted mansion
haunted mansion from magic kingdom to the movies (out of print version)
Project future
Walt and the promise of progress city
Plus a few of the Kingdom Keeper (Young readers) hard cover books for my daughter
Plus, I got my eye on one that he has on eBay that apparently is out of print and was pulled from market after 1 day of publishing b/c of some content. So its super rare. Fingers crossed.
picked up these:
Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s renaissance man
tales from the haunted mansion
haunted mansion from magic kingdom to the movies (out of print version)
Project future
Walt and the promise of progress city
Plus a few of the Kingdom Keeper (Young readers) hard cover books for my daughter
Plus, I got my eye on one that he has on eBay that apparently is out of print and was pulled from market after 1 day of publishing b/c of some content. So its super rare. Fingers crossed.
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