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  1. dwheaton

    Going from SNA to DLR - Shuttle Questions

    Are you able to reserve one in advance and be guaranteed it will be available? What I've read is a little shaky in terms of reservations.
  2. dwheaton

    Going from SNA to DLR - Shuttle Questions

    Hello. We're flying into John Wayne (SNA) in late May and are staying at the Hyatt House near DLR. Most things I've read have recommended doing an Uber or Lyft, but my wife doesn't want to go that route since there's four of us (our girls are 14 and 10) and we'll have luggage too. She prefers a...
  3. dwheaton

    Bob Iger back as CEO! Bob Chapek out

    I agree that Chapek was in a difficult position, but it's clear that he made things worse with his management style. We've heard from enough people that worked at Disney (especially at WDI) that there were big differences between how Chapek and Iger approached them. I know this is a short-term...
  4. dwheaton

    What Do You Like Better Now Than Before COVID?

    I'd say the biggest difference on our trip this March was my approach to the parks. I wasn't as focused on maximizing our time; we slept in and stayed up late. We did all the big things we wanted to do, but there wasn't any pressure. We also loved mobile ordering, which made it easy to just...
  5. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Just giving a quick update on how everything went with the drive from St. Louis. It went well overall, and we didn't have any big problems in Atlanta. It slowed down a bit on the drive down on a Saturday night, but it was pretty minor. The worst traffic was actually around Ocala and on the...
  6. dwheaton

    The big G+ rides at HS gone by 1:07!

    I'm interested to see so many times opening up around the mid-afternoon for the headliners. I know that for our upcoming trip we won't be rope dropping at DHS because we're doing the extended hours at the MK the night before, so I'm starting to wonder if after I secure ROTR and SDD (hopefully)...
  7. dwheaton

    The big G+ rides at HS gone by 1:07!

    Typically, roller coasters don't have a huge capacity. It definitely won't be on par with something like Haunted Mansion or Spaceship Earth. TRON reportedly gets 1,680 riders per hour, which isn't bad for a coaster, and I suspect it can't be much higher than that for Guardians.
  8. dwheaton

    The big G+ rides at HS gone by 1:07!

    This is a really great point. I remember back in January 2019 that Touring Plans simply counted the guests exiting Space Mountain, and it was only like a fourth of the expected hourly capacity. If they aren't able to run all the trains or theaters of attractions, that's going to lead to higher...
  9. dwheaton

    The big G+ rides at HS gone by 1:07!

    I think the issue relates more to the overall ride capacity at the parks, which hasn't kept up with attendance increases. If Disney opens up more slots for G+ selections, that will lead to even longer Standby waits. That would force Disney to increase the percentage of LL vs. Standby, which...
  10. dwheaton

    The big G+ rides at HS gone by 1:07!

    Big news today that should make things a little better - Disney is taking Frozen Ever After, Space Mountain, and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and putting them into the Genie+ pool. This should help with lack of availability since there's another popular option. It also means you don't...
  11. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Thanks to everyone for the info on the Peach Pass and the tips on the toll booths. We did the drive a bunch of times for a while, but it's been five years so I'm out of practice. I definitely don't want to be paying extra admin fees.
  12. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    There is probably a thread on this already, but can you provide more info on the Peach Pass and its benefits? I'm sure we'll be at least going on some toll roads in Florida, so I'm curious how it impacts that side of it. We typically have to bring coins and hope we have enough.
  13. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Thanks. I'm leaning towards just taking 75 on the way down, using Waze more, and adjusting if needed. On the way back, we'll just have to make sure we don't hit Atlanta during rush hour, which might be a little tricky on a Friday but should be doable. We may adjust our route then if it's rough...
  14. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Brett - In the past, we've always driven through Atlanta on 75 since it seemed better than the bypass on 285. That's what we did last time, but the killer was really even before we even reached that point. The suburbs were the challenge on both sides of Atlanta. Sam - We are planning on...
  15. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Thanks. The way back concerns me since we're probably leaving around 10-11 a.m., which puts us in Atlanta right around rush hour. I guess we could slow roll it or drive a different way on the way home since it's a Friday. The Saturday on the way down sounds better based on the comments so far in...
  16. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Thanks for the info. We will have four of us, so no worries on the HOV lanes. Waze is a good idea; I typically use Google Maps but will also look into that. The one limitation is that we'll be booking our hotel for the drive down well before we leave. So we won't be able totally shift our route...
  17. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Your response brings up the issues that I'm struggling with as we plan the route. It seems weird to choose a route that's an hour longer, but I've always found the times to be way low as we go through Chattanooga and Atlanta. So I wonder if it's a safer bet to go through Alabama. However, who...
  18. dwheaton

    Best Route: Driving to Orlando and Bypassing Atlanta

    Hello. We've booked the Swan for my daughters' Spring Break and will be driving down to Orlando from St. Louis. In the past, we've always taken I-24 to I-75 and gone through Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The last time we made this drive was in 2017, and the traffic was brutal in all three...
  19. dwheaton

    Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

    I just called the number recommended by Gitelfor, and I was able to book a room at the Swan for my dates in late March. The representative said that rooms were available, so it must be a glitch in the website. Thanks to everyone again for the help! It's weird that the glitch has been in place on...
  20. dwheaton

    Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

    Thanks everyone for the info on the walk. That doesn't sound bad at all, especially in the context of all the walking on a day in the parks. I don't have worries on the lack of theming - our girls are 12 and 9, so it's a little less needed. We also usually stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which...
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