Peach026
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2020
My first trip report! Hoping others find this useful. Family of four, DVC owners traveling from New England, three nights at GFV. Going to try to include all the details, so it may take me a bit to complete this 
. Our family includes two thirty-somethings, a 6 year old son and a 7 year old daughter.
First - a little about us. Since March 12, we haven't seen anyone. Schools closed, work closed (we are now working remotely), its been rough. Us grown ups have been very worried about COVID, so we didn't social distance, we ISOLATED. With no family in the area, our "bubble" is just us. It wasn't easy, but we don't regret it. We had a DCL cruise scheduled (HOTHS! Big surprise for the kiddos) for September which I had paid for via Target gift cards. ALLLLLLL that money went back on the gift cards, so we were rolling in Disney dough. The plan was - if they sail, we sail, because we trust in Tho Holy Disney - but they canceled... so there ya go. By early August all four of us were really itching for an escape. Instagram and the podcasts we listened to said the parks were empty, we did our research on flying, and boom scheduled the trip in under two weeks. It was rash, it was fast, and in the end it was worth it.
Thursday morning - got the kids up at 5:30am for our flight. We didn't tell them about the trip *JUST IN CASE* we changed our minds. We said "get up we are going on a hike and its far." My 6 year old said "Are we going to Disney world???" and my husband just laughed and didn't directly answer. My daughter (who isn't as curious) complied and sleepily got into the car. My son asked questions the entire drive, which is only 15ish minutes form the airport.
Flights: Southwest airlines. We flew on a Thursday morning and have precheck. Security was a breeze, no one in line. We fly with a high back booster which takes a little longer through security because they manually check it. I brought a package of disinfecting wipes with me and wiped pretty much every surface we came in contact with. We arrove at our gate 15 minutes before scheduled boarding, but they took their time to start boarding (only 10 minutes before we took off actually) so we stood around for awhile. Paranoid me told the kids not to sit, we just stood patiently and waited! We were fourth onto the plane with early bird check in despite getting our flights only two weeks before. Staff announced there were only 30 people on the plane, so ~100 empty seats and to please spread out. We took a row side by side. Someone (coughing non stop, ew) sat behind my daughter so we moved a row up, which let me relax a bit more. That was there was no one directly in front or behind us. Flight was nice, they served snacks and drinks (I was surprised!) but we didn't take any - I was trying to avoid the kids having to go potty!
Magical Express: NOPE! For the first time we went rental for this trip to avoid buses/lines/crowds and I have to say we may never go back. Having our own car was AMAZING. We took backpacks and carryons on the flight so no waiting for checked bags. Via Alamo's skip the counter, we walked straight to the garage (only A side is open), picked a car and was on our way. It only took 25 minutes from siting in the car to being AT our resort. It was crazy fast and we didn't have to interact with a single human. We passed the Budget line in the airport and it was wrapped around basically to infinity, I was so glad we went this route.
The entire ride the kids were asking where we were going. Finally my husband said "OK OK we are going on a hike to a castle." My 7 year old was going on and on about how that doesn't make sense and they were debating with each other about where we were. Are we Florida? Is this Disney? Are those trees real? WHERE ARE WE? This was HILARIOUS to us. The kids have been to WDW many times in their young lives (even in utero!) but never with a rental, so it definitely threw them off. Finally we passed through this beauty and we admitted we were "Home". Lots of happy squeals and shock. It was awesome.
Drove up the the guard stand at GFV, the guard asked for our last name and was the first to welcome us home. We had a nice convo about the parks reopening, his experience. He was welcoming and genuinely happy we were there! We dropped our bags at the GFV (rooms were not ready yet, it was exactly 10:56am) and headed just down the way to the entrance of the main hotel, where we met Kingdom Strollers to grab out ciymini double from Derek. He was kind and patient, we've been Kingdom Stroller customers since my daughter was a babe and we love the company! Put the stroller in the trunk and drove off to Hollywood Studios for our first park day.
We were guided to park IN THE FIRST ROW (!!!!!!) at HS. We were parked and walking into the park at 11:10. Can you believe it?! The walk was way shorter than the bus drop off. No waits at temp check. My band scanned pink and I felt a weight lift. Here we were, finally. We did it! Took some photos at the entrance, the whole trip photopass photographers were taking their time and took a LOT of shots. We got some really great ones!
We all needed a potty break and some food stat, so walked up to the Hollywood Brown Derby for eats. I've never been there, its been on my bucket list! Originally we planned on eating outside ONLY all trip, but gosh was it hot and man were we looking for some AC and a nice break. NO resie, no wait, nice clean bathrooms, win-win. Dad got Wagyu burger, I got the salad (of course), both were delicious and we would eat again! Kids got the salmon and the steak, probably ate about 1/3 of their meals (typical). Overall adult meals were winners, kids were overpriced, but we didn't care. We were in DISNEY. It felt like after 5.5 months of sadness the sun had finally risen.
We definitely took out time at lunch, It was just after 1 when we headed out to do rides. My son's and my favorite ride is TOT, but my girl and hubby do not ride (hubby never has and never will) so the two of us rode while Dad and DD watched the show at the B&B theater... I forget what its called but something about Disney favorites. TOT was posted at 25 minutes, but we rode TWICE with virtually no wait, it was walk up until you line up for the elevators, but after the fork. So maybe 5 minutes? My son and I were in heaven getting to ride twice in a row. We chatted up other friendly guests walking in and out, everyone was in a great mood and you could tell we were all just happy to be there. While walking out of TOT for the second time, Dad got a boarding group at 2pm exactly (no app hiccups)... we were group 92. It made us nervous since this was our only HS day, but I stayed hopeful and watched the boarding groups change like a hawk all day hehe.
Decided to take another little mask break since we were heading to TSL and passing launch bay anyways. We chose inside so we could wipe our faces (I brought hand and face wipes) and drink some water in comfort. It was nice in there, quiet. Only saw a couple people and there was plenty space. Headed over to SDD. Posted wait time 35 minutes and we were on and off in 25. Because of the distancing queue the line was very very long, but it moved pretty much the whole time and the weight didn't feel long at all. Then over to TSM... and off to Batuu. The sky was getting dark and you could tell Florida weather was about to show itself. So we headed into Smugglers run knowing the would rain any second. Pretty much as soon as we got in it started pouring - we timed it PERFECTLY.
I forget what the wait time posted was, but we were in and rode in roughly 30 minutes. Not bad especially since its all air conditioned! At exit it was still pouring, so after some debate went in and rode a second time with only about a 15 minute wait. The rain had let up when we got out (YAY) and we were hungry, so picked Docking Bay 7.
As you can see... it was pretty empty! While we were in there, one other small group joined our section, but we felt safe and comfortable the entire time. By about that time they were still awhile from our boarding group, so we walked through the Batuu marketplace and got some toys for the kiddos. We all enjoyed watching the alien in the water cooler and talking with the CM's. I had been watching the wait times for Runaway Railway all day and it persisted at 60-65 minutes. It was my one and only goal for the trip, so after some discussion we sucked it up and headed over. The line was wrapped and the posted wait was 60 minutes at that point, so I waited in line while the other three grabbed mickey bars and a bench. They caught up with me in line just before I walked into the theater. I was jumping with excitement to ride. Our last trip was in January right before it opened, and I didn't watch a single ride thru or spoilers so I would be surprised. I don't want to say anything else in case anyone else reading wants to be surprised, but I have to say it didn't disappoint and I can't wait to ride again! We were in and out within 50 minutes and SURPRISE SURPRISE our boarding group was called!!!!
Headed over the ROTR, it was even better than we remembered. After that it was already 7:30 for an 8pm closing time. The kids love Star Tours, so we decided one last ride on our way out. Dad gets sick on it, so he took a break while I rode with the kids. While we were in line we chatted up the cast member handing out the glasses and he told us we probably had time to ride a second time, just ask for the secret hallway at exit First time around my son got to be the rebel spy, just as instructed we politely asked if we could ride again and the CM at the exit took us through the secret but not-so-secret passage way. And then my daughter got the be the rebel spy! The CM's at Star Tours were REALLY charismatic and so much fun. Even though it was at park closing! We bought too much at the exit gift shop after (remember, billions of billions in gift cards? HA!) and then headed out and the sun was pretty much set. Getting into our car and back to the resort in 15 minutes was a miracle. I still can't get over the parking situation.
SUMMARY: I rode 10 rides (TOTx2, TSM, SDD, SRx2, MMRR, ROTR, STx2), ate two sit down meals, got to ride my goal ride, took a ton of photos and had a very happy family. It was, in a lifetime of disney trips, the BEST park day I can remember. At minimum the best park day in 8 years since I started traveling with hubby to the parks as an adult. I did see a couple people not wearing mask correctly early in the day, but other than that it was perfect compliance. Notable was I noticed VERY few families, at least half of what I normally see if not less. The crowds were nice. Waits were unreal, almost like a party night. Not having fast passes was excellent, with the small waits we could go around the park in order instead of jumping all over the place. I only got 16K steps (including the airport!) which is crazy, typically we get 20-25K on park days in recent years. Was it hot? Heck yea. But we went slow. Took breaks. Drank water. We put on new clean masks twice at the park. The kids never complained even once (miracle) and I'll never forget that park day!
More later... I wonder if anyone will read my novel!
. Our family includes two thirty-somethings, a 6 year old son and a 7 year old daughter.First - a little about us. Since March 12, we haven't seen anyone. Schools closed, work closed (we are now working remotely), its been rough. Us grown ups have been very worried about COVID, so we didn't social distance, we ISOLATED. With no family in the area, our "bubble" is just us. It wasn't easy, but we don't regret it. We had a DCL cruise scheduled (HOTHS! Big surprise for the kiddos) for September which I had paid for via Target gift cards. ALLLLLLL that money went back on the gift cards, so we were rolling in Disney dough. The plan was - if they sail, we sail, because we trust in Tho Holy Disney - but they canceled... so there ya go. By early August all four of us were really itching for an escape. Instagram and the podcasts we listened to said the parks were empty, we did our research on flying, and boom scheduled the trip in under two weeks. It was rash, it was fast, and in the end it was worth it.
Thursday morning - got the kids up at 5:30am for our flight. We didn't tell them about the trip *JUST IN CASE* we changed our minds. We said "get up we are going on a hike and its far." My 6 year old said "Are we going to Disney world???" and my husband just laughed and didn't directly answer. My daughter (who isn't as curious) complied and sleepily got into the car. My son asked questions the entire drive, which is only 15ish minutes form the airport.
Flights: Southwest airlines. We flew on a Thursday morning and have precheck. Security was a breeze, no one in line. We fly with a high back booster which takes a little longer through security because they manually check it. I brought a package of disinfecting wipes with me and wiped pretty much every surface we came in contact with. We arrove at our gate 15 minutes before scheduled boarding, but they took their time to start boarding (only 10 minutes before we took off actually) so we stood around for awhile. Paranoid me told the kids not to sit, we just stood patiently and waited! We were fourth onto the plane with early bird check in despite getting our flights only two weeks before. Staff announced there were only 30 people on the plane, so ~100 empty seats and to please spread out. We took a row side by side. Someone (coughing non stop, ew) sat behind my daughter so we moved a row up, which let me relax a bit more. That was there was no one directly in front or behind us
. Flight was nice, they served snacks and drinks (I was surprised!) but we didn't take any - I was trying to avoid the kids having to go potty!Magical Express: NOPE! For the first time we went rental for this trip to avoid buses/lines/crowds and I have to say we may never go back. Having our own car was AMAZING. We took backpacks and carryons on the flight so no waiting for checked bags. Via Alamo's skip the counter, we walked straight to the garage (only A side is open), picked a car and was on our way. It only took 25 minutes from siting in the car to being AT our resort. It was crazy fast and we didn't have to interact with a single human. We passed the Budget line in the airport and it was wrapped around basically to infinity, I was so glad we went this route.
The entire ride the kids were asking where we were going. Finally my husband said "OK OK we are going on a hike to a castle." My 7 year old was going on and on about how that doesn't make sense and they were debating with each other about where we were. Are we Florida? Is this Disney? Are those trees real? WHERE ARE WE? This was HILARIOUS to us. The kids have been to WDW many times in their young lives (even in utero!) but never with a rental, so it definitely threw them off. Finally we passed through this beauty and we admitted we were "Home". Lots of happy squeals and shock. It was awesome.
Drove up the the guard stand at GFV, the guard asked for our last name and was the first to welcome us home. We had a nice convo about the parks reopening, his experience. He was welcoming and genuinely happy we were there! We dropped our bags at the GFV (rooms were not ready yet, it was exactly 10:56am) and headed just down the way to the entrance of the main hotel, where we met Kingdom Strollers to grab out ciymini double from Derek. He was kind and patient, we've been Kingdom Stroller customers since my daughter was a babe and we love the company! Put the stroller in the trunk and drove off to Hollywood Studios for our first park day.
We were guided to park IN THE FIRST ROW (!!!!!!) at HS. We were parked and walking into the park at 11:10. Can you believe it?! The walk was way shorter than the bus drop off. No waits at temp check. My band scanned pink and I felt a weight lift. Here we were, finally. We did it! Took some photos at the entrance, the whole trip photopass photographers were taking their time and took a LOT of shots. We got some really great ones!
We all needed a potty break and some food stat, so walked up to the Hollywood Brown Derby for eats. I've never been there, its been on my bucket list! Originally we planned on eating outside ONLY all trip, but gosh was it hot and man were we looking for some AC and a nice break. NO resie, no wait, nice clean bathrooms, win-win. Dad got Wagyu burger, I got the salad (of course), both were delicious and we would eat again! Kids got the salmon and the steak, probably ate about 1/3 of their meals (typical). Overall adult meals were winners, kids were overpriced, but we didn't care. We were in DISNEY. It felt like after 5.5 months of sadness the sun had finally risen.
We definitely took out time at lunch, It was just after 1 when we headed out to do rides. My son's and my favorite ride is TOT, but my girl and hubby do not ride (hubby never has and never will) so the two of us rode while Dad and DD watched the show at the B&B theater... I forget what its called but something about Disney favorites. TOT was posted at 25 minutes, but we rode TWICE with virtually no wait, it was walk up until you line up for the elevators, but after the fork. So maybe 5 minutes? My son and I were in heaven getting to ride twice in a row. We chatted up other friendly guests walking in and out, everyone was in a great mood and you could tell we were all just happy to be there. While walking out of TOT for the second time, Dad got a boarding group at 2pm exactly (no app hiccups)... we were group 92. It made us nervous since this was our only HS day, but I stayed hopeful and watched the boarding groups change like a hawk all day hehe.
Decided to take another little mask break since we were heading to TSL and passing launch bay anyways. We chose inside so we could wipe our faces (I brought hand and face wipes) and drink some water in comfort. It was nice in there, quiet. Only saw a couple people and there was plenty space. Headed over to SDD. Posted wait time 35 minutes and we were on and off in 25
. Because of the distancing queue the line was very very long, but it moved pretty much the whole time and the weight didn't feel long at all. Then over to TSM... and off to Batuu. The sky was getting dark and you could tell Florida weather was about to show itself. So we headed into Smugglers run knowing the would rain any second. Pretty much as soon as we got in it started pouring - we timed it PERFECTLY.I forget what the wait time posted was, but we were in and rode in roughly 30 minutes. Not bad especially since its all air conditioned! At exit it was still pouring, so after some debate went in and rode a second time with only about a 15 minute wait. The rain had let up when we got out (YAY) and we were hungry, so picked Docking Bay 7.
As you can see... it was pretty empty! While we were in there, one other small group joined our section, but we felt safe and comfortable the entire time. By about that time they were still awhile from our boarding group, so we walked through the Batuu marketplace and got some toys for the kiddos. We all enjoyed watching the alien in the water cooler and talking with the CM's. I had been watching the wait times for Runaway Railway all day and it persisted at 60-65 minutes. It was my one and only goal for the trip, so after some discussion we sucked it up and headed over. The line was wrapped and the posted wait was 60 minutes at that point, so I waited in line while the other three grabbed mickey bars and a bench. They caught up with me in line just before I walked into the theater. I was jumping with excitement to ride. Our last trip was in January right before it opened, and I didn't watch a single ride thru or spoilers so I would be surprised. I don't want to say anything else in case anyone else reading wants to be surprised, but I have to say it didn't disappoint and I can't wait to ride again! We were in and out within 50 minutes and SURPRISE SURPRISE our boarding group was called!!!!
Headed over the ROTR, it was even better than we remembered. After that it was already 7:30 for an 8pm closing time. The kids love Star Tours, so we decided one last ride on our way out. Dad gets sick on it, so he took a break while I rode with the kids. While we were in line we chatted up the cast member handing out the glasses and he told us we probably had time to ride a second time, just ask for the secret hallway at exit
First time around my son got to be the rebel spy, just as instructed we politely asked if we could ride again and the CM at the exit took us through the secret but not-so-secret passage way. And then my daughter got the be the rebel spy! The CM's at Star Tours were REALLY charismatic and so much fun. Even though it was at park closing! We bought too much at the exit gift shop after (remember, billions of billions in gift cards? HA!) and then headed out and the sun was pretty much set. Getting into our car and back to the resort in 15 minutes was a miracle. I still can't get over the parking situation.SUMMARY: I rode 10 rides (TOTx2, TSM, SDD, SRx2, MMRR, ROTR, STx2), ate two sit down meals, got to ride my goal ride, took a ton of photos and had a very happy family. It was, in a lifetime of disney trips, the BEST park day I can remember. At minimum the best park day in 8 years since I started traveling with hubby to the parks as an adult. I did see a couple people not wearing mask correctly early in the day, but other than that it was perfect compliance. Notable was I noticed VERY few families, at least half of what I normally see if not less. The crowds were nice. Waits were unreal, almost like a party night. Not having fast passes was excellent, with the small waits we could go around the park in order instead of jumping all over the place. I only got 16K steps (including the airport!) which is crazy, typically we get 20-25K on park days in recent years. Was it hot? Heck yea. But we went slow. Took breaks. Drank water. We put on new clean masks twice at the park. The kids never complained even once (miracle) and I'll never forget that park day!
More later... I wonder if anyone will read my novel!
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We may get a very quick stop in Dec 21 or Jan 22 around a cruise my son picked as his middle school “graduation” present
