I'll back the OP.
We did EMM at DHS first. Loved it!
We did EMM at MK second, and won't do it again.
7DMT was broken and didn't open until right before rope drop. We rode twice. The ENTIRE point of us going was 7DMT. We did not pay that kind of money for Pooh, Peter Pan, Carousel and an average breakfast. Luckily we entered when we did to restaurant and I sat DS at table ... by time I had our food the place was packed.
Yes, you could FP+ it until noon - IF you had no other FP+, had no other plans somewhere and or planned to spend hours more in Fantasyland ... it really isn't much good. We booked all our FP+ for right after EMM ... NOT in Fantasyland ... in hopes to roll as long as we could. If we hung around then we would have lost those. So we got nothing for missing out on the main part of the event.
Honestly I would have been happier if they gave us 3 paper FP+ so we could ride 3 more times when it worked for us. $70 a piece .......... kicking myself. Yet DHS, with only 2 rides, 5 characters and an awesome breakfast put on by Disney Events, was totally worth it. I hope they bring it back in Star Wars GE.
To person who asked about limit: I know someone who works in Fantasyland and they said the event can be up to 300 people and that sounded very reasonable based on what I saw.
To OP ......... not sure which bathroom was closed to you but there is more than one that should have been open. By Pinocchio's and by Gaston's.
First off, thank you for understanding. Some folks are so busy apologizing for Disney that they can't seem to se that things are going/have gone off the rails. The only one that was open was next to Pinocchio's, except that it was closed for cleaning. They pointed us to the companion bathroom next to the ladies room, but there was a line of men waiting to use that. We couldn't go back toward Gaston's and were originally stopped tryin to go over to the Tangled bathroom until I explained the situation.
I say this as a lifelong Disney fan, someone who's converted friends and family into Disney fans by helping them plan their vacations... the trip that we just came home from was our worst ever. I give massive kudos to many, if not all cast members. It is obvious that many people work for Disney because they love the company and the job. In particular, I had good experiences with Randy from GS in MK and Byron a server at Skipper Canteen. I also did a three night cruise on the Disney Dream that was outstanding. Nonetheless, the problems and disappointments cast a dark pall over the whole experience.
Of course there's the experience that spawned this thread. We also got caught up in breakdowns of Dinosaur, Figment, 7DMT (again), ToT, and multiples of TSMM while in a 60+ minute rope drop standby line. The cherry on top of that sundae was the power going out in the main building at our resort (POFQ) on Saturday - no food court, no room service, no front desk, no shop, no arcade. They were bussing people over to Riverside for QS and we ended up printing our boarding passes for our flight the next day at the Poly as we were over there for dinner at Ohana.
Without intending to open up the
scooter debate again, my DD32 was with us and had to be in a scooter as she slipped on the ice and sprained her ankle the day before she was to board a plane and join us, and being in a scooter or with someone in a scooter is not fun. Trust me when I tell you,boarding the bus first is the absolute only thing that is an advantage.
Cleanliness used to be the signature of Disney parks. That is slipping away. I was always informed by a friend who is a CM that CMs are trained that it is everyone's job t keep the parks immaculate. And yet I noticed several CMs walk right by a plastic bag sitting in the middle of the street in MK one day. Trash on the walkways, around the ride stations, messy bathrooms... it's not what it used to be, and one cannot help but think that it is a result of cutting costs.
The food was another issue. We always use the dining pan, mostly for the convenience. We also mix up our reservations to include new places we haven't tried and old favorites. It pains me to say that the best meal, for taste and value that we had all week was at Satuli Canteen. We had pretty good meals at Skipper Canteen, Boma, and Ohana. Coral Reef (a last minute switch from SciFi) was not good, Y&Y was OK, and sorry folks but I can get pizza just as good and even better than Via Napoli at any local pizza place in NJ. Again, it feels like cost-cutting is decreasing the quality of the experience with dining as well.
And the crowds! January felt like July (with numbers of people, certainly not temps). I get it, there are no off seasons anymore, but man! And the Brazilian tour groups are back. We ran into three or four of them at every park we went to every day (and yes, I know they were from Brazil because it said so on their matching shirts).
Now cue the parade of apologists telling me that I got my money's worth and if I'm so disillusioned then just stop coming - more room for them, etc. Yes, maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but from this week's experience I'd venture to say that Disney is losing touch with the very people who've made them popular, the hardcore fans. I know we won't be back for a while.
