buckeyeguy1
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2016
We went tonight (11/25) in the 8-10p time slot. We originally wanted to go last night, but didn’t want to buy tickets until we got down here in the event our trip got canceled. They were sold out on Tues so we opted for tonight.
I was a little apprehensive at first to wonder off Disney property as I don’t know how safety precautions are being enforced elsewhere. I can say this event was absolutely FANTASTIC!! They sell the tickets in 2 hr time slots to avoid over crowding. You don’t have to leave after your time slot, you just have to arriving that time. Tonight’s event was sold out. Personally, it felt like they could have easily allowed 25% more people in and we would have still felt plenty comfortable. The rules are pretty much a mirror image of WDW. Guests were really good with mask compliance.
We arrived right at 8p. Parking was easy and we were through temp check and in the gate in no time. We had purchased a couple extras when we bought our tickets and you go to a separate table where they will scan the QR code’s from your receipt and give you your items. They had everything to purchase there. Just keep in mind that it’s all credit card and I believe PayPal. They didn’t take cash or Apple Pay.
We were amazed at how big it was and how much of the property was actually decorated. Each villa is sponsored by a company and many have theming related to their business. We made sure to check out the DUT villa which looked great! Don’t go thinking you are going to see Osborne lights as it’s not a synced type of show. It’s as if an entire neighborhood decorated to the max and you get to walk through it. They also pipe in Christmas music throughout the village.
They had a Whack-a-mole game that you could buy tickets for and win prizes. They were wiping everything down thoroughly after each player. The kiddo had fun with it. It is an extra cost, but all the proceeds go to GKTW.
We watched a short preview on the YouTubes a couple weeks ago about it and kind of expected to be there for 45 min or so. We ended up staying just shy of 2 hours. It’s a fair amount of walking, so be ready for that. I think the video we saw said there were around 3.3 million lights in all and most were donated from Disney.
After attending this event and seeing the village, I have a greater understanding of what GKTW truly is. This isn’t just a resort with rooms to house families. This is a getaway of its own outside of the parks. A place that has a lot of activities to where if the child or family don’t have it in them to grind away at a park for the day, they can still have a lot of great activities that are accessible and close to “home”. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend purchasing some tickets and having some fun!!
I was a little apprehensive at first to wonder off Disney property as I don’t know how safety precautions are being enforced elsewhere. I can say this event was absolutely FANTASTIC!! They sell the tickets in 2 hr time slots to avoid over crowding. You don’t have to leave after your time slot, you just have to arriving that time. Tonight’s event was sold out. Personally, it felt like they could have easily allowed 25% more people in and we would have still felt plenty comfortable. The rules are pretty much a mirror image of WDW. Guests were really good with mask compliance.
We arrived right at 8p. Parking was easy and we were through temp check and in the gate in no time. We had purchased a couple extras when we bought our tickets and you go to a separate table where they will scan the QR code’s from your receipt and give you your items. They had everything to purchase there. Just keep in mind that it’s all credit card and I believe PayPal. They didn’t take cash or Apple Pay.
We were amazed at how big it was and how much of the property was actually decorated. Each villa is sponsored by a company and many have theming related to their business. We made sure to check out the DUT villa which looked great! Don’t go thinking you are going to see Osborne lights as it’s not a synced type of show. It’s as if an entire neighborhood decorated to the max and you get to walk through it. They also pipe in Christmas music throughout the village.
They had a Whack-a-mole game that you could buy tickets for and win prizes. They were wiping everything down thoroughly after each player. The kiddo had fun with it. It is an extra cost, but all the proceeds go to GKTW.
We watched a short preview on the YouTubes a couple weeks ago about it and kind of expected to be there for 45 min or so. We ended up staying just shy of 2 hours. It’s a fair amount of walking, so be ready for that. I think the video we saw said there were around 3.3 million lights in all and most were donated from Disney.
After attending this event and seeing the village, I have a greater understanding of what GKTW truly is. This isn’t just a resort with rooms to house families. This is a getaway of its own outside of the parks. A place that has a lot of activities to where if the child or family don’t have it in them to grind away at a park for the day, they can still have a lot of great activities that are accessible and close to “home”. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend purchasing some tickets and having some fun!!
