Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[disneygirlsng]

For those that have recently visited WDW, has the Minnie Van service resumed?

Not as of yesterday

 

[disneygirlsng]

All good things must come to an end, I've had a fantastic week here going solo, but I'm headed home in the morning. Spent yesterday in MK and did every single open attraction, with several repeats, it was so much fun! After 3 trips at Pop since the skyliner opened, it is still one of my most favorite things here. It is going to be very, very hard for me to stay anywhere that is not on the line again in the future.

Of all areas of WDW that I've been to, I got to explore a brand new to me area this week with the Car Care Center. Something in my car didn't feel quite right on the way down and worsened throughout the week, turns out that somewhere along the trip down my engine mount broke. Very lucky that something seriously bad didn't happen driving it. But very thankful for the awesome guys that were able to fix it right up and make it good as new. Was "forced" to add an extra day to my trip to get it fixed, but an extra day here was welcomed (the bill not so much).

 

[TJA]

Just back from a 6-night stay (3 nights at CR and 3 nights at YC).

Parks:
Our MK days were Friday and Sunday. Probably not the best planning on my part. Wait times for the big-ticket rides were mostly always posted anywhere from 40-50 minutes. However, real-time waits for us were normally 20-30 minutes with the exception of 7DMT which ended up being 40 minutes (posted time was 50 minutes). The biggest "joke" for us was Pirates posted time being 45 minutes and we were on the ride in 12 minutes! It was literally a walk on. We were betting they just forgot to change the posted time.

AK day was Saturday. Our longest wait time was for Navi(!) believe it or not. We waited almost exactly what was posted (40 minutes). FoP took 21 minutes and I *think* the posted time was 45 minutes. First time for our family on EE this trip!! My DDs loved it, so they ended up closing down the park going on it time after time. It was walk-on by the end of the night. Bus experience there and back was awesome, but then again attendance wasn't high so we made it on the first bus both times (unless we were just lucky on our timing).

HS days were Monday and Wednesday. Those were the exhausting days for me....probably because the actual wait times were kind of long (30-40 minutes) for the newest rides, and most lines seemed to be outside in the sun. RotR was incredible! So glad we binge-watched Star Wars before our trip. We easily got in Boarding Groups both of our days there while in line for Slinky Dog (Group 17 on Monday and 12 on Wednesday). We really enjoyed taking the skyliner back to Epcot (and then walk to YC) each night.

Epcot day was Tuesday and was so awesome! Wait times were very low. Posted 15-20 minutes for Soarin, TT, and Frozen. We forgot to keep track of the actual wait time, but we were all in agreement it was no longer than 10-15 minutes for all 3 rides.

Random Thoughts:
One big thing we noted was we really did enjoy not having FP's. It was so nice going to a park each day and knowing we'd be able to go on ALL the rides whenever we chose. Having said that, I do hope once Disney increases attendance that there will be some sort of FP feature otherwise we'll be waiting over an hour for each popular ride.

A take-away is the lack of park hopping. One of the reasons we love staying at YC/BC is the ability to end each night in Epcot with a nice dinner or snacks in the World Showcase. So that was a big adjustment for us. I do hope they find a way to allow same-day options to choose a 2nd park if it's not at capacity that day/night.

All-in-all, it was one of our best trips because the crowds were so low and most rides were easy to get on. We really enjoyed not having everyone cram together on rides and on buses. We didn't mind the masks (we're from NY where masks have been mandated for a while). The heat wasn't the greatest but we all brought fans that helped quite a lot. It had been a long time since we stayed at CR, so it was nice to get back there. Our stay at YC began on its first day open (August 24) so SAB wasn't very crowded and that was very nice too! Oh, and I finally got to meet one of my long-time DIS friends!

Onto planning for the next trip!!

 

[nancy155]

I searched the forum but haven't been able to locate an answer. I know with mobile ordering pre-Covid there was not a way to receive the AP discount. Now with the strong encouragement to use mobile ordering is there a way to obtain the AP discount, or does one have to order with a cast member? Thanks!

 

[yulilin3]

I searched the forum but haven't been able to locate an answer. I know with mobile ordering pre-Covid there was not a way to receive the AP discount. Now with the strong encouragement to use mobile ordering is there a way to obtain the AP discount, or does one have to order with a cast member? Thanks!

Here's the answer on the site https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/my-disney-experience/mobile-order-discounts/
Now i know that at ak cm are able to apply their discount straight on the app

 

[Earningmywings]

All good things must come to an end, I've had a fantastic week here going solo, but I'm headed home in the morning. Spent yesterday in MK and did every single open attraction, with several repeats, it was so much fun! After 3 trips at Pop since the skyliner opened, it is still one of my most favorite things here. It is going to be very, very hard for me to stay anywhere that is not on the line again in the future.

Of all areas of WDW that I've been to, I got to explore a brand new to me area this week with the Car Care Center. Something in my car didn't feel quite right on the way down and worsened throughout the week, turns out that somewhere along the trip down my engine mount broke. Very lucky that something seriously bad didn't happen driving it. But very thankful for the awesome guys that were able to fix it right up and make it good as new. Was "forced" to add an extra day to my trip to get it fixed, but an extra day here was welcomed (the bill not so much).

Did you notice the times the Skyliner was open? We are staying at Pop and looking to do a reservation on the Boardwalk, but we don’t want to get stranded and have to call an Uber.

 

[nancy155]

Here's the answer on the site https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/my-disney-experience/mobile-order-discounts/
Now i know that at ak cm are able to apply their discount straight on the app

Yes the cast member I spoke about it on the phone said she was able to apply her CM discount when mobile ordering but did not know about AP or TIW. Thank you for responding, I appreciate it! Always can count on other "dis'ers

 

[yulilin3]

Did you notice the times the Skyliner was open? We are staying at Pop and looking to do a reservation on the Boardwalk, but we don’t want to get stranded and have to call an Uber.

Skyliner opens at 9am but only one way from epcot to cbr until 10:30

 

[kittylady1972]

Thank you for the heads up! They also install the SunPass in them with the hope that you use it so they can charge you. Not today, Satan!

went to grab breakfast this morning and opted to go inside because I didn’t think I would meet the clearance.

The only places we are driving to are Epcot and MK and back to MCO, so I’m hoping we don’t run into any issues.

On another note, will Disney consider a 15-passenger van as an “oversized vehicle”?

Wow....I've seen the SunPass in some vehicles but I have my own and always bring it. Most of the time I even remember to take it back out of the rental when I return it.

Disney does not consder the 15 passenger an oversized...we always ended up parking in the regular lots with no issue.

 

[Earningmywings]

Skyliner opens at 9am but only one way from epcot to cbr until 10:30

Sorry I meant what time does it stop running, poor wording in my original post.

 

[cjlong88]

Just got back to the hotel from Epcot. Here’s a quick report.

PROS:
- Parking was easy. Arrived around 12:30 with no one at the gate and was directed right to the front of the lot.

- Crowds in the early afternoon were nonexistent. We were shocked at how few people we saw.

-Lines were very short. Like, crazy short. Even when the wait was posted at 30 minutes, it was more like 5-10. Most rides were walk-ones. We could have easily ridden everything multiple times.

- Despite what people say, there is PLENTY to do at Epcot if you take it easy and enjoy everything it has to offer right now.

- We got to walk at a leisurely pace. We didn’t have to have a plan. We were spontaneous and took frequent breaks. We weren’t the usual Disney tired at the end of the day because we took our time. It was simply wonderful.

- Mask compliance was fantastic. Only 2 people I saw the entire day walking around without masks. Only a few noses peaking out. Never had a single problem with people crowding us in the lines. I was preparing myself for worse, was pleasantly surprised by how responsible everyone was. It restored my faith in humanity...maybe we really can care about one another.

- Our favorite eats/drinks: Furano Martini (Japan), Caramalized Onion Tart (France), Kulua Pork Slider (Hawaii), La Vie en Rose Slush (France...I could have had 10 of these), Schinkennudeln (Germany), Liquid Nitro Cake Pops (Desserts and Champagne)


CONS:
- Epcot in the evening was noticeably more crowded. Even after the thunderstorm came through. My guess is that those with annual passes who had a reservation must have come to enjoy the festival after work. Still was easy to navigate, but some of the choke points were definitely trickier.

- The Land Pavilion can be tricky when it comes to social distancing. Same with some parts of WS.

OVERALL:

A wonderful first day. We are so happy to be back. I think Epcot is a great park to visit now. Lots of space to move around, great food options, and wait times were low.

We look forward to seeing how our day at MK goes tomorrow.

 

[summerw]

Ohhh. I have been on the DIS for a long time and loved reading your TR's. When I first started reading them I always followed your advice. I was just having kids taking them to our first trips. We lived in Jacksonville at the time. The kids are now 14 and 10 and we live in Tennessee now. Anyways. Was so happy to see your sign-on.

Oh my gosh - thank you, this just made my day!!! My "Leo" is now an adult. AN ADULT!!!11!!!!! So crazy. I miss those amazing TR heydays; we sure had a lot of fun, didn't we?! Wishing you well and hope you get to enjoy some more great WDW time with those kiddos over the next few years. It goes by entirely too quickly.

I was actually thinking the same thing when I saw your report, PrincessV. I read a lot of older ones when I joined Dis in 2010 and loved them. That was before our first trip and they made me so excited to go!

 

[disneygirlsng]

Sorry I meant what time does it stop running, poor wording in my original post.

10:30

 

[disneygirlsng]

Yes the cast member I spoke about it on the phone said she was able to apply her CM discount when mobile ordering but did not know about AP or TIW. Thank you for responding, I appreciate it! Always can count on other "dis'ers

I can't think of anywhere that does mobile ordering that has AP discounts, not sure about TiW though. I believe the only QS that accept AP discounts are in Disney Springs, none in the parks.

 

[yulilin3]

I can't think of anywhere that does mobile ordering that has AP discounts, not sure about TiW though. I believe the only QS that accept AP discounts are in Disney Springs, none in the parks.

I think you might be right. I vaguely remember having a m.o. discount at ak when the program first launched, but now the only discount i see is for cm

 

[Alice Sr.]

Furano Martini (Japan)

Interesting, is it a standard martini just made with Japanese vodka or is it flavored? Thanks for reporting, so happy to hear your opinion on Epcot.

 

[yulilin3]

Booked a one night room at Pop using CM discount ($80) decided to come befor dhs to have breakfast, lo and behold got the notification that the room was ready. 70s section building 6.
Can say that the line for mk buys st 7:45 was long, cm at the ends furiously texting on his phone, transportation doesn't start until an hour befor but people don't seem to know or care

The room is really nice, definitely no great view or anything but want expecting that
Found the channel that plays happily ever after continually from 6pm to 10pm, channel 74, must dos is now on 73

 

[dachsie]

Booked a one night room at Pop using CM discount ($80) decided to come befor dhs to have breakfast, lo and behold got the notification that the room was ready. 70s section building 6.
Can say that the line for mk buys st 7:45 was long, cm at the ends furiously texting on his phone, transportation doesn't start until an hour befor but people don't seem to know or care

The room is really nice, definitely no great view or anything but want expecting that
Found the channel that plays happily ever after continually from 6pm to 10pm, channel 74, must dos is now on 73

@yulilin3 Could you verify for me that the TV has ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and SECN for me or which ones of those it has. Thanks!

 

[cjlong88]

Interesting, is it a standard martini just made with Japanese vodka or is it flavored? Thanks for reporting, so happy to hear your opinion on Epcot.

It had lavender syrup and yuzu juice accompanying the vodka. It begins very floral but then has a nice, sweet after taste. One of the more complex flavored drinks I have had at F&W. The portion is small, but I was glad. While I enjoyed it very much, I don’t think I could have consumed too much more of it.

 

[trishadono]

Just back from a 6-night stay (3 nights at CR and 3 nights at YC).

Parks:
Our MK days were Friday and Sunday. Probably not the best planning on my part. Wait times for the big-ticket rides were mostly always posted anywhere from 40-50 minutes. However, real-time waits for us were normally 20-30 minutes with the exception of 7DMT which ended up being 40 minutes (posted time was 50 minutes). The biggest "joke" for us was Pirates posted time being 45 minutes and we were on the ride in 12 minutes! It was literally a walk on. We were betting they just forgot to change the posted time.

AK day was Saturday. Our longest wait time was for Navi(!) believe it or not. We waited almost exactly what was posted (40 minutes). FoP took 21 minutes and I *think* the posted time was 45 minutes. First time for our family on EE this trip!! My DDs loved it, so they ended up closing down the park going on it time after time. It was walk-on by the end of the night. Bus experience there and back was awesome, but then again attendance wasn't high so we made it on the first bus both times (unless we were just lucky on our timing).

HS days were Monday and Wednesday. Those were the exhausting days for me....probably because the actual wait times were kind of long (30-40 minutes) for the newest rides, and most lines seemed to be outside in the sun. RotR was incredible! So glad we binge-watched Star Wars before our trip. We easily got in Boarding Groups both of our days there while in line for Slinky Dog (Group 17 on Monday and 12 on Wednesday). We really enjoyed taking the skyliner back to Epcot (and then walk to YC) each night.

Epcot day was Tuesday and was so awesome! Wait times were very low. Posted 15-20 minutes for Soarin, TT, and Frozen. We forgot to keep track of the actual wait time, but we were all in agreement it was no longer than 10-15 minutes for all 3 rides.

Random Thoughts:
One big thing we noted was we really did enjoy not having FP's. It was so nice going to a park each day and knowing we'd be able to go on ALL the rides whenever we chose. Having said that, I do hope once Disney increases attendance that there will be some sort of FP feature otherwise we'll be waiting over an hour for each popular ride.

A take-away is the lack of park hopping. One of the reasons we love staying at YC/BC is the ability to end each night in Epcot with a nice dinner or snacks in the World Showcase. So that was a big adjustment for us. I do hope they find a way to allow same-day options to choose a 2nd park if it's not at capacity that day/night.

All-in-all, it was one of our best trips because the crowds were so low and most rides were easy to get on. We really enjoyed not having everyone cram together on rides and on buses. We didn't mind the masks (we're from NY where masks have been mandated for a while). The heat wasn't the greatest but we all brought fans that helped quite a lot. It had been a long time since we stayed at CR, so it was nice to get back there. Our stay at YC began on its first day open (August 24) so SAB wasn't very crowded and that was very nice too! Oh, and I finally got to meet one of my long-time DIS friends!

Onto planning for the next trip!!

It was such a pleasure to finally meet you!

Nice review!