Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Neverbeast]

Edited: I originally couldn’t see where you thought I contradicted myself, but think I see it now. I’ll list the rationale to book at either time.

7am booking:
1. I don’t trust Disney IT (things change) so preferred to get the booking done at 7am. It’s stressful waiting for the 7:17 drop, although I was successful each time
2. Later times don’t shift as much so if you’re looking at afternoon/evening booking you should get close to what you want
3. If you don’t care about time then it’s locked in and you don’t have to worry about refreshing
4. You can always go to the blue umbrellas if your time shifts significantly after payment …it’s a known issue that they were happy to fix when I was there

Wait for the 7:17ish booking:
1. You absolutely need a morning time
2. You don’t want to deal with the blue umbrellas
3. IT glitches caused you to miss the 7am booking
4. You have more than one opportunity (day) to book so if for some reason the 7:17 drop doesn’t pan out you have another chance (I.e. take the risk of waiting until 7:17 to get the time you want vs taking whatever you get at 7am)

My comments/posts were more to reassure people that there was another drop of times every day of my trip (consistent with what others have experienced). That said, I still tried every morning at 7am. If times shown were already late or changing significantly between screens I wouldn’t book and would (nervously) wait until 7:17. If I didn’t care about the time or it wasn’t shifting significantly I booked.
Hope that clears things up.

This is such a great explanation and comparison

 

[waldiddy]

GaSleepingBeautyFan, unfortunately, my wife got Covid during our trip. Just be aware folks .. this pandemic ain't quite over yet.​

 

[waldiddy]

The tarts have been missing at the French bakery since at least last June. My husband and I always get one, and it's not been available on any of our recent trips. Same thing with the caramel shoppe in Germany - many fewer items. I'm hoping the menus broaden back as the international staff returns and things get back to normal.

Thank you for answering my question! glad i'm not the only one missing the variety of delicious treats!

 

[lovethattink]

Friendly reminder about the DIS Covid posts policy. Please see pinned thread.

 

[mdinme]

great post Ty. We are night owls and hope to use G+ and LL like you may 22-26

We just returned from a Land and Sea trip - 4 days in the parks (staying at OKW) and then a 3-night cruise on the Dream, April 4-11. It was a wonderful vacation!

A few highlights that I wanted to share, because I love reading this thread as my trips are approaching! We are typically rope drop people but as my girls get older we are more laid back. I really worried we would miss things, but with Genie+ and ILL it worked out so well. On our first day, we flew early so I got return times while waiting in the airport and again right after we landed. We took a private transportation company called "Away We Go" which dropped us off at Epcot and then took our bags to OKW. By the time we arrived at Epcot I had Test Track, Soarin and Remy booked. So we filled in with other rides while we were there. We did everything in the park BUT Frozen and Space, which was our plan. We very much enjoyed the show at Epcot!

Because it went so well the day before, we decided to sleep in/swim the next day with the same type of stacking for AK. I would get up at 7:15 and get a later return time and then reserve them every two hours until we went to the parks around 1/2 PM. In fact, the 7:17 drop was most beneficial for me - I was able to get what I wanted each day at that time. And at 7:17 it was less likely to be a different time after I clicked through. I just set an alarm for the next time to book and I didn't feel like I was on my phone much. We had a WONDERFUL breakfast at Olivia's, probably my favorite meal of the trip. Got to the park and already had FOP, Safari and Dinosaur booked (I think). We didn't even care to do Navi but one time it popped up so I grabbed it.

The one day we Rope Dropped was Magic Kingdom. That was the only day I felt the crowds were bad. After nearly getting ran over by strollers (we were in the very front of the rope drop at Tomorrowland) I decided that just wasn't worth the hassle. We did Space Mountain and Splash before park opening, and had return time for Jungle Cruise and Pirates. Then we took a mid-day break. After that point, I had several waiting on us that I had booked while at the resort. We managed to get all the major rides, including a return time for Peter Pan after we watched the fireworks (didn't care for them, but we love Happily Ever After). For me, it seemed like I lucked out or maybe I planned well because if I fiddled with it, I almost always got a return time for something I wanted. I did not book anything until it was what I wanted (meaning I didn't try to cancel and rebook, I figured I would rather hold out). We left the park that night around midnight, but could have done a 2nd ride on some of the big hitters with little wait times.

Our last day was Thursday and I think the storms helped us because we slept in (aside from 7:17 Rise and Slinky, then went back to sleep) and still managed to get every ride we wanted minus Smugglers. And we could have done standby but we were feeling sickly from all the other simulator rides. We booked Tower around lunch and found RnR around 2:30 which I didn't expect. I think people must have canceled and I found their scraps! My 13 yo daughter watched tons of Molly videos (All Ears) and helped me find things, so that was fun for us to do together.

We did 4 parks in 4 days - and 3 of those days were post-lunch arrivals. We only waited in one line, 20 minutes for Spaceship Earth when we first walked into Epcot. We have NEVER had a trip with fewer wait times. In fact, we said we sometimes needed more time in the queues to catch our breath!

Friday we took ground transportation to Port Canaveral, crossed our fingers for negative Covid tests, and then enjoyed 3 relaxing nights on the Dream. Low crowds there. I don't know the number but I know my girls did the Aquaduck 7 times in a row! Castaway was dreamy, as always.

Because Southwest changed our return flight we had ground transportation bring us back to OKW where they kept our luggage for a few hours at bell services. I wasn't sure this was going to work so I had the manager approve it first. They had no problem doing it. We took the boat to Disney Springs, spent a final day there, and then ubered back to the airport last night to fly home.

I know many people say Genie+ isn't worth it, but for our touring style and crowd levels, it was worth every penny. Check at 7:17 for the big rides, it worked every day for me. Relax at the resort or park hop and stack in the afternoon/evening if you want. We had very few ADRs so that helped us to be flexible, as well.

 

[Nordic4tKnight]

We went in the end of March, beginning of April and we never waited in a standby line longer than 40 minutes. We were able to achieve this by using Genie+ and ILLs to their full potential. Every day we were able to get the park headliners (Jungle, SDD, Frozen, Safari) for early morning return times meaning we were a huge step ahead of everyone else who were stuck waiting for the 120 minute rule. We also took advantage of Early Entry and thanks to the posts here we were towards the front of the line at all parks (we didn't want to wait up crazy early for AK but were able to still ride Navi with a 20 minute wait). Using this strategy we were able to ride every ride we wanted and in many cases twice. I understand that our Genie+ mornings were more luck (especially scoring a 9:00am SDD) but I cannot stress enough how important it is to use ILL & Genie+ with Early Entry in the morning.

One other thing we utilized that I don't think the regular park guests didn't know about was the 7:17am ILL drop. This worked for us to get better times (even for Rise) every single time. So much so that we never even tried at 7am for FOP and just waited for 7:17 for better times.

 

[chekhovgirl]

We found Genie + was very helpful at HS and MK. Finally getting better at stacking and that makes a huge difference.
Didn't need it at AK or EPCOT.

Can you share an example of your stacking strategy? We're doing one day at DHS soon and I'm trying to figure it out! Thinking of booking ToT first because of the reduced capacity.

 

[gharter]

HS opened at 7:30. At 7, I booked our 1st LL at 10. With the 2 hour rule was able to schedule another one at 9:30. Once the 10 was used, was able to schedule another and just kept going. there were times where I had to keep refreshing to find a LL for a ride and time that we wanted.

 

[seashell7290]

I’m here now offering a different perspective. Getting my husband up for rope drop is just not possible. I’ve been waking up early booking rides starting late morning and through until close. For HS, we were able to do SDD, Rise, ToT, smugglers run, Indiana and beauty and the beast, MMRR. All with G+ And ILL. Could have done TSM but we had an Ogas reservation instead. I did refresh for some things but overall it wasn’t too bad. We also enjoyed Brown derby lounge and had an ADR at 50s. I liked that I was able to creat this all same day including the ADRs. And yes my battery did last the whole time. I can totally see how I am above average knowledge of G+. I was in line for the GET and heard the questions people were asking. Most people have 0 idea to maximize this system. Yes I know I am paying more to tour like this but I’ll continue to use it to save some sleep.

 

[chekhovgirl]

HS opened at 7:30. At 7, I booked our 1st LL at 10. With the 2 hour rule was able to schedule another one at 9:30. Once the 10 was used, was able to schedule another and just kept going. there were times where I had to keep refreshing to find a LL for a ride and time that we wanted.

Oh, I get the stacking strategy in general, but was wondering which rides you did in which order. I'm worried about not getting some of them. Glad it worked for you!

 

[gharter]

Oh, I get the stacking strategy in general, but was wondering which rides you did in which order. I'm worried about not getting some of them. Glad it worked for you!

Initially, couldn't get RoTR. While riding the bus, checked again and was able to purchase at a good time.
Was able to get MMRR, ToT, RnRC, Smugglers run, toy story mania and Frozen as LL.
Didn't really need it for Frozen.
Also walked up for Star Tours, Indy, and MMRR. Watched 2 of the small parades.
The only one we couldn't get and wanted to do was Slinky Dog and wasn't going to wait in 90 minute line.

 

[UVACHRIS11]

GaSleepingBeautyFan, unfortunately, my wife got Covid during our trip. Just be aware folks .. this pandemic ain't quite over yet.​

Our small family of three also all positive. Wife and I work in a hospital and never tested positive. She worked on the first covid unit here. All 3 of us are VERY symptomatic. This is the worst I have felt in years.

 

[BridgetR3]

Random question - With Remy pulling some people and it being lowered for the summer on Genie +, what are the standby wait times like right now for Frozen? Yes I know that I could have followed the app recently and checked it a few times a day but I just thought of this.

 

[3gr8boys]

Random question - With Remy pulling some people and it being lowered for the summer on Genie +, what are the standby wait times like right now for Frozen? Yes I know that I could have followed the app recently and checked it a few times a day but I just thought of this.

We used LL on FEA late afternoon on a Spring Break Monday and I am pretty sure the standby line said 90 minutes or more (I remember thinking "No way!"). We rode again on Thursday evening not long before park close and the standby line said 60. I never looked at ETPE/RD/morning.

 

[chekhovgirl]

Initially, couldn't get RoTR. While riding the bus, checked again and was able to purchase at a good time.
Was able to get MMRR, ToT, RnRC, Smugglers run, toy story mania and Frozen as LL.
Didn't really need it for Frozen.
Also walked up for Star Tours, Indy, and MMRR. Watched 2 of the small parades.
The only one we couldn't get and wanted to do was Slinky Dog and wasn't going to wait in 90 minute line.

Slinky Dog is the one that I'm not sure we'll prioritize for LL and I'm afraid we won't ride it either, but don't think it's a deal breaker for anyone in our group. We're not staying on site, so we will be rope dropping RoTR because it's our #1 and we don't want to get shut out due to breakdowns or anything! Thank you!

 

[Lsdolphin]

Just returned from spending last week at CSR...had a great time but parks were very crowded. Purchased Genie+ again and once again it was of little use to us. the one day when we used it from 7:00 through the day to stack rides for later in the day at MK it was somewhat helpful in that you are able to get rides for later in the day but forget about anything in the morning. Early morning hours were packed at MK and both mornings we tried, PP had a late opening. So we ended up doing Small World and then waiting with hordes of people for HM to open at 9am. It’s like the running of the bulls at 8:30 with 95% running to SDMT and the others heading right to PP. the group that heads toward Tomorrow land is way smaller so Space Mountain is a good choice for early morning hours. Busses seemed to be plentiful early morning from resorts to parks but we had long waits at all parks for return busses early to late afternoons.
we were surprised at the availability for walk up reservations we actually used the app to get a reservation for Ohana for dinner one night while standing at the TTC and walked right over. Also went to Beaches and Cream after checking the app while walking over from Epcot. Took the skyway from HS one day and went to Sebastian’s Bistro over at CBR and it was actually better than Ohana for much less $. Our server offered to bring us more of anything we wanted and offered us containers for our leftovers. We did have an ADR for Sebastian’s and it is only open from Thursday -Sunday unless that’s changed since last week. Highly recommend Sebastian’s Bistro and Steakhouse 71 was also fabulous. Enjoyed a breakfast at the Ale and Compass restaurant at the Yacht Club the Dark Chocolate waffles with cherries were wonderfu. favorite Snacks were the Wookie Cookie and the Blondie Brownie from Backlot Express at HS both were huge and great for sharing. The chocolate chip cookie from the “Market “ over just across from the entrance to Toy Story Land was great and we loved the melty cheese/brisket sandwich from Woody’s. We also enjoyed items from Captain Cooks at Poly but the food at the quick service at CSR was awful everything still grab and go and served in cardboard brown boxes sitting under the lights.
still really miss the dole whip served with the pineapple upside cake that used to be in MK.
Disney Springs was busy but no where as crazy as around Christmas it was quite pleasant to walk around and stores didn’t seem too crowded. Prices for just about everything have really gone up but we have seen that at home as well. Looking forward to returning in Sept and hoping for way lower crowds. Definitely won’t be buying the Genie+ again. Now just have to lose the extra pounds we put on....going out now for another long walk!

 

[loves to dive]

I've been here, solo, since Easter Sunday. It has been an interesting trip so far. I'm doing a split stay, 2 nights at ASMov and 4 nights at Dolpin. I arrived around 12:30 and went to the lobby at ASMov, I knew my room wasn't ready but I wanted to know if they knew what section it would be in so I could move my car. The great CM found me a room ready, fairly close to the lobby and right across from the parking lot. I dropped my stuff off and headed off to Epcot. It really wasn't all that crowded, at least I didn't think it was. I bought a gift card and headed off to La Cava in Mexico for some Guac and a refreshing adult beverage. Rode the ride there with no wait. Decided what the heck, lets ride Frozen. I'm not a fan of the movie and not a huge fan of the ride but I thought I'd test the wait times. It was posted 90 min. It did indeed take 90 min. get on the boat. The ride decided to die right when it went backwards. We sat there for awhile then CMs came and told us we would be evacuated as soon as they emptied the water and turned off the electricity. It was a total of 2 hours from when I got on the ride to when I got off. I needed to cleanse the bad vibes from that so walked over to the Land and rode my favorite, Living with the Land. That was posted 5 min, was a walk on. Then I went to Soarin. It was posted 50 min, was a walk on until the merge with LL then maybe a 10 min. wait. On a roll now, I did SSE, posted 5 min., a walk on. I decided to head over to MK. Huge mistake. I rode the monorail and right when I got on it, the skies opened up. No problem, I always have at least a cheap poncho with me. It was coming down pretty hard but not bad so I went to Pirates, which was posted 15 min, was a walk on. Of course, all the outside rides were down so I went to HM. It was posted 13 min, was a walk on. It stopped when I got to the library and we sat there maybe 5 min., then it stopped again when I got just past the coffin dude, I was stuck in the little hallway with the pounding door. That was about 10 min. Then it stopped again when I had just been turned backwards and was going down hill so I was laying on my back. That one wasn't long, maybe 3 min. When I got outside the skies had really opened up. I decided to ride people mover, right when I got over there I heard them announcing to the people on the ride to stay in their seats. I took that as an omen and came back to the room.

Today I had reservations for MK. I got there at about 8:45, toward the end of early entry. I went to SDMT, which was already posted at 80 min but what the heck. It was an 80 min. wait. Then I went to BTMRR, posted at 45, it was about 30. After that Jungle Cruise, posted at 50 and it was just about that. It was shut down when I got off. Then I went and rode PeopleMover which was posted 15 min. and was about that. There were a lot of rides down at this point. WTP after that, posted 25 and it was that. I headed out and to the monorail for a hop to Epcot to eat at some booths. Turns out their gift card readers were mal-functioning. The CMs could punch in the number on the card but not scan it. If you had a gift card that could be swiped, those worked, just not the wrist ones. I managed to get something at three booths, struck out at one because the CM's insisted they couldn't manually enter the card. I knew they could but it wasn't worth fighting over. There was a pretty black cloud brewing so I came back to the room to rest. I'm currently laying in the bed with a heating pad on my back trying to decide if I want to head over to AK and watch the Tree of Life awakening.

So far, this has been the weirdest trip I've had and I've been 3 times since the parks have reopened. I'm hoping they get the gift card issue fixed at Epcot since I don't want to put little $6-$10 charges on my cc, which is why I bought it.

 

[loves to dive]

Went to AK about 6 pm. Joined wait list for Nomad Lounge as soon as I passed security, it was a 10 min. wait, table was ready as soon as I got there. Enjoyed food and drink were great as usual. Decided to ride Navi since I was just waiting for the awakenings. 60 min. posted wait. About 15 min. in they announced the ride was down. Went to Dino. instead. posted 10 min. wait, walk on. Went in some shops and watched 3 of the awakenings.

All in all not a bad day. So far I'm 3 for 3 as far as parks and rides breaking down.

 

[MainMom]

Went to AK about 6 pm. Joined wait list for Nomad Lounge as soon as I passed security, it was a 10 min. wait, table was ready as soon as I got there. Enjoyed food and drink were great as usual. Decided to ride Navi since I was just waiting for the awakenings. 60 min. posted wait. About 15 min. in they announced the ride was down. Went to Dino. instead. posted 10 min. wait, walk on. Went in some shops and watched 3 of the awakenings.

All in all not a bad day. So far I'm 3 for 3 as far as parks and rides breaking down.

What are the awakenings?

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

I'm here right now. Solo until Thursday when some relatives come in. My trip's a little different than the norm because I'm working from the hotel during the days and hitting the parks after - but thought I'd post anyway since I've gotten so much value out of reading others' reports.

Flew in late on Easter Sunday. And arrived even later than planned due to weather delays. Was glad that I had booked one night at Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport. Great room, decent breakfast, incredibly convenient for a late night/early morning flight. Had fun watching the planes take off and land while working this morning.

At my lunchtime, I grabbed a rental car, made a pit stop for supplies at Walmart, and moved over to Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress for three nights. The room here is very comfortable. I haven't really explored the resort at all, but I look down at the pool from my room and it looks nice.

As soon as I wrapped up my work day, I headed over to EPCOT for the evening. I was able to snag a Space 220 Lounge reservation a few days ago and planned my night around that. In getting my thoughts together for this post I realized that I never actually rode any rides tonight (a first for me), but I had a blast. On arrival, I went straight to Mexico for an avocado margarita. Spent some time exploring the China, Norway, and Mexico pavilions and the port of entry area then shopped at Connections until it was time to head to space.

I was able to check in right at reservation time and sent directly up and was seated at the bar. At first I was a little disappointed that I didn't have a direct view of the screens, but it ended up being fine. The bar is mirrored so you could see the view a bit and, honestly, beyond the initial wow factor when first seeing the giant screens it all seemed a bit underwhelming. I know the conceit is that you are tethered to Earth but that means the view is mostly static with a couple random astronauts/spaceships/etc floating past. It would have been so much cooler to see earth spinning beneath you. I was impressed by the food and beverages - I had the Cosmo, Astro Deviled Eggs, Blue Moon Cauliflower, and an Espresso Martini for "dessert." I would order all of it again, but the Blue Moon Cauliflower was my favorite. The bartenders were super nice and they were very flexible with the ordering. You could order the prix fixe or off the lounge menu. Or they said you could order any appetizer or dessert from the prix fixe menu a la carte. They even offered to let a couple split a prix fixe meal.

After dinner - I meandered my way counterclockwise around the showcase. I've always been a big fan of Food & Wine - but I think Flower and Garden may be even better. I loved all of the topiaries and garden areas - so much to wander around and see. Also enjoyed spotting some of the Easter eggs hidden throughout the park. I got an order of frushi in Japan for actual dessert - it was fine, but not my favorite ever - the rice to filling ratio seemed off to me. Finally made my way over to Germany and grabbed a spot down by the water about 15 minutes before Harmonious. I know it's controversial, but I love it. After, I found a bench with a great view of Spaceship earth and relaxed for a while letting the crowds die down. When I'm not in a hurry, I much prefer waiting for the crowds to disperse before making my way leisurely out.

Tomorrow's plans: work, MK, the Plaza (monte cristo!)