Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[TXDisneyFan1]

Interesting you say this. We had a similar encounter at Pirates a few days ago. 2 CMs huddled together talking and one by herself singing and not greeting or making eye contact. We found it very unusual. There are always a few few chatting CMs but someone usually smiles or welcomes you. It usually doesn't register but the Pirates encounter was enough for me and DH to mention it to each other.

I have to agree with those expressing a little disappointment with the CMs. I hate to do this because they really have a tough job and we have had such good interactions over the years, but this year was the worst...by far. There were some really good ones who were definitely into their role and played it so well (TOT, Star Wars Land) but this time, we saw too many who looked like they really didn't want to be there and just didn't care to even be friendly.

 

[pens4821]

I have to agree with those expressing a little disappointment with the CMs. I hate to do this because they really have a tough job and we have had such good interactions over the years, but this year was the worst...by far. There were some really good ones who were definitely into their role and played it so well (TOT, Star Wars Land) but this time, we saw too many who looked like they really didn't want to be there and just didn't care to even be friendly.

We noticed the same in March. Not as many went out of their way to smile or say hi first. I always try to atleast say hi with a smile when I’m walking by a worker. It was even more disappointing the amounts of times I’d say hi and the CM would look the other way or totally ignore me. This happened very often.

I don’t let it bother me, but it was noticeable. I work with the public and I get it, but even if I’m having a bad day and maybe not as nice as usual someone being nice to me will at least snap me out of it momentarily. Not some of the encounters we had

 

[PPFlight75]

I have to agree with those expressing a little disappointment with the CMs. I hate to do this because they really have a tough job and we have had such good interactions over the years, but this year was the worst...by far. There were some really good ones who were definitely into their role and played it so well (TOT, Star Wars Land) but this time, we saw too many who looked like they really didn't want to be there and just didn't care to even be friendly.

Yeah, I was reluctant to even mention it but it was so noticeable. I didn’t really realize how much CM interactions made my trips even better but they really are the heart of the parks.

 

[state08]

Back yesterday from a week trip with 7 people. Some thoughts:

- Pop Century is a great resort for us as a mainly parks all day family. Previous trip stayed at Art of Animation in the Little Mermaid rooms and I think Pop is a much better choice if you don’t need a suite.

- Skyliner is a game changer. I have to imagine demand for Pop and Art go way up when more people discover just how great it is. I was concerned about lines at open but even our rope drop HS day we walked right on. The ride itself is beautiful and so pleasant as well.

- We don’t visit very often so splurged for G+ and ILL each day. I get that we all hate the feeling that Disney is charging for everything nowadays but wow did G+ work great for us. Our previous trip was during FP+ and we thought we did incredibly well with it. We did so much more this trip! We did crisscross more than in the past but it wasn’t awful.

- My biggest G+ advice is to book right at 7 for something you can get a time for 1st thing in the morning and your ILL for late morning/early afternoon when the park is at its most crowded. For example, on our AK day we booked Navi for 8-9 and FOP for noon. We rope dropped Everest (rode twice with no wait) and then went straight to Navi. Since we were already able to book our 2nd G+ so early we had the pick of several rides with immediate times still.

- 2nd piece of advice is refresh refresh refresh. I thought my head would be in my phone all day doing this but it really wasn’t bad at all. We had a ton of luck refreshing over and over and getting great times for things that were either only late in the day or completely gone.

- Cosmic Rewind is the most fun ride in Disney World. If it’s in your budget, get a BG and buy the ILL. You’ll want to ride again.

- Rise was a bit of a disappointment considering all the hype. The whole experience and immersion is very cool from beginning to end but the ride itself could have been faster and more intense. Also I’m pretty sure at least 3 elements (lightsaber through ceiling, cannons, ending Kylo) were on B mode which was incredibly disappointing considering we spent over $100 for the 7 of us to get ILL.

- Along those same lines, rides going down is very noticeable and could become a real issue for Disney. We got at least 3 anytime G+ passes because rides were down when we were supposed to go the LL. Then on Friday MMRR was down almost the whole day, at least from open until late afternoon. When a park already doesn’t have enough attractions, 1 ride going down for that long really makes the rest of the park feel way too crowded.

- Food in the parks has come such a long way over the years. Trying the new food and snacks was a big part of our plan and it was a real highlight for us. Nomad Lounge of course being #1. The food and drinks are great but the staff there really puts it over the top as well.

- It’s been beaten do death but Enchantment is just missing something. It’s almost like they tried to hard or something. HEA was perfect and while the Enchantment fireworks are incredible, the music and projections are noticeably lacking. Still enjoyed it but not nearly the highlight MK fireworks were in the past.

- Cast Members overall were incredible. I noticed a little of what others have mentioned but 99% were as fantastic as ever. In fact, it became a running joke that we couldn’t understand how they were all so happy despite the intense heat and crowds.

Happy to answer any other questions on our experience!

 

[Selket]

I have to agree with those expressing a little disappointment with the CMs. I hate to do this because they really have a tough job and we have had such good interactions over the years, but this year was the worst...by far. There were some really good ones who were definitely into their role and played it so well (TOT, Star Wars Land) but this time, we saw too many who looked like they really didn't want to be there and just didn't care to even be friendly.

I was there early December and had the worst interaction with a group of CM's out of all of my trips. It was the last night there and I wanted to take pics of the castle before I left. I parked my ECV and got out my phone (camera) and at that moment a CM walked up to change the trash can bag and parked his rolling thing in front of me. A group of CMs came and started forming a line to block off access ahead of me cause it was a Christmas party night. I'm still waiting for trash can guy to finish. I told them I had been waiting there to take pics and would leave - they were just rude (literally standing in front of my ECV). I'm like fine - I need to turn around and go back and there was a curb there so I needed to go forward and circle - the CM was like jumping around my ECV with his arms out like I was going to go Bonnie and Clyde on him or something. I'm thinking I'm in an ECV - not exactly low profile here and I'm an old lady - just let me turn my scooter around so I don't go off the curb cause I'm on a sidewalk and it's too narrow. The one guy was young so ok maybe he was hired yesterday ...but the one with him was older and was bossing folks around.

I still imagine me just putting the pedal to the metal and taking off towards Tomorrowland...haha! I think the guy would literally have tackled me. I've been to loads of parties at the MK but never saw any CM's so aggressive with guests. How far could I have even gotten? Why would I even try?

 

[scrappinginontario]

While I appreciate a number of guests have had some unfortunate CM experiences lately, the good experiences far outweigh the bad and it would be great to get that thread back to discussing all aspects of recent trips in order to be helpful to those travelling soon.

Thanks.

 

[rockabyemonkey]

Back yesterday from a week trip with 7 people. Some thoughts:

- Pop Century is a great resort for us as a mainly parks all day family. Previous trip stayed at Art of Animation in the Little Mermaid rooms and I think Pop is a much better choice if you don’t need a suite.

- Skyliner is a game changer. I have to imagine demand for Pop and Art go way up when more people discover just how great it is. I was concerned about lines at open but even our rope drop HS day we walked right on. The ride itself is beautiful and so pleasant as well.

- We don’t visit very often so splurged for G+ and ILL each day. I get that we all hate the feeling that Disney is charging for everything nowadays but wow did G+ work great for us. Our previous trip was during FP+ and we thought we did incredibly well with it. We did so much more this trip! We did crisscross more than in the past but it wasn’t awful.

- My biggest G+ advice is to book right at 7 for something you can get a time for 1st thing in the morning and your ILL for late morning/early afternoon when the park is at its most crowded. For example, on our AK day we booked Navi for 8-9 and FOP for noon. We rope dropped Everest (rode twice with no wait) and then went straight to Navi. Since we were already able to book our 2nd G+ so early we had the pick of several rides with immediate times still.

- 2nd piece of advice is refresh refresh refresh. I thought my head would be in my phone all day doing this but it really wasn’t bad at all. We had a ton of luck refreshing over and over and getting great times for things that were either only late in the day or completely gone.

- Cosmic Rewind is the most fun ride in Disney World. If it’s in your budget, get a BG and buy the ILL. You’ll want to ride again.

- Rise was a bit of a disappointment considering all the hype. The whole experience and immersion is very cool from beginning to end but the ride itself could have been faster and more intense. Also I’m pretty sure at least 3 elements (lightsaber through ceiling, cannons, ending Kylo) were on B mode which was incredibly disappointing considering we spent over $100 for the 7 of us to get ILL.

- Along those same lines, rides going down is very noticeable and could become a real issue for Disney. We got at least 3 anytime G+ passes because rides were down when we were supposed to go the LL. Then on Friday MMRR was down almost the whole day, at least from open until late afternoon. When a park already doesn’t have enough attractions, 1 ride going down for that long really makes the rest of the park feel way too crowded.

- Food in the parks has come such a long way over the years. Trying the new food and snacks was a big part of our plan and it was a real highlight for us. Nomad Lounge of course being #1. The food and drinks are great but the staff there really puts it over the top as well.

- It’s been beaten do death but Enchantment is just missing something. It’s almost like they tried to hard or something. HEA was perfect and while the Enchantment fireworks are incredible, the music and projections are noticeably lacking. Still enjoyed it but not nearly the highlight MK fireworks were in the past.

- Cast Members overall were incredible. I noticed a little of what others have mentioned but 99% were as fantastic as ever. In fact, it became a running joke that we couldn’t understand how they were all so happy despite the intense heat and crowds.

Happy to answer any other questions on our experience!

Just curious if you found that the time you selected in the app for G+ ended up being close to the time you were assigned. My daughter and I were there in March for one day and almost all of the times I selected in the app changed to times that were significantly later by the time it was confirmed. Eg. At 7am I chose 12:45 for PP for 2 people. Quickly clicked through to confirm and got 2:45. Is this still happening? I'm nervous because that happened repeatedly for a party of 2....we are going again the end of July with a party of 5. TIA!

 

[magicmountainmama]

Back yesterday from a week trip with 7 people. Some thoughts:

- Pop Century is a great resort for us as a mainly parks all day family. Previous trip stayed at Art of Animation in the Little Mermaid rooms and I think Pop is a much better choice if you don’t need a suite.

- Skyliner is a game changer. I have to imagine demand for Pop and Art go way up when more people discover just how great it is. I was concerned about lines at open but even our rope drop HS day we walked right on. The ride itself is beautiful and so pleasant as well.

- We don’t visit very often so splurged for G+ and ILL each day. I get that we all hate the feeling that Disney is charging for everything nowadays but wow did G+ work great for us. Our previous trip was during FP+ and we thought we did incredibly well with it. We did so much more this trip! We did crisscross more than in the past but it wasn’t awful.

- My biggest G+ advice is to book right at 7 for something you can get a time for 1st thing in the morning and your ILL for late morning/early afternoon when the park is at its most crowded. For example, on our AK day we booked Navi for 8-9 and FOP for noon. We rope dropped Everest (rode twice with no wait) and then went straight to Navi. Since we were already able to book our 2nd G+ so early we had the pick of several rides with immediate times still.

- 2nd piece of advice is refresh refresh refresh. I thought my head would be in my phone all day doing this but it really wasn’t bad at all. We had a ton of luck refreshing over and over and getting great times for things that were either only late in the day or completely gone.

- Cosmic Rewind is the most fun ride in Disney World. If it’s in your budget, get a BG and buy the ILL. You’ll want to ride again.

- Rise was a bit of a disappointment considering all the hype. The whole experience and immersion is very cool from beginning to end but the ride itself could have been faster and more intense. Also I’m pretty sure at least 3 elements (lightsaber through ceiling, cannons, ending Kylo) were on B mode which was incredibly disappointing considering we spent over $100 for the 7 of us to get ILL.

- Along those same lines, rides going down is very noticeable and could become a real issue for Disney. We got at least 3 anytime G+ passes because rides were down when we were supposed to go the LL. Then on Friday MMRR was down almost the whole day, at least from open until late afternoon. When a park already doesn’t have enough attractions, 1 ride going down for that long really makes the rest of the park feel way too crowded.

- Food in the parks has come such a long way over the years. Trying the new food and snacks was a big part of our plan and it was a real highlight for us. Nomad Lounge of course being #1. The food and drinks are great but the staff there really puts it over the top as well.

- It’s been beaten do death but Enchantment is just missing something. It’s almost like they tried to hard or something. HEA was perfect and while the Enchantment fireworks are incredible, the music and projections are noticeably lacking. Still enjoyed it but not nearly the highlight MK fireworks were in the past.

- Cast Members overall were incredible. I noticed a little of what others have mentioned but 99% were as fantastic as ever. In fact, it became a running joke that we couldn’t understand how they were all so happy despite the intense heat and crowds.

Happy to answer any other questions on our experience!

I totally agree about Pop! We’re DVC & usually stay at BLT, but I did I quick mother-son trip & we stayed at Pop. I loved it & would def stay there again.
Sounds like you had a great trip!

 

[asuburbanman]

Just curious if you found that the time you selected in the app for G+ ended up being close to the time you were assigned. My daughter and I were there in March for one day and almost all of the times I selected in the app changed to times that were significantly later by the time it was confirmed. Eg. At 7am I chose 12:45 for PP for 2 people. Quickly clicked through to confirm and got 2:45. Is this still happening? I'm nervous because that happened repeatedly for a party of 2....we are going again the end of July with a party of 5. TIA!

I had no issues with G+ changing times. Only ILL booked at 7am and the time would change slightly

 

[scrappinginontario]

Just curious if you found that the time you selected in the app for G+ ended up being close to the time you were assigned. My daughter and I were there in March for one day and almost all of the times I selected in the app changed to times that were significantly later by the time it was confirmed. Eg. At 7am I chose 12:45 for PP for 2 people. Quickly clicked through to confirm and got 2:45. Is this still happening? I'm nervous because that happened repeatedly for a party of 2....we are going again the end of July with a party of 5. TIA!

This is still being reported as happening often.

 

[state08]

Just curious if you found that the time you selected in the app for G+ ended up being close to the time you were assigned. My daughter and I were there in March for one day and almost all of the times I selected in the app changed to times that were significantly later by the time it was confirmed. Eg. At 7am I chose 12:45 for PP for 2 people. Quickly clicked through to confirm and got 2:45. Is this still happening? I'm nervous because that happened repeatedly for a party of 2....we are going again the end of July with a party of 5. TIA!

I was expecting that based on what I had read but that wasn’t my experience. I don’t think we had a time change more than maybe 15-30 min from what we selected. We also used time.gov to refresh right at the exact moment it turned to 7am. For additional context, our 7am selections each day were Navi, Splash, Remy, and TOT and got a block in the 1st hour each time.

 

[act1980]

I last went in May and it was pretty crazy! Is there anyone there now who can shed some light on park attendance? Have the crowds calmed down a bit?

 

[scrappinginontario]

I last went in May and it was pretty crazy! Is there anyone there now who can shed some light on park attendance? Have the crowds calmed down a bit?

Your question has been merged with the ‘Here Now and Just Back’ thread where people are sharing their current experiences in the parks. Reading the last couple of pages of this thread will help you gauge how busy the parks currently are.

The challenge with ‘how busy are the parks?’ is that it’s such a personal opinion based on history and where they are at the moment.

Looking at the ride wait times on MDE is also another good place to help you gauge.

 

[Carol_]

Just back today from 9 days in Orlando. Here’s a quick summary:
1. Against my better instincts, I renewed our APs. I had been to a largely disappointing WDW earlier this year and had no intention of repeating those feelings… But I am weak, so…

2. We stayed 2 nights not exactly on WDW property but close enough, 1 night at Liki Tiki, 1 night in a 1BR Savannah view at Jambo House, AKL, then 3? nights at a CCV studio, and finally 1 night off property at a REALLY nice resort in Orlando.

3. The CMs were great across the board, (which they needed to be to make up for that old sour taste left in my mouth from months ago). I got pixie dusted twice.
3a. Front desk bent over backwards to help my Luddite self manage my dining reservations and park reservations, and magic bands which refused to cooperate. The WDW app opened our doors, though, so yay! Also, we got keys to the world as backup.
3b. Bell services were polite and prompt every time we called, which was a lot.
3c. The inter-CM banter was FAR less than last visit. There was far more crowd interaction, and precious few people standing around doing nothing with teenager scowls on their faces.

4. There were some hiccups. But we were treated so well when they happened, that I’m not mad about anything.

4a. We got ROTR early. Got kicked off twice for breakdowns. Third attempt was a success. Again, the CMs were funny and helpful.

4b. Lost another hat on a ride (We can’t learn.) The CM magically appeared with it in his hand and we were off smiling again after the most terrifying ride of my life (1st time on Rockin Roller Coaster). Why didn’t I know about the loop-dee-loops?

4c. We couldn’t find parking at Fort Wilderness and were forced to cancel our dinner reservations at Trails End because of it. (DH had dropped some of us near enough to walk, and we bought lovely drinks while we waited for him to report he couldn’t park…) So we went back to CCV, and managed differently.

Off property notes: Aquatica was crowded but fun. Pay for the quick queue. The Commerson’s dolphin experience was cool. Sea World is better when you sit in the splash zone. Florida is hotter than the surface of the sun, and it rains every day twice a day for 10 minutes. From drizzle to torrential downpour with scary lightning. Dress appropriately. Get your ponchos at Walmart.

So, in summary, I’m very glad I renewed my APs. The no block-out dates was key for me this week. I bought Genie+ at midnight and individual lightning lanes at 7:00(ish) on the two days I had park reservations. We had full days, and when I struggled with the app, guest relations CMs walked me through it. (I can’t read and absorb every hint here on disboards. I have to play wordle and read memes.)
Ok, back to the memes thread.

 

[coachk34]

Just returned from a 9 night stay at Fort Wilderness Campground. 5 family members in total. A few quick observations.

1. We had no intentions of buying any ILL and that plan worked really well. We were able to ride those rides at Rope Drop and park closing with no wait ever over 30 minutes. 3 rides on 7D, 1 ROTR, and 2 rides of FOP. 7D was down one morning at Rope Drop as was Remy. Our no ILL plan did change after riding Guardians via VQ, we ended up buying a ILL for a second ride.

2. Big fan of Gen+. Thought it worked really well. I did spend a lot of time on the phone, but forced myself to put it away during rides and shows. Felt it was worth buying for every park.

3. It is possible at Hollywood Studios to get LL for SDD, RnR, TOT, SR, MMRR, and TSMM in one day. The key is to get the SDD as early as possible and that will keep you ahead for the rest of the day. Pay close attention to the later times and book according to that. The only real refreshing I did was to get the TSMM and that took about 15 minutes while riding a bus back to the Studios after a break.

4. Expect rides to be down, its going to happen. Don't think it wont happen to me. First morning 7D was down at Rope Drop. On our Hollywood Studios day MMRR and TSMM both went down at the end of day within 15 minutes of each other. We were able to use the MMRR Multi pass to get a second ride on SDD and the TSMM rolled over to our next park day at Epcot where we rode Test Track. Luckily MMRR reopened before closing and we were able to ride as a walk on. Guardians went down and we were stuck for about 15 minutes. Came back up within 30 minutes and were given a multi use pass to ride again. By far the worst was Pirates of the Caribbean going down in the middle of ride. Took over 30 minutes to start evacuating the ride, I know there is a process but it took way longer than it should have. We were given a multiuse pass, but it was very limited and by the time we used it on Haunted Mansion it would have been a walk on any way.

5. If you are still paying attention, here is a very useful tip. Watch for magical LL drops at Epcot at 2:47 and 4:47 for Test Track and Frozen. Will last for just a few minutes, but the return times are quick and happened ever day I looked.

 

[DisneyFive]

5. If you are still paying attention, here is a very useful tip. Watch for magical LL drops at Epcot at 2:47 and 4:47 for Test Track and Frozen. Will last for just a few minutes, but the return times are quick and happened ever day I looked.

Thanks for the great review. Can you explain these two drops? Do you need to have an open booking spot for each person in your party when these times show up, or are these in addition to what you already have booked?

In other words, if you can't book your next G+ until 3pm, and it is now 2:47pm, can you book those "magical drops"? Or do you need to plan your G+ bookings so that you have open G+ booking when 2:47 and 4:47 show up?

Is it both Frozen and TT that show up at 2:47 and 4:47, or is it TT at 2:47 and Frozen at 4:47. Thanks.

Dan

 

[Good&Plenty]

Thanks for the great review. Can you explain these two drops? Do you need to have an open booking spot for each person in your party when these times show up, or are these in addition to what you already have booked?

In other words, if you can't book your next G+ until 3pm, and it is now 2:47pm, can you book those "magical drops"? Or do you need to plan your G+ bookings so that you have open G+ booking when 2:47 and 4:47 show up?

Is it both Frozen and TT that show up at 2:47 and 4:47, or is it TT at 2:47 and Frozen at 4:47. Thanks.

Dan

I'm going in a few weeks and just checked the app, you are right! Saw Remy too, for two to three minutes, right at 2:47pm.

ETA, quoted wrong post, sorry

 

[coachk34]

Thanks for the great review. Can you explain these two drops? Do you need to have an open booking spot for each person in your party when these times show up, or are these in addition to what you already have booked?

In other words, if you can't book your next G+ until 3pm, and it is now 2:47pm, can you book those "magical drops"? Or do you need to plan your G+ bookings so that you have open G+ booking when 2:47 and 4:47 show up?

Is it both Frozen and TT that show up at 2:47 and 4:47, or is it TT at 2:47 and Frozen at 4:47. Thanks.

Dan

You do have to have an opening to get these drops, they are not that magical. If you booked TT or Frozen earlier in the day, then this will not be an option. I do think TT and Frozen appear at both times. I had not watched for Remy in my research since we planned to get it at 7:00.

 

[DisneyFive]

You do have to have an opening to get these drops, they are not that magical. If you booked TT or Frozen earlier in the day, then this will not be an option. I do think TT and Frozen appear at both times. I had not watched for Remy in my research since we planned to get it at 7:00.

Thanks! Just checked the 4:47 drop and sure enough Remi, TT and Frozen all had 5pm returns. Hopefully the timing works out for us to take advantage of these in a couple of weeks! Thanks for the tips.

Dan

 

[gottalovepluto]

So, if the complaints were just about money I get it, but some people are willing to pay for a better experience and let me say, I’d rather pay for this system than get FP+ for free

If you’re comparing reviews from before the G+ changes in end of Feb and Remy with GOTG coming out you’re comparing G+ Apples to Oranges. Adding Space, Frozen, Remy, Everest & MMRR to G+ majorly increased the programs capacity.

Which means anyone going after 8/7/22 should be watching the situation closely. If those rides are put back under the ILL program, G+ will absolutely not be like it is now.