Thursday: Happy Turkey Day. I had a stupid idea last night of rope dropping Remy from front of park. I know I know no one ever comment on this. So my wife goes at 6AM why not hop a bus to AK and then to An Epcot resort. Ok let’s go. We are at AKL so bus was there. Over to park. 5 min wait. Onto bus. Off bus at boardwalk. Walked to the gateway. I figured it was going to be swamped. We were like 10th in line. Wow go figure. Somehow it worked. The logistics just fell in place. Let me tell you that area is a wicked bottle neck. Everything is right. I never realized how tight. Bit man security and the cast members are on point there. Every rope drop should be run like that. No way anyone is running in that setup. I really like how the cast members walk you right into the remy line. Avatar should be run like that along with test track. Magic kingdom they can do the same for mine train if they wanted.

The team over at the gateway should be applauded cause it’s a tough area.

No way in heck we could have rope dropped it from up front. Once we were in line the line behind us 15 mins before they even let us on the rats was at least 90 mins. When we got off at like 8 after the line was out of control! Got group 10 for guardians this morning. 3rd time on! Awesome. No Xmas music as of today.

Side notes: the maple popcorn in Canada is crazy good. Never knew it was there. The crepe stand in France is very good. A lot better than when it was in front. And my iced mocha from a random cart was actually made properly. Don’t judge me on my eating habits for this morning. Lol. It’s thanksgiving and I won’t be having turkey so I’m pigging out on other food today. Lol. Citricos tonight for dinner. Can’t wait. Haven’t been there in a few years.

Tuesday morning MK:
Just a little update. Crushing the MK right now and I’m not talking about the tea cups or people mover. I’m talking SDMT, BTMR, SM. Headliners. And no genie or ills. Just old school veteran Disney know how. More later. Back to rides. The magic is alive for us. I think it just took me getting back and not worrying as much as I did. We left after the parade. Haven’t watched it in years. The dragon still impresses me. I would love to be able to spend an hour walking around it and taking pics of various parts of it. So between 7:30-11:30 we knocked off 12 rides. Going to morimoto for dinner. I have in and bought a magic band plus for myself and my daughter. She got the 50th anniversary peach one and I got the new dvc one. My kid shamed me into buying him that remy hat the other night. This is the nuttiest thing I ever bought here. The amount of people who stopped us was historical. The thing is so wonky. That’s the Halloween costume next year. I’m a big tshirt guy. I love my T-shirt’s. Haven’t found 1 I like so far. Ever since they did that 28 and main line years ago I’m ruined. They were the greatest T-shirt’s. I’m still wearing all of them but some might have to be retired. The stuff they have right now is too bright and colorful for me.

I will post a lot more when I have time but all I got to say is yesterday was our first park day. AK. and after diner at flying fish we headed over to HS. We got through all headliners stuff AK. We rode Mickey railroad, falcon, and finished night on rise.
All without genie or lightening lane. Just old school rope drop. Out of park at noon. Pack to room rest regroup. Awesome diner and flying fish and back into park at night. Nothing crazy just making good use of time.

Today HS. Slinky, toy story mania, star tours, Aerosmith, and few other minor things. Out of park cause it was Nuts. Showers rest them diner at Il Mulino. But before diner hoofed it to back of Epcot to tap in and grabbed virtual cue for guardians. Awesome diner. Boat over. In line for remy while we wait to be called. Not like us to wait for over an hour but what else u going to door rains. We are under cover.

Again no genie or lightening lane.

So it’s all possible. We are 48 hours in and have hit all the major new rides. Tomorrow is Epcot day. Will be a breeze.

So the rope drop and nights in park still hold fast for us with some planning.

I never would have figured it. I did not want to do this trip. I have said on here over and over but wife and kids rule so I go. I’m usually the one pushing for trips but with all the changes I just wasn’t looking forward to it.

So we got alot of days to still go. I know it will get busier day by day but again we know that. We don’t leave till next Monday. I’m calling win for this trip already.

That’s all I got so far. Man I can’t wait to get on guardian! Can’t wait! Rise was cool. We missed Star Wars when it opened cause of Covid. That April trip got c’ed obviously. I liked the falcon. I really did. Rise was cool really was but the hype I don’t know. Flame me if u want. Just my opinion. Avatar still brings me to a tear. I don’t know why. And toy story mania is just still awesome after all these years. It was paper fast pass! It is aging so well! Slinky is just fun.

All I got for you all. Rounding the corner to go inside of remy.

I can honestly say all I complained about is not mattering so far. Except I’m here without season passes which I’m still ticked off about!

Edit added Monday morning.

That new baking and cooking areas in connections over at Epcot is pretty nice. I talked with a very nice cast member this morning about what it’s used for. The bakery side is pretty impressive.

Holy cow guardians last night. Just awesome. I mean awesome. I didn’t watch a thing about it so I didn’t know about any aspect of the ride. I did know the train cars spin. That’s it. Worth the hype. Did a virtual cue this morning. So easy. Got group 38. In line again now.

I got to say nights have been very productive. I mean they always have but this trip just so helpful! Ok here we go pre show time!!!!!!
 
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I will post a lot more when I have time but all I got to say is yesterday was our first park day. AK. and after diner at flying fish we headed over to HS. We got through all headliners stuff AK. We rode Mickey railroad, falcon, and finished night on rise.
All without genie or lightening lane. Just old school rope drop. Out of park at noon. Pack to room rest regroup. Awesome diner and flying fish and back into park at night. Nothing crazy just making good use of time.

Today HS. Slinky, toy story mania, star tours, Aerosmith, and few other minor things. Out of park cause it was Nuts. Showers rest them diner at Il Mulino. But before diner hoofed it to back of Epcot to tap in and grabbed virtual cue for guardians. Awesome diner. Boat over. In line for remy while we wait to be called. Not like us to wait for over an hour but what else u going to door rains. We are under cover.

Again no genie or lightening lane.

So it’s all possible. We are 48 hours in and have hit all the major new rides. Tomorrow is Epcot day. Will be a breeze.

So the rope drop and nights in park still hold fast for us with some planning.

I never would have figured it. I did not want to do this trip. I have said on here over and over but wife and kids rule so I go. I’m usually the one pushing for trips but with all the changes I just wasn’t looking forward to it.

So we got alot of days to still go. I know it will get busier day by day but again we know that. We don’t leave till next Monday. I’m calling win for this trip already.

That’s all I got so far. Man I can’t wait to get on guardian! Can’t wait! Rise was cool. We missed Star Wars when it opened cause of Covid. That April trip got c’ed obviously. I liked the falcon. I really did. Rise was cool really was but the hype I don’t know. Flame me if u want. Just my opinion. Avatar still brings me to a tear. I don’t know why. And toy story mania is just still awesome after all these years. It was paper fast pass! It is aging so well! Slinky is just fun.

All I got for you all. Rounding the corner to go inside of remy.

I can honestly say all I complained about is not mattering so far. Except I’m here without season passes which I’m still ticked off about!
Very similar to our mid-October trip. Rope drop for early hours every day, mid-day break, and late hours to finish up. No Genie or Lightening Lane. By the end of the week, our tails were dragging, but it was worth it.
 
It's been a week since we returned from our WDW trip, and I am still missing it SO MUCH!! These boards were immensely helpful in planning for our first family trip to the World (we are DLR regulars) and I'm so thankful to all of you for sharing your experiences and opinions! One topic that I know has been discussed a lot is if the magic is gone since the reopening, or if it's diminished, whether it's still worth going even with all the increases and Genie+, etc. At least in my experience--and I went on what is considered a very crowded week (Jersey Week/Veterans Day week) AND we had Tropical Storm Nicole to contend with--the magic is 100% there, and Genie+ was worth every penny. Some more thoughts below...

The magic: We felt it everywhere, even on the harder rainy days. The parks offered SO MUCH in the way of magical entertainment, rides, shows, characters, treats, merch, etc, it was easy to see why so many Disney podcasters and travel agents leave their regular lives and move to Orlando! ;) I also felt like the vast majority of CMs we encountered were all so committed to giving us and the other guests the best day ever. A couple examples of the magic:

- Incredible character interactions at Crystal Palace, Cinderella's Royal Table (just with Cindy, but she was so wonderful with our kids) and especially at Hollywood & Vine, where Minnie and my 1-year-old totally bonded, and she and the other characters visited us a few times and gave the kids so much attention! Something extra magical that happened at Hollywood & Vine: at the beginning of our meal, when our hostess told us to get our autographs book ready, I showed her how my son's book had gotten ruined from getting caught in the rain the day before and asked if there was anywhere I could buy a new one in time for our character meets. She told me she would see what she could do, and then lo and behold--she gifted him a brand new autograph book/photo album, that was even nicer than our previous one. I was SO touched by that!

- With the parks opening later on Thursday due to rain from the tropical storm, characters came to our hotel!! (We stayed at the Polynesian, but I'm assuming all Disney hotels had character visits.) It was SOO much fun for our kids (and me and my hubby!) to see Pluto and Mickey hanging out in our hotel lobby, and even harder to find characters like Lilo! Mickey played peek-a-boo with my 1-year-old daughter and sat with the kids for a trivia game, Lilo was teasing my husband and son at Capt. Cook's, it was all just so much fun and in some ways more special than seeing them at the parks and having to wait in long lines. I so appreciated Disney bringing the magic to the hotels while we were rained out of the parks.

Genie+: This was a game-changer for us and made touring the parks a breeze and a joy. To be able to just book rides one after another and not have to wait in long lines? SO WORTH IT! My brother who joined us on the trip with his family was saying that he will never again consider a Disney trip without Genie+ and I totally agree. As long as you remember to book the most in-demand ride right at 7 AM, and then get your next LL two hours later or right after your first ride, you can get soo much done! Coming from Disneyland, where the LL ride options are so much less, I think WDW has it made when it comes to Genie+!

MVMCP: This was sooo much fun!! It's a little harder to take advantage of all the offerings and make the most of it with little kids, but we still had a great time and managed to get a decent viewing spot for the first parade (2nd row behind the curb on Main Street) without waiting long. The parade was magical! I also loved the beautiful ornament and art print we got with our tickets- between that and the treats, parade, fireworks, and rides, it definitely felt worth the ticket price.

Crowds: Not bad AT ALL! From everything I'd read about how crowded Jersey Week is, how impossible it is to walk through World Showcase on a Food & Wine Festival Friday, I was bracing myself--and the whole time me and my husband were saying how much more manageable the crowds were here than Disneyland! Like, anyone who thinks crowds are bad at WDW probably would not like Disneyland, LOL. Really the only day of our trip that felt really crowded was the Saturday of Veteran's Day weekend at MK, and even that would have been totally manageable had we gotten up early (we rolled in to MK at noon after a late night) and utilizing Genie+. Our Friday at Epcot (on actual Veterans Day) was a breeze! I didn't even know Jersey Week was a thing until we booked this trip, but I would travel this same week again in a heartbeat.

Bottom line: it was amazing and I wish we were back!! There are of course things that didn't go right too, like the weather during the two storm days, and my son catching a bug at the beginning of our trip (not Covid!) that impacted some of his enjoyment, but even he cried when we left and said all last week that he missed Florida--so I call it a big success! Now I just have to deal with the post-Disney trip blues, LOL, and would be grateful for any suggestions you have there! (I wish I could immediately get another trip on the books, but we spent so much $$ on this one, my husband might faint if I start planning another! I am daydreaming about an early September trip though.)

Let me know if any of you have any questions I can answer- I'd love to pay it forward and help others the way these boards have helped me! <3
 


Very similar to our mid-October trip. Rope drop for early hours every day, mid-day break, and late hours to finish up. No Genie or Lightening Lane. By the end of the week, our tails were dragging, but it was worth it.
We have always rope dropped. For I have no idea how long. Stinks getting up but we are both up for work earlier everyday and the kids fish with me on weekends and when it’s peak season we are on the water on the boat by 4 usually so up at 3 so used to it but man on vacation it seems harder. Lol. Once up we are good and through the day. You bitcthe wall after the day is over walking to the bus or whatever it seems. Lol
 
Thanks for this write up. I've been so nervous about my trip next week, happy to hear a great experience and that even G+ worked for you. I'll try to keep all that in mind and enjoy what we get.
 
Thanks for this write up. I've been so nervous about my trip next week, happy to hear a great experience and that even G+ worked for you. I'll try to keep all that in mind and enjoy what we get.
And you might not even need it. I’m like not even 72 hours in and have all major attractions done for HS AK AND EPCOT all without genie or Ills. Either way it will be good!
 


We just got back after our trip last week.

Things we noticed that changed since 2019:

- The restrooms were not nearly as clean, often gross. On prior trips I'd always marveled at how clean the restrooms were but that is no more. Some would be out of TP, many stalls full of funk and not able to be used, floors sticky, paper towels out of stock/overflowing from cans. It was pretty icky.

- I was washing my hands a lot because there were a LOT of sick kids in the parks. WAY more than I'd ever seen there during prior trips. Everyone is sick. Go in assuming you'll have the flu/covid/a funk when you get back and plan accordingly.

- The busses to/from AKL were much much slower than before (and that was slow). In the afternoons you could wait 45 minutes to an hour for a ride to the parks. Coming back from the parks was generally at least a 20-30 minute wait and AKL was often the only hotel with the longest bus line with the least frequent returning busses.

- Genie really worked great for MK, okay for HS and AK but sucked at Epcot. You have to choose basically if you want Remy, Frozen or Test Track. We did Remy at 7 but the other two were full/gone for the second time we could book. Both waits were 2ish hours all day long so we skipped those.

- Waking up at 7AM to book rides sucked. I'm glad we had pre purchased Genie with our tickets so we didn't also have to stay up until midnight.

- The 2PM park hopper thing is annoying and so is park reservations.
 
This thread is so interesting to watch. It has given me so many helpful tips but I can also see how it would be totally overwhelming to a first timer. You can literally have back to back experiences in the same time period and the "reviews" are completely different. For the first timers out there....breathe, have fun, and just enjoy the things you can get done.
 
This thread is so interesting to watch. It has given me so many helpful tips but I can also see how it would be totally overwhelming to a first timer. You can literally have back to back experiences in the same time period and the "reviews" are completely different. For the first timers out there....breathe, have fun, and just enjoy the things you can get done.

Very true.

The poster before you said the bathrooms were gross. We were there 11/3-11/12 and I actually thought during my trip that it was the cleanest I had ever seen the bathrooms and I go a LOT since I drink tons of water. No pee on the seats, no toilet paper or paper towels on the floor, no overflowing toilets, no overflowing trash bins, everything fully stocked and some even smelled great. Lots of custodial people around manning the bathrooms too.

You can have two people in the same park on the same day and have two completely different perspectives.
 
Very true.

The poster before you said the bathrooms were gross. We were there 11/3-11/12 and I actually thought during my trip that it was the cleanest I had ever seen the bathrooms and I go a LOT since I drink tons of water. No pee on the seats, no toilet paper or paper towels on the floor, no overflowing toilets, no overflowing trash bins, everything fully stocked and some even smelled great. Lots of custodial people around manning the bathrooms too.

You can have two people in the same park on the same day and have two completely different perspectives.
I was prepared for nasty bathrooms when we went in April and again in May but our experience was similar to yours. They were very clean and well stocked. It is really something how people's experiences differ.
 
And you might not even need it. I’m like not even 72 hours in and have all major attractions done for HS AK AND EPCOT all without genie or Ills. Either way it will be good!
Just imagine how much more magical it would be if they priced Genie+ so high that very few guests actually purchased it.
 
Just imagine how much more magical it would be if they priced Genie+ so high that very few guests actually purchased it.
I think it will get to that universal pricing structure. It seems theirs is much much more exspensive or am I wrong? Is it very popular?

All I know is we are good without it. We have been here only since Friday. Friday we didn’t even go in a park we just chilled in down town. We are here till Monday. I got another Epcot day so I’m assuming getting another virtual cue for guardians won’t be an issue.

Man that ride is awesome. I mean it’s really really good.

On a side note we just hd lunch at steakhouse 71. Wow smash burger. Highly recommend it. Very good! Onion rings also. Fries. Mmmmmh. I mean ok but the burger. 🤩
 
We just got back after our trip last week.

Things we noticed that changed since 2019:

- The restrooms were not nearly as clean, often gross. On prior trips I'd always marveled at how clean the restrooms were but that is no more. Some would be out of TP, many stalls full of funk and not able to be used, floors sticky, paper towels out of stock/overflowing from cans. It was pretty icky.

- I was washing my hands a lot because there were a LOT of sick kids in the parks. WAY more than I'd ever seen there during prior trips. Everyone is sick. Go in assuming you'll have the flu/covid/a funk when you get back and plan accordingly.

- The busses to/from AKL were much much slower than before (and that was slow). In the afternoons you could wait 45 minutes to an hour for a ride to the parks. Coming back from the parks was generally at least a 20-30 minute wait and AKL was often the only hotel with the longest bus line with the least frequent returning busses.

- Genie really worked great for MK, okay for HS and AK but sucked at Epcot. You have to choose basically if you want Remy, Frozen or Test Track. We did Remy at 7 but the other two were full/gone for the second time we could book. Both waits were 2ish hours all day long so we skipped those.

- Waking up at 7AM to book rides sucked. I'm glad we had pre purchased Genie with our tickets so we didn't also have to stay up until midnight.

- The 2PM park hopper thing is annoying and so is park reservations.
We just returned from our trip 11/15-18 w 2 Universal days beforehand (w a one night stay at the HR for express passes). Otherwise stayed offsite.

I noticed some gross/not stocked bathrooms as well. Also hated being the Genie mule and having to wake up early. I felt SO stressed on our Disney days. Genie+ made the trip magical for my family but I felt like I missed a lot of the joy and magic due to planning/booking our next move. EP at Universal spoiled me 🤣

We lucked out though! I was able to grab Rise, FOP twice (park hopped late in the day our first day just to ride that and see Pandora at night). Guardians VQ, Remy, Frozen, Jungle Cruise, everything but ToT at HS including Slinky, Everest, the safari, and rode everything we wanted to at MK between 2 days (one was just the Christmas Party with mostly walk on waits). But for a family of 5 (add one for my dad when my parents joined us Thurs-Fri), ILLs add up fast. But there's no way my 70 yo dad or kids would tolerate a 2 hour standing wait. So open the wallet I did.

HS was our favorite day. We loved Star Wars and Toy Story areas/rides. We squeezed in 3 shows along with almost every ride. Stacking LL all morning while we rested was a huge win. First LL wasn't until 2:30 ish so we watched 2 shows and grabbed a bite. Then scan/book/scan/book method for anything I hadn't booked earlier. Refreshing was key, some rides showed nothing available or later return times but refreshing 5-10 min never failed me.

I will say I found it difficult to locate bathrooms in some areas, find where stroller parking was in others. I hated that you're forced to walk a giant circle at Epcot w the center being closed for construction. Missed the railroad being open at MK. Epcot and surprisingly AK were shoulder to shoulder in some areas.

QS mostly was meh, but we liked Flame Tree BBQ. We ate at CRT, it was delicious but expensive for what is. Glad we got the experience though. Also ate at Coral Reef and it was just ok. My girls got a kick out of the giant Mickey Christmas cookies at AK. I got my music box popcorn bucket!

MK while nostalgic felt kinda dated and run down. Epcot was my least favorite likely due to the crowds, but Guardians is by far the best ride I've ever been on! I don't think we'll be back for a long while or ever. But we loved Universal and are planning to go for a full week in 2026 to give EU a year open, and maybe do SeaWorld.
 
I think it will get to that universal pricing structure. It seems theirs is much much more exspensive or am I wrong? Is it very popular?

All I know is we are good without it. We have been here only since Friday. Friday we didn’t even go in a park we just chilled in down town. We are here till Monday. I got another Epcot day so I’m assuming getting another virtual cue for guardians won’t be an issue.

Man that ride is awesome. I mean it’s really really good.

On a side note we just hd lunch at steakhouse 71. Wow smash burger. Highly recommend it. Very good! Onion rings also. Fries. Mmmmmh. I mean ok but the burger. 🤩
Thanks for the update. We will be there in two weeks and I have genie plus but I think this is going to more and more a resort, Stormalong Bay and skyliner vacation looking at decorations than killing myself stacking rides and looking at my phone all day especially when I am the planner. I have candlelight (coral reef) and fantasmic (HBD) and Mickey Christmas Party so that’s something. I’m there for 11 days. It’s Cl at YC so taking it easy sounds more like it rather than the rat race everyone has been describing. Watching the bloggers with the crowds is making my mind up quickly on the vacation options
 
We just got back after our trip last week.

Things we noticed that changed since 2019:

- The restrooms were not nearly as clean, often gross. On prior trips I'd always marveled at how clean the restrooms were but that is no more. Some would be out of TP, many stalls full of funk and not able to be used, floors sticky, paper towels out of stock/overflowing from cans. It was pretty icky.

- I was washing my hands a lot because there were a LOT of sick kids in the parks. WAY more than I'd ever seen there during prior trips. Everyone is sick. Go in assuming you'll have the flu/covid/a funk when you get back and plan accordingly.

- The busses to/from AKL were much much slower than before (and that was slow). In the afternoons you could wait 45 minutes to an hour for a ride to the parks. Coming back from the parks was generally at least a 20-30 minute wait and AKL was often the only hotel with the longest bus line with the least frequent returning busses.

- Genie really worked great for MK, okay for HS and AK but sucked at Epcot. You have to choose basically if you want Remy, Frozen or Test Track. We did Remy at 7 but the other two were full/gone for the second time we could book. Both waits were 2ish hours all day long so we skipped those.

- Waking up at 7AM to book rides sucked. I'm glad we had pre purchased Genie with our tickets so we didn't also have to stay up until midnight.

- The 2PM park hopper thing is annoying and so is park reservations.
Re: sicknesses. I’m not surprised to hear this as kids are getting hit hard with everything right now.

Did you see anyone in masks? We are planning on masking our family 2 adults, 2 school aged kids, in crowded and indoor spaces, as well as frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Mostly because we are cruising after a couple days at the parks. I’m not just masking for covid, but as a layer of protection against all the other germs out there right now! It’s a lot of money to spend sick in bed! Not that it matters, but just curious if there’s anyone else in masks?
 
Re: sicknesses. I’m not surprised to hear this as kids are getting hit hard with everything right now.

Did you see anyone in masks? We are planning on masking our family 2 adults, 2 school aged kids, in crowded and indoor spaces, as well as frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Mostly because we are cruising after a couple days at the parks. I’m not just masking for covid, but as a layer of protection against all the other germs out there right now! It’s a lot of money to spend sick in bed! Not that it matters, but just curious if there’s anyone else in masks?
Not the original poster but we just got back from our trip last week as well and saw very few people in masks. There were a few families I noticed that had them on but I would say less than 5% were wearing them. I'm curious if other people noticed more than we did.
 
Re: sicknesses. I’m not surprised to hear this as kids are getting hit hard with everything right now.

Did you see anyone in masks? We are planning on masking our family 2 adults, 2 school aged kids, in crowded and indoor spaces, as well as frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Mostly because we are cruising after a couple days at the parks. I’m not just masking for covid, but as a layer of protection against all the other germs out there right now! It’s a lot of money to spend sick in bed! Not that it matters, but just curious if there’s anyone else in masks?
I am leaving for Disney in two weeks and we will be masking almost everywhere in the parks. From I have seen from bloggers, few people are masking. Do what right for your family
 
We were there 10+ days ago... there were some masks everywhere we went. We masked up in indoor lines. Definitely in the minority, but we picked up something bad on our September trip (not Covid... but not pleasant), so we were even more vigilant with masks in the crowded places and sanitizer after every ride. Made it out safe & sound this trip!
 
Re: sicknesses. I’m not surprised to hear this as kids are getting hit hard with everything right now.

Did you see anyone in masks? We are planning on masking our family 2 adults, 2 school aged kids, in crowded and indoor spaces, as well as frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Mostly because we are cruising after a couple days at the parks. I’m not just masking for covid, but as a layer of protection against all the other germs out there right now! It’s a lot of money to spend sick in bed! Not that it matters, but just curious if there’s anyone else in masks?

Almost no one in masks. Not even 5%, probably closer to 1%.

FWIW, I actually commented to hubby as we were driving home how pleasantly surprised I was that so few people seemed sick. I've run across more sick sounding people on a random trip to the grocery store or movie theater than anywhere at Disney.
 

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