Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Disturbia]

So, I was in WDW this past weekend 5/6-9/2023 with a friend. It was her first time at WDW (she's 47). She didn't want anything scheduled for her trip. We did do 1 reservation for dinner on Sat night in Disney Springs at STK. Now, 1 caveat, I use an ECV.

We did EPCOT on Sunday, MK on Monday and AK on Tuesday. Th ECV didn't come into play at EPCOT. She doesn't like roller coasters. We arrived at 11:30 am. We did walk ons for everything and it was quite a bit. The Seas, Living With the Land (the ECV got us to the front of the line but it was only a 10 min wait), Imagination, Remy (10 min wait), American Adventure, Splendors of China, Frozen in Norway (we had a 25 min wait), Gran Fiesta and Spaceship Earth (again we got the front of the line due to my ECV but it had a 15 min wait). We also saw Epcot Forever after a walkup at Chefs De France.

On Monday we arrived at noon and we did MK Railroad once around, Jungle Cruise (we got a return time for an hour and a half later, due to my ECV), Tiki Room, Country Bear Jamboree, back to Jungle Cruise, Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion*, Peter Pan*, Small World, Pooh*, and Buzz Lightyear*. All those marked with * had a 15 min wait or less, no front of the line due to my ECV. We left at 7:30.

On Tuesday we arrived at AK at 8 am. We did the Safari, Gorilla Falls, Na'vi River (she did buy an ILL for this, I didn't ride), and she went on a 2nd time without an ILL, no wait. Then we went on Kali River Rapids, then to see Tough to Be a Bug, saw Lion King and left around 2 pm.

Now granted, the gods were with us. Every show we saw we arrived just as the show or pre-show was starting. And lines had a minimal wait. The longest wait was Frozen in EPCOT on Sunday.

So why pay for Genie+ when you can buy ILL?

The 2-4 weeks following Easter are historically slow and less crowded. TOT was 35 min wait yesterday. Tron Vq has lasted a while as well. The price of Genie+ had gone down which was a sign as well; it’s back up now (was $18, now up to $22).

You can’t buy all LLs. Only 1 per park ((lightening lane individual attraction LLIA); with a park hopper you can buy 1 in each park you hop to; max of 2 a day). I think you meant Flight of passage (FOP is a LLIA) at AK and not Navi (a Genie+ ride). Here are the LLIA currently in each park and today’s prices:

MK (SDMT $11)
HS (ROTR $22)
AK (FOP $14)
Epcot (GOTG $15)

Wait times will jump up in a week (closer to the holiday weekend and when schools are over). There are still some ride waits that would be worth the Genie+ price

 

[gottalovepluto]

So, I was in WDW this past weekend 5/6-9/2023 with a friend. It was her first time at WDW (she's 47). She didn't want anything scheduled for her trip. We did do 1 reservation for dinner on Sat night in Disney Springs at STK. Now, 1 caveat, I use an ECV.

We did EPCOT on Sunday, MK on Monday and AK on Tuesday. Th ECV didn't come into play at EPCOT. She doesn't like roller coasters. We arrived at 11:30 am. We did walk ons for everything and it was quite a bit. The Seas, Living With the Land (the ECV got us to the front of the line but it was only a 10 min wait), Imagination, Remy (10 min wait), American Adventure, Splendors of China, Frozen in Norway (we had a 25 min wait), Gran Fiesta and Spaceship Earth (again we got the front of the line due to my ECV but it had a 15 min wait). We also saw Epcot Forever after a walkup at Chefs De France.

On Monday we arrived at noon and we did MK Railroad once around, Jungle Cruise (we got a return time for an hour and a half later, due to my ECV), Tiki Room, Country Bear Jamboree, back to Jungle Cruise, Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion*, Peter Pan*, Small World, Pooh*, and Buzz Lightyear*. All those marked with * had a 15 min wait or less, no front of the line due to my ECV. We left at 7:30.

On Tuesday we arrived at AK at 8 am. We did the Safari, Gorilla Falls, Na'vi River (she did buy an ILL for this, I didn't ride), and she went on a 2nd time without an ILL, no wait. Then we went on Kali River Rapids, then to see Tough to Be a Bug, saw Lion King and left around 2 pm.

Now granted, the gods were with us. Every show we saw we arrived just as the show or pre-show was starting. And lines had a minimal wait. The longest wait was Frozen in EPCOT on Sunday.

So why pay for Genie+ when you can buy ILL?

You did RAT with a 10 min wait? Was it down and you stumbled on it just opening? And you can’t buy an ILL for Navi, it only runs under G+. If she bought something to ride it she bought G+ and didn’t realize it.

Glad the trip worked out so well. Definitely some incredibly light crowds there!

 

[bluezy]

You did RAT with a 10 min wait? Was it down and you stumbled on it just opening? And you can’t buy an ILL for Navi, it only runs under G+. If she bought something to ride it she bought G+ and didn’t realize it.

Glad the trip worked out so well. Definitely some incredibly light crowds there!

Yeah, I was wondering about the 10 minute wait for Remy and the buying an ILL for Na'vi as well. I'm wondering if the OP and guest were using DAS since she referred to getting return times/sent to the front of the line a few times. I think all of the rides can accommodate ECVs in the regular standby line now so I'm not sure why they would be sent to the front of the line just for having an ECV. Also, many of the rides/shows they went on (other than Remy, Frozen, Peter Pan, and Kali) tend to have less than a 15-20 minute wait even when we're there in June. So I'm not surprised at some of those waits were much shorter during early May when crowds are much lower than June. We did Na'vi twice with no wait and no G+ at rope drop one morning at AK and we didn't rush to get there (part of our party was rushing to FOP but the rest of us just let the masses of people run past us and casually walked to Na'vi).

 

[Dakota731]

We will be at Disney in the fall. If we don’t buy anything extra for rides, can we still get on everything? Are there any virtual reservations we need to make like Tron Or Guardians? We were last at WDW two years ago and had to reserve Remy online. Has anything changed since then?

 

[FCDub]

We will be at Disney in the fall. If we don’t buy anything extra for rides, can we still get on everything? Are there any virtual reservations we need to make like Tron Or Guardians? We were last at WDW two years ago and had to reserve Remy online. Has anything changed since then?

Virtual queue for Tron and Guardians for now. Can change at any time. The rest you can stand in line for.

 

[musicguy856]

You did RAT with a 10 min wait? Was it down and you stumbled on it just opening? And you can’t buy an ILL for Navi, it only runs under G+. If she bought something to ride it she bought G+ and didn’t realize it.

Glad the trip worked out so well. Definitely some incredibly light crowds there!

I’ve done Remy with a 10-15 minute wait by going 45-60 minutes after regular park open and letting most of the rope drop crowds clear out. Many people who want to ride in the morning are going to rope drop it immediately instead of going later. Once the lower wait is posted more people head over there and it will get longer later on. You can see this pattern many days on ThrillData.

Remy benefits from this by being quite a walk from any other ride at Epcot. I’ve done it during mild-moderate crowd levels and sometimes had more like a 30-40 minute wait but that’s not too bad for Remy. It will grow in the afternoon/early evening as more people go to WS.

 

[bluezy]

I’ve done Remy with a 10-15 minute wait by going 45-60 minutes after regular park open and letting most of the rope drop crowds clear out. Many people who want to ride in the morning are going to rope drop it immediately instead of going later. Once the lower wait is posted more people head over there and it will get longer later on. You can see this pattern many days on ThrillData.

Remy benefits from this by being quite a walk from any other ride at Epcot. I’ve done it during mild-moderate crowd levels and sometimes had more like a 30-40 minute wait but that’s not too bad for Remy. It will grow in the afternoon/early evening as more people go to WS.

But the OP said they didn't get to EP until 11:30. Wait times were much higher than 10 minutes at that point according to Thrill Datas chart for that date. And it doesn't sound like they went straight to Remy and even if they did, it would have been closer to noon until they got all the way to the back of the park.

 

[brockash]

Yeah, I was wondering about the 10 minute wait for Remy and the buying an ILL for Na'vi as well. I'm wondering if the OP and guest were using DAS since she referred to getting return times/sent to the front of the line a few times. I think all of the rides can accommodate ECVs in the regular standby line now so I'm not sure why they would be sent to the front of the line just for having an ECV. Also, many of the rides/shows they went on (other than Remy, Frozen, Peter Pan, and Kali) tend to have less than a 15-20 minute wait even when we're there in June. So I'm not surprised at some of those waits were much shorter during early May when crowds are much lower than June. We did Na'vi twice with no wait and no G+ at rope drop one morning at AK and we didn't rush to get there (part of our party was rushing to FOP but the rest of us just let the masses of people run past us and casually walked to Na'vi).

No, there are still rides that can't take a scooter/wheelchair. Spaceship Earth and JC are 2 examples, just as OP explained. Not understanding buying fastpass for Navi only though??

 

[DanielleC]

You did RAT with a 10 min wait? Was it down and you stumbled on it just opening? And you can’t buy an ILL for Navi, it only runs under G+. If she bought something to ride it she bought G+ and didn’t realize it.

Glad the trip worked out so well. Definitely some incredibly light crowds there!

We didn't have DAS. I would never ask for it. I can't stand for long periods of time so I have an ECV. I'm not sure what happened with remy. We walked up and had a 20 min wait which turned out to b 10. Not all rides have accessible access. Jungle Cruise has a special ADA entrance so you can put a wheel chair on the boats. As I said, I can walk short distances, but the queue doesn't accommodate an ECV. Same thing for Living with the Land. Spaceship earth you go to the exit and hop on in the exit room leaving your ECV outside the exit room. I think Spaceship earth had a 40 min wait.

My friend wanted to ride navi, I didn't. She bought "something". I never have purchased Genie+ or LL so I don't know how it looks on the App or how it works in the App. We only had to return for Jungle Cruise and Navi.Crowds were very light in EPCOT on Sunday & AK on Tuesday. MK was busy on Monday. We avoided the left side of EPCOT up front since we both don't like coasters, GOTG, Mission Space & Test Track. They had some serious wait times.

 

[marynpaul]

Today at Hollywood studios arrived at 5 pm. Mickey and Minnie runaway railway posted 60 min got on in 15 . Tower of terror had a 35 minute posted, we actually rode it 3 times in 35 minutes. Rise was posted at 60 actually 25. Toy story posted 25 and was about 20. Many rides 10 minutes or less and not using genie plus or lightning lanes

 

[Mermaidtails1323]

Today at Hollywood studios arrived at 5 pm. Mickey and Minnie runaway railway posted 60 min got on in 15 . Tower of terror had a 35 minute posted, we actually rode it 3 times in 35 minutes. Rise was posted at 60 actually 25. Toy story posted 25 and was about 20. Many rides 10 minutes or less and not using genie plus or lightning lanes

These are the days I remember fondly! I’m hoping the low crowds hold on for another couple of weeks. I realize that’s not likely, but there are still tons of dining reservations and discounted hotel rooms available, so I’m hopeful that the crowds stay away!

 

[flowergleam1211]

Today at Hollywood studios arrived at 5 pm. Mickey and Minnie runaway railway posted 60 min got on in 15 . Tower of terror had a 35 minute posted, we actually rode it 3 times in 35 minutes. Rise was posted at 60 actually 25. Toy story posted 25 and was about 20. Many rides 10 minutes or less and not using genie plus or lightning lanes

Thank you for sharing! Does anyone know what was Touring Plans' crowd level prediction HS yesterday?

 

[bluezy]

Thank you for sharing! Does anyone know what was Touring Plans' crowd level prediction HS yesterday?

They predicted an 8 but observed a 4.

 

[Amanda999]

Thank you for sharing! Does anyone know what was Touring Plans' crowd level prediction HS yesterday?

For 5/15/23 TP: "What we predicted: 8 out of 10; What we saw: 4 out of 10."

 

[kylenne]

Thank you for sharing! Does anyone know what was Touring Plans' crowd level prediction HS yesterday?

A magic 8 ball would probably give you just as accurate a prediction as Touring Plans for HS about now.

 

[NJlauren]

hey! Does anyone know what time you need to line up for Fantasmic with and with out a dining package?

 

[notatallmagic]

The Magic Kingdom railroad/train has been closed the last several times we've been there.

Any idea if they still allow you to sip your Starbucks/coffee on the train? We're planning out our park itinerary. Thanks!

 

[focusondisney]

The Magic Kingdom railroad/train has been closed the last several times we've been there.

Any idea if they still allow you to sip your Starbucks/coffee on the train? We're planning out our park itinerary. Thanks!

You’re not supposed to eat or drink on the ride. I *think* a CM on the Main Street platform was making people throw drink cups out before they could go into the outside line. Not positive, but I seem to remember seeing this.

 

[kylenne]

Arrived yesterday. We were in the air on the first flight out of JFK at 7am and on JetBlue wifi we purchased G+, booked a Remy LL for 3pm (I was able to back this up to 11:45 after modifying) and got Guardians BG 96. We actually landed early, just before 9.

Had a wonderful driver from Tiffany Towncar, cannot rate the service highly enough. Was in constant communication with us and met us at baggage claim. We used the free grocery stop to pick up our Instacart online order from Publix, they promptly brought our bags out and our driver loaded them. Got to Yacht Club at around 11am and since our room wasn’t ready yet, we walked over to Epcot. Crowds were actually very manageable for a holiday weekend. We booked Frozen and Soarin and could have done more but had no real agenda. Room was ready at 12:30 Guardians BG was called at 3, was about a 35 minute wait in the VQ and afterwards we were exhausted and went back to the room.

Dinner at Yachtsman was amazing, food was excellent and the service even better.

Doing EE at HS today and will report back

 

[SkyGuy]

Arrived yesterday. We were in the air on the first flight out of JFK at 7am and on JetBlue wifi we purchased G+, booked a Remy LL for 3pm (I was able to back this up to 11:45 after modifying) and got Guardians BG 96. We actually landed early, just before 9.

Had a wonderful driver from Tiffany Towncar, cannot rate the service highly enough. Was in constant communication with us and met us at baggage claim. We used the free grocery stop to pick up our Instacart online order from Publix, they promptly brought our bags out and our driver loaded them. Got to Yacht Club at around 11am and since our room wasn’t ready yet, we walked over to Epcot. Crowds were actually very manageable for a holiday weekend. We booked Frozen and Soarin and could have done more but had no real agenda. Room was ready at 12:30 Guardians BG was called at 3, was about a 35 minute wait in the VQ and afterwards we were exhausted and went back to the room.

Dinner at Yachtsman was amazing, food was excellent and the service even better.

Doing EE at HS today and will report back

Glad to hear Yachtsman was good! Our two times after reopen were horrendous , and we used to really enjoy it. I’ll put it back on our list - my dining window opens tomorrow, and we haven’t solidified our choices, so great timing. Have a great trip!