kylenne
Wakandan-American
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2016
Continuing the Captain’s Log as my gf is now calling my posting. 
Note: I skipped Thursday because we went to Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Springs so nothing terribly useful to report other than light crowds at the water park so I suggest weekdays, and checking in late for our umbrella didn’t matter. We took a Minnie Van there but got the bus back to Poly via Disney Springs. If anyone has more specific water park questions I’m happy to elaborate. We enjoyed it a lot.
Yesterday we rope dropped MK. Something we really enjoy about doing it from Poly is Kona Island is right before the monorail platform so it’s very easy to grab something on the way. We got coffees before getting on the monorail at 7:28 and arrived to the tapstiles at 7:35. We were not terribly far back, only a handful of groups ahead of us at that hour, but we were also to the left which is always shorter; only monorail and the resort launch guests are coming from that direction so if you are getting there on the buses, I highly suggest going to the far left. Most bus guests will jump in the first lines they see on the right.
We were let onto Main Street a few minutes later. We were at the rope in Tomorrowland at 7:50 with only a very few other guests. At MK 95% of the crowd is headed to Fantasyland for Mine Train. If you can at all help it, don’t be those people. It’s a miserable way to start your day, with stressed out people jockeying for position, barreling through with strollers, etc. Just deeply unpleasant and if you can wait until the end of the night most times waits plummet. By contrast Tomorrowland EE is almost chill. They dropped the rope and started walking us over at 8:25 but when we got to Space the CMs said the ride was down and there was no ETA on it. We immediately pivoted to Buzz and walked straight on at 8:31, then got into Astro Orbiter at 8:47 (Posted 5 but was a walk on).
PSA: Always have a plan B for rope drop. Absolutely do not be the silly people who stood there at Space wasting their entire precious EE time waiting for a ride to come online with no ETA (it didn’t end up running until late morning btw). We saw the same people still waiting while we had gotten 2 rides in and were crossing over to Adventureland for “Second Rope Drop”, when the park opens at 9. Don’t be that guy.
We walked onto Pirates at 9:02, walked straight onto Big Thunder at 9:18 (posted 10), then tapped in for our 9:25 Jungle Cruise LL at 9:37 (posted 40). I pulled HM for 10am, which was posted 50 but really didn’t look it. After we did that, we did Small World at 10:24, was posted 5 which was accurate. Then tapped into Pooh at 10:49 which was showing 40 min waits. I had managed to pull a Space LL for 11:15 and so did that, thinking to try and be in the area for my Tron BG 56—it was very slow getting through groups that morning though. So after we did Space we had got Tron dumplings and I pulled a quick LL for parade viewing. It’s not the best use of one, but I’m really glad I did it since we were minutes away, and being right at the front got us great character views and interactions. (I had Maleficient ears and an Evil Queen shirt on so the fairies gave me stink eye among other things!)
BG was called not longer afterwards at 12:22, I waited 35 min total. We did our last LL of the day for Peter Pan at 1:25, when it was posted 70. We took our nap and pool break after that.
MK crowds were shockingly light most of the morning tbh. Waits did not really start to build in earnest until around 12:30 or so. We found using a mix of low standby lines and G+ was ideal but it was by no means necessary, it Space had been up at rope drop it would have been perfect. Even without it, as you can see we got a lot accomplished and without running around or having my face stuck in the phone. Also, as a hilarious coincidence, Gay Days was going on at MK, so we really enjoyed that as well. Effect on crowds was minimal. There are some nifty Pride photo ops throughout the parks and we got one right next to the infamous purple wall. Also, hilariously, we saw a double rainbow that night over Space.
We returned to MK at around 6p and got a walk up at Skipper Canteen but could have also gotten our pick of other restaurants besides CRT. After dinner we went to Tomorrowland, because gf was doing a Tron Identity appt. It’s a neat little experience but be careful about the evening appt, be sure to leave yourself enough time. It takes about 1-1.5 hours for your figure to be ready and after I rode my Tron LL at 8 we had to go straight to the plaza garden for our fireworks post-party. By the time we were done there we couldn’t get it, because Launch Depot closes before the park. So we will have to go back to pick it up today.
The dessert party was great though I will say the newer CMs are having a bit of a time getting up to speed. We were waiting along the back rail with another family when one told us we couldn’t stand there because it was stroller parking. We all sort of looked at each other in confusion and stayed out because it absolutely made no sense, and the CM never said anything to us again about it.
We also witnessed a “gentleman” (I say this loosely) quite literally try to plant a chair from the Plaza ice cream parlor seating area right in the grass (?!). A CM immediately, rightfully told him he couldn’t do that, and the guest copped an attitude with him demanding his name and claiming 2 other CMs said it was okay because he needed a seat for his elderly father. I worked in CS long enough to smell a customer trying to pull a fast one, and knew this guy was lying through his teeth but the CM politely stood his ground and said he could get him a wheelchair for the senior. And he did. So all of that nonsense was totally unnecessary. It did give us something to laugh about though.
After the show it wasn’t too awful going to the Terrace. The food itself was fine, but it was 100% worth it to sit down and enjoy desserts while the mass exodus from the park happened outside. I made myself a couple of pog-mosas. We went home afterwards.
Today is pool patio rest day so more reports tomorrow.
Note: I skipped Thursday because we went to Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Springs so nothing terribly useful to report other than light crowds at the water park so I suggest weekdays, and checking in late for our umbrella didn’t matter. We took a Minnie Van there but got the bus back to Poly via Disney Springs. If anyone has more specific water park questions I’m happy to elaborate. We enjoyed it a lot.Yesterday we rope dropped MK. Something we really enjoy about doing it from Poly is Kona Island is right before the monorail platform so it’s very easy to grab something on the way. We got coffees before getting on the monorail at 7:28 and arrived to the tapstiles at 7:35. We were not terribly far back, only a handful of groups ahead of us at that hour, but we were also to the left which is always shorter; only monorail and the resort launch guests are coming from that direction so if you are getting there on the buses, I highly suggest going to the far left. Most bus guests will jump in the first lines they see on the right.
We were let onto Main Street a few minutes later. We were at the rope in Tomorrowland at 7:50 with only a very few other guests. At MK 95% of the crowd is headed to Fantasyland for Mine Train. If you can at all help it, don’t be those people. It’s a miserable way to start your day, with stressed out people jockeying for position, barreling through with strollers, etc. Just deeply unpleasant and if you can wait until the end of the night most times waits plummet. By contrast Tomorrowland EE is almost chill. They dropped the rope and started walking us over at 8:25 but when we got to Space the CMs said the ride was down and there was no ETA on it. We immediately pivoted to Buzz and walked straight on at 8:31, then got into Astro Orbiter at 8:47 (Posted 5 but was a walk on).
PSA: Always have a plan B for rope drop. Absolutely do not be the silly people who stood there at Space wasting their entire precious EE time waiting for a ride to come online with no ETA (it didn’t end up running until late morning btw). We saw the same people still waiting while we had gotten 2 rides in and were crossing over to Adventureland for “Second Rope Drop”, when the park opens at 9. Don’t be that guy.
We walked onto Pirates at 9:02, walked straight onto Big Thunder at 9:18 (posted 10), then tapped in for our 9:25 Jungle Cruise LL at 9:37 (posted 40). I pulled HM for 10am, which was posted 50 but really didn’t look it. After we did that, we did Small World at 10:24, was posted 5 which was accurate. Then tapped into Pooh at 10:49 which was showing 40 min waits. I had managed to pull a Space LL for 11:15 and so did that, thinking to try and be in the area for my Tron BG 56—it was very slow getting through groups that morning though. So after we did Space we had got Tron dumplings and I pulled a quick LL for parade viewing. It’s not the best use of one, but I’m really glad I did it since we were minutes away, and being right at the front got us great character views and interactions. (I had Maleficient ears and an Evil Queen shirt on so the fairies gave me stink eye
among other things!)BG was called not longer afterwards at 12:22, I waited 35 min total. We did our last LL of the day for Peter Pan at 1:25, when it was posted 70. We took our nap and pool break after that.
MK crowds were shockingly light most of the morning tbh. Waits did not really start to build in earnest until around 12:30 or so. We found using a mix of low standby lines and G+ was ideal but it was by no means necessary, it Space had been up at rope drop it would have been perfect. Even without it, as you can see we got a lot accomplished and without running around or having my face stuck in the phone. Also, as a hilarious coincidence, Gay Days was going on at MK, so we really enjoyed that as well. Effect on crowds was minimal. There are some nifty Pride photo ops throughout the parks and we got one right next to the infamous purple wall. Also, hilariously, we saw a double rainbow that night over Space.
We returned to MK at around 6p and got a walk up at Skipper Canteen but could have also gotten our pick of other restaurants besides CRT. After dinner we went to Tomorrowland, because gf was doing a Tron Identity appt. It’s a neat little experience but be careful about the evening appt, be sure to leave yourself enough time. It takes about 1-1.5 hours for your figure to be ready and after I rode my Tron LL at 8 we had to go straight to the plaza garden for our fireworks post-party. By the time we were done there we couldn’t get it, because Launch Depot closes before the park. So we will have to go back to pick it up today.
The dessert party was great though I will say the newer CMs are having a bit of a time getting up to speed. We were waiting along the back rail with another family when one told us we couldn’t stand there because it was stroller parking. We all sort of looked at each other in confusion and stayed out because it absolutely made no sense, and the CM never said anything to us again about it.
We also witnessed a “gentleman” (I say this loosely) quite literally try to plant a chair from the Plaza ice cream parlor seating area right in the grass (?!). A CM immediately, rightfully told him he couldn’t do that, and the guest copped an attitude with him demanding his name and claiming 2 other CMs said it was okay because he needed a seat for his elderly father. I worked in CS long enough to smell a customer trying to pull a fast one, and knew this guy was lying through his teeth but the CM politely stood his ground and said he could get him a wheelchair for the senior. And he did. So all of that nonsense was totally unnecessary. It did give us something to laugh about though.
After the show it wasn’t too awful going to the Terrace. The food itself was fine, but it was 100% worth it to sit down and enjoy desserts while the mass exodus from the park happened outside. I made myself a couple of pog-mosas. We went home afterwards.
Today is pool patio rest day so more reports tomorrow.
