Moving a DLR Trip to Walt Disney World- Let’s Talk!

[sophy1996]

I stand corrected. I went and looked at the map on WDW's website. It looks like the Beach Club access to the Skyliner is basically the Epcot International Gateway station. You'd get on that and take it to CBR. Then you get off and get in line for the HS route. What I don't know is if you have to exit at Riviera and get on a new gondola to get from Riviera to CBR.

We weren't required to get off at Riviera last fall when we were at WDW; we just stayed on from CBR to Epcot and vice versa. I haven't heard of any changes to that since the re-opening.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

Honestly If you are feeling comfortable enough to travel I dont feel it would not make any difference weather you drive or take a plane. On a 36 hour drive you are going to have to make multiple stops for food, rest, gas and each time you do will add possible exposure opurtunity where you are relying on each place to have proper safety procedures being adhered to.

I think it's more the psychological aspect of being "stuck" surrounded by strangers for 5 hours on top of DGF being anxious about flying when there's not a pandemic. If it were up to just me we would fly as the logistics of a cross country drive with 3 time zone changes are a bit much to handle.

 

[pblack]

My DH and I were planning to go to the world for our first trip in Nov. After some very annoying booking circumstances we never ended up booking, but now I’m considering booking again lol. I can’t decide whether it will be worth it for us with the shortened hours and other closures/things being on hold, plus wait times slowly climbing. We’ve never been to WDW so it’s not like we’d really know what we’re missing. If we go we’d be flying from California and staying offsite. Our park days would be Sunday through Thursday. Just wanted to say I appreciate all of you who provide your first hand accounts!

 

[Malcon10t]

Honestly If you are feeling comfortable enough to travel I dont feel it would not make any difference weather you drive or take a plane. On a 36 hour drive you are going to have to make multiple stops for food, rest, gas and each time you do will add possible exposure opurtunity where you are relying on each place to have proper safety procedures being adhered to.

Flying has risks as well but assuming the airline is follow their proper safety protocols and you are protecting yourself I wouldn't think you were at any more risk and quite possibly somewhat less of one.

Just my 2 cents.

For me, it is very different. Another family and I have discussed renting a motorhome and doing the 36 hour drive. We'd have 4 driving adults, and 2 teens in charge of coffee/soda/water and food. Yes, we would have to make potty stops and getting food, but would not be in a sealed vehicle with everyone around us.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Mod Request: Please keep a DLR perspective of WDW trip planning going on in this thread so that we can keep this thread on this board! Thank you!

 

[VandVsmama]

What I had a hard time wrapping my head around at first in MK is how much more spread out everything is. The walkways are SO much bigger! Other stuff we observed from our MK days on our WDW from 2 yr ago (compared to DL):

• the train has 3 stops, not 4. And it seems like people use it less as transportation from 1 section of the park to another (like our family uses it at DL).
• That being said, I really enjoyed the MK train, but for different reasons than I enjoy it at DL. The MK train has no Primeieval World (spelling?) section to it, FYI.
• Splash Mtn - I think the MK version does a better job telling the Brer Rabbit story. I hope we can go on it in January before they redo it to Princess & the Frog (I haven't read when they're going to begin the re-do).
• Hall of Presidents - this we really really enjoyed. If you've been to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and have enjoyed it, then Hall of Presidents is that on steroids.
• Memento Mori shop near the HM - small shop that is basically filled with HM merchandise. This was a cool little shop to browse through. FYI - when we were there 2 yr ago, they had no Jack Skellington & Nightmare Before Christmas stuff, so just be aware. I think that's because it's a big thing in DL and there's almost no Jack Skellington presence at MK except during the Halloween parties.
• When we were at MK in 2018, the train stopped running for the rest of the night starting about 45 min to an hour before fireworks.
• There is no Little Red Wagon on Main Street. The closest thing is the corn dog nugget things at Casey's Corner. I haven't tried them.
• People at MK don't go ape over churros like they do at DL. In fact, I hardly saw any churros. And specialty flavors? Forget it!
• The People Mover was awesome and I would really love for it to reopen soon.
• The Main Street cinema doesn't actually show Mickey shorts. It's just a shop.

 

[montreid]

Kicked around going to WDW despite DLR being 1 hour away. But WDW remains the closest land so --- has anyone from Socal pulled the trigger to do this? Any direct flights to MCO from that's reliable? We typically travel Southwest out of San Diego.

Also, is MCO and Mickey express running?

 

[midnight star]

Kicked around going to WDW despite DLR being 1 hour away. But WDW remains the closest land so --- has anyone from Socal pulled the trigger to do this? Any direct flights to MCO from that's reliable? We typically travel Southwest out of San Diego.

Also, is MCO and Mickey express running?

Try Delta. My personal preference when traveling a long distance is to do non-stop flights. Southwest doesn't seem to have direct flights out of the west.

I think the Magical express is still running, but they aren't doing the checked bag service.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

• There is no Little Red Wagon on Main Street. The closest thing is the corn dog nugget things at Casey's Corner. I haven't tried them.
• People at MK don't go ape over churros like they do at DL. In fact, I hardly saw any churros. And specialty flavors? Forget it!

But what about breakfast? Second breakfast? Elevensies? I actually went on the app and made sure to make a note of every darn place I can find churros and yeah, unless it’s a covid thing... not nearly the same amount of churro spots!

I’m more disappointed by the lack of Mint Julep and beignets but I also love New Orleans Square in general so much. I’m sure I’ll find things at WDW that I’ll love too! I’m really looking forward to seeing Pandora.

 

[midnight star]

Here are my ride comparisons for DL and WDW:
Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder- Longer at WDW; didn't seem as fast, broke down while we were on it for 5 seconds lol, so that made it feel like DL hahaha

Splash Mountain: It was under refurb. It was also very cold, so I doubt we would've rode it anyway. But the seats are side by side; You get wet, but i don't think it's "drench mountain" like the DL version lol

Space Mountain: The seats are set up like the Matterhorn. I thought it was faster and had more dips, but I didn't like the music.

Haunted Mansion: I honestly didn't like the design of the outside. It has a gothic brick style to it. I prefer the big white mansion we have at DL. Make sure to read the tomb stones though! They will give you a chuckle.

Pirates: Not as cool or long, but make sure to see it yourself.

Barnstormer: WDW's version of Gadget's Go Coaster

Teacups: I liked the one at WDW more because it has a 'roof' over the teacups. We went when it was super cold, so it was nice to take a break for the cold air

Jungle Cruise: We skipped this, but I heard it's longer than DL's version

Winnie the Pooh: Adorable and you must ride it! The queue is cute too!

Peter Pan: i'm not sure how the wait is for it right now, but it was one of the longer ones, just like DL. It seemed pretty much the same. The big difference is that you load on with a conveyor belt. The landing isn't as rough as the DL one either.

Honorable Mention:
Seven Dwarves Mine Train- This ride is awesome!! This will probably be your longest wait in the park. The only ride to compare it to would be Snow White's Scary Adventures, except it's not scary and won't traumatize children lol. The ride is very smooth, no jerkiness, and good for all ages.

 

[midnight star]

Minor detail I learned about the ride queues. WDW is built for long lines. So the queues are really neat! Going off of my memory, Winnie the Pooh and Toy Story Mania had some of the coolest queues.

 

[crystal1313]

We got a direct flight from sfo to mco. Magical express is running. I need to call to add us on there!

I’m looking forward to trying all the duplicate attractions and seeing which one I like better!!

does anyone know if you have to have an ADR at a resort hotel to be able to get dropped off there? Want to check out a couple places if we can.

 

[StormyCA]

As far as 'miscellaneous' stuff goes, as mentioned above the standby queues for some of the rides are pretty fun. PP, Pooh, Mermaid, HM, 7 dwarfs in MK, FoP in AK (that I can think of right off the bat) but I'm sure there were others I don't remember. Plenty to see and some things to 'play with'. If you use FP+ (I know, not right now) you bypass most of the fun stuff.

WDW is 'the same, but different'. Much more walking as the individual parks are more spread out. DL is much more 'compact'. And it seems that when they've expanded it's kind of 'willy nilly' with areas tucked off in a corner that you walk to and from rather than as part of a circular path.

If you stay onsite you can use park transport, but we've found it more efficient to drive to the parks. We tow a trailer so have a vehicle with us. But DH said that if we were ever to fly, he'd want to rent a car simply for the convenience. Free parking for onsite guests too.

 

[figmentfinesse]

I stand corrected. I went and looked at the map on WDW's website. It looks like the Beach Club access to the Skyliner is basically the Epcot International Gateway station. You'd get on that and take it to CBR. Then you get off and get in line for the HS route. What I don't know is if you have to exit at Riviera and get on a new gondola to get from Riviera to CBR.

I can report in post-covid as I had a CBR stay in August-- you don't have to get off at Riviera!

 

[StormyCA]

For me, it is very different. Another family and I have discussed renting a motorhome and doing the 36 hour drive. We'd have 4 driving adults, and 2 teens in charge of coffee/soda/water and food. Yes, we would have to make potty stops and getting food, but would not be in a sealed vehicle with everyone around us.

We've made the cross country drive twice from No Cal towing our trailer, going again next Spring. It takes us 6 days averaging 500-600 miles per day, so 10-12 hour days. You can't go 70+ MPH towing or in a large MH, it's just not safe. We sleep at truck stops (boondocking) or RV parks. No restaurants, we eat from our supplies. And although we've done potty stops in the past, if infection rates are still concerning, we'll use the trailer potty & dump at an en route RV park if we have to so we don't have to use 'public facilities'. Although just the 2 of us using the potty is very different than 6 adults.

Next year we're also going to 'take time to smell the roses' and go only 400-450 per day. It'll take us an additional day.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

does anyone know if you have to have an ADR at a resort hotel to be able to get dropped off there? Want to check out a couple places if we can.

From what I recall, at least from the first reopening announcements, you can't walk the hotel properties without a dining reservation because of the COVID precautions. Is that enforced? I'm not sure. I'm wondering how this works too because I'm trying to plan strategy for our Hollywood Studios days and everything I'm reading says to avoid the WDW transportation and just Uber. You can get dropped off at Boardwalk and walk over I think? So much walking.... lol! But that Rise of the Resistance ride is TOP priority for us. Like above everything else, I'm feeling a bit manic about it haha.

The transportation piece stresses me out, that's one thing that Disneyland definitely has over WDW. I think I might just budget for Ubers in the mornings so we know we're there right on time for rope drop and then take the skyliner/buses at the end of the day. Hard to say 'risk wise' when it comes to comparing an uber to a bus- you're in a smaller space but with only one other person... vs. a bus with bigger space but more people?

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Here are my ride comparisons for DL and WDW:
Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder- Longer at WDW; didn't seem as fast, broke down while we were on it for 5 seconds lol, so that made it feel like DL hahaha

Splash Mountain: It was under refurb. It was also very cold, so I doubt we would've rode it anyway. But the seats are side by side; You get wet, but i don't think it's "drench mountain" like the DL version lol

Space Mountain: The seats are set up like the Matterhorn. I thought it was faster and had more dips, but I didn't like the music.

Haunted Mansion: I honestly didn't like the design of the outside. It has a gothic brick style to it. I prefer the big white mansion we have at DL. Make sure to read the tomb stones though! They will give you a chuckle.

Pirates: Not as cool or long, but make sure to see it yourself.

Barnstormer: WDW's version of Gadget's Go Coaster

Teacups: I liked the one at WDW more because it has a 'roof' over the teacups. We went when it was super cold, so it was nice to take a break for the cold air

Jungle Cruise: We skipped this, but I heard it's longer than DL's version

Winnie the Pooh: Adorable and you must ride it! The queue is cute too!

Peter Pan: i'm not sure how the wait is for it right now, but it was one of the longer ones, just like DL. It seemed pretty much the same. The big difference is that you load on with a conveyor belt. The landing isn't as rough as the DL one either.

Honorable Mention:
Seven Dwarves Mine Train- This ride is awesome!! This will probably be your longest wait in the park. The only ride to compare it to would be Snow White's Scary Adventures, except it's not scary and won't traumatize children lol. The ride is very smooth, no jerkiness, and good for all ages.

What month did you go in that it felt so cold? Our dates are November 13-19 and keep reading it should be warm/comfortable with little rain (YES) but that it can also be cold. We'll ride Splash no matter what though, my son loves that ride and he's having a hard time accepting the upcoming changes to it.

I'm excited for Seven Dwarves Mine Train, that's a top priority. I've also heard people like the WDW version of Haunted Mansion more? Is the inside of the ride longer or is just the difference in the outside? I don't like the outside look either, I prefer ours. But I am excited to ride it!

I'm nervous to ride the Expedition Everest one in Animal Kingdom, it looks scary haha! But I can handle nearly everything that doesn't go upside down or do drops so I should be fine. I hope it's on par with what Disneyland considers a 'roller coaster' like fast.. but not Six Flags scary!

 

[midnight star]

Hard to say 'risk wise' when it comes to comparing an uber to a bus- you're in a smaller space but with only one other person... vs. a bus with bigger space but more people

Something to think about. I read over on one of the WDW threads, that since Florida is lax with the mask mandate, someone reported that they had Uber drivers show up without a mask on. You can always cancel the ride, and say why. I think Uber’s policy still requires drivers and passengers to wear masks. But just something else to think about and be aware of.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Something to think about. I read over on one of the WDW threads, that since Florida is lax with the mask mandate, someone reported that they had Uber drivers show up without a mask on. You can always cancel the ride, and say why. I think Uber’s policy still requires drivers and passengers to wear masks. But just something else to think about and be aware of.

Oof, that would stress me out- thanks for that info. Kind of takes the convenience out of things if you have to cancel the Uber and get a new one doesn't it? I have been reading that as long as you get to that bustop/skyliner spot first thing in the AM and be front of the line that it doesn't impact your arrival too much at Hollywood Studios. Plus it's free...

 

[midnight star]

What month did you go in that it felt so cold? Our dates are November 13-19 and keep reading it should be warm/comfortable with little rain (YES) but that it can also be cold. We'll ride Splash no matter what though, my son loves that ride and he's having a hard time accepting the upcoming changes to it.

I'm excited for Seven Dwarves Mine Train, that's a top priority. I've also heard people like the WDW version of Haunted Mansion more? Is the inside of the ride longer or is just the difference in the outside? I don't like the outside look either, I prefer ours. But I am excited to ride it!

I'm nervous to ride the Expedition Everest one in Animal Kingdom, it looks scary haha! But I can handle nearly everything that doesn't go upside down or do drops so I should be fine. I hope it's on par with what Disneyland considers a 'roller coaster' like fast.. but not Six Flags scary!

We went in January! Our first park day was the Tuesday after MLK day.

EE is amazing! I’m going to do more ride comparisons later today and will put that down for AK. My friend who was nervous for slinky survived it lol. I’m sure she wanted to kill me though for making her ride it It’s fast, but fun! The only drop that is semi-scary is the one with the camera and they snap a pic of you.