New Jersey DVC Members Group

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So we are back from what turned out to be a great trip.

Expanding on some of Pooh’s trip comments, we felt safe in Newark airport and on both flights. JetBlue flights were mostly full but middle seats were left open. Coming back, Orlando airport was more crowded but most people were keeping their distance except for one family of eleven who plopped down right next to us and did not seem to care how close they got.

As for WDW I agree with Pooh about social distancing and cleanliness. Starting with DME, they were well organized and assigned seats to maintain distancing. Online checking went well and we had our room by 1:00 pm. Masks were not that bad except the tops of my ears got a little sore. My DW made masks and also bought Disney masks. We tried both but quickly found that the lighter masks she made were much more comfortable. Except for some noses, most people were properly wearing masks and if not CM’s were on top of it. The CM’s were great.

Park crowds were not that bad. The parks felt alive compared to what some people reported when they first opened about it being eerie. Ride queues were well marked and people were good about following them. There were some walk ons, but most rides that we went on were posted 25 to 55 minute waits that almost always took less time. The one exception was Mickey and Minnie‘s Runaway Railway which was 90 minutes but was worth it. This was also the first time for me riding Expedition Everest and the DW’s first time on Flight of Passage.

As for restaurants, the tables were well spaced and were immediately disinfected once the party left. The only bad thing was the reduced menu offerings which is understandable due to the reduced capacity. I was disappointed that Rose & Crown did not have their corn beef and cabbage.

Transportation, both bus and monorail, between the resorts and parks at least when we were on them were empty. Only once did the driver assign seats and that was our early morning bus over to HS and even then they only let a few groups on. That was also the only time we waited in line.

The one downer, the weather for the first three days. There were late afternoon and evening thunderstorms like we have never seen on any trip to WDW. We were in Epcot on Sunday evening when the storms hit. Even with ponchos we were soaked by the time we got back to the bus. Fortunately on Monday we were back in the room before the storms hit and on Tuesday timed it so that we were eating during the first storm and in Oga’s for the second storm. The next two days were beautiful with low temps and humidity.

Now for the highlight of the trip for those followers of “The DIS” and “Dis Unplugged” who watch their podcasts and vlogs. On our last night we had the pleasure of having dinner with Pete Werner. What a great guy. We really enjoyed the time we got to spend with him.

And now we prepare and wait for our next trip in February.

This is definitely the longest post I have ever made.
 
So we are back from what turned out to be a great trip.

Expanding on some of Pooh’s trip comments, we felt safe in Newark airport and on both flights. JetBlue flights were mostly full but middle seats were left open. Coming back, Orlando airport was more crowded but most people were keeping their distance except for one family of eleven who plopped down right next to us and did not seem to care how close they got.

As for WDW I agree with Pooh about social distancing and cleanliness. Starting with DME, they were well organized and assigned seats to maintain distancing. Online checking went well and we had our room by 1:00 pm. Masks were not that bad except the tops of my ears got a little sore. My DW made masks and also bought Disney masks. We tried both but quickly found that the lighter masks she made were much more comfortable. Except for some noses, most people were properly wearing masks and if not CM’s were on top of it. The CM’s were great.

Park crowds were not that bad. The parks felt alive compared to what some people reported when they first opened about it being eerie. Ride queues were well marked and people were good about following them. There were some walk ons, but most rides that we went on were posted 25 to 55 minute waits that almost always took less time. The one exception was Mickey and Minnie‘s Runaway Railway which was 90 minutes but was worth it. This was also the first time for me riding Expedition Everest and the DW’s first time on Flight of Passage.

As for restaurants, the tables were well spaced and were immediately disinfected once the party left. The only bad thing was the reduced menu offerings which is understandable due to the reduced capacity. I was disappointed that Rose & Crown did not have their corn beef and cabbage.

Transportation, both bus and monorail, between the resorts and parks at least when we were on them were empty. Only once did the driver assign seats and that was our early morning bus over to HS and even then they only let a few groups on. That was also the only time we waited in line.

The one downer, the weather for the first three days. There were late afternoon and evening thunderstorms like we have never seen on any trip to WDW. We were in Epcot on Sunday evening when the storms hit. Even with ponchos we were soaked by the time we got back to the bus. Fortunately on Monday we were back in the room before the storms hit and on Tuesday timed it so that we were eating during the first storm and in Oga’s for the second storm. The next two days were beautiful with low temps and humidity.

Now for the highlight of the trip for those followers of “The DIS” and “Dis Unplugged” who watch their podcasts and vlogs. On our last night we had the pleasure of having dinner with Pete Werner. What a great guy. We really enjoyed the time we got to spend with him.

And now we prepare and wait for our next trip in February.

This is definitely the longest post I have ever made.

Great trip report, thanks for all the information. I'm so glad you had a good trip and to know that you felt safe. I'm looking forward to my next trip in Jan 2021. :cutie:
 
Hello NJ, it's another beautiful day! DH and I are going to take a ride to our local Disney store today, first time I've been there in 9-10 months. It's time to fine treasures for our DGCs Halloween pumpkins. 🎃 Several years ago Disney was selling Mickey and Minnie pumpin trick or treat bags made out of felt and each year I fill them up for each one of the GC. Hopefully I will fine something small and resonably priced for each pumpkin. Keeping my fingers crossed for a successful mission. On our way home we will get a late lunch or early dinner. It should be a nice afternoon.

I hope everyone is keeping safe and staying healthy. pixiedust:
 


Hi NJ, another beautiful day! We have been really lucky lately, not sure how much longer it will last with that big storm coming in of the Gulf of Mexico but I will enjoy it while I can.

We visited the Disney store yesterday, didn't buy anything. On the way home we stopped for linner (lunch/dinner) at a place that is in a log cabin and has a very nice deck area. The tables outside have pretty unbrellas up and are very well socially distanced. We had a very nice meal and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Today I got my hair cut, back home now to work on a few more Halloween face masks for myself, DH and DC. Already made for grandchildren so they would have them for school.

I hope everybody is doing well and staying healthy. 🎃
 


We pay once, and last year I did buy a bunch of discounted Gift Cards. I will do that again. We usually arrange for an income tax refund to offset the expense of MF for over 1000 points. :o
 
I’d use that if I planned on paying all at once to get the rewards, but I prefer to pay monthly so my money is in my account working for me, not in DVC’s working for them. I thought they were originally going to allow you to put monthly payments on your card, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Yes I sure wish we could pay monthly with credit card, that I would do but I don't see the real advantage to paying all at once for only 2% back on a Disney credit card. I will continue to pay monthly via direct debit to my checking acct.

We pay once, and last year I did buy a bunch of discounted Gift Cards. I will do that again. We usually arrange for an income tax refund to offset the expense of MF for over 1000 points. :o

Yes I ofter look at adding more points but DH doesn't really think we need more and when I think about the annual dues it does make me rethink my need for more points. LOL ::yes::
 
@Pooh12863 So how was your trip?!

Less than magical but I want to give Disney a chance to address my concerns before relaying that story. Not looking for any compensation, just want them to acknowledge the problem. Enough of that for now.

Flights on Frontier were full, that’s probably going to be the norm for most flights going forward. Most people on the flights and in the airports followed safety guidelines but you always have that small percentage of people that think rules don’t apply to them. Felt safe enough I’ll continue to fly for now.

In the parks the crowds were way heavier than August, not too bad but lines were definitely longer, most popular rides running 40-60 minute wait times. Posted wait times were usually longer than actual times. It was nasty hot for October so the masks were less than comfortable, but still bearable. Same group of special people from the airport that don’t need to follow the same rules as us peasants but most people were pretty good about wearing the masks.

Most memorable dining experience was dinner at Topolino’s Terrace, I don’t think you’ll find a better filet mignon anywhere on property. Damn now I’m hungry. :rotfl2:

Even with my less than magical experience at BWV we had an overall great trip, and can’t wait to get back in December.
 
Less than magical but I want to give Disney a chance to address my concerns before relaying that story. Not looking for any compensation, just want them to acknowledge the problem. Enough of that for now.

Flights on Frontier were full, that’s probably going to be the norm for most flights going forward. Most people on the flights and in the airports followed safety guidelines but you always have that small percentage of people that think rules don’t apply to them. Felt safe enough I’ll continue to fly for now.

In the parks the crowds were way heavier than August, not too bad but lines were definitely longer, most popular rides running 40-60 minute wait times. Posted wait times were usually longer than actual times. It was nasty hot for October so the masks were less than comfortable, but still bearable. Same group of special people from the airport that don’t need to follow the same rules as us peasants but most people were pretty good about wearing the masks.

Most memorable dining experience was dinner at Topolino’s Terrace, I don’t think you’ll find a better filet mignon anywhere on property. Damn now I’m hungry. :rotfl2:

Even with my less than magical experience at BWV we had an overall great trip, and can’t wait to get back in December.

I’m so sorry you had an issue. I hope it gets resolved! Wow, the Filet was that good?! Better than Narcoosee’s, Yachtsman or Le Cellier?! I hope they bring back FP soon. Happy you still got to go. Better than sitting home!
 
I’m so sorry you had an issue. I hope it gets resolved! Wow, the Filet was that good?! Better than Narcoosee’s, Yachtsman or Le Cellier?! I hope they bring back FP soon. Happy you still got to go. Better than sitting home!
Yes, sorry that you had something bad happen. However, your report on dinner at Topolino’s convinced me to try to get an ADR there when we stay in March.
Thanks for the tip on Topolino's, DH and I will have to try it on our next trip. Hopefully the Skyliner will be operating properly to take us there and back.

My troubles were really nothing too major to me, and could happen anywhere and didn't really affect our overall enjoyment of the trip. Some folks might lose their mind over it, but that's not how I roll, things happen, life goes on. pooh:

One piece of information on Topolino's I forgot to mention was the cost, meal, drinks and tip came to around $120 a head. Not your cheapest Disney meal, but IMO it was worth it. :)
 
Yes Topolino's is on the pricey side but so are all the restaurants that are on the same level. Just part of WDW, not a cheap date for DH. LOL :thumbsup2 :cutie:
 
Less than magical but I want to give Disney a chance to address my concerns before relaying that story. Not looking for any compensation, just want them to acknowledge the problem. Enough of that for now.

Flights on Frontier were full, that’s probably going to be the norm for most flights going forward. Most people on the flights and in the airports followed safety guidelines but you always have that small percentage of people that think rules don’t apply to them. Felt safe enough I’ll continue to fly for now.

In the parks the crowds were way heavier than August, not too bad but lines were definitely longer, most popular rides running 40-60 minute wait times. Posted wait times were usually longer than actual times. It was nasty hot for October so the masks were less than comfortable, but still bearable. Same group of special people from the airport that don’t need to follow the same rules as us peasants but most people were pretty good about wearing the masks.

Most memorable dining experience was dinner at Topolino’s Terrace, I don’t think you’ll find a better filet mignon anywhere on property. Damn now I’m hungry. :rotfl2:

Even with my less than magical experience at BWV we had an overall great trip, and can’t wait to get back in December.
To go along with everyone else, sorry you had an issue. We are pretty easy going so if you are anything like us it would have be really bad to make an issue out of. Hope it was not something too bad.

Agree with you on Topolino’s. We went there when we stayed at the Riviera in February. Did not get the filet, but the meal that we had was great. Thinking about going again in February.
 
My troubles were really nothing too major to me, and could happen anywhere and didn't really affect our overall enjoyment of the trip. Some folks might lose their mind over it, but that's not how I roll, things happen, life goes on. pooh:

One piece of information on Topolino's I forgot to mention was the cost, meal, drinks and tip came to around $120 a head. Not your cheapest Disney meal, but IMO it was worth it. :)

So I was just checking out the menu for Topolino's and the kids petit beef filet is only $17 as opposed to the adult version that is $52 but of course it doesn't come with all the delicious sounding accompaniments...
 

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