crystal1313
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
Quick summary of our annual Christmas trip (11/30-12/1)
We arrived well before rope drop both days. We took an Uber and chanced being dropped off on the Harbor side drop off area. It worked out well. I was worried about crazy security lines, but at 7:10 and 7:15, it was fine. Didn’t wait at all on Friday and had about a ten minute wait on Saturday.
We did DCA Friday. And DL Sat. We did not buy hoppers. I was scared of that decision, but actually, really loved it! (Yes, we knew it was extra morning hours for each park on the days we picked. It worked out just fine =)
I was very apprehensive about spending the extra $80 on MaxPass. 1. Because we used it last year and didn’t seem to get a lot out of it, and 2. We were not park hopping, so I didn’t know if we really needed it. Well, I am happy to report that it was well worth it and we totally got our monies worth! A total of 43 attractions, in 2 days. And we were back in the hotel by 9:30 each night! We set alarms for when we could get our next FP. Worked out well! We never waited more than 30 minutes for any attraction. On Saturday at DL, by 8:30, we had been on Space Mountain 3 times and were in line for Star Tours. So amazing! My kids even played on Tom Sawyer Island for about an hour that day! (thank you to all who helped me with my Maxpass questions!)
I think the only negative about MaxPass is how glitchy the app can be sometimes. Things would not load, or the app would crash. I got a little frustrated a couple times, but overall it was fine. I am just really impatient with technology sometimes. Overall, it was a very minor thing…
A big milestone for my youngest DS9 was: riding Incredicoaster for the first time. He loved it and we rode it 3 times, once at night! He tried Guardians last year and wasn’t a fan. He was a good sport and agreed to try it again. We even got The Jackson 5 (one of my boys favorites) and he still wasn’t a fan. That’s ok, DS10 was just fine with being able to ride twice in a row with DS9 FP. LOL.
Also, both boys rode the Matterhorn again. They had both been on it lots of times before they re-did the abominable snowman. They do not like the new yeti, so we had not been on the Matterhorn in a long time. Harold scared DS9, but DS10 was ok. I think DS10 would go on the Matterhorn again now. I was thrilled with the additional padding they have added and I did not exit the ride with a headache!
We had the best time on Splash Mountain trying to come up with silly poses for the camera! These are memories that we will cherish!
We had dinner at Carthay on Saturday. I thought the food was really good. My husband was not as impressed. Service was excellent as usual. We might try Steakhouse 55 next trip. We have dined there before, but not with our kids. I think they are old enough to handle it now.
We tried mobile ordering in DL on Saturday for lunch and loved that too! It seemed very organized and quick. I would do that again. Walking past the long Dole whip line and grabbing ours was the best!
This was one of the most amazing trips we have ever taken to the parks. Everyone we encountered, guests and CM’s alike, seemed friendlier and happier as well (with one CM exception that I will cut a break. Everyone has a bad day) We also prepared for insane crowds, but felt we really never experienced that. It was wonderful and going to the parks really gets us in the Christmas spirit.
If you are interested in what we rode, here is the list:
Guardians x2
Incerdicoaster x3
Goofy’s x4
RSR x2
Little Mermaid
Soarin
Maters x2
Toy Story
GRR x5
Space Mtn x3
Star Tours
Buzz Lightyear
Matterhorn
Big Thunder x3
Splash x6
HMH x2
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Indy
Autopia
Small World
(Tom Sawyer island)
Please ask if you have any questions!
We arrived well before rope drop both days. We took an Uber and chanced being dropped off on the Harbor side drop off area. It worked out well. I was worried about crazy security lines, but at 7:10 and 7:15, it was fine. Didn’t wait at all on Friday and had about a ten minute wait on Saturday.
We did DCA Friday. And DL Sat. We did not buy hoppers. I was scared of that decision, but actually, really loved it! (Yes, we knew it was extra morning hours for each park on the days we picked. It worked out just fine =)
I was very apprehensive about spending the extra $80 on MaxPass. 1. Because we used it last year and didn’t seem to get a lot out of it, and 2. We were not park hopping, so I didn’t know if we really needed it. Well, I am happy to report that it was well worth it and we totally got our monies worth! A total of 43 attractions, in 2 days. And we were back in the hotel by 9:30 each night! We set alarms for when we could get our next FP. Worked out well! We never waited more than 30 minutes for any attraction. On Saturday at DL, by 8:30, we had been on Space Mountain 3 times and were in line for Star Tours. So amazing! My kids even played on Tom Sawyer Island for about an hour that day! (thank you to all who helped me with my Maxpass questions!)
I think the only negative about MaxPass is how glitchy the app can be sometimes. Things would not load, or the app would crash. I got a little frustrated a couple times, but overall it was fine. I am just really impatient with technology sometimes. Overall, it was a very minor thing…
A big milestone for my youngest DS9 was: riding Incredicoaster for the first time. He loved it and we rode it 3 times, once at night! He tried Guardians last year and wasn’t a fan. He was a good sport and agreed to try it again. We even got The Jackson 5 (one of my boys favorites) and he still wasn’t a fan. That’s ok, DS10 was just fine with being able to ride twice in a row with DS9 FP. LOL.
Also, both boys rode the Matterhorn again. They had both been on it lots of times before they re-did the abominable snowman. They do not like the new yeti, so we had not been on the Matterhorn in a long time. Harold scared DS9, but DS10 was ok. I think DS10 would go on the Matterhorn again now. I was thrilled with the additional padding they have added and I did not exit the ride with a headache!
We had the best time on Splash Mountain trying to come up with silly poses for the camera! These are memories that we will cherish!
We had dinner at Carthay on Saturday. I thought the food was really good. My husband was not as impressed. Service was excellent as usual. We might try Steakhouse 55 next trip. We have dined there before, but not with our kids. I think they are old enough to handle it now.
We tried mobile ordering in DL on Saturday for lunch and loved that too! It seemed very organized and quick. I would do that again. Walking past the long Dole whip line and grabbing ours was the best!
This was one of the most amazing trips we have ever taken to the parks. Everyone we encountered, guests and CM’s alike, seemed friendlier and happier as well (with one CM exception that I will cut a break. Everyone has a bad day) We also prepared for insane crowds, but felt we really never experienced that. It was wonderful and going to the parks really gets us in the Christmas spirit.
If you are interested in what we rode, here is the list:
Guardians x2
Incerdicoaster x3
Goofy’s x4
RSR x2
Little Mermaid
Soarin
Maters x2
Toy Story
GRR x5
Space Mtn x3
Star Tours
Buzz Lightyear
Matterhorn
Big Thunder x3
Splash x6
HMH x2
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Indy
Autopia
Small World
(Tom Sawyer island)
Please ask if you have any questions!
