richmo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2007
Was at WDW for almost a week..this one was a solo shot. Great trip, some random thoughts and observations:
Magic Kingdom:
- Did Mine Train for the first (and second) time this trip. I thought it was very well done. Very smooth ride, didn't really notice the rocking effect much, but maybe that contributed to the smoothness. Wouldn't say I like it quite as much as BTMRR, but its deserving of a FP+ slot...but not the huge standby waits it has now.
- The new hub area looks nice. I imagine it can hold more people now, which is a good thing. Seems more open and there's still some landscaping going on.
- I can imagine those that aren't familiar with the monorail system having a hard time. The Express monorail is on and off. I know there's some downtime on the schedule, but I think it was down more than that. Tram service at night seemed inconsistent also. Didn't leave the park one night until 45 minutes after Wishes was over -- then about another 45 minutes until I drove out of the park. The main hangup was waiting for the tram. The Villains side had far more cars, but the Heroes side had at least 3 trams show up for each one at Villains...at least it seemed that way. I'm getting to be of the opinion that, unless you're staying late at MK, its best to park at Epcot and monorail over to MK.
- Ate lunch one day at the Diamond Horseshoe, which I don't recall being open in previous trips. Had a decent meal there (tuna salad)...the big plus was it was very quiet at a peak time.
- Had no problems picking up a 4th FP+ both days I was there, both for BTMRR. Here's a weird one...on a crowded MK day, I had a FP for BTMRR from 11:20 to 12:20. Used it on the early end of the time frame. It was my 3rd, so I thought I'd pick up another BTMRR for late afternoon or evening. But, when I went to get it at about 12:00, they had availability for 12:10 to 1:10, which was partially inside my original timeframe...very surprising.
- Tomorrowland is getting to be almost as gridlocked with people as Fantasyland sometimes gets.
- I found the FP+ kiosks in Frontierland/Adventureland less crowded than the rest. The ones near Stitch were really bad.
Epcot:
- Odd seeing Norway with Maelstrom signage gone. No sign of construction yet, at least from onstage.
- Although I liked Off Kilter back in the day, I didn't have a problem with the lumberjack show replacing it. Problem is, the lumberjack show isn't compelling. There's a lot of room for improvement there.
- Seems like Flower and Garden was scaled back a bit. I also noticed that the Festival center is open only on weekends...I thought in the past it was open every day, but I could be wrong about that. It was fun visiting some of the food kiosks though.
- Why is Captain EO still there?
- No sign of Soarin' expansion starting
- True at all parks, but easily seen at Soarin and Test Track: posted wait times can be way off, either way. A 10 minute wait time must draw hoards of people in, creating an instant traffic jam. At the same time, I saw a posted 105 minute wait at Soarin', yet the line only went around the first corner. I don't know what the solution is here, but the red card system has its faults.
- I've said it before and will again...some of the best cast members are found in the World Showcase countries.
- I love Epcot, it's my favorite park. But...with MK getting their Fantasyland expansion, AK getting Pandora, a lot of activity (closings) at DHS for possibly a Star Wars expansion, Epcot's time has to be soon. An almost abandoned Wonders of Life, a dated Universe of Energy, underused Innoventions, an unsuccessful (and ugly) Leave a Legacy at the entrance, a Journey Into Imagination with a lousy 3-d movie, a so-so Figment attraction and an Imagination Lab that is a shell of what it once was make Future World not very futuristic, to say the least. It won't happen by Epcot's 35th (2017), but I'd love to see a big makeover of the front part of the park by the 40th (2022). Sounds far away, but it really isn't. I'd blow up the entrance to Spaceship Earth (even gardens would be nice), then tear down the Innoventions buildings and reimagine that entire area, update Universe of Energy and Imagination, complete Soarin's 3rd theater with exterior entrance, eliminating the up and down nonsense in The Land, have random Soarin' experiences (sort of like Star Tours at DHS). Wouldn't hurt to add another country or two to World Showcase, but its Future World that really needs immediate attention.
- I also love Test Track, possibly my favorite ride at all of Disney World. I enjoy the addition of the "design a car" aspect, but the attraction has lost its theming. The brake tests are there, but no viable explanation. Gone are the environmental tests, rough road, etc. It just looks like something out of Tron and I don't think it really fits. Interesting that when you're getting near the entrance to the ride, they don't call it Test Track anymore, but the "Sim Track".
Hollywood Studios:
- Did the drawing class in Animation for the first time. A true hidden gem...if you have the time, do it! I have zero artistic ability and my drawing reflected that. But, if nothing else, its nice to sit down for awhile, relax and have some fun.
- I didn't mind the Sorcerer's hat when it went up, but I won't miss it. I like the look without.
- I hear rumors that Indiana Jones may go. I hope not...I still enjoy it and it was packed when I went.
- Of course, Backlot Tour and American Idol are gone. There's definitely a lot of empty space at DHS now and hopefully we'll see improvements here.
Animal Kingdom:
- Lots of construction walls! Some of it is for Avatar/Pandoraland and the Flame Tree refurb, but there's a lot more than that. At least Disney was creative with the walls...signs, posters, etc....they didn't just leave them blank. Don't let all the construction scare you away. Other than Flame Tree partially operating with some kiosks, AK is alive and well.
Downtown Disney:
- Be prepared to walk! The lots by the Marketplace and the T-Rex area are gone. Parking is mostly in a new garage and the lot beyond Cirque du Soleil. So, when you park in the garage, you wind up entering Downtown Disney at Cirque. Its a pretty long walk to the Marketplace from there.
- The technology in the garage is pretty cool. Upon entering, a sign tells you how many empty spaces there are on each level, then on each level there's a sign at every row indicating how many spaces are open in that row, then in the row there's a little green light above each open space. No need to slowly go down rows looking for spaces. My only worry is that people will drive too fast in the garage.
- This is my most important piece of advice if you have a car. If you are going somewhere that would normally take you thru the Downtown Disney area, but not DTD itself, go another way!! Its basically gridlock in that area. For example, if you were coming from a park to Hotel Plaza Blvd or Crossroads Plaza, make a left on Bonnet Creek Parkway (towards Old Key West), then a right on Disney Vacation Club Way (towards OKW and Saratoga Springs), then a right at the stop sign after you pass Saratoga onto Buena Vista Drive. You've basically gone around the back of the entire Downtown Disney complex and will come out at the light by the Marketplace and Hotel Plaza Blvd. You can reverse this process if going the other way.
- The new bridge at the Marketplace end is nice. It goes from near Rainforest Cafe to near T-Rex (maybe they should call it Landry Bridge), allowing you to do a loop of the Marketplace area instead of having to double back.
Magic Kingdom:
- Did Mine Train for the first (and second) time this trip. I thought it was very well done. Very smooth ride, didn't really notice the rocking effect much, but maybe that contributed to the smoothness. Wouldn't say I like it quite as much as BTMRR, but its deserving of a FP+ slot...but not the huge standby waits it has now.
- The new hub area looks nice. I imagine it can hold more people now, which is a good thing. Seems more open and there's still some landscaping going on.
- I can imagine those that aren't familiar with the monorail system having a hard time. The Express monorail is on and off. I know there's some downtime on the schedule, but I think it was down more than that. Tram service at night seemed inconsistent also. Didn't leave the park one night until 45 minutes after Wishes was over -- then about another 45 minutes until I drove out of the park. The main hangup was waiting for the tram. The Villains side had far more cars, but the Heroes side had at least 3 trams show up for each one at Villains...at least it seemed that way. I'm getting to be of the opinion that, unless you're staying late at MK, its best to park at Epcot and monorail over to MK.
- Ate lunch one day at the Diamond Horseshoe, which I don't recall being open in previous trips. Had a decent meal there (tuna salad)...the big plus was it was very quiet at a peak time.
- Had no problems picking up a 4th FP+ both days I was there, both for BTMRR. Here's a weird one...on a crowded MK day, I had a FP for BTMRR from 11:20 to 12:20. Used it on the early end of the time frame. It was my 3rd, so I thought I'd pick up another BTMRR for late afternoon or evening. But, when I went to get it at about 12:00, they had availability for 12:10 to 1:10, which was partially inside my original timeframe...very surprising.
- Tomorrowland is getting to be almost as gridlocked with people as Fantasyland sometimes gets.
- I found the FP+ kiosks in Frontierland/Adventureland less crowded than the rest. The ones near Stitch were really bad.
Epcot:
- Odd seeing Norway with Maelstrom signage gone. No sign of construction yet, at least from onstage.
- Although I liked Off Kilter back in the day, I didn't have a problem with the lumberjack show replacing it. Problem is, the lumberjack show isn't compelling. There's a lot of room for improvement there.
- Seems like Flower and Garden was scaled back a bit. I also noticed that the Festival center is open only on weekends...I thought in the past it was open every day, but I could be wrong about that. It was fun visiting some of the food kiosks though.
- Why is Captain EO still there?
- No sign of Soarin' expansion starting
- True at all parks, but easily seen at Soarin and Test Track: posted wait times can be way off, either way. A 10 minute wait time must draw hoards of people in, creating an instant traffic jam. At the same time, I saw a posted 105 minute wait at Soarin', yet the line only went around the first corner. I don't know what the solution is here, but the red card system has its faults.
- I've said it before and will again...some of the best cast members are found in the World Showcase countries.
- I love Epcot, it's my favorite park. But...with MK getting their Fantasyland expansion, AK getting Pandora, a lot of activity (closings) at DHS for possibly a Star Wars expansion, Epcot's time has to be soon. An almost abandoned Wonders of Life, a dated Universe of Energy, underused Innoventions, an unsuccessful (and ugly) Leave a Legacy at the entrance, a Journey Into Imagination with a lousy 3-d movie, a so-so Figment attraction and an Imagination Lab that is a shell of what it once was make Future World not very futuristic, to say the least. It won't happen by Epcot's 35th (2017), but I'd love to see a big makeover of the front part of the park by the 40th (2022). Sounds far away, but it really isn't. I'd blow up the entrance to Spaceship Earth (even gardens would be nice), then tear down the Innoventions buildings and reimagine that entire area, update Universe of Energy and Imagination, complete Soarin's 3rd theater with exterior entrance, eliminating the up and down nonsense in The Land, have random Soarin' experiences (sort of like Star Tours at DHS). Wouldn't hurt to add another country or two to World Showcase, but its Future World that really needs immediate attention.
- I also love Test Track, possibly my favorite ride at all of Disney World. I enjoy the addition of the "design a car" aspect, but the attraction has lost its theming. The brake tests are there, but no viable explanation. Gone are the environmental tests, rough road, etc. It just looks like something out of Tron and I don't think it really fits. Interesting that when you're getting near the entrance to the ride, they don't call it Test Track anymore, but the "Sim Track".
Hollywood Studios:
- Did the drawing class in Animation for the first time. A true hidden gem...if you have the time, do it! I have zero artistic ability and my drawing reflected that. But, if nothing else, its nice to sit down for awhile, relax and have some fun.
- I didn't mind the Sorcerer's hat when it went up, but I won't miss it. I like the look without.
- I hear rumors that Indiana Jones may go. I hope not...I still enjoy it and it was packed when I went.
- Of course, Backlot Tour and American Idol are gone. There's definitely a lot of empty space at DHS now and hopefully we'll see improvements here.
Animal Kingdom:
- Lots of construction walls! Some of it is for Avatar/Pandoraland and the Flame Tree refurb, but there's a lot more than that. At least Disney was creative with the walls...signs, posters, etc....they didn't just leave them blank. Don't let all the construction scare you away. Other than Flame Tree partially operating with some kiosks, AK is alive and well.
Downtown Disney:
- Be prepared to walk! The lots by the Marketplace and the T-Rex area are gone. Parking is mostly in a new garage and the lot beyond Cirque du Soleil. So, when you park in the garage, you wind up entering Downtown Disney at Cirque. Its a pretty long walk to the Marketplace from there.
- The technology in the garage is pretty cool. Upon entering, a sign tells you how many empty spaces there are on each level, then on each level there's a sign at every row indicating how many spaces are open in that row, then in the row there's a little green light above each open space. No need to slowly go down rows looking for spaces. My only worry is that people will drive too fast in the garage.
- This is my most important piece of advice if you have a car. If you are going somewhere that would normally take you thru the Downtown Disney area, but not DTD itself, go another way!! Its basically gridlock in that area. For example, if you were coming from a park to Hotel Plaza Blvd or Crossroads Plaza, make a left on Bonnet Creek Parkway (towards Old Key West), then a right on Disney Vacation Club Way (towards OKW and Saratoga Springs), then a right at the stop sign after you pass Saratoga onto Buena Vista Drive. You've basically gone around the back of the entire Downtown Disney complex and will come out at the light by the Marketplace and Hotel Plaza Blvd. You can reverse this process if going the other way.
- The new bridge at the Marketplace end is nice. It goes from near Rainforest Cafe to near T-Rex (maybe they should call it Landry Bridge), allowing you to do a loop of the Marketplace area instead of having to double back.
