|
How fun/insufferable can the private tours get? I remember seeing several small groups being led around -$600 for a couple hours?
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2016 02:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 12:38 |
|
|
They can be pretty awesome. I haven't had too many tours from hell but they certainly exist. I did about a six month stint last year full time then went back to my old job - they send everyone back. Not enough demand to keep everyone around. Now I stay trained as long as I do tours occasionally on my days off. Back when I was doing it full time it was usually about five a week. Sometimes I'd be on hold, or parking cars as valet. Pay is well basically what I made normally - a small fraction of my hourly rate that's for sure. The tips though is where the money is really at. It was the greatest job I've ever had. I have my first return tour next month - family is coming back and requested me specifically. Every so often they have full time positions that open - I'd take it in a heartbeat. It's mostly well off families, we don't have celebs every day. But I did get a chance to work Star Wars Weekend and that was the most amazing experience of my life. I got to ride in the motorcade.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2016 04:42
|
|
|
I thought it was bad when they took away the Norway ride from me, but they've also murdered Star Tours. Wife and I are here after escaping DC, and the ride was crazy jerky, uncomfortable and lacked the charm it used to have. Everything else is great though and we even got a $50 gift card for sitting through one of those DVC presentations, which covered a chunk of our Trader Sam's bill (that place seriously owns thank you everyone in this thread who talked it up)
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2016 05:39
|
|
|
Yeah that does sound like a dream job, lucky guy. Monkey, I thought Star Tours was toned down in jerkiness and motion moving myself. I still kinda liked it, but I can see missing the 80's ness of it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2016 13:12
|
|
|
I'm hoping to check out Star Tours this weekend. I haven't seen the new Force Awakens bits yet as they added them in the day we left back in November.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2016 14:38
|
|
|
I want to say the new planet you visit for TFA tie-in is the most jerky of them all, though I haven't gotten boba fett or the podrace in a while.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2016 16:57
|
|
|
Thunder mountain closing April to July to work on a better ending for the ride. Hopefully they bring back the moving rocks.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2016 03:24
|
|
|
Quixotic1 posted:I want to say the new planet you visit for TFA tie-in is the most jerky of them all, though I haven't gotten boba fett or the podrace in a while. The TFA segement is pretty rough, especially when you crash land into the destroyer graveyard. I still like the segement. I can't wait until it becomes part of the rotation and we get randomized sequences back for the first part of the ride.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2016 03:29
|
|
|
couldcareless posted:Thunder mountain closing April to July to work on a better ending for the ride. Hopefully they bring back the moving rocks. We are likely getting a copy of what Disneyland got for their ending a few years back (Projection mapping and fog effects making it look like a whole bunch of dynamite is about to explode)
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2016 03:30
|
|
|
Anya posted:How fun/insufferable can the private tours get? I remember seeing several small groups being led around -$600 for a couple hours? I did two tours: The Animal Kingdom Backstage tour and the UnDIScovered Future World. Can't say enough good things about the AK tour. Learned a lot: saw where the food was prepared, saw some rhinos pretty close up, got info on how the Kilamanjaro Safari ride has changed. Both tour guides were a lot of fun. UnDIScovered Future world was dreadful though. 45 min of a 4 hour tour at guest relations looking at pictures. The woman leading the tour reminded me of Jan Hooks' character in PeeWee's Big Adventure..."and these are what we call "animatronics!!!" She even begged people not to leave the tour early as "it had happened to her several times." After she had no knowledge of the rides we were looking at, we bailed. I felt bad, but I couldn't do it anymore. I guess you get into Soarin and Test Track asap on the tour and a special pin, but it wasn't worth it. We got our money back. Maybe with a different tour guide it would have been better.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2016 06:02
|
|
|
I think it'd be cool to do the Wild Africa Trek, as weird as it is to think that Disney has a "hidden" Canopy Tour system throughout Animal Kingdom.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2016 13:23
|
|
|
Okay, so I posted about a year ago in this thread (waaaaay back on page 68, I think), about how I want to go to Disney for my honeymoon. At the time, I didn't figure that it was going to be happening any time since we didn't even have a date for the wedding. Well, a year later, we now have a date: July 23rd. Fiance already went ahead and started booking things with a travel agent (I'd have pointed him at you if I knew, Braks, sorry!). We're planning on a 10 day stay at Pop Century, and were initially scheduled to fly down shortly after the wedding. But now he's getting nervous about crowds, and has mentioned moving the honeymoon to late August / early September. Are the crowds really worse during late July / early August than they would be in late August / early September? Is there a definitive best time to go any more, with how the off-season seems to have shrunk? He also wants to know the difference between the Deluxe, Moderate, and Value resorts. I'm pretty sure that the Value resorts are like a reasonably-priced hotel with theming, right? (He'd like to stay at the place in the Animal Kingdom - he likes the idea of being able to see giraffes outside the window - but said that it's way out of our price range; I'm pretty sure the AK resort is in the Deluxe range, right? Which would make sense for it being out of our price range.) Also: should we go for the dining plan? The convenience alone seems like it'd be worth it. And while we're on the topic of food - we're already trying to get a reservation at BOG, should we aim for lunch or dinner? I've seen Marrakesh and Ohana get good reviews a lot in here, but where else is worth getting reservations for? We both like Japanese and Chinese cuisine, if that helps, and we're willing to try new foods. (I'd like to try the Eat Around The World challenge.) Where would you recommend as being absolute must-visit spots for two people where one half of the pair has never been to Disney and the other half hasn't been in fifteen years? Also, if we do go down in late July to early September, how bad is the heat going to be (from the perspective of two Canadians who live on the East Coast)? Are there any events going on during that time that we should be aware of, to try and take part in / avoid like the plague (depending on what it is exactly)?
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 04:28
|
|
|
tinytort posted:He also wants to know the difference between the Deluxe, Moderate, and Value resorts. I'm pretty sure that the Value resorts are like a reasonably-priced hotel with theming, right? (He'd like to stay at the place in the Animal Kingdom - he likes the idea of being able to see giraffes outside the window - but said that it's way out of our price range; I'm pretty sure the AK resort is in the Deluxe range, right? Which would make sense for it being out of our price range.) Value = Motel Moderate = Holiday Inn Deluxe = Upmarket Hilton As for recommendations Art of Animation is considered the best Value, while Port Orleans-Riverside is the best Moderate. For Deluxe, Boardwalk and Grand Floridian both cater to the honeymoon set while the Contemporary and Polynesian are dreadful unless you love hordes of small children. Beach Club is more kid-friendly while Yacht Club is the more adult Deluxe (aka snowbirds). Animal Kingdom Lodge is only worth it imo if you have a Savannah view (or just want to be close to those amazing restaurants). quote:Also: should we go for the dining plan? The convenience alone seems like it'd be worth it. And while we're on the topic of food - we're already trying to get a reservation at BOG, should we aim for lunch or dinner? I've seen Marrakesh and Ohana get good reviews a lot in here, but where else is worth getting reservations for? We both like Japanese and Chinese cuisine, if that helps, and we're willing to try new foods. (I'd like to try the Eat Around The World challenge.) The dining plan would be worth it if you intend on spending a lot of time at Epcot as it has by far the best food selection, and if you're serious about the challenge its practically required. I'd imagine BOG would have less (awake) children around dinner so then would be ideal. Try the grey stuff and the house wine. Also if you like Asian food I'm afraid neither the Japanese or Chinese offerings are very good, however Orlando has some amazing Asian food if you can drive for it. Also keep in mind the resorts usually have the best actual restaurants. quote:Where would you recommend as being absolute must-visit spots for two people where one half of the pair has never been to Disney and the other half hasn't been in fifteen years? Honestly if its been that long then I recommend everything. Even Space Mountain and It's a Small World have gotten total facelifts since then so everything should be pretty new. quote:Also, if we do go down in late July to early September, how bad is the heat going to be (from the perspective of two Canadians who live on the East Coast)? As a Florida native, the humidity index is always more important than the temperature outdoors. If you're not used to it you'll probably almost suffocate on hot days after it rains. Bro Dad fucked around with this message at 12:00 on Jan 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 11:35
|
|
|
Late August & September = hurricane season and brutal loving hot.. like melt your face off hot.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 17:54
|
|
|
Bro Dad posted:Value = Motel Well, that's a bit deceptive. The buildings may resemble motels from the outside, but they still have amenities above and beyond most off-site hotels of average value like a La Quinta or Comfort Inn. You can expect the rooms (and property in general) to be clean and well-maintained, good on-site dining options, at least some kind of entertainment (even if it's just a free movie on the lawn), and bus access to the parks and Disney Springs.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 18:00
|
|
|
Bro Dad posted:while Port Orleans-Riverside is the best Moderate. I'll chime in and say that I think PO:French Quarter would probably be better suited for a moderate during a honeymoon. Much smaller and quieter than Riverside, fewer kids, and they have quiet rooms tucked away that you can request, and nothing is too far of a walk. The food onsite is pretty meh, but that was my only 'complaint' But totally go for a Deluxe if you can afford it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 18:13
|
|
|
Wilderness Lodge is the cheapest Deluxe (between $325 and $357 a night during the periods you're considering) and is absolutely gorgeous and idyllic. It's also very convenient to the Magic Kingdom - only the monorail resorts are more convenient.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 18:41
|
|
|
I stayed at POFQ last October, with my parents, for a first ever visit. It was nice, not over done, but quiet and much less crowded than Riverside. Plus, so easy to get around and beignet for breakfast every day! It's not crazily over decorated, but it was cute and reminded me of New Orleans. Only thing I didn't like was the outlet situation in our room wasn't the greatest. I recommend the dining plan. We still ended up with meals left over after doing the 1 snack/1 quick serve/1table serve, but it made it easy for me to try to new things and new snacks that I might not pay for normally. I think I would use it even better now, that I have a better clue about the place.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 19:02
|
|
|
Came in here to post that there's not enough love for wilderness Lodge but got beaten. Easily one of my favorite deluxe resorts. The theming is outstanding and it's cheaper since it's not on the monorail.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 19:07
|
|
|
Oh, and if you really are serious about budgeting I would not get the Dining Plan. Paying out of pocket is almost always a better value. If it really gives you peace of mind to pay for your food in advance, feel free to buy a plan, but honestly I'd find the constant worry over whether I'm "getting my money's worth" more stressful. YMMV, though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 19:13
|
|
|
Dining Plan is worth it to not have to deal with stress about money; however, it is a poo poo load of food that you won't eat unless you're 500 lbs. Even then you might have trouble eating it all.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 19:49
|
|
|
Abu Dave posted:Dining Plan is worth it to not have to deal with stress about money; however, it is a poo poo load of food that you won't eat unless you're 500 lbs. Even then you might have trouble eating it all. This is accurate. It's super fun to just book the restaurants you want and order anything without caring about cost, but holy poo poo it will be so much food that you will be leaving a lot of plates half-full. We always loved the meal plan for our trips, and for the honeymoon especially.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 20:00
|
|
|
By the way goons, is there a best time to ride the Kilimanjaro? We took it in the morning last time and all we saw was the aforementioned elephant dick and a bunch of animals sleeping still 
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 20:04
|
|
|
The Value resorts are like motels, but they're the nicest motels you've ever stayed at. Imagine a La Quinta Inn, but a brand new one, not one that was built in the 60s where all the rooms smell permanently of cigarette smoke. That plus the decor outside is fun and whimsical rather than soul-killing. The Moderate resorts are probably where you'd want to stay; Value resorts will have lots of kids and lots of walking. If you get lucky, one of the Deluxe resorts might turn out to be no more expensive than a Moderate for your specific dates, but you're not going to have that kind of luck in the summer. And even if you could barely squeeze a Deluxe into your budget, it'd be better to save that money and spend it on food. The Deluxe resorts are all pretty cool, but you don't need to stay at one to enjoy it. If the trip is long enough that you can spare a non-park day, you can just go resort exploring. (My girlfriend and I usually do that on the day we arrive rather than try to cram in some park time.) Easiest to do this with the Magic Kingdom resorts, which are all connected together via the monorail. Deluxe resorts have great restaurants, too; it's a bit more expensive, but worth the splurge at least once if you want a honeymoon-type atmosphere. If you don't have time for a non-park day, try an evening. Animal Kingdom is a half-day park, so you could do that and then take the bus over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner. Same with Hollywood Studios, but you could take the bus back to Contemporary and eat at California Grill or something. You get the idea. Regarding Be Our Guest, I'd try for both and book whichever one opens up first. The atmosphere is the main draw (in my opinion) so the only obvious advantage of dinner at BOG is that they serve alcohol. And if that tips the scales for you, you might as well go to one of the MK resorts for dinner and eat at California Grill or Citricos or something. At EPCOT: Le Cellier is well regarded in this thread (haven't been yet myself, but we've got a reservation there for our trip next month), but it's the Canadian restaurant and I'm honestly not sure whether to recommend it to actual Canadians. Japan's restaurant is a popular spot to try to eat at while Illuminations (fireworks show) happens, but I've never been so I can't comment on the food. For trying new stuff: both restaurants at the Animal Kingdom Lodge get rave reviews, as does Tusker House at the actual AK park. For asian food: See if you can get a reservation for Morimoto, the new pan-asian place at Disney Springs. Animal Kingdom is good for Asian food on the whole. And as for what to do? It depends entirely on your tastes. savetheclocktower fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Jan 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 20:22
|
|
|
Snake falls from tree in Animal Kingdom, bites boy, whose Grandmother dies from the shock of it. This is obviously tragic, but the last line of the article makes for a pretty great mental image. quote:Disney also says after the boy was treated with a Band-Aid, the family returned to the park. "Dammit Billy I don't care that Gramma's dead, we have a 3 o'clock fastpass for Kali River Rapids and we are going to use it." Boxman fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Jan 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 21:02
|
|
|
Boxman posted:"Dammit Billy I don't care that Gramma's dead, we have a 3 o'clock fastpass for Kali River Rapids and we are going to use it." Hey, they have an extra fastpass on their hands, that stuff is as good as gold. Billy now gets to go twice!
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 21:08
|
|
|
Boxman posted:Snake falls from tree in Animal Kingdom, bites boy, whose Grandmother dies from the shock of it. yeah the time line of events in that article makes no sense.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 21:11
|
|
|
couldcareless posted:Came in here to post that there's not enough love for wilderness Lodge but got beaten. Easily one of my favorite deluxe resorts. The theming is outstanding and it's cheaper since it's not on the monorail. Absolutely this. The restaurants are fantastic, Artists Point and even the limited menu at the lounge. Thinking about the mushroom soup and trio of buffalo is making my mouth water. Took the afternoon off my work trip to hit DisneyLand. Going to check out the StarWars ride variation stuff.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 21:26
|
|
|
Abu Dave posted:By the way goons, is there a best time to ride the Kilimanjaro? We took it in the morning last time and all we saw was the aforementioned elephant dick and a bunch of animals sleeping still I'd say you should go as close to dusk as possible if you don't want to go in the morning. Honestly though, there's no one time when you're guaranteed to have a "good" safari - the animals will do what they want to do, and there's not much you can do about that! Maybe try going first thing in the morning, then at dusk if you're unsatisfied.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 21:43
|
|
|
tomapot posted:Took the afternoon off my work trip to hit DisneyLand. Going to check out the StarWars ride variation stuff. drat 55 minute wait for Hyperspace mountain.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2016 22:45
|
|
|
Pththya-lyi posted:I'd say you should go as close to dusk as possible if you don't want to go in the morning. Honestly though, there's no one time when you're guaranteed to have a "good" safari - the animals will do what they want to do, and there's not much you can do about that! Maybe try going first thing in the morning, then at dusk if you're unsatisfied. Yeah we were gunna try mid day this time. It's a fun experience for sure. I wish Disney would do something like SeaWorld and Busch do with petting stations. I'll never forget being able to pat a sting ray. also this is really cool: 
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 02:03
|
|
|
Early Monday morning (too early, I'm wincing at the 6:12 a.m. flight time) I'm headed down to Orlando with two friends. We're doing one day at each park and then tootling around Disney Springs before coming back Friday, staying at Port Orleans Riverside. I can't wait—we've got reservations at the '50s Diner, Be Our Guest, California Grill, Ohana and we're going to eat and/or drink our way around the world at Epcot. I keep forgetting there are actual rides and attractions because I'm so excited about the food. Really looking forward to trying the PB&J milkshake I keep hearing about. We're fairly experienced travelers and two of us have done a shorter Disney trip together before, so I'm sure we could have handled setting this one up on our own, but it was really nice to have Braksgirl there to answer questions and make sure we weren't doing anything dumb with our plans. (And just a few minutes ago my friend texted me about the info packet & note you sent, Braksgirl, and was very  )I've actually never been to Animal Kingdom before so that will be totally new to me. They have dead bodies on Expedition Everest to make it authentic, right? And I haven't been to Hollywood Studios since I was in third grade, so that'll be basically entirely new to me too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 03:27
|
|
|
Abu Dave posted:Yeah we were gunna try mid day this time. It's a fun experience for sure. I wish Disney would do something like SeaWorld and Busch do with petting stations. I'll never forget being able to pat a sting ray. There's a train in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom that will take you to an area called Rafiki's Planet Watch, there is a petting zoo there with rare animals. There's also some exhibits about conservation and if you go in the morning you can look into the vet station and probably see them checking on an animal ( / )effervescible posted:They have dead bodies on Expedition Everest to make it authentic, right?  The ride isn't supposed to represent Everest, but rather a fictional "Forbidden Mountain." The riders are would-be mountain climbers on their way to Everest. If you look at the ride from across the lake, you can see that Everest is the right-most peak - it only looks shorter because it's far away from the Forbidden Mountain.   Also the Yeti must've eaten all the bodies
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 07:39
|
|
|
I honeymooned at Coronado Springs which is a moderate resort. It was so nice- very quiet. It also has the biggest hot tub for all the resorts. Less kids around as it is also a convention center, so you'll see people with binders walking around a lot. Very pretty place- just a suggestion too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 12:22
|
|
|
Boxman posted:Snake falls from tree in Animal Kingdom, bites boy, whose Grandmother dies from the shock of it. gently caress the whole Morgan family, they are worse than ambulance chasers.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 14:36
|
|
|
Serious question: am I going to regret not ever visiting DisneyQuest, since it'll probably still be open during our upcoming trip? I've never been, and the hefty ticket price, lack of enthusiasm to visit an under construction Disney Springs, and the fact that I'm the only person in our party who is at all interested in DQ is weighing heavily against my fear that I may miss out on something really unique, weird, and special. I've always found the idea behind DQ (theme park in a box, "Virtual reality is going to change everything forever any minute now, you'll see") fascinating, but is satisfying my curiosity worth dropping 40-something dollars I can't really spare to play interactive family games by myself or with random people? Also, we're staying at Kidani Village for a few nights. Will I have to go to the main AKL building if I want to play with the night vision goggles?
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 20:19
|
|
|
If it tells you anything, DisneyQuest felt pretty dated when I first visited it over ten years ago. The "virtual reality" games (which aren't, really) are kind of fun, and there are a lot of arcade games and some hands-on things that are hit-and-miss. The elevator ride when you first enter is really cool. We didn't even visit DQ during our trip last year. From what I hear it has really devolved into a sad state, with constantly broken games. If you get the Water Parks and More add-on (for the awesome mini-golf courses and water parks), it's worth using a credit to check out DisneyQuest. I wouldn't actually pay the full ticket price though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 22:04
|
|
|
At Disney now, and I have to say this might be my new favorite time of year to visit. Besides some rain in Thursday, the weather has been perfect. We tried Skipper Canteen yesterday and my friends didn't love it. We just got appetizers, I got the salad which was a solid "fine" but they said the falafel was bad. Today we're doing a snack crawl around the World Showcase. So far I've had amacaron ice cream sandwich, kefta at Tangierine Cafe, and kakigori at Japan. Also, we got evacuated from Contemporary due to a bomb threat. That was fun.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2016 22:31
|
|
|
Who calls in a bomb threat to disney place, that's a real low type of low :/. Question about MagicBands; I have a special holiday one I got on sale, can I use that as my main magicband if it's activated on the account and use it as a room key or do I have to use the ones I got from my package?
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2016 02:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 12:38 |
|
|
So, we're planning our first trip to Disney, with Braksgirl's help. My wife wanted it in April, so it's super short notice, but I'm super excited to take our kids to WDW for the first time. Any good first time stories from the crowd? I love reading this thread just because of how helpful and friendly everyone is here, and it gets me super psyched to go.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2016 02:33
|
|
