|
Boxman posted:I've complained about it before in the thread. The fact that there's no direct, mass-transit way to get from the world's third busiest airport to a world famous tourist attraction is amazing. It's sort of surprising Disney doesn't just choose a regional bus operator and give them the Blessing of the Mouse (and maybe toss them a few dollars to kickstart the operation). Like, at least Mears connect exists. There used to be one. We used it before it closed. I think it closed in Jan 2020. Rideshare pretty much killed it like the magical express in Florida
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2022 00:46
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 09:01 |
|
|
Has anyone used the Carmel shuttle service to DLR from LAX? Or any other shuttle service? They're recommended by Disney themselves, have good reviews, and are slightly cheaper than rideshares.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2022 01:11
|
|
|
Boxman posted:I've complained about it before in the thread. The fact that there's no direct, mass-transit way to get from the world's third busiest airport to a world famous tourist attraction is amazing. It's sort of surprising Disney doesn't just choose a regional bus operator and give them the Blessing of the Mouse (and maybe toss them a few dollars to kickstart the operation). Like, at least Mears connect exists. skipdogg posted:There used to be one. We used it before it closed. I think it closed in Jan 2020.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2022 03:29
|
|
|
Nanigans posted:Are Ubers the best method of getting from LAX to DLR? My wife is telling me the prices she's seeing are like $120 for the ride over for the two of us. Probably depends on dates but maybe look into renting a car from LAX via Costco? I punched in the 200 West Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, US location as the destination and Costco is giving me a couple options at around $110. On the way back Enterprise at Paradise Pier hotel is quoting $120 one way. Kind of a tie with Uber but the benefit is you have control and you can go other places on the way if you want. But negative is you're responsible for surviving SoCal driving.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2022 05:01
|
|
|
There was one lone parking attendant at the Toy Story lot at Disneyland this morning, and it is obvious humanity can barely function without multiple people directing us to park within lines. The dude next to us did a big fat u-turn, parked across three spaces, and walked away while laughing with his buddy about his terrible parking job. We returned to our car nearly boxed in, while Oogie Boogie patrons hunted us for our close parking spot. I guess walking all over DCA is ok but walking a few extra rows in a parking lot is a bridge too far. And I thought of y'all while riding the train today. The guy behind us was watching a video or livestream at full volume while we were riding the train through the Grand Canyon area. I guess maybe he was trying to hear the video over the music on the train? It took me a while to realize what I was hearing, I honestly couldn't believe it. People really suck.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2022 05:40
|
|
|
Show us your pins! I always put a couple on the bag that I wear while I'm in the parks. One time I decided to go through Goofy's Sky School without using pin locks and they fell off onto the track as I got off. The CM was able to get them back including the Main Street Mickey pin that is in the following photo.  Maybe I should mention that only 4 of those are attached to the bag. Oh and I drunkenly planned another DLR trip with my sister for a few weeks in the future. Fartington Butts fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Sep 20, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 00:35
|
|
|
couldcareless posted:Disney Cruise Effort Post Same, and I am currently sitting at my Vancouver hotel after disembarking the same cruise a week later. Our was the final one of the season. Next stop for Wonder is San Diego. I haven't had time to absorb all the D23 announcements, but it looks like Wonder is never coming back from the Pacific. The Magic is even taking over Alaska starting next year. Biggest change that happened while we were on board is that the crew was given the choice to unmask during their day to day. Although on your sailing, were the characters allowed to hug guests and get close? I know the other ships were able to do that starting a few weeks ago, but on our sailing more than a few folks were acting like it literally just came back on the Wonder this week. Anyhow, when I get home and have more time, I'm going to do a trip report, too. Honestly, it was such a busy itinerary along with dragging a 4-year old along that I'm exhausted and haven't totally comprehended all the awesome stuff we experienced. Aside from the sled dog musher camp, it looks like we had really different shore experiences. Lastly, I'm finally platinum, with the Wish booked for January and a placeholder waiting to be sorted out. 
Doronin fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Sep 20, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 01:47
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/BrianPMiles/status/1572193575953375233 I'm so sad that there was a Baked Potato cart before I went to Disney 
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 13:29
|
|
|
At: All-Star Music (Partner essentially said, "I promise, the room won't matter that much because we're going to pass the gently caress out every night.") Get there 10/16. Check in. Dinner: Frontera Cocina Monday: Magic Kingdom Lunch: Jungle Nav Co. Dinner: Liberty Tree (7:15p, should dump out right around the fireworks) Tuesday: Animal Kingdom Late lunch: Yak+Yeti After: Not So Scary Halloween at MK Wednesday: Bye day. NSSH lasts until Late, figured we'd just chill Wednesday. Dinner: California Grill; will be around mid/end-meal when fireworks start. Thursday: Hollywood Studios Lunch: Have a bunch of friends that work in the SW section, they're going to smuggle us in somewhere. Dinner: Sci-Fi Friday: Epcot Lunch: Biergarten Dinner: See you in Space Leave Saturday, enough time to fart around Springs, grab our stuff and head to the airport. I'm going to have a "It's my birthday" (40), "It's my honeymoon" (it is) and I'll probably decline the "It's my first time" button (even though it is). Aside from having too many reservations (we'll probably end up dropping a few lunches) and more/less just waiting on my second order of neck/body fans (I'm originally from S.Fla, I know what I'm getting into but I'm sweaty by nature) -- is this at least a B-Tier experience?
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 15:13
|
|
|
MLK Ultra posted:At: All-Star Music Yeah, seems pretty solid to me. It depends on what you want to get out of your trip. I always feel an insane pressure to maximize park time and get as many rides in as possible, but we end up running ragged and come home exhausted. We also don't spend a lot of time at sit down restaurants anymore due to cost and how long they take. Cali Grill is awesome though. Wednesday would be a good Disney Springs day. Sleep in, grab some lunch over there and wander around the shops and stuff. Are you planning on buying Genie+
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 15:32
|
|
|
I am now a proud owner of a Universal Studios annual pass. Which seems to come with one night of entry into Halloween Horror Nights. How different are the crowds for HHN vs regular park days at the same time of year? I will have a stroller with me, so if the event is wall-to-wall bodies, maybe it’s better if I skip it (the baby won’t be the issue so much as maneuvering around in the park). Also, how does the pass parking work? I’ve never had access to premium or valet parking before, but I guess I do now!
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 15:35
|
|
|
Grundulum posted:I am now a proud owner of a Universal Studios annual pass. Which seems to come with one night of entry into Halloween Horror Nights. How different are the crowds for HHN vs regular park days at the same time of year? I will have a stroller with me, so if the event is wall-to-wall bodies, maybe it’s better if I skip it (the baby won’t be the issue so much as maneuvering around in the park). You're taking a baby to HHN? If you're talking about visiting the park during the day before HHN starts, it's the "slow" season. Meaning it's slightly less busy than normal but still busy enough to be annoying. You'll be fine with a stroller, though. Don't take a stroller into HHN. Please don't. HHN itself is busy. Doesn't matter which day, it's been crazy busy so far this year. Parking with the annual pass is easy. Drive up, show the pass and your ID, when they scan it they'll see you get premium parking, put a little piece of paper on your windshield and tell you to turn on your hazards. Then you just go where they tell you and you get to park on the same level as park access. Premium parking tends to fill up by mid-afternoon on busy weekends and you might not be able to get it on HHN nights if you show up after 6pm. This if for Orlando, btw. stabbity fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Sep 20, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 15:43
|
|
|
Grundulum posted:I am now a proud owner of a Universal Studios annual pass. Which seems to come with one night of entry into Halloween Horror Nights. How different are the crowds for HHN vs regular park days at the same time of year? I will have a stroller with me, so if the event is wall-to-wall bodies, maybe it’s better if I skip it (the baby won’t be the issue so much as maneuvering around in the park). Yes, the baby will be an issue. Strollers are annoying for other people and the event is extremely loud, crowded, scary, and sometimes violent with drunk guest behavior.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 15:54
|
|
|
Wednesday and Thursday have been lower crowds compared to this past Saturday when we did HHN. Weeknights had the big houses hitting 60, but on Saturday every single house was 60+ with some hitting 100. We still managed 7 houses with a friend. Bugs - Eaten Alive is the best house of the year.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 15:57
|
|
|
MLK Ultra posted:At: All-Star Music It won't matter until you can't sleep because of all the middle schoolers on class trips running riot all night and then somehow also being able to make band practice in the courtyard at 6am.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:07
|
|
|
MLK Ultra posted:Monday: Magic Kingdom IMO this warrants a second thought. I think best case here you're rolling up to the hub without a lot of time to spare after eating a dinner where you're watching the clock - and Disney table service can sometimes be pokey. Worst case, you're late to fireworks, or have to find a spot and jostle people with the lights turned out. I think Magic Kingdom fireworks are enough of a big deal, even with less-than-perfect Enchantment, that you want to maximizing the experience, especially since you only have one shot at it. And unless something changed (which is possible), Liberty Tree isn't anything particularly special. Your priorities may differ, of course, but it's something to think about.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:07
|
|
|
skipdogg posted:Are you planning on buying Genie+ Absolutely. My partner and I never had a honeymoon and our last vacation was before we got married to OBX around, uh... like three years ago. Match that with the fact that any time between 9a and 3a, someone is clocked in at work -- and that I did a dumb gofundme for food that pulled in like a K -- we figured we might as well throw dollars at Mouse if that gets us on a ride quicker. We're in that situation where "Oh hey, we've got dollars out the rear end for the first time ever -- oh hey, we literally have no time to enjoy that aside from like... DoorDashing something." Honestly, I'm there mostly for the food, GotG, Space Mtn in the dark (during NSSH), RotR, and smooching on the Haunted Mansion (nothing weird; longstanding joke). Past that, I'm game for whatever and we have the funds for it. Plus no kids and no major fandoms that have to be catered to. I do question a little bit if both of us can relax enough to have fun but that entirely sounds like an Us Problem that'll probably be resolved after a day and a half away from our Nightmare Mode jobs.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:17
|
|
|
Zero One posted:It won't matter until you can't sleep because of all the middle schoolers on class trips running riot all night and then somehow also being able to make band practice in the courtyard at 6am. Fun facts about me: I used to chaperone band trips after I graduated. It was a AAAA sized band, they were short staffed. I'll be more irritated if they're messing up their C scale. Also one time I fell asleep with my back against the speaker (with earplugs) at Mogwai. Undrugged and sober, I was staff at a festival. Noises don't bother me unless someone's actively being abused and no one in my complex can close a mf door without it sounding like a cannon. Boxman posted:Your priorities may differ, of course, but it's something to think about. That's why I figured I'd post here. poo poo like that. The res is for ~7 but, you make a really solid point about how tf a monstrously tall individual is gonna elbow their way into anywhere with a view while also being full of Pretend Thanksgiving dinner.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:28
|
|
|
Personally I wouldn’t bother with a dining reservation at Epcot if you’re there during Food and Wine festival. Just graze at the fest booths all day. On the other hand it’s nice to just sit and have a nice meal out of the heat.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:29
|
|
|
Funzo posted:Personally I wouldn’t bother with a dining reservation at Epcot if you’re there during Food and Wine festival. Just graze at the fest booths all day. On the other hand it’s nice to just sit and have a nice meal out of the heat. I don't think we're there during th- // checks // "July 14 to November 19, 2022" oh well, gently caress me. Huh. I really like German food and the Space gimmick is... I'm a sucker for a good gimmick. Christ, I'm just going to be shoving things into my face that last day.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:41
|
|
|
MLK Ultra posted:I don't think we're there during th- Yeah it’s a loooong festival. Space 220 might be worth it for the experience. Look up what the various booths have and see what looks good.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 16:43
|
|
|
Funzo posted:Look up what the various booths have and see what looks good. Already on it. You're talking to the person that is ADHD (inattentive) af but also slaps together a spreadsheet for every place we go (thus how we ended up with so many reservations; we hit the site the minute it was open). Btw if you're ever in OBX, may I suggest The Jolly Roger for lunch, Awful Arthur's for dinner (or reverse that) and then hit up Avalon Pier. If you're into liminal spaces, have a few beers (it's beer-only) at the pier bar. You /really/ have to enjoy liminal spaces, though. I guess I somehow got the Food Fest mixed up with Dollywood's. Classic mistake.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 17:11
|
|
|
I'm a snob, but I'd almost rather pay an extra $50 a night to not be at an All Star Resort. Really it's the transportation that's gonna get you. Do you like strolling up to the bus stop at the end of a long day of heat and lines just to be standing in a long line in the humid evening to get on a bus?
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 19:07
|
|
|
is Pop Century really that much more than All Star?
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 19:13
|
|
|
alg posted:is Pop Century really that much more than All Star? It has got the updated rooms and cafeteria than not all the other all stars have yet and the skyliner is way better than waiting for a bus that keeps changing or never says what time it arrives, at least for Epcot and Hollywood. What's it's gonna take Disney to make shaded bus waiting areas at the all stars already. It's either sunburning or soaking wet legs from rain to make sure you get in the next bus.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 19:35
|
|
|
stabbity posted:Don't take a stroller into HHN. Please don't. chitoryu12 posted:Yes, the baby will be an issue. Strollers are annoying for other people and the event is extremely loud, crowded, scary, and sometimes violent with drunk guest behavior. Thanks. We’ll see if the recommendations of two strangers on the internet work to convince my wife where I couldn’t. I would much rather hang out at a Citywalk restaurant with the baby while she goes into HHN with the other kid—at least until the restaurants close and it’s time to hang out in the car.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2022 20:47
|
|
|
couldcareless posted:I'm a snob, but I'd almost rather pay an extra $50 a night to not be at an All Star Resort. Again: Why I posted here. The transportation started gnawing at me a little. That was really the reason of my initial "Rate my First Disney Experience" post. I appreciate the value and all but... like, how long do you have to wait for the bus into Disney? Or to get back. And everyone else is hopping on their sky-lifts or monos back home for the night. I'll check to see what the discrepancy is but am I right assuming that I'd //way// rather hop into predictable transport vs wait for a bus? Also, I just looked at the food+wine spread and my brain went like this (probably a seizure warning here) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frFtCDpWl5g
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 03:10
|
|
|
So I'll do a little trip report on last week's Disney Wish sailing. First, you should know that we booked this trip in June 2021. At that time it was just a regular sailing but at some point it got upgraded to a Halloween On The High Seas sailing. The first of the season, actually! I think that led to us getting on the ship a little later than we otherwise would have, but it was a pretty cool upgrade that we got for free. I paid consumer rate for this, at a little over 1k per person (4 adults) for a 4 night cruise in a verandah room on deck 7. The itinerary was 4 nights, with stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay, leave and returning to Port Canaveral. I have also cruise on a few different cruise lines (Disney, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess) and Disney is by FAR my favorite, but you know, I'm a big fan of Carnival too. A fun cruise is a fun cruise, you know? I did find out that this particular sailing was the least crowded of any Wish sailing so far which was a bit of a shock to me as we found the ship pretty crowded most of the time. It was hard to find lounge chairs on the decks especially in the adults only areas of the ship. Lines to meet characters were long and lots of areas on the ship were bottlenecked. For the ports, we elected to stay on the ship in Nassau because none of us really likes it. I find the people too pushy there. I don't mind doing a little shopping, but I don't like being hounded and yelled at so it just isn't my jam. Castaway Cay is awesome as usual and we did spend all morning laying around at Serenity Bay, the adults only beach. We were going to have lunch at Cookie's Too BBQ but the line was insane so we opted to skip it and just have lunch on the ship. Food - The food was outstanding on this ship. I didn't have one thing that I didn't like and that's pretty unusual for me. Usually on a cruise I'll have one or two stand out dishes and find everything else kind of meh, but literally everything I ate on this ship was great. The cuts of beef I had were good quality and everything was seasoned well. Couldn't ask for a better food experience. --Marceline Market is the buffet on this ship and normally cruise ship buffets are pretty unremarkable, but this one was really good. It is not self-serve, there are workers behind glass dishing out the food to you, so if you're concerned about the unwashed masses touching communal spoons and stuff, that's not really an issue here. They also have POG juice in the dispensers here though it's cleverly disguised as "Orchard's Best." Very sneaky. 1923 - This is the fancy restaurant on the rotational dining schedule and the only restaurant (besides Marceline Market) open for breakfast and lunch. Everything I had here was fab. The Mickey waffles here one morning were a little hard and overdone, but that wasn't a huge deal. My favorite dessert of the trip was here and it was churros with dulce de leche dipping sauce. I know churros are pretty unexciting but these were hot and fresh and just really drat good. Simple can be best sometimes. Marvel - This was a pretty fun experience. We had this restaurant first in our rotational dining and it was a pretty good time. For the show, you get to watch clips of Marvel films on the screens around the room and every so often Ant-Man and Wasp will come on the screens and there's a whole storyline to follow. There's an interactive Quantum Core on every table and you press buttons to help progress the story. Obviously these buttons don't actually do anything but it's fun to feel like you have a job, I guess. At the end of dinner, Ant-Man and Wasp walk through the dining room and pose for pics and stuff, so that's pretty cool. Arendelle - This was my favorite of the interactive dining rooms. The premise is that you're attending the engagement party of Anna and Kristoff. There's live music Including, and hear me out, a violin/fiddle solo that is frankly awesome. Everyone gets to sing Let It Go (led by Wandering Oaken which is pretty funny) and I love me a good sing along. The characters walk around and stop briefly to chat and pose for pics. Food has a very light Scandinavian influence, but was honestly very good. I believe this was the restaurant that had the onion dip for the bread service that was amazeballs. We had this restaurant twice on our dining rotation but we were too tired to go to dinner on the second night (and they only do the show for the first time you eat there) which was also Pirate Night so we missed out on going there twice. The Food Fair out on the pool deck was really great. We ate at the BBQ place which had really great brisket and ribs, the burger grill, which was a decent burger, and the pizza was also very decent. I did not have a chance to try out the tacos because there just wasn't enough time. We did not do any of the extra charge dining because I couldn't get reservations for it. I'm still only Silver in Castaway Club and by the time the window opened up for me to book, all that stuff was booked up. There were a lot of concierge guests on this sailing and they got first crack at the extra dining. Lounges - The only lounge I really spent an appreciable amount of time in was Hyperspace Lounge which aesthetically is really loving cool. The drinks are super expensive in here though. My friend got a drink that cost about $15-$20 before gratuity which I think is overpriced. I got a $7 ginger beer with popping boba, while delicious, was probably not worth almost $9 with gratuity. Activities - Honestly, activities, especially ones for adults were kind of lacking on this sailing/ship. We are trivia enthusiasts and they just really did not have any trivia events that interested us. We attended one and it was frankly, a beating. The host kept getting distracted by people walking by in the hall and we were all getting pretty annoyed by the end. We didn't do any of the mixology or alcohol tastings because those aren't things we're interested in. The interactive game that you're supposed to be able to play ( like the one on the Dream) was not working. We did not have time to watch any movies in the theaters but we did poke around in there and it looked really nice. We also did one of those silent dance parties (everyone is wearing headphones and there are 3 stations you can listen to which are playing different styles of music) which I used to think were kind of dumb, but turned out to be a lot of fun. Shows - The shows were AMAZING as usual. The first night was a Goofy based show which was a pretty refreshing change, then we had The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Both were super well done. The Little Mermaid had a tech issue that stopped the show for a few min, but they got it fixed and finished the show. We really enjoyed the shows. Disney knows how to do a great cruise show, no doubt. Rainforest Room - We did elect to buy the Rainforest Room passes for this sailing because we've done it on the Dream and Wonder and wanted to try out the elevated features on the Wish. They definitely have the biggest Rainforest area of all the ships, but if you don't get there early in the day, you're not getting a chair/lounger. They have these really cool swinging loungers that can sit 2 in the outdoor area of the Rainforest area and we did snag a couple of those a few times. They are very good for napping. There are 2 hot tubs available and those were nice. We did use the sauna, and they also have a cold room which was pretty fun to try out. We did end up showering in the locker room quite a few times because the showers there are bigger than the ones in your cabin and we can all shower at the same time since there are 3 showers in the locker room vs one in our room. We were never able to get a heated lounger as those were always in use. Halloween stuff - The ship was decked out which was great. They did have a costume party one night which basically amounted to a deck dance party. It was fine. There was supposed to be trick or treating but if it happened, I don't know where. We also got to meet and take pics with Clarabelle, Minnie, and Daisy dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus so that was pretty fun. We did find out that on the next sailing, they stopped letting you hug these characters because apparently it made the lines too long. Which I guess is fair because we waited about an hour and a half to meet them. There was supposed to be a Halloween trivia at some point but that got cancelled. Like I said, activities were lacking. The ship itself - I really liked the ship. It was a bit confusing to get around, but if I'd had more time on a longer cruise, it would have all made sense. There are only forward and aft elevators on this ship which seems counterintuitive but works out really well actually. Our room was in a really great location so I was happy we chose that one. It was 7054 on the port side. It was a deluxe oceanview with verandah so that means it sleeps 4 and has the split bath. I will say that the bunk beds (couch that turns into a bed and then the upper bunk) are not the most comfortable. They also did away with some of the storage and that was a bit of a pain, but since this ship will probably only do short itineraries for the time being, it's not a huge deal to live out of a suitcase. There were a few things that did feel unfinished on the ship, like the interactive game, some floor numbers on directional signs, stuff like that. They also had staffing issues which meant that the only places to get dinner were the dining rooms, or the burger grill out on the pool deck. Which is not really a huge deal for me, but some people prefer to eat at the buffet, but the staff that serve at the buffet were also the same ones who served in the dining rooms so they couldn't have both. Overall, we had a great time. The ship is really big and I know I didn't get to see and experience all it had to offer on such a short cruise. I'd love to do this ship again on a longer itinerary so I can really take the time to appreciate it because she really is lovely.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 03:16
|
|
|
I will never wait for a bus at Disney again. It's awful and kills a huge chunk of your day. I'm very privileged to be a semi-local (coming up 3.5 hours from Miami) and can just bring my own car. But it's infinitely better than waiting for buses at the end of the day. If I weren't local, I'd seriously consider renting a car or just biting the bullet and paying for ride share. Of course, the one time I stayed at Pop Century and was able to use the Skyliner was amazing. We'll definitely be going back, not least of which is because I really don't give a poo poo about Magic Kingdom and Epcot and DHS are my favorite parks anyway. The Skyliner rules.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 03:16
|
|
|
MLK Ultra posted:Again: Why I posted here. To be fair, I've stood in long lines at bus stops at Disney plenty of times and I haven't always been staying at an All Stars. Lines can be long for a lot of resorts, it just depends on the time of year and stuff. Not to mention, monorail lines are typically WAY longer than bus lines usually. Have you seen the line for the monorail after the fireworks at MK? The monorail has to service 3 resorts AND the TTC so those lines aren't any better than a bus line to All Stars usually. People can be real snobby about All Stars. I've stayed at Movies at least 2x and it's been fine. Is the best? No. Is it my favorite? No. But it works and if that's what your budget allows for, then it's fine. Pop is marginally better because you can use the Skyliner, but that's not 100% reliable either because it gets shut down a lot for weather and overall crankiness. Lines can be long for it too. And most of the All Stars have been recently renovated and look exactly like Pop anyway. If you blindfolded me and walked me into an All Star Movies or Pop room, once I could see, I'd be hard pressed to tell you which resort I was at. The rooms are identical in layout. All this to say that all Disney resorts have their pain points. You just gotta pick what fits your budget/needs. I just stayed at Saratoga Springs last week. The room was absolutely gorgina, but it has outdoor corridors and kids were running up and down the halls all night. Plus it took forever to get anywhere because the buses have to stop at every stop and we were the next to last stop. But I'd 100% stay there again because the room was great. I've also stayed at Movies and at Pop and Art of Animation and loved all those too for various reasons. So really, it's a crapshoot, man. I will say, for ease of getting around, probably Yacht Club is my favorite and that was even before the Skyliner existed. You can walk to Epcot, take a boat/Skyliner to Hollywood Studios, and buses to MK and AK were plentiful.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 03:27
|
|
|
I spent my last two stays at the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado. Especially if you're not in the best health or suffering from a healing injury and might not go to the parks or Springs one day, it's very convenient to have all of the food and drink options from morning to midnight be easily accessible through air conditioned corridors and lounges with comfy chairs.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 03:40
|
|
|
Nanigans posted:I will never wait for a bus at Disney again. It's awful and kills a huge chunk of your day. This is part of the reason why we are driving from NC (9 hrs) instead of flying. It was nice to be able to leave work on Friday and be in our resort drinking at the pool bar by Friday evening, but with the current flying experience, no Magical Express, the current bus experience, plus my wife got another week of vacation, we are just gonna drive. Even staying at Pop Century it is nice to have a car to drive to MK and AK and not have kids crawling all over us during a pandemic.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 12:56
|
|
|
alg posted:This is part of the reason why we are driving from NC (9 hrs) instead of flying. It was nice to be able to leave work on Friday and be in our resort drinking at the pool bar by Friday evening, but with the current flying experience, no Magical Express, the current bus experience, plus my wife got another week of vacation, we are just gonna drive. Even staying at Pop Century it is nice to have a car to drive to MK and AK and not have kids crawling all over us during a pandemic.  I guess I should also mention the free parking with annual passes is another reason we can just take our car. I’m not even sure what they charge for parking now ($30?), but it ain’t cheap, so I wouldn’t begrudge someone from using the buses. It’s just not for me anymore.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 13:24
|
|
|
When I stay on property, I use the disney transportation (monorail, skyliner, busses, boats) and find it preferable to dealing with driving my car around. I live about 45 minutes northeast of the parks, and have an annual pass so I do drive to the parks more often than I stay on property, but as a DVC member I like parking my car for the weekend and not worrying about it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 14:18
|
|
|
couldcareless posted:Disney Cruise Effort Post MLK Ultra posted:I'll probably decline the "It's my first time" button (even though it is). Quixotic1 posted:What's it's gonna take Disney to make shaded bus waiting areas at the all stars already. It's either sunburning or soaking wet legs from rain to make sure you get in the next bus.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 18:21
|
|
|
Last time I was at WDW we were at French Quarter, which is busses to everything but Disney Springs, and I never felt like we waited very long for a bus. Then again, every time I go to Disney it's with the understanding that I'm going to have to stand in line for things, and just roll with it. I will say when my wife and I stayed at Boardwalk a few years ago I really really liked being able to just walk to Epcot, since that meant it was easy to go back to the room for an hour or so in the middle of the day after stuffing our faces at Food and Wine.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 19:14
|
|
|
Are the buttons just fun keepsakes?
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 19:27
|
|
|
They can sometimes snag you a free dessert with the married/celebrating/birthday ones
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 19:33
|
|
|
Or back in fast pass days sometimes the line attendants would usher you into that line. With kids, meet and greet characters will also interact with happy birthdays, etc.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 19:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 09:01 |
|
|
Bottom Liner posted:With kids, meet and greet characters will also interact with happy birthdays, etc. More than just kids! A lot of characters noticed our "I'm Celebrating" button with "just engaged" scrawled on it by a CM, haha. I think Stitch tried to steal the ring. We also got slid a dessert or two over the course of the trip. "First Visit" is less to yield tremendous results, I suppose.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2022 19:52
|
|