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Cheston posted:Holiday Inn Disney Springs. They called my mom about it and they have a guy behind a desk in the lobby who is clearly hoping you'll mistake him for the concierge. We've stayed at the Disney Springs Doubletree, Ramada, and Seralago (it used to be really nice, I swear) countless times, among other places, and I've seen desk guy but nobody's had the gall to actually call me. My wife says I always walk purposefully like I'm late for something, though.
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Nov 13, 2023 22:52
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Renegret posted:I mean, I got news for you for the resort hotels as well. Cheston posted:Holiday Inn Disney Springs. They called my mom about it and they have a guy behind a desk in the lobby who is clearly hoping you'll mistake him for the concierge. There was a guy behind a desk in the lobby when I stayed at a Disney Springs hotel, but it was a dedicated Disney rep who actually helped people out with resort poo poo. Nobody pitched me on a timeshare.
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Nov 13, 2023 22:54
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The Wyndham definitely has the timeshare people.
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Nov 13, 2023 22:56
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Stayed at the Holiday Inn last year and didn't get the hard sell or any weird timeshare stuff. This year we were at the Drury over Halloween and not only did I not get any hard times, I'd recommend that hotel over many of the value resorts - it was goddamn fantastic. Campbell fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Nov 13, 2023 |
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Nov 13, 2023 23:01
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On the bright side, Animal Kingdom was great. I took the thread's advice and we hit up Kilimanjaro Safari at 8:30, and there were animals everywhere! And they were all doing stuff! Even the lions were laying around in plain sight, which the guide said was lucky. I didn't expect the ostriches to be my favorite part but they were, the way their necks move just really tickles me. Flight of Passage was fantastic. Na'vi River Journey was also great, though I wish the shaman animatronic had been working.
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Nov 13, 2023 23:06
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Campbell posted:Stayed at the Holiday Inn last year and didn't get the hard sell or any weird timeshare stuff. The one across from the Doubletree? That place has been under construction since at least 2019 and I heard it's super nice. I'd love to check it out but my MIL has shitloads of Hilton points. Cheston posted:On the bright side, Animal Kingdom was great. I took the thread's advice and we hit up Kilimanjaro Safari at 8:30, and there were animals everywhere! And they were all doing stuff! Even the lions were laying around in plain sight, which the guide said was lucky. I didn't expect the ostriches to be my favorite part but they were, the way their necks move just really tickles me. That rules! Your guide was right-- Seeing the lions is lucky and going on the morning safari is the smart call to see all the critters. Sucks that the River Journey animatronic was down. Is Kali closed for the season? And did you get to do Everest or are you not a roller coaster person Hazo fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Nov 13, 2023 |
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Nov 13, 2023 23:41
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The Disney Springs Area hotels that are actually advertised as such are required to have a Disney service desk. They can also have desks for their own nefarious purposes though.Cheston posted:Holiday Inn Disney Springs. They called my mom about it and they have a guy behind a desk in the lobby who is clearly hoping you'll mistake him for the concierge. From what I've heard most are just the phonecall unless you specifically booked it as a discounted timeshare presentation booking.
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Nov 13, 2023 23:54
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Hazo posted:Your guide was right-- Seeing the lions is lucky and going on the morning safari is the smart call to see all the critters.
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Nov 13, 2023 23:57
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Hazo posted:The one across from the Doubletree? That place has been under construction since at least 2019 and I heard it's super nice. I'd love to check it out but my MIL has shitloads of Hilton points. That's the one. We were planning on the Holiday Inn and Drury came in cheaper so we gave it a shot and it had significantly better benefits like free breakfast/dinner/booze and was crisp and clean where the Holiday Inn is kinda showing its age.
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Nov 14, 2023 00:48
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Cheston posted:On the bright side, Animal Kingdom was great. I took the thread's advice and we hit up Kilimanjaro Safari at 8:30, and there were animals everywhere! And they were all doing stuff! Even the lions were laying around in plain sight, which the guide said was lucky. I didn't expect the ostriches to be my favorite part but they were, the way their necks move just really tickles me. Well now I feel double lucky; on our trip to DAK, I got both the lions (one roared!) and the working shaman animatronic!
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Nov 14, 2023 01:03
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CapnAndy posted:anything after sunset, because they go to bed. I disagree on this one though because some of the animals are asleep, yeah. but a bunch of less-diurnal ones are up and doing cool stuff. plus, if there's babies in any of the enclosures, you get to see the babies bothering their parents tons.
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Nov 14, 2023 02:46
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Cheston posted:On the bright side, Animal Kingdom was great. I took the thread's advice and we hit up Kilimanjaro Safari at 8:30, and there were animals everywhere! And they were all doing stuff! Even the lions were laying around in plain sight, which the guide said was lucky. I didn't expect the ostriches to be my favorite part but they were, the way their necks move just really tickles me. Sorry about the Shaman, that absolutely sucks. I wonder what an After Hours safari run would look like. I imagine the animals might be tougher to see since it's dark, but more active because it's not as hot. Also, never gotten timeshare pitches off property and I only ever stay at Hilton properties when near WDW, so maybe they don't do that. I think they do have a DVC at Signia Bonnet Creek though. Also, DVC is a timeshare and if you engage those folks on property, they'll absolutely give you the hard sell on buying a lovely Riviera tower that is 250 square feet and cost as much as a Nissan Versa.
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Nov 14, 2023 02:49
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They have that as a separate ticketed thing. They give you night vision goggles.
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Nov 14, 2023 02:57
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Akileese posted:Sorry about the Shaman, that absolutely sucks. I think most of the animals are in pens at night, even the ones on the savanna, unless you pay for a special event. The Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom series on D+ sure makes it seem that way. I don't know if we have any AK cast members on Something Awful to give details.
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Nov 14, 2023 03:00
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Hazo posted:That rules! Your guide was right-- Seeing the lions is lucky and going on the morning safari is the smart call to see all the critters. Sucks that the River Journey animatronic was down. Is Kali closed for the season? And did you get to do Everest or are you not a roller coaster person Kali was open. It was shorter than I expected, but that's probably for the best given how wet we got. Everest had basically no line so I rid it twice in a row before nausea got the better of me. I didn't know anything about the coaster going in so it was delightful when we hit the torn-up track and went backwards. Cheston fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Nov 14, 2023 |
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Nov 14, 2023 14:29
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Yeah Everest is one of the best coasters they have and going in blind is great.
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Nov 14, 2023 14:31
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Cheston posted:Kali was open. It was shorter than I expected, but that's probably for the best given how wet we got. Everest had basically no line so I rid it twice in a row before nausea got the better of me. I didn't know anything about the coaster going in so it was delightful when we hit the torn-up track and went backwards. Awww  I love it. I bet you were so pumped. During early Covid right after they re-opened, there was no bent up track at the end 
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Nov 14, 2023 14:42
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Craptacular! posted:There's this new funny wrinkle about being in your 40s... Days with no sleep have three hour naps for some reason. I love naps so this is fabulous news (also my kid is practically 10 and doesn’t bother mom when she’s napping either) Finally got to do Pirates (last time it was under refurb), and holiday small world / haunted mansion, and just hang out in Toontown (under construction when I was here last time), and see Tale of the Lion King and it was just perfect - all of it. My mom remembers watching Disneyland open up when she was 6, and I brought her along and she’s really enjoyed everything so far.
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Nov 14, 2023 15:37
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Everyone in line for seven dwarfs mine train is trying to get these flickering gems to light up by touching them. Missed opportunity. Now that I've ridden Space Mountain, I have to say Cosmic Rewind feels like a comprehensive iteration on it. Adding lit elements to help you pathfind makes it much easier to remember the highlights, they made it feel less claustrophobic, they added music so it's not weirdly quiet when nobody else in your cart screams (that was just my space mountain experience tho lol)
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Nov 14, 2023 15:45
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We're going to Disney World for a four-park-day trip in January. I think I'm going to do a Table Service lunch in each park as the big centerpiece of each day and I'm leaning towards going over the top with theming for meals. I'm looking at doing Be Our Guest, Akershus, Sci-Fi Dine In, and Tusker House; should I be looking at swapping any of those out? We've done BoG and Akershus before; we'll also have a 2 year old and a 7 year old who are both very into princesses (I'll be surprised if we leave Norway during our Epcot day instead of just cycling through the Meet Anna and Elsa line all day long).
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Nov 14, 2023 16:18
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Those wouldn't be my choices, but I think they are perfect for Princess kids. I think there is a Princess meal in DHS too.
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Nov 14, 2023 16:27
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Hollywood and Vine has breakfast with some Disney Junior characters, and lunch/dinner with Minnie. Unless the kids are really into any of those characters Sci-Fi is probably cooler for them.
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Nov 14, 2023 16:39
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Cockblocktopus posted:We're going to Disney World for a four-park-day trip in January. I think I'm going to do a Table Service lunch in each park as the big centerpiece of each day and I'm leaning towards going over the top with theming for meals. I'm looking at doing Be Our Guest, Akershus, Sci-Fi Dine In, and Tusker House; should I be looking at swapping any of those out? so my biggest concern is that Sci-Fi Dine In is dark. Like, pitch black in the rural farmlands dark. Darker than dark inside. Are the kiddos okay with that? If so, you're good. If not... I dunno man, you might need a lantern or some such.
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Nov 14, 2023 16:44
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We have done BoG every time we've gone so I'm softest on that; might try and get a Skipper's Canteen reservation instead. They'll both probably just eat Mac and Cheese where we go anyways.Fluffy Bunnies posted:so my biggest concern is that Sci-Fi Dine In is dark. Like, pitch black in the rural farmlands dark. Darker than dark inside. Are the kiddos okay with that? If so, you're good. If not... I dunno man, you might need a lantern or some such. I think the kids could handle it (they'll watch the movie) but if it's fully "can't see your hand in front of your face" dark then that might be a dealbreaker for my wife.
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Nov 14, 2023 16:49
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its not really that dark, i have horrible night vision and I am fine in there. it's lighter than any normal movie theater.
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Nov 14, 2023 16:58
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Hazo posted:I think most of the animals are in pens at night, even the ones on the savanna, unless you pay for a special event. The Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom series on D+ sure makes it seem that way. I don't know if we have any AK cast members on Something Awful to give details. This kind of made me want to check and sure enough the Safari and trails are closed for DAK After Hours which makes sense now that I really think about it. Cockblocktopus posted:We're going to Disney World for a four-park-day trip in January. I think I'm going to do a Table Service lunch in each park as the big centerpiece of each day and I'm leaning towards going over the top with theming for meals. I'm looking at doing Be Our Guest, Akershus, Sci-Fi Dine In, and Tusker House; should I be looking at swapping any of those out? I could be wrong but I think Tusker House only does Breakfast. Yak and Yeti isn't over the top but the food is really good and they've got a fairly standard kids menu too.
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Nov 14, 2023 17:06
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Cockblocktopus posted:We have done BoG every time we've gone so I'm softest on that; might try and get a Skipper's Canteen reservation instead. They'll both probably just eat Mac and Cheese where we go anyways. Definitely not that dark but last time I was in there you couldn't read the menus without your phone light. alg posted:its not really that dark, i have horrible night vision and I am fine in there. it's lighter than any normal movie theater. ^^^ but with that, maybe they lightened it up a little bit?
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Nov 14, 2023 17:09
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Sounds like their princess quota will be filled with Frozen, but there's also Cinderella's Royal Table for a princess meal.
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Nov 14, 2023 17:15
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Yeah it's definitely not pitch black, and the "cars" have light bars so you can read the menus.  Cockblocktopus posted:We have done BoG every time we've gone so I'm softest on that; might try and get a Skipper's Canteen reservation instead. They'll both probably just eat Mac and Cheese where we go anyways. Keep in mind they aren't actual full-length films, just basically short trailers for awful B-movies. Which is honestly better because they keep it interesting.
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Nov 14, 2023 17:17
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Hazo posted:Keep in mind they aren't actual full-length films, just basically short trailers for awful B-movies. Which is honestly better because they keep it interesting. They'll probably disengage (or maybe even get a little scared) during the live-action chunks but from what I've seen of the loop on YouTube the cartoons should pull them back in. Aphrodite posted:Sounds like their princess quota will be filled with Frozen, but there's also Cinderella's Royal Table for a princess meal. Is CRT actually worth doing? I feel like the conventional wisdom I've picked up is that it's way overpriced (even by WDW standards) and the food isn't that great. They also might not be great with food allergies? I figure we'll end up there sooner or later but it seems like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing and I'd rather do that when the younger kid is older and will remember it. Cockblocktopus fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Nov 14, 2023 |
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Nov 14, 2023 17:42
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I've never done it, so I couldn't say. Looks like compared to Be Our Guest, it's $14 more per adult and $8 per child. I have done Be Our Guest and I don't think that's worth the price. It's the only character dinner I've done, but from what I've heard in the others the characters go around and interact with the kids and stuff? Beast just walks into the middle of the room and waves a bit every 20 minutes.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:07
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Cockblocktopus posted:They'll probably disengage (or maybe even get a little scared) during the live-action chunks but from what I've seen of the loop on YouTube the cartoons should pull them back in. I did CRT in March with some friends who had a five-year-old (girl, very into princesses) and eight-year-old (boy, not as into princess but still enjoyed himself and really liked the BBB later) and it was a really good time. Fun meet-and-greet with Cinderella on the way in, and I think four princesses came by the table for enough time to have some cute chitchat and photos with each without feeling hurried. I don't know how the rest of the food was but I had the steak and eggs breakfast and thought it was great, actually. I can't weigh in on whether the price is worth it because I just mentally include a huge Disney mark-up and don't even know what I think would be a reasonable price. The experience was a lot of fun overall.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:10
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Cheston posted:Everyone in line for seven dwarfs mine train is trying to get these flickering gems to light up by touching them. Missed opportunity. Originally, you could use those screens to play a gem-matching game while you were waiting in line, but Disney had to take it out -- people were becoming so engrossed that they forgot to move.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:43
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Cockblocktopus posted:They'll probably disengage (or maybe even get a little scared) during the live-action chunks but from what I've seen of the loop on YouTube the cartoons should pull them back in. CRT is a really wonderful idea and kind of a brag more than anything. I've done it twice, it was nice, but the price point doesn't turn it into a "oh my god I have to every time I'm there" kind of a thing. I'd rather do the dessert parties and go sit and watch the fireworks at tomorrowland terrace.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:52
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Take your kids to Victoria and Albert's. You'll thank me later
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Nov 14, 2023 18:59
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Aphrodite posted:I have done Be Our Guest and I don't think that's worth the price. It's the only character dinner I've done, but from what I've heard in the others the characters go around and interact with the kids and stuff? Beast just walks into the middle of the room and waves a bit every 20 minutes. Yeah, the pre-covid BoG was great, especially with the meal plan. Order a sandwich and fries on the tablet, vibe in the castle wherever you could find a seat, then head back out. You're absolutely right about the post-covid experience. I actually thought the post-covid food was one of the better meals that trip, but the experience as a whole left a lot to be desired. (On the other hand they were great with our kid's food allergy; everywhere at Disney has been good with it but they had a unique allergy-friendly dessert that made her feel special.) alg posted:Take your kids to Victoria and Albert's. You'll thank me later Excuse me waiter, could we have all seven courses replaced with Mac and Cheese? Yes, we'll pay the upcharge for the lemonade pairing menu.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:02
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To be honest I’ve been amazed for years that the Cinderella breakfast price is as low as it is. I figured by now they could charge $289 per plate and still have a full room.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:04
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And if you don't wear a mst3k shirt inside you are kicked out
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Nov 14, 2023 19:06
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Cockblocktopus posted:Yeah, the pre-covid BoG was great, especially with the meal plan. Order a sandwich and fries on the tablet, vibe in the castle wherever you could find a seat, then head back out.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:11
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Arquinsiel posted:Yeah Everest is one of the best coasters they have and going in blind is great. We visited Hong Kong Disneyland a few years ago, and Everest is called Big Grizzly Mountain there. We had no idea what to expect, I thought it would be a Big Thunder clone. We had a little one with us so my husband took all the kids while I waited with the baby, and then my son rode it again with me. I told him over and over and over again, do not spoil anything for me! Then we got to the broken tracks and he screamed "Now we go backwards!" and it is a running family joke to this day for anyone who can't keep a secret.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:59
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