|
Yeah I think that's a normal universal deal, but you should get it from a better source.
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 12:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 20:01 |
|
|
Biggz posted:Is this the same offer from Undercover Tourist? - https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/2-day-universal-park-to-park-ticket-plus-2-days-free-promo-ticket/ Sure seems like it! And people generally trust them, so that's a better way to go. Upon further consideration, however, we aren't even sure if it makes sense. Sure, two more free days of parks is good but that means changing flights, pestering braksgirl to see if it's even possible to extend our trip, and then dropping probably another 500-600 bucks on more hotel nights and food. So it's not really practical.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 12:27
|
|
|
I can easily do both universal parks in two days including hitting all the major rides. I believe they give you that deal so you keep coming back to the parks. In other words- plan something additional for those two days. If you have small children though the extra days may be needed at Universal  . In terms of what rides to avoid or not do if you do end up short on time- I would say Kong. It's their new ride, but in my opinion it's fairly short and not worth more than 30 minutes of wait time.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 14:27
|
|
|
nbakyfan posted:I can easily do both universal parks in two days including hitting all the major rides. I believe they give you that deal so you keep coming back to the parks. In other words- plan something additional for those two days. If you have small children though the extra days may be needed at Universal Yeah. We're thrilled Kong is opening as we couldn't give a poo poo about it, and it'll likely be a huge crowd siphon. We're also going at a great time of the year (12/1) and we're only hitting Uni/Islands on weekdays, and we'll be there for park opening. So yeah, I can't imagine we'll leave anything we care about on the table. No kids either.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 14:41
|
|
|
Braksgirl was it you who said you sell Universal Tickets also?
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 16:07
|
|
|
Yes, I do sell Universal tickets.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 16:43
|
|
|
Boxman posted:Remind me, this thread approves of pictures, right? Most definitely. As the OP, I encourage them. I've posted several of them myself. I especially appreciate pics showing crowd sizes, construction updates or new stuff.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 17:26
|
|
|
That reminds me, I took this photo in Sleeping Beauty's castle when I was at Disneyland. Reminded me of y'all.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 18:19
|
|
|
Awright, photo dump incoming. Between Photopass, my iPhone, and my camera, we flew home with about 1,050 pictures to sort through and process. These are a handful of my favorites. When we went to the Magic Kingdom at opening one day, we were lucky enough to snag the front facing seats on the double decker bus that runs up and down Main Street. This let me get some really great photos from an unusual perspective. Being there for as long as we were took the pressure off rope drops. We got to enjoy the ambiance of a Main Street that was skipped by people who preferred dashing to 7DMT.   The Festival of Fantasy parade is cool and good. We were able to snag FP+ after using our initial 3, which was really a blessing for good photos. Had we just been enjoying the parade, sitting on the side would have been fine, but the opportunity to get the "float with castle in the background" picture was amazing.  Maleficent's ravens are some great costumes.   Burst photography was important. This one came from a burst of maybe 10 pictures of Ariel.  It's difficult to describe how happy I was to get to see the MSEP before it's laid to rest. It's one of the handful of extremely vivid memories I have of the Parks from when I visited as a small child. drat if I didn't shed a tear during the opening spiel...ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls....  And now, photos of spaceship Earth because no one has ever taken pictures of it before.   These two have been added to my desktop image rotation. If you want to use 'em for the same, I've uploaded them at full resolution. Using not-imgur because it's choking on the large file sizes. (Actually, it looks like they're dropping them down to a 1080 resolution anyway. I'll work on getting them uploaded properly somewhere if anyone is interested).   For my money, the Tower of Terror and its queue are the most photogenic icons the parks have. Screw that wait time sign though.  No one has ever taken this picture of Everest before.  And one picture of some construction - this is the view from a bus to AK. Apparently the giant hole in the tree line is new-ish (source), and it gives a really fantastic look at the Hallelujah Mountains and the back of the new show building. You can also see the facade on the show building going on, and lets take a moment to appreciate how adorable the tiny floating "rocks" are on top of the building.  Avatar may be a wet fart when not viewed on an IMAX screen, but Pandora is has the potential to be really pretty and awe-inspiring. It's so difficult to convey scale in pictures, but the Mountains look seriously incredible. I'm looking forward to re-visiting when Pandora is open. Also, let me just say how much fun it is post-processing photos of Disney. Normally I have to watch myself with the color saturation slider and be careful to not get too much of an artificial, cartoony look while still getting colors to pop nicely. With these, though, who really cares if things have an over the top cartoon look? It's Disney! The blues are bluer, the greens are greener! The picture of Ariel has its contrast notched a bit higher than it "should," and the wallpaper sized pictures of Spaceship Earth have it way higher. Boxman fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Sep 18, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 19:08
|
|
|
Love them! I'm excited for my husband to go crazy with his camera when we go in November. Fun fact I learned today- when you buy a MB in the park, make sure they activate it for you, or it means you will wonder why you can't self activate it for the next 6 months. Called the mouse today and they got it fixed for me.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 20:59
|
|
|
Speaking of Universal, HHN this year is better than I expected it to be! I was concerned by the overdose of IP houses, but pretty much every house and scarezone except for The Walking Dead (please just die already) and Chance's 3D house is at least solid. They also got Academy of Villains to make up a show for them, and it's phenomenal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnMVm98tgXk Meanwhile, the Bill & Ted show has somehow gotten worse.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 13:24
|
|
|
Thanks to Braksgirl for putting together an amazing 5 day 4 night trip for us last week. Thought I'd make some mini reviews on our experiences. 1) Contemporary Resort Club Level Woo, expensive. But gently caress it, first trip in 30 years, I figured do it right. The Club Level essentially an entire floor of the resort with a lounge and concierge in the middle near the elevators. The lounge does 4 food services per day (breakfast, lunch, snacks, then apps & wine). We had mimosas in our hands before we could even sit down at the check in. They were refilled instantly. The pillows were huge and fluffy, the sheets new and fresh. Even the bathrobes were feather soft. Speakers on the lounge area balconies are coordinated to broadcast the Wishes fireworks display with perfect timing. The concierge never ran out of patience or solutions: ponchos appeared, reservations were canceled without hassle, the entire Disney library was on DVD and available. The food served in the lounge was excellent and high quality, with a young Disney chef on standby. White bean soup, sashimi, warm fresh baked cookies, etc. The snack period even saw a variety of nuts, pretzels and candies being put out so guests could make their own trail mix. Did I mention mimosas? Did I mention that we were adopted by one of the cook staff, who made sure that every time we went out to the parks, our waters bottles were filled with mimosas? I loving love that woman. Wouldn't even take a tip I tried to give her. Blitzed on a monorail is a great way to start the morning. On our last day after check out, she even slipped us some mimosa refills in some spare Dasani bottles! I've stayed at many resort hotels in my life, including several South Beach boutique hotels and probably a dozen Ritz Carltons across the US. Contemporary's Club Level beat ALL of them. It's not even close. I don't regret a drat thing. This was high end done right, swank as hell, and we're already talking about going back. 2) Polynesian Resort Kamehameha Club Level This was to be the same deal as Club Level at Contemporary. I wanted to make a switch mid-week because of nostalgia. Boy, that was a mistake. What a loving mistake. 1st problem: The concierge and lounge staff have 2-3 times as many guests to handle as the staff over at the Contemporary, and it showed. 2nd problem: Sheets & pillows were old and over washed, & no bathrobes. Not even the complimentary toothbrush kits we got at Contemporary were waiting for us. 3rd problem: It has a clubhouse, but it was set at the very end of a very long building, which at the end of a day in a Disney Park is like staring at an engraved invitation to the Bataan Death March. Fourth problem: the food and drinks in the Polynesian lounge were god-loving-awful. Has any place in America been cooking Polynesian food longer and in more quantity than the WDW Polynesian Resort? It looked and tasted like a lunch time buffet at a strip club. Build your own trail mix? No way buddy, here's a big bowl of the pre-packaged mix you can buy at Whole Foods. The booze definitely did not flow willingly. Having late night access to Trader Sam’s and dole whips just didn't make up for the lousy food, the inept concierge, and the poor amenities. If you want to stay at the Poly, take a normal room. We were heartbroken to leave Disney, but not sad to check out of the Kamehameha. 3) California Grill My first thought was, how good could it be? Visions of chicken nuggets were dancing in my head as we rode up the elevator. California cuisine? Blow me, Wolfgang Puck. Man, was I wrong. What a really good loving restaurant. Chicken flatbreads and the tofu truffle roll started the meal, and both were flawless. I can still taste that truffle roll. For entrees, the pork plate was divine. Unfortunately, a major misstep happened with the seafood ramen. It was over salted gloppy mush with big hunks of seafood on top, clearly conceived by someone who thought "ramen" meant that poo poo in a styrofoam cup. I realize that this was probably meant to be a playful upscale take on college level ramen, but the menu didn't clarify that and we didn't think to ask in a place this upscale, so we were expecting you know...actual ramen. Very disappointing. But with everything else considered, plus the service and gorgeous setting, this was a meal I won't soon forget. 4) Jiko Quality on par with California Grill, and only half as crowded. It has the benefit of a chef's bar so you can watch the magic and chat with the chefs. Heirloom tomato and grape flatbread killed it, so did the naan sampler. Her steak was perfect, and my chicken was expertly cooked. Jiko gets a little more adventurous with the seasoning, but doesn't go overboard. My only complaint was the $25 valet charge at the AK Lodge for an hour long dinner. There might be a reason this place is only half full. It's a mistake to put a high end destination restaurant out in the Animal Kingdom boonies and then valet charge that high for dinner guests. It took a little bit of shine off the end of an otherwise excellent meal, and I'd hesitate to return knowing that I can just monorail it somewhere else. Still, the meal was arguably better than what we had at the California Grill, and that's really saying something. physeter fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Sep 19, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 17:17
|
|
|
I had the ramen at CG when I was there in May and it was pretty clutch. Hope it was just a bad night in soup. Now I've got a new life goal of CL level at the Contemporary, thanks to your report!
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 19:39
|
|
|
Awesome! I might have to think about the Contemporary for my next trip. We stayed in the concierge club level at the Boardwalk Inn last year (lucked into a free upgrade) and it was amazing. Wine and cordials every night, and a balcony to watch Illuminations. The breakfast food was great too. No water bottle mimosas for us, but they did always have fresh lemonade ready to go when we passed by. We spent a few late evenings just relaxing and playing board games in the club lounge, and it was every bit as memorable as our days in the parks.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 19:53
|
|
|
Crazy that there's such an obvious disparity among the deluxe resorts. Figured when you're dropping that kinda coin you could expect some consistency. I'm glad you at least had a good experience first.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 21:52
|
|
|
Bottom Liner posted:Yeah I think that's a normal universal deal, but you should get it from a better source. If you're spending more than one day at universal, you're probably better off just being an annual passholder. I live in Denver and my pass has paid for itself multiple times.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2016 20:56
|
|
|
finally http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/09/breaking-stitchs-great-escape-operate-seasonally-permanant-closure-imminent/
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 18:38
|
|
|
bring back HR Giger drat you
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 19:56
|
|
|
Finally Wreck it Ralph get an attraction! Hopefully not just a lame reskin, time for a new experience.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 20:38
|
|
|
I've been trying to talk myself out of going to WDW again so soon after going last year, and I think I'm failing. I remember reading somewhere earlier in the thread that January is the recommended time to go (I thought it was in the OP, but it isn't), but I wouldn't be able to go any time before April. Is April/May a decent time to go, or would it be better to wait until about September? I stayed at All Star Movies last time and that was perfectly fine (in fact far better than I was expecting for something labeled 'Value'), but is the upgrade to a Moderate hotel really worth it?
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 20:38
|
|
|
If you can get a deal moderate is definitely worth it. It's as nice as a deluxe level would be in a lot of places, and often for not much more than the value resorts. April can be busy with spring breakers and it's already miserably hot, but it's late Sept now and still in the 90s, so that's a wash. September crowds are generally better, most MK wait times are ~20 minutes right now. I'd say go with September-Oct unless you can get a great Spring discount on your package. Early December is the best time in my opinion, both weather and crowd wise.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 20:44
|
|
|
Anybody want to help me figure out how to split my time? Haven't gone since I was a little kid, but I'm taking my fiance from January 28 (Sat) to Feb 5 (Sat), so I need to start planning the actual "what we'll be doing". We're staying at Port Orleans, and I have 5 park hopper passes, and we want to go to Universal one day to see HP stuff. Trying to figure out the best "small crowds to best experiences to ____" ratio for the 5 Disney days we'll have.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 20:50
|
|
|
Honestly for that time of year you should be able to have a very loose schedule and fit everything in easily, even with a Universal day and a hotel/Disney Springs day. I'd plan to start each day in a different park (the ones without extra magic hours, since they will be more crowded in the mornings) and setup your fast passes to hit some highlights, take a break after lunch, have dinner, then head to whichever park you want to spend the night in (preferably whichever one has extra magic hours for the least crowds). See every nighttime show at least once, maybe do a guided tour or two, and try to get some fun restaurant reservations. If you need any specific recommendations feel free to ask, but you have ample time in what should be low crowds. I'll paste my highlights from earlier: Here's a Universal itinerary in recommended order from morning to evening (basically what my wife and I do each time we go since she doesn't do big thrill rides). If you do big coasters, squeeze them in as you pass them (Hulk, Dragon's Challenge, Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket), Islands of Adventure Storm Force Dr. Doom Spider-Man King Kong Skull Island Jurassic Park (one drop at the end like Splash Mtn) Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barge Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey Hogwarts Express which takes you over to: Universal Harry Potter & the Escape from Gringotts Men in Black Simpsons E.T. Transformers Despicable Me Nighttime tribute to movies fireworks Disney Highlights - Bolded attractions are fast pass recommendations Magic Kingdom Big Thunder Mountain Space Mountain Splash Mountain Haunted Mansion Mine Train Pirates of the Caribbean Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror Rockin' Rollercoaster Toy Story Star Tours Great Movie Ride EPCOT Soarin Test Track Mission Space Animal Kingdom Expedition Everest Dinosaur Kali River Rapids Kilimanjaro Safari Nemo Musical Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Sep 21, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 20:58
|
|
|
I haven't stayed in a moderate or deluxe, and i've never really stayed in a nice place except the Parker House in boston in my life (which is just a nicer bed) but i totally thought a value (pop century) was great and adamant. Granted we spent none of our time at the hotel and all at the parks so. And go. I am going three times in one year because I am insane. If you don't mind going late at night o na water ride Splash mountain gets like 5 minute waits after 8 PM. I think the rides better during that time also.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 21:58
|
|
|
If we aren't staying at Pop Century, which is basically our go to, we are concerned with proximity to the parks. Ease of travel is the biggest benefit of any higher end resort. Transportation is generally faster and you never have the problem of super long lines and waiting on additional busses.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 13:20
|
|
|
Looking at Food and Wine merch, and uhhh This household is far too obsessed with the Three Cabelleros to let it pass. Would anyone in the thread who's going to be at Food & Wine mind picking this up for us? I'd be happy to throw in some cash for your troubles (in addition to covering the cost of the pin and shipping, obviously). I didn't see it on the Disney Parks app. :/
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 21:09
|
|
|
If you can wait until November, I'd be happy get it for you. Otherwise, someone else going soon can do it. So there's a discount out....but it's for offsite resort guests. It's so weird. Beginning Sept. 22, 2016, for a limited time, Guests who book a Walt Disney Travel Company package at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney Springs™ Resort Area Hotels or a Walt Disney World Good Neighbor® Hotel with a minimum 3-day ticket, can enjoy the convenience of prepaid dining at Quick-Service Restaurant locations at Walt Disney World Resort. Booking dates for this additional package option are Sept. 22, 2016-April 1, 2017 and travel dates are Sept. 26, 2016-April 4, 2017. For each day of theme park admission, adults in the party will receive $40 and children will receive $15 on their Quick-Service Dine Gift Cards. However, Guests will only be charged $35 per adult/per day and $12.50 per child/per day. For example, a Guest with a 3-day ticket included in their package would receive a $120 Disney Quick-Service Dine Gift Card for only $105. A child with the same ticket would receive a $45 dine gift card for only $37.50. The Quick-Service Dine Gift Cards may be redeemed at select Quick-Service Dining locations, or food carts, in Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Water Parks, Disney Springs™ and Disney Resort hotels. You can upgrade it to standard dining up to $400 for adults and $150 for kids.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 21:30
|
|
|
Boxman posted:Looking at Food and Wine merch, and uhhh I'll look for it Tuesday
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 22:34
|
|
|
Braksgirl posted:If you can wait until November, I'd be happy get it for you. Otherwise, someone else going soon can do it. So it's like they are trying to offer a discount meal plan at resorts that don't allow meal plans. That's weird. And the deal isn't even that amazing.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 02:41
|
|
|
Yeah, it's basically "buy x amount of gift cards, get x+y gift card total". They can only be used at food places, and if I remember right they don't expire.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 10:47
|
|
|
Braksgirl posted:If you can wait until November, I'd be happy get it for you. Otherwise, someone else going soon can do it. Bottom Liner posted:I'll look for it Tuesday You both are the best. This thread. So magical. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 13:27
|
|
|
Is it sold as tres pins or uno pin?
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 13:45
|
|
|
Pretty sure it's one big pin that unfolds. There's another picture that shows it folded up. you can also see the magnets on Jose and Panchito's portions.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 13:53
|
|
|
couldcareless posted:So it's like they are trying to offer a discount meal plan at resorts that don't allow meal plans. That's weird. And the deal isn't even that amazing. No, it's not great at all. There's also an offsite room discount, or there was. I don't book much offsite so I didn't pay much attention to it. From what I understand park attendance is down, but onsite rooms are full so this is their way of trying to get people in.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 15:52
|
|
|
Just play stay and dine me disney cmon man. Please.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 19:30
|
|
|
smashtcrusht posted:Just play stay and dine me disney cmon man. Please. Wait a few more weeks.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 22:05
|
|
|
Braksgirl posted:Wait a few more weeks.  So, logistically speaking, if a discount were to come out, would reservations in the discount window need to be cancelled and rebooked or can it just be adjusted to reflect the discount?
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 22:28
|
|
|
nimper posted:
If the current reservation fits within the promo parameters AND there's availability, it can be adjusted. I do that automatically for my clients.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 22:44
|
|
|
I got a question...how come people freak out so much over Journey to Your Imagination? Is the original one that everyone loves so much that much different from the one we have now?
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 23:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 20:01 |
|
|
Icedude posted:I've been trying to talk myself out of going to WDW again so soon after going last year, and I think I'm failing. Staying at the All Stars is a game of Russian Roulette. Sure its the cheapest Disney option but that price also comes with complementary high school marching bands to wake you up every day at 5am.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2016 23:44
|
|
