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I'm doing a few nights in WDW in May and will be traveling solo, staying on-site (pop century). I've got a pretty good idea of what I want to do/see on this trip (haven't been to the Florida parks in ~15 years), but I would appreciate some food recommendations. Mainly looking for whichever sit-down places have bar/lounge seating that don't need a reservation, my budget is pretty open. I won't have a car, but anything I can get to in the parks/hotels/disney springs via disney's transit should be fine. My only real preference would be to probably avoid anything asian, I know Morimoto and some (all?) of the epcot Japan places are supposed to be good, but I live in Korea and go to Japan regularly so I'd prefer to splurge on something I can't get here.
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Mar 29, 2024 04:30
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Just most places in Epcot and Hollywood got you covered via skyline accessable good dining as does the boardwalk
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Mar 29, 2024 04:44
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 Is it just me or does this look like a giant weed nug?
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Mar 29, 2024 05:56
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astr0man posted:I'm doing a few nights in WDW in May and will be traveling solo, staying on-site (pop century). I've got a pretty good idea of what I want to do/see on this trip (haven't been to the Florida parks in ~15 years), but I would appreciate some food recommendations. Mainly looking for whichever sit-down places have bar/lounge seating that don't need a reservation, my budget is pretty open. I won't have a car, but anything I can get to in the parks/hotels/disney springs via disney's transit should be fine.
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Mar 29, 2024 06:38
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:Is it just me or does this look like a giant weed nug? Sir, this is a Christian state where 'woke' goes to die. Only the Californian one looks like that.
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Mar 29, 2024 06:44
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CapnAndy posted:I'm not sure how reasonable an ask not needing a reservation is. Why not get reservations? I'm not strictly opposed to it, but when it's only me I generally prefer just eating at a bar instead of taking up a dining room table, and I was under the impression that most of the bar/lounge seating at WDW doesn't require reservations e: I guess I'm also the kind of person that tends to not pre-plan/make reservations for meals when I travel. I generally just keep an open a schedule as much as possible just go with whatever seems good on a given day. And yeah, I get that with disney there's some things you have to pre-plan, and I do already have reservations for stuff like Oga's. astr0man fucked around with this message at 08:09 on Mar 29, 2024 |
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Mar 29, 2024 08:03
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:
I imagine they’re trying hard to downplay the “mountain” appearance since the premise is now a salt dome in the Louisiana bayou But yeah it’s just you 
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Mar 29, 2024 17:05
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The best QS restaurant is Satuuli in AK, but that's basically poke bowls.
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Mar 29, 2024 17:13
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Anyone ever stayed at one of the two Hiltons next to Disney Springs? Seems like the fact that they use their own buses that run every half hour is a deal breaker.
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Mar 30, 2024 00:44
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Fartington Butts posted:Anyone ever stayed at one of the two Hiltons next to Disney Springs? Seems like the fact that they use their own buses that run every half hour is a deal breaker. It really just depends. I haven't personally stayed there, but I know people who have and they took the bus in the morning and ubered at night and it worked great.
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Mar 30, 2024 02:09
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The Disney Springs Resort Area (or whatever the official name is) hotel busses are way more reliable than Good Neighbor hotels.
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Mar 30, 2024 02:19
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Fartington Butts posted:Anyone ever stayed at one of the two Hiltons next to Disney Springs? Seems like the fact that they use their own buses that run every half hour is a deal breaker. Why? We’ve stayed at the Disney Springs Doubletree countless times and the other Hilton once or twice when we wanted a more relaxing trip within walking distance of DS. Obviously if you’re going hard and want to rope drop or whatever then you should rent a car, but they’re both about as good as you can get for off-park hotels.
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Mar 30, 2024 14:31
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We are going to be in San Diego for the first week of May. I lived there 25 years ago and want to take my wife to one of my favorite parks while we are there. Is Sea World worth visiting still? We aren’t interested in the rides, more so seeing animals and shows. Is there a day of the week where the crowds at Disneyland are drastically lower?
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Mar 30, 2024 15:27
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If you want to see animals, go to the zoo. As far as Disney, when? It varies wildly, so knowing a specific date would be useful.
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Mar 30, 2024 15:46
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If you want to meet animals and the ethical concerns of captive dolphins don't bother you, go to Discovery Cove (same parent company, much better presentation, less depressed animals because they only have to deal with humans and not humans+ride noise). SeaWorld itself has actively put effort into de-emphasizing all the live animal stuff since Blackfish came out, and at this point they're basically just waiting for the orcas to die as they build enough rides and attractions to finally shutter the zoo elements.
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Mar 30, 2024 18:02
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That’s on the opposite side of the country though.
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Mar 30, 2024 18:42
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Fartington Butts posted:Anyone ever stayed at one of the two Hiltons next to Disney Springs? Seems like the fact that they use their own buses that run every half hour is a deal breaker. Hi. Resident "Always stays at Hilton because of employee rate hotels' guy here. There's actually three if you include the double tree. Those buses do indeed run every thirty minutes and they're always on time, if not early. I've had better luck with those than actual WDW resort buses. They do not run for specially ticketed events though so keep that in mind. Another downside is, as always, DAK. If you want early entry for DAK you have to catch like a 630am bus lol. Also, Buena Vista Palace (the tower hotel), Buena Vista Hilton (large one) and the Buena Vista Doubletree all have early park entry, which even at Hilton Honors rates, makes them far and away the cheapest way to get early park entry in the WDW bubble. The hotels are genuinely pretty nice and have a full amenity suite, as well as a very hilarious slew of DVD rental kiosks in 2024. The on-site restaurants are good, staff is friendly, and Palace has a very nice lazy river. Signia Bonnet Creek is nicer, but since it's all-inclusive and Waldorf tier it's more expensive across the board. I've made no bones about it that I don't see the value in WDW resorts since you're paying about $100 a night premium and the amenities just aren't that great. I think there was a point where even the lower tier WDW resorts were nice stays, but that was a long time ago. Now that pretty much every medium tier hotel has an on-site restaurant, fitness center, and fairly nice pool, it just doesn't make sense. The shuttles aren't even a Hilton thing. You can get them from any of the DS hotels. I think there's even like, Holiday Inns, hell, maybe even a best western plus? But yes in short, those hotels offer early park entry (which means beating the rush to Rise, Pandora, Frozen/Remy, 7DMT), have functional shuttles, and are generally nicer and cheaper than WDW in that tier. With regards to early park entry at WDW, there's nothing on your ticket or account that indicates you have it. You effectively have to show your room key or reservation. I always use digital key with my phone and I've had at least one case where I had to have a cast member ask someone else to verify that my hotel got early entry because they weren't aware of it. I do plan on asking if there's an easier way to do this when I'm down there in May because I don't like being an inconvenience to cast members. There may be something the hotel has or can do to alleviate that, but if they do, I'm not unaware of it. I just want to say on the other side of the coin, I usually stay on property at Universal (Usually Aventura). They actually have a full amenity suite so I have no reason not to. Big downside to Lowes hotels is everything below Sapphire Falls is not pet friendly, which is a negative for some. I don't travel with my dog because she'd be a terrible anxious mess, but some people do.
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Mar 30, 2024 18:42
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That helps a lot and has me leaning more towards the Hiltons. I'm planning a trip for the beginning of November. I's a solo trip so I'm leaning towards cheaper which means Pop Century or non-Disney. Right now they're both in the $200-250 per night range. Also good to know about the funkiness to early entry. I can't stand rope dropping, but will probably get to AK early since I haven't done FoP.
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Mar 30, 2024 19:36
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Aphrodite posted:That’s on the opposite side of the country though. Whoops, mixed up my SeaWorlds. The other stuff still stands, though.
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Mar 30, 2024 19:51
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Yeah, SeaWorld has really been emphasizing their rides over the animals in recent years. If you’re in San Diego, I’d do the Wild Animal Park if I really wanted to see the animals anyways.
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Mar 30, 2024 20:14
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Akileese posted:Hi. Resident "Always stays at Hilton because of employee rate hotels' guy here. There's actually three if you include the double tree. Those buses do indeed run every thirty minutes and they're always on time, if not early. I've had better luck with those than actual WDW resort buses. They do not run for specially ticketed events though so keep that in mind. Another downside is, as always, DAK. If you want early entry for DAK you have to catch like a 630am bus lol. This is really helpful. What are the cons staying at one of those Hilton's like the Double Tree? If I book it through the WDW site as part of a package, can I do all my dining/experience reservations 60 days out like if I were staying at a WDW place?
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Mar 30, 2024 21:30
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Jose Oquendo posted:This is really helpful. What are the cons staying at one of those Hilton's like the Double Tree? If I book it through the WDW site as part of a package, can I do all my dining/experience reservations 60 days out like if I were staying at a WDW place? I believe so but I book direct through Hilton since I get team member rate (I also have a WDW AP). The cons of the doubletree specifically is in hotel dining is lacking. They have a breakfast buffet that's okay, but their evening offering is just bar food. So if you don't want to walk to another hotel or springs you're kinda out of luck there. Other than that, I really like that one. I do prefer the citywalk Orlando doubletree but it's way too far from WDW for a full stay. Fartington Butts posted:That helps a lot and has me leaning more towards the Hiltons. I'm planning a trip for the beginning of November. I's a solo trip so I'm leaning towards cheaper which means Pop Century or non-Disney. Right now they're both in the $200-250 per night range. Also good to know about the funkiness to early entry. I'm going May 9th to 12th. I've got an evening flight so I'm leaving my bags with the desk while I go to DAK for early entry. It looks like on 'slower' days, DAK is opening at 9 now so keep that in mind when wondering about early entry. Akileese fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Mar 30, 2024 |
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Mar 30, 2024 22:07
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Roadie posted:If you want to meet animals and the ethical concerns of captive dolphins don't bother you, go to Discovery Cove (same parent company, much better presentation, less depressed animals because they only have to deal with humans and not humans+ride noise). SeaWorld itself has actively put effort into de-emphasizing all the live animal stuff since Blackfish came out, and at this point they're basically just waiting for the orcas to die as they build enough rides and attractions to finally shutter the zoo elements. Discovery Cove is great because you can gorge yourself on "free" food and icees and then lounge in their giant lazy river all day. All I really want in life tbh.
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Mar 30, 2024 22:47
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Jose Oquendo posted:This is really helpful. What are the cons staying at one of those Hilton's like the Double Tree? If I book it through the WDW site as part of a package, can I do all my dining/experience reservations 60 days out like if I were staying at a WDW place? No, that’s for Disney owned hotels and Shades of Green only.
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Mar 30, 2024 23:15
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Roadie posted:If you want to meet animals and the ethical concerns of captive dolphins don't bother you, go to Discovery Cove (same parent company, much better presentation, less depressed animals because they only have to deal with humans and not humans+ride noise). SeaWorld itself has actively put effort into de-emphasizing all the live animal stuff since Blackfish came out, and at this point they're basically just waiting for the orcas to die as they build enough rides and attractions to finally shutter the zoo elements. Discovery Cove is actually okay. As an analogy, you’re petting the doggies, not watching them fight. They have to treat their animals with compassion, because their animals interact with untrained strangers on a daily basis.
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Mar 31, 2024 00:27
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It makes me insane that Sea World is AZA accredited. It shouldn't be. Also, I believe swolfin is also included in the 60 days stuff regarding dining.
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Mar 31, 2024 02:39
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Aphrodite posted:No, that’s for Disney owned hotels and Shades of Green only. Is this a different 60 day rule? Like, 60 days from your stay, so you have an extra 1-5 days to book your reservations?
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Mar 31, 2024 16:46
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Akileese posted:Is this a different 60 day rule? Like, 60 days from your stay, so you have an extra 1-5 days to book your reservations? Yeah. You can book all of your stay (*up to 10 days max I think) 60 days out from the first day of your stay, so you get a leg up on the others.
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Mar 31, 2024 16:52
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Offsite hotels book Dining at 30 days out and they have to do it one day at a time.
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Mar 31, 2024 17:05
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No, it’s still 60 you just have to wait day by day.
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Mar 31, 2024 17:08
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Jose Oquendo posted:This is really helpful. What are the cons staying at one of those Hilton's like the Double Tree? If I book it through the WDW site as part of a package, can I do all my dining/experience reservations 60 days out like if I were staying at a WDW place? Honestly I think the only con is you don’t get the delightful resort channel provided by the on-park hotels. We’ve never had a bad experience— the staff is fantastic, the amenities are just as good, and unlike Akileese I’m not being paid to say this as a Hilton employee.
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Mar 31, 2024 17:32
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Hazo posted:Honestly I think the only con is you don’t get the delightful resort channel provided by the on-park hotels. Hey now, I'm not paid to say anything! Also, if you look carefully at my verbiage, I never say I'm an employee, I just have the ability to book at TM rates! Jokes aside, I will say is if I have to choose between booking like Buena Vista Palace for the $300s (which can happen), I'd probably just stay at a WDW resort. They are really nice, but if I'm paying anything near Caribbean Beach rates, I'm gonna stay there for the Skyliner access. The prices and amenities are the big advantage, but once those prices get leveled out, there's not really a reason to stay there anymore. It's why I almost always book my HHN hotel about 9 months out. That Doubletree is nearly impossible to book at TM, or even F&F rate, and the honors price is about the same as dockside. So for $20 more a night, I'd just book Aventura for the buses and boats. It also doesn't help that the Doubletree is the only halfway decent Hilton property within walking distance to UO. Everything else is either a home2 suites or the most cursed Hampton Inn you've ever seen. I stayed there once for a single night when I felt like doing an extra day, but couldn't book anything else and boy that place sucks. I would have been better off just paying whatever it would have cost me to stay literally anywhere else.
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Mar 31, 2024 18:55
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Aphrodite posted:No, it’s still 60 you just have to wait day by day. My bad. I could swear it used to be 30. I never book offsite.
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Mar 31, 2024 22:49
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Sivart13 posted:the only good things about Star Wars these days are Star Tours and Rise, so I'm always pro more Star Tours I wasn't planning on returning to Disneyland next year but I might sneak back just to see my boy Andor
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Apr 1, 2024 20:06
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Sivart13 posted:update: I've now watched all of Andor so I'm comfortable adding Andor to the short list of good star war things If Andor isn't the scene from The Eye then I'm going to cry.
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Apr 2, 2024 01:32
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Paul Proteus posted:If Andor isn't the scene from The Eye then I'm going to cry. From the announcement, the only new location is an Ahsoka thing. Andor and Mando are just around for the interstitials. I think The Eye would be extremely disorienting in 3D but I will put a special hope in the hoping box that someday a full 3D Andor adventure comes to your favorite theme park
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Apr 2, 2024 02:21
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The LA Times posted:In news shared exclusively with The Times ahead of this column’s publication — after several weeks of my prodding the company for answers on the future of Autopia — Disney officials revealed that pure gasoline engines are on their way out. "a roadmap" for "the next few years" ? should include a bulldozer to get rid of the whole thing tbh
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Apr 2, 2024 15:30
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I'm not sure how much research you need to do beyond googling "electric go-karts is that a thing y/n"
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Apr 2, 2024 16:40
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I can't believe we haven't heard of long term health problems from that ride because those fumes are incredibly strong.
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Apr 2, 2024 16:44
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Sivart13 posted:I'm not sure they're really gonna replace the cars or they just got tired of this guy's emails. If I had to speculate (and just to be clear, this is pure speculation) the problem they’re running into is that any motor with enough torque to move the ride vehicles can also move them fast enough to make them unsafe. Sure, you can install limiters and safety cutoffs, but all of that can be bypassed if you have half an idea of what you’re doing. And recorded on camera and posted to YouTube. A leaf blower engine has an upper limit.
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Apr 2, 2024 17:09
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