Going later this summer and have only been once before. What are the musts to do for you regulars? Where to eat, what to drink, what’s cool that isn’t super popular?
OT: Disney Trip musts
- Thread starter Uncle Ruckus
- Start date
Go to Splash Mountain.**
No seriously, that was my favorite ride. My little girl loves The Princess and the Frog though, so looking forward to seeing what they do with it.
No seriously, that was my favorite ride. My little girl loves The Princess and the Frog though, so looking forward to seeing what they do with it.
Universal is good but you can ride everything in a day. Stay away from the Fast and Furious ride. Total waste of time. The Transformers ride was pretty good. If you're into Harry Potter, do the Hagrid motorbike ride first. The wait time can get up to two to three hours. Velocicoaster is also a popular ride and the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster is fun.
Disney , a True Fantasy Land.
Thread appears to have gone off the rails already, but what are you interested in?
Taking kids? Girls, boys, both? Young or old? Or is this more of an adult trip?
Staying on site or off?
Looking to ride literally everything or just the better stuff?
How many days?
On a budget or spending money like fishwater?
Taking kids? Girls, boys, both? Young or old? Or is this more of an adult trip?
Staying on site or off?
Looking to ride literally everything or just the better stuff?
How many days?
On a budget or spending money like fishwater?
If you are going with kids, what age are we talking? What your kids are able to do or have interest in doing will drive a lot of the decisions.
Looks like lines will be short
Should be some really short lines with all the people terrified of a guy at the Boutique. Guardians is the best ride there.
Yep need the details on who all you need to cater to, etc.
just know that there’s a lot that going to annoy you, mainly the genie+ system
Go to Epcot for the fireworks show.
Eat at Canada’s Le Cellier Steakhouse, it is the absolute best. Start attempting to get reservations 30 days in advance of your trip.
Eat at Canada’s Le Cellier Steakhouse, it is the absolute best. Start attempting to get reservations 30 days in advance of your trip.
I grew up near Orlando and went a lot as a kid. Have only been twice since having kids. So, definitely not an expert. But the best advice I could give is be ready to make the genie (I think that’s what’s it’s called - used to be called fast pass) reservations right at 7 AM. First day we were there 2 years ago, I got out of the shower and tried to book a few at about 7:15 AM and anything you’d want a fast pass for was already sold out for the day.
Get the fast pass or genie plus whatever they call it now and I would have alarms set every morning to sign yourself and whoever else you’re with up for whatever your priority rides are first thing at like 6/7am because the best rides will be 2-3 hour waits in the heat if you don’t have the pass.
Flight of Passage is an avatar ride and it is my personal favorite. Signed up for it like 4 times while we were there for a week last spring.
Expedition Everest is awesome
Im not even a big Star Wars guy but I was blown away with how awesome the Rise of the Resistance experience was. It’s a must do.
The slinky dog ride in Toy Story land was cool. That whole area was just really cool. I grew up in the 90’s so Toy Story was big for me.
Haunted Mansion is a nice break from the heat to be inside and in the dark and is enjoyable.
Turtle talk with crush is funny and good to get inside and cool off as well. If you’re with kids they’ll love that interaction
Guardians of Galaxy ride wasn’t open yet when we were there but I’ve heard it’s incredible.
Pirates of Caribbean ride is also nice to cool off and be inside around water but not special if you’re looking for a thrill
Flight of Passage is an avatar ride and it is my personal favorite. Signed up for it like 4 times while we were there for a week last spring.
Expedition Everest is awesome
Im not even a big Star Wars guy but I was blown away with how awesome the Rise of the Resistance experience was. It’s a must do.
The slinky dog ride in Toy Story land was cool. That whole area was just really cool. I grew up in the 90’s so Toy Story was big for me.
Haunted Mansion is a nice break from the heat to be inside and in the dark and is enjoyable.
Turtle talk with crush is funny and good to get inside and cool off as well. If you’re with kids they’ll love that interaction
Guardians of Galaxy ride wasn’t open yet when we were there but I’ve heard it’s incredible.
Pirates of Caribbean ride is also nice to cool off and be inside around water but not special if you’re looking for a thrill
Also get the park hopper pass or whatever it’s called. You can use the sky liner to go to any parks any time any day so if you’re at magic kingdom and it’s just insane that morning with crowds then you could try and park hop to animal kingdom or Hollywood studies to try and get out of the madness. Sky liner is clutch transportation.
I don’t have much to say about the food… everything is generally good because you’re exhausted and tired but also everything is stupid expensive. None were really stand out special. We had dinner at Cinderella’s castle and that was pretty cool and the food was very good I do remember that. Also the Canada steakhouse in Epcot like someone mentioned earlier is solid but be prepared to spend $200 easy for 2 people to have an appetizer, steaks, a drink or two per person and a dessert
I don’t have much to say about the food… everything is generally good because you’re exhausted and tired but also everything is stupid expensive. None were really stand out special. We had dinner at Cinderella’s castle and that was pretty cool and the food was very good I do remember that. Also the Canada steakhouse in Epcot like someone mentioned earlier is solid but be prepared to spend $200 easy for 2 people to have an appetizer, steaks, a drink or two per person and a dessert
You need someone who understands the system at Disney to explain it and recommend. You’ve got reservations and fast passes to deal with. Just buying a fast pass doesn’t just allow you to walk up and go to the front of the line, you’ve got to reserve windows of time. Some rides are worth buying the fast pass, others are ok just waiting in line. Avatar was awesome, I’ll go back just to ride it. We were fortunate to go with a couple who are annual pass holders, they knew when to arrive at rides and shows. They knew what rides to get passes for and what rides not to. It was like having our own personal tour guides.
A few tips and tricks.
Do some research on fast pass. There are ways to get a lot out of it if you use it right.
Expect to spend 2k on stuff once you get there for a family of 4 on a 7 day trip. Food is insane especially the character dinners.
Look for an after hours event while you are there. We are doing one for the first time this October. Should be basically no wait and some food is included. I’ve heard nothing but great things about them.
Do some research on fast pass. There are ways to get a lot out of it if you use it right.
Expect to spend 2k on stuff once you get there for a family of 4 on a 7 day trip. Food is insane especially the character dinners.
Look for an after hours event while you are there. We are doing one for the first time this October. Should be basically no wait and some food is included. I’ve heard nothing but great things about them.
English pub in Epcot. Got tossed out for fighting. It's a good time. Mary Poppins is across the street watching.
The easy answer is, find a Disney based travel agent. They’re free and can give u all kinds of tips for your style of group. And may can find a deal or two that aren’t publicized. They’re especially helpful with dining reservations and fast passes.
A few specific tips if u have kids:
1. Drive; and bring a bin of food and such. When kids are hungry, they’re hungry right now. Each park day we had a backpack with at least about 4 peanut butter sandwiches, 2 apples, 2 bananas, 4 packs of fruit snacks, and a bag of goldfish; just for our 5 year old. Waiting in lines with a hungry kid is no fun.
2a. If u have kids less than 10, rent a stroller. U can easily walk 7-8 miles a day there, and when you’re rushing to get to a ride, u can plop them in the stroller and zoom. And u can use it for storage while you’re on a ride. Saw lots of adults with handfuls of bags and souvenirs in their arms trying to get on rides.
2b. And like i said, rent the stroller. There’s companies that will drop it off at your resort and pick it up the day u leave. Strollers take up a lot of space in a vehicle.
3. Stay at a resort with a cafeteria. All of the value resorts and some of the medium resorts have them. They have a good variety of options, and they’re so convenient after a long day.
4. Ultimately, all of the resorts are neat in their own way. We happen to like the Port Orleans ones; they have great beignets at the French Quarter.
5,6,7. Don’t go in the summer. Yowchers.
A few specific tips if u have kids:
1. Drive; and bring a bin of food and such. When kids are hungry, they’re hungry right now. Each park day we had a backpack with at least about 4 peanut butter sandwiches, 2 apples, 2 bananas, 4 packs of fruit snacks, and a bag of goldfish; just for our 5 year old. Waiting in lines with a hungry kid is no fun.
2a. If u have kids less than 10, rent a stroller. U can easily walk 7-8 miles a day there, and when you’re rushing to get to a ride, u can plop them in the stroller and zoom. And u can use it for storage while you’re on a ride. Saw lots of adults with handfuls of bags and souvenirs in their arms trying to get on rides.
2b. And like i said, rent the stroller. There’s companies that will drop it off at your resort and pick it up the day u leave. Strollers take up a lot of space in a vehicle.
3. Stay at a resort with a cafeteria. All of the value resorts and some of the medium resorts have them. They have a good variety of options, and they’re so convenient after a long day.
4. Ultimately, all of the resorts are neat in their own way. We happen to like the Port Orleans ones; they have great beignets at the French Quarter.
5,6,7. Don’t go in the summer. Yowchers.
Ohana in the Polynesian, one of the best meals I've had. It's a hard reservation to get. Make sure you book the first minute you can it's like 60 days or something. Yak and yeti is great and good break from heat in animal kingdom. Chef arts in Disney springs. Fried chicken biscuits. Whispering cayon in the lodge. Pretty decent bbq. Fun experience with kids. Ask for ketchup. Mamma Mel Rose in Hollywood studios is good escape also with good food.
Disney can be exhausting. Take breaks. Plan them. Disney takes a lot of planning snd prep. People that I know who are miserable didn't plan enough. Make reservations for table serve. Will be hard to change them but it's possible we have done it. Be flexible and patient. Even with genie plus. Will still have to wait. YouTube has so many good bloggers to view what's new and how things were. Cast members are great too in most cases to assist.
staying on property is nice to park the car and take their bus system or sky liner. Value resorts or okay they are better than they used to be. Pop century is popular because of the skyliner and carribean beach also. Coronoda springs is nice but lot of conference people stay there or cheer competition stuff. Port Orleans is nice but if you been to New Orleans a lot that's no fun. If you are military, shades of green is very nice and very close to magic kingdom.
Disney can be exhausting. Take breaks. Plan them. Disney takes a lot of planning snd prep. People that I know who are miserable didn't plan enough. Make reservations for table serve. Will be hard to change them but it's possible we have done it. Be flexible and patient. Even with genie plus. Will still have to wait. YouTube has so many good bloggers to view what's new and how things were. Cast members are great too in most cases to assist.
staying on property is nice to park the car and take their bus system or sky liner. Value resorts or okay they are better than they used to be. Pop century is popular because of the skyliner and carribean beach also. Coronoda springs is nice but lot of conference people stay there or cheer competition stuff. Port Orleans is nice but if you been to New Orleans a lot that's no fun. If you are military, shades of green is very nice and very close to magic kingdom.
Not really advice about where to go, but if you’ve got a decent group of at least 6-8, you can rent some incredible Airbnbs in the surrounding area like around Kissimmee. Up until a couple weeks ago, we had an unbelievable 6 BR place with a pool, outdoor cooking area, game room, and all kinds of other stuff booked for a fraction of the cost of what it would cost us to rent resort rooms. Of course, the downside is that you miss out on the free transportation, but we were looking forward to the extra space during the week of Thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel because the group decided that they wanted to do Disneyland instead, and I’m still bummed
Unfortunately, we had to cancel because the group decided that they wanted to do Disneyland instead, and I’m still bummed
Don’t go, but if you must…
take a flask of rum and go into Magic Kingdom. Go straight through town square and hang a left into Pirate area. Walk up to Dole and order a large Dole Whip. Remove 1/4 of the top of Whip and empty your flask in it. Start drinking as you walk to tram. Take tram to Epcot. Start in Canada (don’t start in Mexico or you’ll never make it). Drink your way around the world. In the back of Italy is the best Italian restaurant you’ve ever been to. If you make it to Mexico, make sure you get the elote and tamales!
I didn’t take Uncle Ruckus as an adult that would go to Disney without kids*****
Just kidding with you. Hope you have fun. It’s a fun trip to watch your kids have fun but it’s a lot less stressful with no kids.
Just so you know, the staff does this to support LGBTQ rights. And that video was probably from last year, as they don't currently do that anymore. It was a one week thing. My family was there that week.
Are you threatened by a guy wearing a dress? Says more about you than that person.
Decide now that whatever happens you're not gonna get pissed off. It's the Happiest Place on Earth and you can walk around there all day watching people be miserable and making the people they're with miserable. Don't be that person. It's gonna be expensive, just be cool with that, do what others have said and find someone who's familiar to explain the system to you. It's formidable for a newcomer but it's not that complicated. Just don't be the mad parents being pissed off that stuff is expensive or that you're standing in line. It's part of it.
Also, some of the best riding happens during and after the fireworks. You can walk onto the busiest rides there right after the fireworks until close.
They don't do fast passes anymore. You have to know and understand how the genie works. You have to know how many reservations you can make for rides at any given time. You need to understand the waiting times for rides as you can book one, wait in line for another, and get two rides into the time frame of 1 ride. Save the rides with 1 hr or less wait times for your filler rides and book the longer ones as your reservations.
You have to wake up at 7 am and book all the good ones, and even then you still may not get a spot.
One tip for getting on rides with long wait times in Magic Kingdom - wait until the nighttime fireworks. So many people are just standing around watching them that some of the longer wait times get a lot shorter.
Are you already booked? If not, for adults, I would recommend universal. Better rides and much easier experience. Only reason to go to Disney to me is if you just grew up with Disney movies and still have the nostalgia for all things Disney. Disney also apparently has better food but we never do anything but the fastest options anyway. Just too many awesome places with better food for cheaper to go to to spend time scheduling around good food in Disney. But we go with kids; if we didn't have kids, maybe we'd be more willing to take time to eat.
Other than that, my question would be what do you want to do? We go with the intention of cramming as many rides and experiences in as possible. Seeing the detail that has gone into a place like the star wars area in Hollywood is cool, but we basically take that in on the way to do other things. But other people care less about the rides and want to take it in on a more leisurely pace.
Regardless, if you care about rides at all, you have to figure out the Genie+ system and lightning lane (I think that's what the separately ticketed fast pass is called now? For two rides in each park?) Wake up and spend a stressful time in the morning so that you have a less stressful time the rest of the day.
Also, if you are going without kids and care about rides at all, the rope drop is definitely worth it. If you are having to wake up kids and worrying about them not getting enough sleep and being grumpy and/or running out of steam later in the day, a little more question of if it's worth it. But unless you just hate waking up early and getting going, it's really not that early and let's you knock out a good bit quickly.
As far as what's cool that isn't super popular, the Hall of Presidents is air conditioned and a great place to crash for a break.
I would not buy Genie+ at Animal Kingdom unless you will park hop. All an adult wants to do is Flight of Passage and Everest. You are going to buy an ILL(different than Genie+) for Flight. And you go at rope drop you can ride Everest 3 times in an hour or less. I guess if you don’t want to wait in the safari or you want to ride the one where you get soaked you can get Genie +. Also after about 1 - 2 pm in every park Genie + is worthless bc the rides you want to be on aren’t available.
also research the Virtual Queue for Guardians. Its a way to get on there a second time in addition to the ILL.
also research the Virtual Queue for Guardians. Its a way to get on there a second time in addition to the ILL.
I'll second most of the requests on here. Get up early and reserve some of the more popular rides with Genie Plus. Even without it though, you can do most everything in every park except Magic Kingdom in a whole day. Best time to get some of the more popular rides is during the fireworks though. The 1.5-2 hour wait times will be like 20 minutes
Tanqeray's for live music, hope you don't mind cigarette smoke.
The Pinery is Michelin reviewed and a great upscale take on Southern/Continental fare
^This. You add, many people there will be aholes, cut in line, invade your space, etc. It's too many people in too small a space, all stressed trying to fit in too much to do in too small a time. Just go in knowing that with the attitude to let it all go. Otherwise you'll be miserable, and why bother.
Guardians of the Galaxy ride is the best. Must do in Epcot even if you are not a Marvel fan.
Avatar ride Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom is also awesome. Definitely hit up the safari ride in Animal Kingdom also. Go right before the park closes to see the animals roaming around, during the day most are just laying around.
Avatar ride Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom is also awesome. Definitely hit up the safari ride in Animal Kingdom also. Go right before the park closes to see the animals roaming around, during the day most are just laying around.
Not saying you should avoid Disney because it's managed and operated by a bunch of woke, godless democrats...
But I'm saying (from loads of experience) you'll be better off financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually taking your kids hiking and camping or to the beach. Play putt-putt, go to a water park, trampoline park. Or play a board game.
Disney is so NOT worth what you pay for and go through.
But if you gotta go, you gotta go:
Magic Kingdom for the Kids if they are on the young side.
Epcot Fireworks.
Avoid snack and quick eats purchases. Take the time to dine. Best Food Places: Takumi Tie (no children), Victoria and Alberts (no children), Satuli Canteen, Nomad Lounge, Sanaa, Ohana, Tusker House.
The best rides: Expedition Everest, SW Rise of the Resistance, Soarin,' Guardians, Mine Train, Rock-n-Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror
For nostalgia do the Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Expedition, and Small World,
And ride Brer Rabbits Splash Mountain before they turn it into Trans Mountain, if they haven't already.
But I'm saying (from loads of experience) you'll be better off financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually taking your kids hiking and camping or to the beach. Play putt-putt, go to a water park, trampoline park. Or play a board game.
Disney is so NOT worth what you pay for and go through.
But if you gotta go, you gotta go:
Magic Kingdom for the Kids if they are on the young side.
Epcot Fireworks.
Avoid snack and quick eats purchases. Take the time to dine. Best Food Places: Takumi Tie (no children), Victoria and Alberts (no children), Satuli Canteen, Nomad Lounge, Sanaa, Ohana, Tusker House.
The best rides: Expedition Everest, SW Rise of the Resistance, Soarin,' Guardians, Mine Train, Rock-n-Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror
For nostalgia do the Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Expedition, and Small World,
And ride Brer Rabbits Splash Mountain before they turn it into Trans Mountain, if they haven't already.
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