Gabe Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 And then reverse the process to leave. Leaving KI at close is hard enough. Me prefer Disneyland to WDW, anytime. Stay on property ;-) In May I was at the Wilderness Lodge. Transportation was a snap - you just had to do a little homework before-hand to know what shuttles. The trade-off with Disneyland (I've been there too) is that although it's easier to access... and it's Walts original vision... the park is VERY confined and congested. It's also surrounded by, um, not so nice visuals (although you can't see them while in the park... none the less they are there as soon as you leave property!) Dinseyland definitely has a more intimate feel... but it doesn't provide the escapism of WDW property IMO. Shaggy Agreed--stay anywhere on property, then take a bus right to the front gate. Just dont try getting to the MK by bus or car immediately after the disney marathon..wow, that was an experience. I like a lot of the CA version of the rides better at DL but the park is def constrained by its borders..which is part of the reason Walt went wild so to speak when purchasing land for WDW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Screaming_Chicken Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 I love Magic Kingdom. I will admit I do enjoy Tower of Terror at DHS and I haven't been on it yet but I hear great things about Living Seas:With Nemo and Friends. Also, I hear WDW Resort is getting Carsland. Which is okay with me I enjoy that movie..but my favorite is Finding Nemo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Ah I simply cannot wait. I'll be in Walt Disney World for the first time as a father with our 2 and 6 year old girls, arriving about a month after this coaster is scheduled to open. I have a very good friend who is an "imagineer" who is working on this ride, and according to him, they are a bit ahead of schedule. The "tilting" cars will provide a great experience...now we just need a "Temple of Doom Mine Ride" (sorry...boyhood fantasy). I honestly don't know who is more excited...myself our the kids. You will have a great time. I liked going to WDW before I had a child, but it's so much better now. We took GatorGirl there for the first time when she was only 20 months old. A lot of people criticized us for that, saying "She's too young, she's not going to remember anything!" Our response: "Who cares? She'll still have fun, and WE'LL remember it!" We have some great video of that trip. I love reliving her reaction (mouth wide open, heading turning all around) to see all the action in "it's a small world", her first ride on Prince Charming's Royal Carousel, burying her head in my shoulder when Malificent appeared, intently watching the Spectromagic parade, nodding off in the stroller as I put her Mickey ears on her for the first time at the end of the night, and so much more. She loves watching that too, and despite the naysayers, can relive those memories that way. Two years ago she got her first ride on Space Mountain (her 10th coaster credit... what can I say, I wanted a special one for that milestone) and loved it. We're heading down next week (DHS on the 16th, MK on the 17th) and she is most looking forward to her first ride on Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I swear everyone on here has the exact opposite opinions of me, haha... I love that about it. It really feels like you're entering a new world, away from everything else. Especially riding the ferryboat to Magic Kingdom; say bye to the rest of the resort and say hello to a different land! This is about the only thing you've said in this topic that I agree with you on! I love taking the boat in the morning and "sailing to a magical land." Yes, it takes extra time and requires getting there earlier than if the parking lot was right next to the park, but what a great way to start the day! We take the monorail at the end of the night, which provides a fast (and AIR CONDITIONED!) ride back to the parking lot. (There's a great article about the TTC, or Ticket and Transportation Center, why it was built, and why there are boats and monorails to MK here: http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2011/04/transportation_and_ticket_cent.html). OK, I also agree with you on Stitch's Great Escape. What a Great Waste of Time that was. This week I had everyone in the family rate each attraction and show with either a "1: Absolutely, positvely have to do!", "2: Do if we have time", "3: Don't mind skipping" or "X: Absolutely do NOT want to do!" Stitch and Swiss Family Treehouse are the only two things that all three of us rated with an X (if Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey was still at DHS I would have rated that with an X too). And yes, I averaged all the scores in an Excel speadsheet and put the attractions in order from most excited for to least excited for. OK, I'm a geek, but I just wanted to prioritze our days. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenageninja Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I thought Stitch was interesting, but we didn't really wait for anything while we were there, so I didn't mind spending the 10-15 minutes on it. Also, The Living Seas with Nemo was great. My girlfriend loved The Little Mermaid, I appreciated it. The Mine Train does look pretty awesome, it was heavily under construction when I was there in early May. I actually saw a special on Travel Channel and they were showing some of the preliminary testing for the test rigs for the cars, it was very cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Could you imagine using the snow white set up (coaster to be built at wdw) for a smurf adventure ride! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Or better yet, a Smurf boat ride! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 (Among the many reasons I so adore the California Disney complex...the original). I love them both but because Walt had his hand on nearly every project there, it's more personal and nostalgic. Pirates of the Caribbean is nearly 15 minutes long and much more extensive.....the whole mystique of the haunted mansion, the stories behind its creation and it's end result are fascinating. Plus the park is quaint and kind of reminds me of Old Coney (for a very good reason!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vortexfan Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 So when is Seven Dwarves Mine Train supposed to officially open? It seems like it has been under construction for an eternity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 The mountain itself is done, but all the interior theming remains. The ride is officially set to open in the spring of 2014, but knowing Disney, I would not be shocked to see a soft open sometime in February. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I'm so glad they went with the SDMT rather than an all princess theme. I'm glad someone stood up to say the princess theming was gender biased. I'm certain that it will be a very fun ride and I can't wait to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 That princess theming has made Disney a LOT of money in recent years, so dont be so quick to dismiss it. The SDMT was in direct response to the need for a new snow white dark ride to replace SWSA, which is now being revamped for a princess meet and greet. Being Disney, they decided to take Uncle Walt's advice and see how they could 'plus' the new ride. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel_SoB_fan Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Seven Dawrfs Mine Ride completed it's first drop test today. http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/09/behind-the-scenes-seven-dwarfs-mine-train-car-completes-drop-test-at-magic-kingdom-park/?CMP=SOC-WDWFY12Q2FBDM0723 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Kinda Guy Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I have to say, the new Fantasyland at WDW MK is absolutely incredible! The Beast/Belle/Gaston portion is so well done words cant describe it. It blends into the old Fantasyland like perfection! Agreed. Took the wife and kids there in May as well and we were blown away by the attention to detail. The "Be Our Guest Restaurant," is probably the best looking theme park restaurant I've ever been in and the customer service was top notch. We only went there for lunch and have yet to experience dinner there. I guess that just gives us another reason to go back! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Seven Dawrfs Mine Ride completed it's first drop test today. http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/09/behind-the-scenes-seven-dwarfs-mine-train-car-completes-drop-test-at-magic-kingdom-park/?CMP=SOC-WDWFY12Q2FBDM0723 It's stiil 2-3 months away from opening. If they can't get it open before the busy holiday season, they won't soft open it during the crush of holiday visitors, who already likely on edge from waiting in lots of other lines! Holidays are pretty at WDW for sure, but best to visit now-mid november and again after New Years-March (MLK wknd isnt bad, but marathon wknd can be hectic!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I have to say, the new Fantasyland at WDW MK is absolutely incredible! The Beast/Belle/Gaston portion is so well done words cant describe it. It blends into the old Fantasyland like perfection! Agreed. Took the wife and kids there in May as well and we were blown away by the attention to detail. The "Be Our Guest Restaurant," is probably the best looking theme park restaurant I've ever been in and the customer service was top notch. We only went there for lunch and have yet to experience dinner there. I guess that just gives us another reason to go back! I ate there back in April for dinner and it was an experience. The food was decent (nothing to write home about), but every 30 minutes they introduced The Beast and invited guests to have their pic taken with him in the library. They walked you back to your table while you held a candlebra which of course looked like Lumerire. We ate in the West Wing, which was a somewhat quieter experience. Plus, you get the added bonus of watching the rose petals fall off and the portrait going through a transformation. Dinner reservations are still tough to get..plan on making them at least 6 months out (if you're staying on property you can make them even further out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I too ate Dinner at Beasts Castle. We were in the main hall which was fine, but I think I would have preferred the West Wing. I did go in and observe the Rose petals and The Beast Painting transformation. We made our reservations MONTHS in advance, and rightly so. They were turning people away by the dozens while we were there. BTW, Enchanted Tales with Belle was one heck of a heartwarming experience. It's geared to little, little, LITTLE kids... but it was overwhelming to see their response. It made me *misty* to see those little tots light up when they saw Lumiere and Belle!!! Shaggy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 ^^Hearing about stuff like that makes me wish I did do Disney as a kid....Being my age today the park really isn't marketed towards me whatsoever except for a few thrill rides and stuff, but that's here and there, the overall magic...it's gone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Devarious, it is a chance to be a kid again....I love the place..... I don't have kids, but it's a chance to relive those fond memories of youth when everything was clean and pure of heart. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I love a good topic on visiting Disney. This has become a passion for my family and I. Haven taken Little Miss RailRider every year for the past 4 years, we have become very fond of the place and the Magic it creates. She is only 6, so I agree start when your kids are young and go often. Please, please, please do some planning before you go. A good strategy for Disney is invaluable. Thanks to advice from Avatar early on and lots of research and experience I can plan and execute a Disney trip pretty well. EasyWDW is a great site for touring advice and KennythePirate offers some great tips on finding characters. I must share some of our most recent pics from our trip in July. Yes we went in July and still waited no more than 5 minutes for anything. FastPassing Mickey is the only way to go (Secret is this Mickey FP is not on the Network so you can pull it and the TownHall Princesses at the same time) The new Pete's Silly Sideshow Meet N Greet is great (See Minnie and Daisy first, their line builds faster than Donald and Goofys) MK morning Tip, Grab your Fast Passes for PeterPan, then head to Belles Enchanted Tale, Ride the Little Mermaid, Meet Ariel afterwards, and then catch you FP on Pan. No wait. Having done both Bipiti Bopiti Botique and the Pirates League, my little Princess much prefers the Pirates League. I concur 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 If you get a chance to ever go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, it is so cool. The kids and their parents dress in costume and go trick or treating for candy throughout the park. They have special shows and parades with Disney characters dressed in Halloween costumes. There were projections on the castle of ghosts rising from the moat to fly up the turrets. Costumes are not required but it was so cool to see parents participating with their children. We saw plenty of father/son pirates and mother/daughter princesses. The Haunted Mansion was the centerpiece that night and the employees went all out to make your mansion visit as creepy as possible. It was fun fun fun!!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Agreed 100% about MNSSHP, we did that for the first time last September and it was Awesome. My daughter did the Pirates League before the party started and my wife and I rocked Pirate attire also. Very fun the trick or treat in the Kingdom. The Headless Horseman Ride at the start of the parade is awesome as is the parade itself. A very neat event. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTD-120-420 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I resemble that remark.... Well now you know for sure...... (Dave Gaffigan is hilarious!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheikra_rocks Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Another new ride for me in 2014! I will be going to Disney around the same time as when I go for Falcon's Fury. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTD-120-420 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I resemble that remark.... Well now you know for sure...... (Dave Gaffigan is hilarious!) It's Jim Gaffigan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Jim...Dave...what's in a name....LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I am planning to go in Jan (MLK wknd) and was just searching for reservations for BOG (since ill be with my 6 yr old this time)..lo and behold they had availability each night I'm there (albeit around 9). However...go to the check in desk at the base of the castle if you want to eat earlier and ask if they can get you in before then..no guarantees, but they will try and make it happen. Not knowing our exact plan at this time, I went ahead and reserved a time for each night..be aware, though that your reservation must be tied to a CC and if you dont show, you are charged $10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Be Our Guest is amazing, but I would suggest eating there towards the end of Lunch, around 2:00. No reservations and usually not much of a wait, plus the meal for lunch is much cheaper. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 the tradeoff is you are limited in where you can sit. I dont believe the west wing is open for lunch, but then again there are rooms open for lunch that are not open for dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Yes the West Wing is open for lunch as it the Grand Ballroom and what I refer to as the Music Box Room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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