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Having just returned from our longest ever trip to Walt Disney World, I thought I’d share some impressions before they fade into the void my memory has become. This trip was unique for us in two respects:
- We drove from New York to Florida, rather than fly, for the first time;
- We had 15 nights in Orlando, with 14 spent on Disney property.
Here are some thoughts, perceptions, insights and (because no column of mine would be complete without it) complaints.
Length of Stay
While most of our Walt Disney World trips fall into the six- to seven-night range, this one was significantly longer. Was 15 days at Walt Disney World too much? Uh… heck, no! There were still things we didn’t do and items that were “on my list” that didn’t get accomplished. However, I will say that our touring style was much more relaxed. Having the luxury of such a long stay, we’d find ourselves making frequent, but shorter, visits to a park; sometimes heading to a park just for an attraction or two, a parade, or fireworks. However, and this is important, we were never bored.
Park Peeves
Park Peeves, those little things that frost my cake, became a franchise topic for me. I authored the first Peeves column in 2008, and followed that with an annual article, until it sort of ran out of steam in 2013. I include it here for two specific references from my columns in 2008 and 2009, respectively:
- The Center Talkers — We’ve all seen this group of four to 12 people who decide to circle and have a conclave in the center of a walkway, aisle or anywhere else it forces others to detour around them.
- The Scusemes — You’re in line at (insert attraction name here) when, from behind, you hear the repetitive chant, “Scuseme. Scuseme.” It’s often followed by, “Just joining my party.” I’ve often said I have some tolerance for a single person, or parent/child, that required a restroom break (although I would prefer if the entire party waited). What I have no tolerance for is when one or two people enter a queue while the other two, three, four or more are getting FastPasses or on another attraction.
During this trip, we saw more Center Talkers than ever before. They seemed to be everywhere and, more often than not, they were stopped with an open park map and the discussion was one of the “Where do we go next?” variety.
The Scusemes, on the other hand, were nowhere to be found. Has Disney somehow discovered a way to eliminate this behavior? I think a more likely explanation is that with extensive use of the Fastpass+ system, we spent almost no time in the lengthy “E-ticket” queues (e.g. – Soarin’, Toy Story Midway Mania, Test Track, etc.) where this behavior is prominent.
I’m also adding a new item to my list of Park Peeves: The Selfie Stick. I’d never seen one before this trip but they were everywhere at Disney World and, I’m told, everywhere else, as well. They seem innocent enough—a simple tool that one would attach a smart phone to for the purpose of taking self-portraits or “selfies.” The problem is they’re being waved around like light sabers in crowds and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets stabbed or slapped with one… or worse. Additionally, they’re being held aloft during shows, parades and fireworks, presumably for video recording. While one or two isn’t too bad, a dozen or more is a real nuisance.
The "Selfie Stick" - tool or weapon? Photo by Steve Russo.
Fastpass+
In my opinion, I think Disney’s Next Generation Initiative, now termed “My Magic+” is unquestionably a hit. We used the Fastpass+ system extensively (as in every day) and it’s the best. I know there are those that quibble and nitpick the things it can’t yet do, but it allows you to stroll into a park each and every day with three Fastpass tickets in your virtual pocket. To me, that’s a win.
My Disney Experience
Occasionally, this is all I see. Photo by Steve Russo.
I’m less in love with the smart phone app, My Disney Experience, but that’s only because it seems to lack consistency. When it’s working, it’s great at showing my reservations (hotel, dining and Fastpass reservations) and providing wait times for the attractions around me or in other parks. My issues include a couple of times when it’s Wait Times were off-the-wall inaccurate and several times where the app simply stopped working or “hung” – forcing me to end it and restart.
Magic Bands
Just part of my collection. Photo by Steve Russo.
First, let me say that Disney needs to do a better job of recognizing when you have existing and usable Magic Bands and stop issuing additional ones. We now have a collection of 10. That said, I love being able to leave my hotel room without having to bring along my Key to the World card, Annual Pass and credit cards. The single Magic Band does it all.
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
The new lobby. Photo by Steve Russo.
The resort’s lobby has undergone a complete makeover. I know that many people don’t like it – mostly the folks that are long-time “Poly” fans. I do. I think it’s more open, airy and cleaner looking while still conveying the Pacific Island feel.
I know many lament the loss of the waterfall and reduced flora. I have no inside information here, but have heard that Florida law requiring increased UV protection in skylights might have led to reducing the foliage. I also once spoke with a bartender at the Tambu Lounge who told me about the extensive cleaning they did each night during closing. It was necessary to wipe down each bottle due to the high moisture levels caused by the lobby’s waterfall. Again, these could be myth.
Festival of the Lion King
Festival of the Lion King. Photo by Steve Russo.
I think I’ve seen this show 20-30 times and I’m still entertained by each performance.
Frozen Is Everywhere
From the Maryland Welcome Center to... Photo by Steve Russo.
... Norway's Stave Church. Photo by Steve Russo.
I found a large Frozen display in the Maryland Welcome Center of all places. It’s everywhere at Walt Disney World – even in Norway’s Stave Church. Mind you, I’m not saying this is a bad thing—just pointing it out. The real negative in it are the way too many comments asking Disney to “Let it Go.” If I never hear that feeble attempt at humor again, it will be too soon.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Elsa singing... what's the name of that song? Photo by Steve Russo.
I enjoyed the film and I like the music, but I wasn’t expecting much from this show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. What I was expecting was a few hundred pre-pubescent girls shouting the lyrics to “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” I did get that but… I was pleasantly surprised by the humorous retelling of the story by a couple of Arendelle’s Royal Historians. The music was good but what sold me was the humor. If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend you give this show a shot on your next visit.
Christmas Decorations
It absolutely amazes me how quickly Christmas decorations are installed and removed at the resorts and parks. In many cases, they’re literally gone overnight.
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Photo by Steve Russo.
We were lucky enough to catch the final showing of the Osborne Lights for this season and, as always, they were spectacular.
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop
I am so glad Ghirardelli hasn’t chosen to build anywhere near where I live. I thank you, my waistline thanks you, my cholesterol levels thank you…
Electric Scooters
Our daughter and her family were with us for part of this trip and, due to an unfortunate accident resulting in a broken foot, our son-in-law made use of an electric scooter. I don’t think there is anywhere on the planet more equipped to deal with folks confined to a scooter or wheelchair than Walt Disney World. It wasn’t all pain-free but the designers and cast members made it as easy as possible.
Disney PhotoPass
We’ve all likely posed for a photo or two in the parks with one of the many PhotoPass photographers. I’m wondering what technology is at work when I receive a link to my photos and find pictures and video of me and my party on several attractions (i.e. – Expedition Everest, The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror). I’m reasonably certain they’re scanning Magic Bands somewhere near the ride loading point, but I’m going to have to look closer to find it.
Fantasmic!
Still fantastic. Photo by Steve Russo.
Like the Festival of the Lion King, it just doesn’t get old for me.
The Dragon
So impressive. Photo by Steve Russo.
I’m not a parade guy – really. However, we did take in the Festival of Fantasy Parade at the Magic Kingdom – just to see the dragon. The steampunk, Maleficent-inspired dragon is huge and spits fire and did not disappoint. Did I mention it’s huge?
Chef Mickey’s
I once wrote a column about the character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at Disney's Contemporary Resort. In it, I stated that I didn’t think the breakfast was worth the price ($25.99) but I’d likely do it again, mainly due to the interaction offered with the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto).
Well, here we are, almost four years later and we did it again. The cost this time was $37.99 for each adult and $19.99 per child. $38 for breakfast??? I’m sorry but at those prices, this breakfast borders on gouging and I, sadly, can’t endorse Chef Mickey’s any longer.
The Sorcerer Mickey Hat
Taken January 17, 2015. It's likely gone now. Photo by Steve Russo.
In the early days of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the eye-catching icon (or “weenie”) at the end of Hollywood Boulevard was the beautiful replica of TCL's Chinese Theater (once Grauman’s Chinese Theater). In preparation for the 100 Years of Magic celebration, Disney constructed the Sorcerer Mickey Hat directly in front of the theater, completely altering the view cherished by many as they first entered the park. More than a few Disney fans quickly termed it the BAH, or Big Ass Hat. Many have disliked it and wanted it torn down almost since it was first constructed and now they’re getting their wish.
Deconstruction of the hat began in early January and, when you read this, it should be gone entirely. This will certainly make many happy just as it will sadden a few others. Personally, I fall into the third camp: I actually like the hat but would have preferred it located somewhere else where it wouldn’t have disturbed such an awesome view.
My understanding is that Disney will relocate the BAH, but has not yet revealed where.
Island Boy Photobook: Walt Disney World
I have more Disney-related books than I need—from Walt Disney biographies to Imagineering books and I-don’t-know-how-many guidebooks. I have, however, recently come into possession of the Island Boy Photobook: Walt Disney World. Its author is MousePlanet trip report writer Arnold van Beverhoudt and, in my opinion, is worth a look. The 270-page book features hundreds of photos of Walt Disney World parks and resorts from the 1970s to the present. I sometimes found myself wishing I could enlarge a photo or two but it does provide a great pictorial of my favorite place, and inspired more than a few “I remember that” comments from me. You can find it here.
That’s it for now – just a few items from the top of my head after a very memorable trip. I’d love to hear your feedback and, as always, thanks for reading.
Comments
Great article, Steve. I fear the growing use of selfie sticks in the parks. I've also been seeing more and more use of them by visitors on cruise ships than come to St. Thomas. I agree that they're a potential safety hazard and imagine they're a real nuisance at the theme parks. Thanks also for the mention of my book, which is also in PDF ebook at Lulu.
A friend is at WDW right now and her first update on Facebook was about the ubiquitous selfie sticks! I am not looking forward to that at our next visit! I agree that the Polynesian lobby looks great. The waterfall area was nice, but now that it is gone, I realize how intrusive it was! The entire area is much more airy and spacious now.
Has anyone actually tried using a magic band from a previous trip? What I've heard from cast members is that any MB attached to your account should work the same, but I haven't had a chance to bring an old one with me yet. If I could just bring one that would be fantastic since as an international guest I don't get them mailed to me, which means I have to stop by my resort's front desk. If I can use an old one then I hopefully can use the new bypass checkin process
A question and observation.
First, using the Disney app, did you run into problems managing your battery life. I know like many iphone users my battery life is not sufficient to get through a full day with any sort of regular use (this has led to numerous charging cords of every color in my house, at work, my car, etc). Did you find that you were spending so much time in the app that your battery was drained by the end of the day?
Second- I sort of get the selfie stick, but given the proponderence of photogs around Disney, just why? The camera guys are going to get you a much better picture than you'll get from your phone, and if you really need a picture, I've never had any problems finding a cast member or fellow tourist to take it. It probably wouldn't be the worst thing for Disney to ban the sticks during parades and indoor buildings. I'm sure the number of people whacked by a selfie stick is quite high.
I have and they've worked fine. As long as they're "linked" to your MDX account, there should be no problem.
I didn't have a problem with the iPhone battery life but, to be honest, I wasn't in the app all that often. I used it to check the FP+ times I had reserved, check wait times and, occasionally, change a FP or dining reservation.
I don't think I'm alone here but... whenever I noticed a group/family taking a photo with one of them behind the camera, I would always ask if they "wanted to be in the photo" and take the picture for them. It takes 30 seconds and they're usually very grateful. I would normally do this 6-8 times per trip. This trip? Only once.
Supposedly there is a life expectancy on magic bands, so if they're too old, that might be an issue, Arnold. But I've definitely heard of people using them.
I had a HECK of a time when I checked into AKLV last time around because they said I had too many MB associated with MDE Account. But they said I had a number that was larger than I'd ever gotten, so I think it included card-based admission media, too. So you do want to make sure you don't have too many associated. My sister, who had the same number of actual MBs as I did since they started, but who may not have had an AP when I did (so may not have had as many cards, since I likely upgraded a MYW to an AP on one of the trips), had no problem at all.
I've definitely used old Magic Bands on later trips (all less than 8 months old though so far - got my first band last May and visited most recently in January. I don't recall if I used an original on the latest trip or not).
The only problem I had on my most recent trip was initially getting into the parks, my band went blue a few times. Some cast members reset something on their iPads and had me try again. I am not sure that was band related or maybe differences in how I was holding my finger to the scanner. (not sure for an AP how long it keeps the finger scan, would it be comparing to how I held it last May, or is there a "reset" somewhere along the way to allow for different finger postures?)
As to rides that automatically link your pics, they are definitely scanning somehow. When I went I generally had an older band or 2 in my pack in case one I had not tried yet was a dud. I noticed on at least one or 2 occasions, I had multiple pics/movies associated with my account, probably because of the multiple bands on my person. (though I never used more than one for entry/FP+, etc, the others stayed in my pack once I started for the day)
I'm guessing this functionality uses the longer range readability of the bands I have read about somewhere (as opposed to when we hold the band up against an entry point or FP+ location)
So jealous that you got to stay so long. Great article. BTW, that island boy book is $81...are the pictures in 3D? just sayin'!
For the ride pictures, if you scan your MB at the photo stations it links them to your account automatically. We had the Photopass package at Thanksgiving and if more than one person scanned their MB we got multiple instances of the same picture, which was no big deal.
I don't remember if I used my old MB from last year's AP on that trip ir just the new one. Next week I'll be there and we'll have more new ones for our stay at POFQ. My MDE acct shows a plastic card and three MBs all linked so I expect all three would work for park admission. However, will all three work as room keys? Something I will have to try out myself. I can recommend cloth covers for your MB in hot weather though. Good idea from my bro Joey! If I were one who cared about so-called fashion I guess I would be happy my camo cover matched my boonie hat...
And I am anxious to see the old, correct entry view at DHS! No hat, no hat! I like the hat as a Fantasia-related thing of Disneyana, but it was in the wrong spot. Maybe rebuild it out front of DHS where they put the Christmas tree. Plenty of room there and a good last-minute gift shop opportunity.
Selfie sticks. Yeah, I hate them too. In November I did some great photobombs though and it was a lot of fun! An obnoxious couple was rudely swinging around their stick on their loser iphone while trying not to spill their drinks, so I took the opportunity to bomb a number of their pics. If only I could see the results... But I bought one for this trip, strictly to use my Sony real phone to shoot some 4K video of Wishes and Illuminations. No, I don't plan to hold it up and block someone else's view. I do plan to try to find a railing or sign I can clamp the head part on and not even use the stick part though. That's what I bought it for, the phone clamp piece.
Thanks.
They're not in 3D, LOL. The e-book (PDF version) is just $10 on Lulu.com.
Mine also went "blue" at park entry - several times early in the trip. I'll share a tip from a CM that worked for me: "place" your finger on the scanner. Don't use any downward pressure at all. I wasn't mashing my finger down but when I changed to lightly placing it atop the scanner, it worked every time.
I was speaking specifically of those situations where I didn't intentionally scan a MB. For example, there's a photo and video of us riding 7DMT, Big Thunder, etc. and I never went near a Photo Station. I expect the MBs are being scanned as you board or, possible, somewhere on the ride track.
But I'm a hoarder and want the real book! You are probably like me, family always rolling their eyes as you stop to take yet another picture. Last trip, I filled a 64GB memory card with about 3500 files. Some are actually pretty good.
I got that, was just adding my experience. On those rides you mention there aren't any photo kiosks or stations that I recall. If you use FPP then it automatically knows you're there but to get the right pics with the right MB they must be using the mid-range or longer-range features to link them. My guess is that won't work too well with MBs more than about three years old or so, depending on quality of that big flat lithium cell inside them. Now if they just built them with a loop inside to wirelessly charge them like my cell phone...
I've tried this, and my experience is yes, old ones will work for your room.
The CMs told me the same thing. I'm not 100% sure it helped, as I might have gone blue on a second day, but it wasn't that big of a deal either way.
This is what I was referring to as well. I didn't get multiples on 7DMT this trip, but I did get 2 sets of pics for Space Mountain (the actual ride pic and 3 stock shots the system placed with the ride photo) (and I was a single, so no bands of family members were present on the ride with me this time)
I'll gladly join the anti-selfie stick choir. It didn't take more than 5-10 to make me feel my view of World of Color (DCA) was somewhat downgraded last fall.
Leslie, the pricing by the publisher Lulu.com is based on the number of pages and higher cost of full color printing. I applied a 30% discount for orders directly from Lulu.com. I have no control over the pricing on Amazon.com. BTW, the PDF eBook version is only $10.
Yes, I take tons of pictures at the parks also. As Steve pointed out, the PDF version is only $10 at Lulu.com. Also, the paperback price on Lulu has a 30% discount. I have no control over Amazon's pricing.
I am a civil/structural engineer, so I tend to pay a lot of attention to tracks, controls, etc, on attractions besides just the normal details. I seem to recall seeing what looked like some new sensor-type modules in places I had not seen things before. So they could have units placed close in the tracks that are able to scan and read your MB to associate your ride car/vehicle to your MB and get the right pics in the right places. Not hard to do, really.
Thanks, Steve, for an honest and thorough appraisal of WDW.
Thanks for the engineering perspective. I think it's either at vehicle load or on the track and your assessment makes on the track seem more likely.
You're welcome.
Or both! Maybe I'll take even more pics nobody else cares about at the load/unload stations and tracks! Talk about a tough one for the Eye Spy Challenge...
I was curious about the Magicbands last year when I was headed back to Disneyworld and supposed to receive a second set of bands. I had a no expiration ticket attached to my account, and I was worried that I would have to wear two bands, one for my ticket and one for the hotel. On the phone, they explained that each band is attached to your account and can be used interchangeably. I currently have two bands, two tickets and three inactive tickets on my account. I really wish they would let you delete tickets when they are used up. Any way, I asked if it was necessary to send new bands, and she said that they automatically send new ones every time you visit. There is apparently a way to turn them back in at check-in to 'recycle' them. I use quotes because I don't think they are actually recycled, but re-used.
Maybe not everyone does this(is there an option not to when you order a band attached to a resort stay?), but if they have customized names printed on them, I would think it's hard to re-use them. Probably more labor to remove the text than it would be worth. I also could see all sorts of sanitary issues since people wear these on their wrists. I'm sure very few people would want to strap on a stranger's MagicBand. Cleaning them would only seem to go so far.
Hi Steve!
I love the new view at the Studios. It looks like an actual street you’d be looking down in Hollywood now. I do however like the hat as well and hope they will find a new place for it, perhaps for a new park!
Great article as always, thanks for writing!
Gail
Looking forward to clean view again next week!
Thanks, Gail.
good golly thats a long trip. my xmas trips are always 6 to 7 days & I sometimes find myself saying " I could be doing something at home" but then a great meal @ citricos or a sing a long with my buddy YEHA BOB JACKSON or a nite of adult beverages @ rose & crown & before you know it checkout . but wait we just got here we missed this & we missed that ect.. maybe when I retire 15 days sound just about right . my best to you & your ever expanding family , dusty. great book arnold