r/WaltDisneyWorld

Mine: I thought resort choice barely mattered. Now I think it changes the entire pace and feel of the trip.

I was at Disney last month with my best friend and her two kids. My parents bought into DVC when I was a teenager, so I was able to use some points to book us a 2 bedroom at Old Key West for their first Disney trip. I grew up going to Disney and was excited to be there for their first visit so I could show them around.

One afternoon we did Epcot, went back for pool time, then planned to Uber to BoardWalk before dinner so the kids could try those absurdly huge cake slices from the bakery before walking into Epcot through International Gateway in time for our res at Mexico.

Except when we got to BoardWalk, they wouldn’t let us in.

I explained we were already staying on property at another Disney resort and just wanted to spend money there before heading back into Epcot, but they said no unless we had a dining reservation. The gate attendant also implied we shouldn't use the back entrance and wasn't exactly the warmest about it, but that's another issue. 

The funniest part is that it didn’t even stop us. We just smiled, said no problem, and had the Uber drop us near Swan and Dolphin instead and walked right over anyway. Which just made the whole thing feel even more ridiculous. (The kids absolutely lost their minds over the cake btw.)

Honestly, it's still kinda irking me and has made me a little sad. Some of my strongest Disney memories as a kid are from resort hopping. Wandering around the different hotels, grabbing food somewhere random, exploring. I knew Disney had been cracking down on it, but I didn’t expect it to apply to people already staying on property who weren’t even trying to park.

That said, the rest of the trip was amazing and every other cast member we interacted with was genuinely fantastic. We went to Universal on our last day, and one of the kids said: “Universal is good because they have more roller coasters, but it doesn’t seem like everyone is happy to work there like Disney.” I mean... kind of a mic drop.

Hello!

I've seen people say that you can tell a cast member that your child has to go to the bathroom. But how does that work when you're in line do you go to the front of the line and then tell the person at the front?

EDIT: to the people saying "go to the bathroom before you get in line" yes, obviously I will be doing that. However, toddler bladders don't always cooperate. And kids aren't as good as holding their pee as adults. Id prefer if she didn't have an accident on a ride. As I'm sure the other people on the ride would feel the same.

I went on guardians tonight and during the “epcotians” part of the pre show someone shouted “lesbians” and everyone burst out laughing. A group of two women in front of me looked really unimpressed and I just felt really bad and awkward for them.

Why can people not behave? Would people shout “straight people”? So weird.

I'm taking a trip in late August, which I understand to be a generally low crowd level time (and yes, I understand a hurricane may derail our plans but fingers crossed!)

Will be visiting August 21 (flight arriving early that AM) through August 25 (flight departing in the afternoon) and planning to buy the 4 park magic ticket.

We are torn between visiting MK on Sunday 8/23 (party day) and enjoying lighter crowds but having to leave the park early OR visiting Saturday 8/22 (non-party day) and having the full day but dealing with slightly heavier crowds as this day is sandwiched between two party days.

Does it make a difference in August or will the crowd levels be relatively light regardless?

edit: priority is rides as some of our party haven't been in several years. I am afraid that if we visit on the party day, we might run out of time to do everything on our list even with LLMP

edit edit: Not getting park hopper!

Kind of a long post so I’m sorry. This past Friday, May 15th,  my wife and I were at Magic Kingdom riding Buzz Lightyear space Ranger spin during our lightening lane time. My wife is a 27-year old female who for years has had no use of her left leg. This past Friday was the first terrible experience we have ever had with a cast member. My wife must use a wheelchair for long distances, however can use a walker to transfer onto rides. Upon getting at the end of the ride, I got off of the cart to meet with another cast member to get her walker. The cast member that watched my wife get on with the walker proceeded to tell my wife to get off of the ride, my wife calmly explained to her the situation and that she was waiting on her walker, the cast members and threw her hands in the air and said “I already told you once to get up. I don’t know what’s so hard about that.” even though my wife is a healthy looking young female this cast member watched her get onto the ride with a walker and knew of her disability. My wife is a very strong individual however, this sent her in the tears and was made to feel different. Fortunately, another cast member witnessed this and came and talked to us about it, this cast member was so hurt by the interaction that she was in tears as well, she made a comment that the cast member that was extremely rude to us had been in a bad mood all day. She offered us fast passes and anything to make it right however we declined. She told us that her supervisor would have been notified and urged us to send something as well . This  unfortunately destroyed my wife’s entire day, her confidence, and her trip. I typed something up and sent it in, I received a very scripted “we’re sorry” reply from sales and solutions? I just feel like this isn’t being taken as seriously as it should be.

WARNING: Long post incoming!!!

Just got back from a 5 day trip, no kids. Had park hopper, lightning lanes every day, one premier pass day at Magic Kingdom, rope drop on select mornings, and a breakfast-first strategy. Here’s the day-by-day.

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**Thursday Night – Hollywood Studios After Hours**

Walked over from Yacht Club after check-in (~15 min), got there about an hour after the event officially started. Rode Slinky twice (had to wait a bit since it went down at one point), Tower of Terror, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania, and Rise of the Resistance as a walk-on at close. Ate popcorn and Mickey bars all night since they’re unlimited. Quick stop at Woody’s Lunchbox - FYI wouldn’t go here again but was cool theming. It was a great night overall and would recommend After Hours since standby wait times are shorter and there’s no sun beating on your face, which is particularly aggressive at HS. The nighttime ambiance down the entry street is also awesome.

✅ After Hours is worth it. Free snacks, mild heat, great vibes.

⚠️ We arrived an hour late. Go earlier – apparently you can get in around 7:30, would do that next time.

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**Friday – EPCOT Morning and Magic Kingdom Evening**

Started at EPCOT this morning: Garden Grill for breakfast (best character meal of the trip for ambiance, cast members here are also just always the best), then Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Guardians, Test Track. Guardians had a long shutdown so our lightning lane wait ended up being close to an hour…. which was annoying. But the ride is the best in the parks IMO.

Park hopped to Magic Kingdom via monorail around 1:30: hit up some rides by moving our EPCOT lightning lanes to MK: Tiana’s, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarves, Space Mountain, Pirates, Buzz, Monsters Inc., People Mover, Barnstormer, Mad Tea Party, Speedway. Stayed till park close at 11pm, bused back to YC after.

Food highlights: Sleepy Hollow waffles, Aurora Cone, Colombia Harbour House

Ride highlights for me: Guardians, Test Track, Living with the Land, Buzz, People Mover, Tiana’s, Space Mountain

✅ This half day with regular lightning lane in the evening was the best Magic Kingdom visit of the trip – and honestly the only one needed (see next day).

✅ Bus back after fireworks from MK to Yacht Club was fine, wait wasn’t too bad.

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**Saturday – Magic Kingdom Premier Pass Day**

Chill morning, slept in a little since the long days were beginning to compound on us. Got to MK around noon via monorail, which meant walking through EPCOT to get there – don’t do this unless you’re actually stopping at EPCOT. Crowds were heavy all day at MK and it felt like there were a lot of screaming / misbehaved children everywhere and lots of frantic parents which just wasn’t magical at all lol... Premier pass got us through all the rides + also had Tron SLL and Seven Dwarves SLL… but I wish I hadn’t gone on some of the kiddie rides, which ended up being a longer wait than expected even in the lightning lane and just aren’t worth it (I am talking about you Peter Pan, Small World, Winnie the Pooh, and Little Mermaid). Low point: getting on Carousel of Progress for a mid-afternoon nap that was completely derailed by a shrieking child the whole ride. Ruined the usually quaint vibes of that one. I know MK is supposed to be more for kids but the amount of screaming kids and parents was above normal levels this day and had me rethinking my choice to do a full premier pass day at MK to the point that I’ll likely not need multiple days in MK in the future.

Food: Late lunch at Crystal Palace was not great. Only go here if meeting Pooh and friends is the goal for you. Dinner at Cosmic Ray’s – buffalo chicken fingers were fine but I felt gross after. Bright spots: cold brew and cat tail from Cheshire Cafe, Columbia Harbour House, Sleepy Hollow waffle again!!!

✅ Tron is legitimately great. Best ride at MK but just too short! Glad I was able to do it twice.

❌ Premier pass here felt like a lot of money to ride kiddie rides. MK is a half-day evening park in my opinion if you’ve been before. Wish I’d just done a resort day instead. Premier pass in MK is not worth it in my view.

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**Sunday – Animal Kingdom Morning, Resort Break, EPCOT Evening**

Animal Kingdom morning was fantastic. Safaris, Everest, Avatar, and then Tusker House breakfast. Finished the day off with a few shows. Left around 1:30PM for a midday break at the hotel, which was exactly the right call.

Back at EPCOT around 4:30, took the boat over (nice change of pace, but it only goes to the park entrance and isn’t really faster). Remy’s first – underwhelming, I would skip it next time. Walked the World Showcase: stopped in Norway for Frozen Ever After (not good, wouldn’t do it again), rode Three Caballeros right after with a 2 min wait and it was better than Frozen imo. Food stops in Germany and Norway, Trowel and Trellis (decent but messy), Canada pavilion - they were only OK. Hit up some more rides in the evening… guardians, test track and spaceship earth. Fireworks were great with lighter crowds than MK which was awesome (we watched from Japan pavilion).

Ended the evening at Cake Bake Shop: vibes and decor are lovely, tea was nice, but the food wasn’t great and the cake was too sweet. Probably wouldn’t return.

✅ AK morning + midday break + EPCOT evening is a great day structure.

✅ EPCOT fireworks so good.

❌ Remy’s and Frozen Ever After both skippable. The AK shows (Nemo, Friends in Flight, Zootopia) also felt skippable.

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**Monday – Hollywood Studios (Best Day)**

Took the Skyliner in, which was a great choice and change of pace. Rope dropped Tower of Terror, then used LL for Toy Story Mania, Slinky, Millennium Falcon, Tower of Terror again, Rise of the Resistance, Star Tours. Finished the day off with some shows that I’ve never seen: Indiana Jones, Mickey Shorts, Villains (Villains was my favourite but probably don’t need to see any of these again). Ronto Wraps for food – one of the best quick service meals of the trip. Finished the day pin trading around EPCOT International Gateway and our resort, then late lunch at Beaches and Cream which was awesome and definitely would do again!!! The sundaes are insane!

✅ Best park day of the trip - crowd felt good this day too.

✅ Skyliner is a great way to start the day.

✅ Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, Slinky are all elite rides!

✅ Beaches and Cream is so good!!!

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**Resort: Yacht Club**

Quieter than expected. Stormalong Bay pool is genuinely excellent and more peaceful than I thought it would be. Wish I’d used it more instead of the full extra day at Magic Kingdom. Skyliner and walking to EPCOT/HS are both great. There a boat to EPCOT but it isn’t really faster than walking, still a nice vibe. If you’re staying here: lean into EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and minimize time trekking out to MK.

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**TL;DR Recs**

- MK is a half-day park if you’ve been before; don’t waste a full day or premier pass there, a lightning lane evening visit should do the trick

- After Hours events are a great use of time; if your day has that option, use it

- Slow breakfasts are worth it: Garden Grill and Tusker House are the best bang for buck in my view, Mickey waffles are also just the best!

- Cold brews throughout the parks are surprisingly good; Cheshire Cat, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones were my favourites, wish I tried more

- Skyliner to Hollywood Studios is a ride in its own right, so nice and peaceful

- Skippable Rides: Frozen Ever After, Remy’s, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Speedway, Haunted Mansion (it breaks down and stops way too much), little mermaid, small world, most shows in the parks except Villains in HS, and honestly most of EPCOT World Showcase (unpopular opinion… I know) – front of EPCOT is where the good rides are at

- Skippable Food: Crystal Palace (unless you’re there for the character meet and NEED to see Winnie the Pooh), Cake Bake Shop, Cosmic Rays, EPCOT Festival foods….

- If staying at Yacht Club: do a chill pool day, hit Beaches and Cream, and maximize time at HS and EPCOT

- What I realized this trip is things will need to be amended as you go despite planning to a tee – need to stay open to changing things on short notice so don’t be too attached to your plans

- Early mornings and late nights are best for rides, assuming no breakdowns…

- Ride breakdowns happen a lot so be mentally prepared for long lightning lane waits too (wish Disney showed LL wait times on the app, it was often 20-30 min anyway)

Happy to answer any questions and would love to hear what you all think of this!