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Bag hunting – Tue 26 July

Today panned out quite differently to how I planned it. Last night I saw someone in a DVC group on Facebook post about a new DVC loungefly bag that they had bought. It was gorgeous! For those who don’t know, loungefly is a brand that produces, amongst other things, pop culture themed bags. They now produce mini backpacks for Disney and they are EVERYWHERE. Walking round the parks it is safe to say that they are the bag of choice for most women (you see far more loungefly bags than any other brand). This one that was posted on line was one of the nicest I’ve seen. They said they got it in the shop at Wilderness Lodge. DVC merch is not sold in the parks, only in DVC resorts.

We were doing Animal Kingdom today and we got there just before the park opened. We quickly locked in a DAS for Flight of Passage and headed to Expedition Everest while the queues were light. By 8.45 we were over in Pandora ready to right Flight of Passage. I decided that after I had done this I would go in search of this bag. So, at 9am, just as non-resort guests were piling into the park I was heading out, leaving the rest of the family to do some more rides.

First thing to do was to get a bus to Wilderness Lodge. I didn’t know if they would still have them, but worth a try.

Nope – sold out. I asked in the shop if they could see if any of the other resorts had them. The cast member looked on the system and said that there were 37 at the Contemporary Resort. Or at least, they did 48 hours ago as the system hadn’t updated since then.

So, how to get to Contemporary. Whilst you can get buses between parks and resorts, you can’t get them between resorts. Therefore I’d have to get a bus to a park and then another to Contemporary. So my obvious option was a bus to Magic Kingdom. Contemporary is right next door and fortunately you can walk there from Magic Kingdom (though of course my feet were killing me – it may only be 9.45am but I’ve been going for 4 days now with not enough time for them to recover).

So I did and I got lucky. One DVC loungefly bag purchased!

So, how to get back to the resort? Yes, I could walk back to Magic Kingdom but my feet were painful. So it was a case of go to the bus stop and see what park bus came first and get that to then switch to a Port Orleans one. The first one that came was Disney Springs – the shopping area. Now this was perfect as Disney Springs is very close to Port Orleans so I did that.

By now the rest of the family were also heading back to the resort and we all arrived back at roughly the same time.

We had planned a park free afternoon and after a break in the resort we headed to Disney Springs for some shopping and our favourite pizza place for lunch: Blaze Pizza.

By late afternoon it was looking like it was going to chuck it down – and anyone who has been in Florida rain knows what that can be like – so we headed back to the resort. Unfortunately due to the imminent rain the boat that runs between Disney Springs and Port Orleans was shut – that had originally been our plan – so bus it was.

Later that evening I didn’t feel like eating much so when we went to the quick service at the resort for dinner I just had one of their 50th celebration cheesecakes 🙂

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First trip to Epcot – Mon 25 July

Today was our first trip of the holiday to Epcot. Very often people think it as the park to miss if you are short of time but I love it, though it does take it out of you. Some say that it stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired.

The real excitement about today was Disney’s newest ride, The Guardians of the Galaxy. This has replaced the Ellen Ride over near Mission Space – and unlike many, I did like that. Guardians is, at the moment, unique in the parks as you cannot queue for it: there is no standby line. You need to try and get a boarding group using the app at 7am (if you have an Epcot reservation for that day). We read up on some tips on how to be successful and we tried on two phones, with a third phone counting down the seconds until 7am. At exactly 7am you need to refresh the page in the app and then select ‘join virtual queue’. We got lucky and got group 11 which gave us an estimated boarding time of between 9 and 9.30!

So we then faced one of the most tricky decisions when it comes to organising your day at Disney: when is best to eat earlier in the day to work around later dining reservations. We had a reservation at 3.30 so late for lunch but early for dinner. Ideally we therefore wanted a late breakfast so that it could be a lunch reservation. So we decided to skip eating at the resort and get the bus over to Epcot. Whilst we were on the bus (around 8:10 and the park had opened for resort guests at 8) we got a notification to say that our boarding group had been called! So as soon as we got there we quickly locked in a DAS return for Frozen and then headed over to Guardians.

Now. I had my concerns with this one. The over riding reports I’d read had been about motion sickness. They had even started handing out sick bags at the exit. I took some motion sickness tablets before we left the resort and I figured that I would do it to be able to say that I’d done it. If I felt bad then I wouldn’t have to do it again!

As the park was still only open to resort guests there were no long queues once we got inside – though the ride is clearly built for long queues!

Guardians of the Galaxy
The queueing system
The queueing system
The queuing system
The queuing system

This ride was AMAZING. I will not be able to do it justice in a description but it is basically cars on the track that spin around so that you are looking at different things (not free spinning or spinning like the Tea Cups at Magic Kingdom, but controlled spinning by the ride). It is apparently the longest indoor rollercoaster in the world and is Disney’s first backward launch coaster. There are six possible songs that play and it is random which you get – we got ‘September’ by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Apparently the Imagineers reviewed hundreds of songs till they got their list of 6 which suit the movement and motion of the ride. This was a BRILLIANT song to get and was perfect! Did I start to feel sick? A little bit, right towards the end where you corkscrew down around the moon and then the earth. But would I ride it again. 100%. I think we will be trying for a boarding group on each of our Epcot days!

There was now where much to go from here as we had hit a peak so early on. We used our DAS for Frozen and did Test Track. We then headed over to the Land to do the obligatory Figment ride – what is a trip go Epcot without going on Figment??!! We were also able to get a DAS return time for Soarin’ so while we were waiting for this to come round we had a late breakfast in Sunshine Seasons as it is just opposite the ride. A bit disappointed with this if I’m honest. This used to be a lovely place to get breakfast but it now only does grab and go pastries etc, and doesn’t even list itself on the app as serving breakfast.

So, onto Soarin’. Now this USED to be one of my favourite rides but I have to admit I’m not so keen on the new version of it. For those that don’t know, this is a flight around various landmarks from around the world such as the pyramids, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal. You are suspended in the air on seats that swoop as if you are flying. But it’s still a good ride 🙂

We then spent a bit of time in the worldshow case before heading for our late lunch / early dinner reservation at Space 220. This is Disney’s newest restaurant as is attached to Mission Space. The idea is that you go up in an elevator to a space ship/viewing area far above the theme park and you are gazing out into space while you eat. I have to say that the theming is great, right from the moment you check in and you are given your boarding pass for the ‘flight’.

Boarding pass
Entrance
The lift
The floor of the lift. You can see the theme park below as you rise up

Inside, it really does feel as if you are not on earth. It is pricy – $55 for a two course set menu. I had calamari and Spaceghetti. The sauce on the spaghetti was amazing.

After lunch we did another ‘must do’ ride at Epcot – Spaceship Earth. My husband finds this boring but I like it as it is traditional. We did however end up with a ride stop on this and we were stationary for about 10 mins – two security guards with torches walked past us at one point. Sadly for us we got stopped within smelling distance of the fires in the Library of Alexandria (if you know, you know)!

Having been in the park since 8.20am I was getting very tired now – as was my daughter. So after a quick time in the main shop to check out the merch, the two of us headed back to the resort.

It was a relaxing evening!

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Settling in – Sun 24 July

Today we are off to Animal Kingdom. This park has my favourite ride on property so looking forward to this.

Again we utilised Lightning Lane before we left and booked in a ride (Nav’i River Ride), with the intention of doing a DAS as soon as we got there for Flight of Passage. 

This park used to be a half day park but since they added Pandora (the Avatar section) there is more to do now. However, for some bizarre reason they have now decided to close before it gets dark. I saw this is ‘bizarre’ as Pandora was designed to light up at night with bioluminescence on the ground and on the plants, and rocks, etc (if you’ve seen Avatar then you will know what I mean).

When we got there both Dinosaur and Expedition Everest where showing as pretty much walk-ons so we went to Dinoland and did Dinosaur first. Definitely not a favourite of one of my children, so often this is a once and done ride. It is a dark ride and VERY intense as you try to escape earth before the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hit! Expedition Everest is the big roller coaster in Animal Kingdom with a backwards section in the dark. As we had early entry due to staying in a Disney resort the standby line was only 10 mins so we did it that way – anything around 5-10 mins on a lot of rides is pretty much a walk on.

Dinosaur

We decided to then go down to Pandora as it was nearly time for our lightning lane that we had booked at 7am. As we were walking past the lake we saw the new Kite Tails show starting so stopped to watch. Disney has tried to do a number of different shows at this location and none of them have been really successful (though I liked Rivers of Light). This was okay but I wouldn’t stop to watch it again. It was giant inflatable kites of Simba, Zazu, Timone, and Pumba which were pulled through the air by speed boats. A nice diversion but little else.

Kite Tails
Kite Tails

What it did do though was delay us enough for Kali River Rapids to open at 9am. One of my daughter’s favourites as she loved to get wet we decided to do that on the way to Pandora. I got drenched!

Then Pandora. Nav’i River Journey always seems to get mixed reviews. It’s a gentle dark water ride and some consider it boring. I actually like it – but I’m also a fan of the movie. The design of the ride is a clever mix of a standard river ride with plants and rocks, and projections.

But Flight of Passage. If you have never ridden this then it is so hard to explain. You are riding on the back of a banshee through Pandora and it is the closest I have ever come to feeling as if I’m flying. The ride seat is like a motorbike so it is like you are straddling the banshee. To make it seem even more realistic you can feel the banshee ‘breathing’ against your thighs. It only lasts 4.5 minutes but it is so worth the wait – which can still get up to 2.5-3 hours on busy days. This is the ride in Animal Kingdom that you need to purchase a lightning lane for. It hasn’t lost anything in the four years since we last rode it. Still AMAZING!

Pandora
Pandora

After doing Flight of Passage we headed back to the resort for a snack for lunch. This is one of the best bits about staying at Port Orleans – the beignets! They are a bit of a Disney World institution. Last time we were here they were available from Sassagoula so you could order them as part of your meal. They’ve now moved them to the Scat Cat Club Cafe next door. They are quite big and so we ordered 6 between the 4 of us. They are basically a French doughnut which were introduced to New Orleans in the 18th century and are served hot. Of course, being Disney, these are Mickey shaped. I did treat myself to a mug in the resort shop so that I can remember the feeling of being sat in Port Orleans while I’m at work 🙂

Beignets from Port Orleans French Quarter
Beignet all day!

We are deciding to try and spend the hottest time of the day back at the resort for a rest – let’s see how well that works out. So after a break we headed to Magic Kingdom for the evening. We split up and the kids went off together while my husband and I rode the People Mover and did Carousel of Progress. People Mover has the added bonus of getting a good view of the new Tron Coaster that is under construction. There is also a point where the ride goes through the Space Mountain building in total darkness – like you literally can’t see your hand in front of your face. We got stopped in that section and were there for quite a while. Eventually they turned the lights on so we got to see what most people don’t see. It wasn’t an evac though and the ride did start up again.

Tron construction
Stop and lights on on People Mover

We all met back up and did some more rides together. The plan had been to stay for the fireworks but it looked like a storm was forecast so we decided to head off back to the resort a bit early. Leaving at the time that the park closes – or when a storm starts – is never a good plan as the queue for buses can be really bad!

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First full day – Sat 23 July

An early start – though not as early as we had planned – this morning and after breakfast at the resort we got the bus to Hollywood Studios. We weren’t sure how the new booking system worked for the DAS so tried booking a ride whilst having breakfast. We then realised that you do actually have to have scanned into the park before making the reservation, which is fair enough. We were however able to book a lightning lane at 7am so we got that done for Slinky Dog Dash.

Central hub area at Port Orleans French Quarter

Once at Hollywood Studies (and the bus stops have been moved since we were last here and it is a LONG walk!) we first locked in a DAS ride for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad – a new ride since we were last here. We then headed straight for Star Tours as the wait was very short. I don’t normally ride this as it is not good for motion sickness. However, this year I have decided to take motion sickness tablets each morning so I thought I’d see if they made a difference. They didn’t really, so I will sit out this ride if the rest of the family want to go on it again.

With the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in 2019 (the new Star Wars section) this is the park that has had the biggest changes since we last visited in 2018. And, as a huge Star Wars fan, the bit my husband was looking forward to the most.

Well, it is impressive. For those that know the park this sits where the Cars show used to be. As you head towards The Muppets 3D show there is now a new tunnel to the right of it and this acts as the transition between Earth and Batuu. It really does work as when you emerge from the tunnel it really does feel like you are in a different world. The centre showpiece is of course the giant Millennium Falcon – not sure if it is to scale or not, but it felt like it was. We explored the merchandise shops briefly and walked on around through Toy Story Land and round to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad as it was time for our DAS.

The final scene in Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

This ride is in the Chinese Theatre at the centre of the park and replaced the much loved Great Movie Ride. I was sceptical when I heard about this ride, mainly as it uses the new style Mickey and Minnie cartoons. However, I was pleasantly surprised. This also uses the trackless ride system and is very cleverly done with projections that completely change to environment that you are in. You go under the sea, through a fairground, and dance a waltz in Daisy’s Dance Studio (along with a very violent conga!). Definitely recommended.

As soon as we had scanned into the Runaway Railway we went on to the app to lock in a DAS return time for Rise of the Resistance but not till a lot later on. By this point the heat was starting to get to me. The rest of the family wanted to do Alien Swirling Saucers which REALLY makes me feel ill, so they did that whilst I sat in the air con watching the film about Walt Disney ‘One Man and his Dream’. Sentimental, but I do love it.

Lunch was at the ABC Commissary. Hollywood does suffer from a small selection of indoor sit down quick service restaurants and we were lucky to get a seat here.

The prime purpose of this trip (we will be back many times to Hollywood Studios during our trip) was a visit to Oga’s Cantina, for which we had a booking. This is one of the hardest to get reservations on Disney property and is the bar from the first Star Wars film.

Oga’s Cantina

Our reservation was 3.30 but it was about 3.45 when we got in. The bar is very small and cramped. There are a few booths around the edges, and some tall tables for standing at in the middle. There is also standing space at the bar. You don’t get a choice on where you go and we were lucky enough to be seated at one of the booths – though that doesn’t mean you get a booth to yourself. There were two other parties there with us.

The experience is 45 mins long and so if you are going I would recommend looking at the menu in advance to decide what you want.

I had a Jabba Juice and an Oga’s Obsession.

Jabba Juice
Oga’s Obsession – a Petri dish of jelly with perls and popping candy

The headline drink is the blue milk which my daughter had but wasn’t keen on.

My overriding memory of this experience is that it was loud. I did use my air pods as I guessed this would be the case and the noise cancelling did help. Would I recommend this? If you can get a reservation and you are a massive Star Wars fan, then yes. But I do think it is a ‘once and done’ thing. There have been lots of complaints online about the whole set up. If you have kids and get sent to a standing area then they will either be looking at the front of a bar or the legs of a table (as they won’t be tall enough to see the top of the bar or table). People have also not being happy about the fact that you are on your feet all day in the parks and they book this thinking that it will be a nice rest for 45 mins, only to find out that they have to stand. I’m glad we did it (and very glad that we got a booth) but wouldn’t book it next time.

Then it was time for Rise of the Resistance. This ride did not open when Galaxy’s Edge did and so is the newest ride in the park. This uses the trackless ride system that was first used at the Ratatouille ride in Disney Paris (which has recently opened at WDW). The biggest thing that got me about it was the sheer scale of it – at one point you enter a room with full sized AT-ATs! The pre-show is very good. For those who aren’t aware the pre-show is technically part of the queue and introduces you to the ride. However for wait times they measure until you enter the pre-show as it makes the queue seem shorter! When your feet ache that extra time you spend on them during the pre-show seems to last forever!

Part of the pre-show for Rise of the Resistance.

The idea behind this ride is that you have been captured by the order and taken to their ship. This happens during the pre-show and you are taking in a group of 8 for an interrogation about the location of the Rebel base. However, during the interrogation you are liberated by the resistance and then you enter the ride vehicle as you try to escape the ship.

As I said, this is a trackless ride, but far more advanced than anything they’ve done before as it involves two levels and so the GPS system has to communicate over those two levels. We have heard that this ride goes down a lot due to technical issues. The ride itself is good, but it is the theming that ranks it up to an excellent experience.

We were getting tired so headed back to the resort for a dinner (quick service from Sassagoula) and an early night.

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Free dining for 2020 UK bookings announced

So, it is that time of year again. Disney have released details of the free dining offers for UK guests and packages go on sale on 25th April 2019 for stays in 2020.

However there are some differences this time.

Normally the offers are available all for stays all year round except for Easter and Christmas. However, this time they can only be booked for stays up until 3 October 2020. This does unfortunately meant that you cannot get free dining for stays during October half term. This is the first time Disney have done this – we have done October half term on the free dining offer before – and it is not clear exactly why things have changed this time round.

Another big difference is that they have restricted some resorts and room types that can be booked under the offer.

So here are the details.

When can you book?

25th April to 2 July 2019

When can you stay?

1 January 2020 to 29th March 2020 or 13 April 2020 to 3 October 2020

What do you need to book?

Free dining is only available when you book a package. This means booking your accommodation and park tickets together. ‘Package’ does not include flights and you can book these separately at a different time. You also need to book a minimum of 5 nights stay.

What do you get?

This all depends on where you stay. ALL package bookings will get a $200 gift card which you collect from The World of Disney in Disney Springs. The specific dining package depends on your resort level.

Value resorts:

These resorts don’t get one of the dining plans but instead get a ‘free breakfast’ offer. This is slightly confusing though as you don’t have to use it for breakfast. It is basically a quick service meal credit and you can use it at any quick service location at any time during the day. The following resorts are offering this deal.

Disney’s All-Star Resorts, Disney’s Pop Century (excluding pool view rooms), Disney’s Art of Animation (excluding Little Mermaid standard rooms).

Moderate resorts:

These resorts get the quick service dining plan. For the first time Disney have put restrictions on which rooms you can use this for and this might cause problems for some – like us – you book the rooms with a 5th bed at Port Orleans Riverside. The following resorts are offering this deal.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (excluding water view rooms), Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (excluding standard view and standard view 5th sleeper rooms) and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter.

Deluxe resorts and Deluxe villa resorts:

These resorts get the Disney dining plan. This also includes room restrictions, along with some resort restrictions. Noticeable exclusions from the offer are the Contemporary and Polynesian resorts. The following resorts are offering this deal.

Deluxe Resorts: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (excluding pool view rooms), Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.

Deluxe Villa Resorts: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village, Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Disney’s Boardwalk Villas, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

 

As always you can pay to upgrade your dining plan – so you can stay at a moderate resort, but pay extra to get the DDP. Do work out the numbers though because sometimes it is cheaper to upgrade the resort instead.

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Dining Plans at WDW

Of course lots of us love staying in the ‘Disney bubble’ (I know we do) but if you do you have to face one awful reality – eating on site is more expensive than eating off site!

Disney give many different dining options, from snacks and quick service meals, to buffets, character meals, and signature dining. We are all different and we all have different tastes – and budgets – so advising on dining is a tricky one. One thing I would always recommend is costing it out before you go and deciding on whether or not to purchase one of the dining plans.

Dining plans allow you to purchase credits in advance that can be used in restaurants throughout Walt Disney World. At certain times of the year they are also offered as ‘free dining’ offers. The important thing to note is that dining plans can only be purchased if you are staying on site.

All plans are worked out on the basis of the number of nights you are staying. So stay 7 nights and you get what is listed below x 7 for each guest. Each plan also includes 1 resort mug per person which can be refilled with soda/coffee at any resort.

So, what are they?

Quick Service Dining Plan (QDSP): This is the basic plan and gives you the following:

2 x Quick Service meals (main plus drink)
2 x snack credits

Disney Dining Plan (DDP): This is what people tend to think of when they think of the dining plans and is their most popular plan. You get the following:

1 x Quick service meal (main plus drink)
1 x Table Service meal (main, dessert, drink)
2 x snack credits

Deluxe Disney Dining Plan (DDDP): This is the top one and be warned, it includes a LOT of food.

3 x Table Sercice meal (main, dessert, drink)
2 x snack credits

Which one is for you?

Well that all depends on how much food you want and WHERE you want to eat.

Fast food: this is a bit misleading, but this is what is classified as quick service. It is counter service food where you order at the counter and seat yourself. However, if you are now thinking ‘oh, McDonald’s food’ you couldn’t be far wrong. Yes, you can get burgers and fries, but there are SO many more options – especially at Epcot where you can get international food. You do not tip at these locations

Waiter service restaurants: these are your table service meals. You are seated, order from the waiter and the food is brought to you. On the plan you do not get starters, but you can order and pay for these in addition to using your credits. Some restaurants are classed as signature dining and require you to use 2 table service credits. You do need to tip here.

Buffets: these are also classed as table service meals. You are also required to tip here.

Character meals: these are all classed as table service meals and can be either waiter service or buffet. If you are planning on doing a lot of character meals this might make the DDP or DDDP better options for you.

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Beaches and Cream refurb announced

Beaches and Cream Soda Shop

Always a popular table service reservation, Disney have announced that Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort will be closing from 5th August 2019. No reopening date has been announced, but they have simply said that it will reopen in the winter.

This applies to both the restaurant and the walk-up counter. A temporary location will be set up to allow you to still have their delicious ice-cream, but a full menu will not be available. The temporary location will not be selling infamous Kitchen Sink.

There are some restaurants that you need to book at the 180 day window and this is definitely one of them. It is small so can’t take many reservations. With the themeing of a 1950s soda shop, the menu is traditional American diner fare such as burgers, grilled, cheese, and sandwiches. Of course most people tend to go for the deserts, from chocolate cake and ice cream to the Kitchen Sink – an ice-cream sundae for 4 that is literally served in a Kitchen Sink. There is also the smaller Mickey’s Pants version – I prefer this option as you do get to take the pants home 🙂

Mickey’s Pants (and Minnie’s Skirt) will still be available at the Plaza Restaurant in Magic Kingdom.

Burger and fries

Chocolate brownie and ice cream

Mickey’s Pants – ice cream sundae for one

If you have a Mickey’s Pants at home, how have you re-purposed it? Mine sits on my desk in my classroom 🙂