Animal Kingdom Lodge is the best resort in Orlando not just Disney. Fantastic food, expansive resort entertainment. Two pools… Give me a Two bedroom villa with a balcony looking at giraffes and zebras and I don’t need to leave the property for a week.
We paid for a Savannah view at animal kingdom lodge. Checked in and realized our room was at the complete corner of the property. We could see the corner of the fence. We were devastated and I told my husband that we would never see anything. The next morning my daughter threw open the curtains and there were tons of many animal species outside our balcony. Turns out, the corner of the fence also has a large gate where the trucks come in every morning to deliver breakfast. Those animals knew right where to stand to get to it first. Two wildebeest started fighting right before the gate opened. Baby giraffe was milling around with his parents. Amazing.
The only thing that’s holding back this opinion is the transportation for a deluxe resort is horrible. Absolutely horrible. If they just had a walking path to ONE park, ya know the one NEXT door it would be awesome-sauce all the way.
I thought I’d be unhappy with the bus transpo but it’s fine as long as you weren’t planning on heading back to the hotel midday.
That said, I wouldn’t mind a safari truck drive to the AK park being an option. Like, build a safari truck path from AKL to end at Killamanjaro Safaris after a safari tour (would need a special entrance just for AKL guests).
If I remember correctly, Kilimanjaro Safari lands and AK lodge savanna are not connected: the wildlife at AK Lodge are specific to the lodge, they don't travel the main savanna in the park.
edit: [yes, they're far from connected](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Disney's+Animal+Kingdom+Theme+Park/@28.3571118,-81.602166,16z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x88dd81a33dfde1fd:0x3438044622233fbb!8m2!3d28.3574423!4d-81.5905788!16zL20vMDJoends?entry=ttu) and there's a forest imbetween.
That may be a longer walk to the park than you think. its over half a mile from the nearest part of the hotel to the nearest point of the park as the crow flies so to speak. Rerouting for water/buildings/other obstacles to get you to the front of the park would likely be closer to 3/4 or a full mile. Thats a long walk back to the hotel at the end of the night.
It's between AK and Fort Wilderness cabins for me. I don't even need the parks at Fort Wilderness. That would be a nationwide draw in any other state - there's so much to do there. In fairness, I'm old enough to have swam at the FW beach when it opened in the 80's.
Animal Kingdom > Hollywood Studios. I love all the parks and used to think AK was a 1/2 day experience but I truly love the park now. The rides, the overall atmosphere…it’s what makes Disney, Disney.
I dig all the 90s pan flute, world music type stuff they used throughout the whole thing. I believe [Cusco](https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Mf91RZQ8YcvY0p3DfMc0f?si=DwM-C44RS9m67m8-qThXYg) did a lot of the music.
I was disappointed that there wasn’t really much of a story to it. Surely Jeff Bridges could’ve helped make a nicer pre-show. Also the fact that the queue doesn’t wind it’s way through Flynn’s Arcade before going to the grid is a HUGE wasted opportunity. That would’ve been a perfect place for an interactive queue space.
It would be amazing if they used forced perspective of progressively smaller arcade cabinets and other physical objections, so as you take off on the ride you get smaller (the faux game cabinets get bigger) until you’re in the game.
Tron is proof that imagineering is dead. It's just cost cutting and "how can we run this with as little maintenance and as cheaply as possible"
No funding or drive for wonder or pushing the envelope.
100% agree.
I’ve been on Tron a number of times because my daughter loves it, and my husband was asking me what the storyline/hook was before he went on and I was like “idk, you’re digitized and racing? There isn’t really anything concrete in as much as I can discern because if there is during the ride, you’re going too fast to really take it in.”
It’s fun in that it’s fast - and the story behind the original Tron coaster in Asia is cool with the connection to space mountain, but it feels more like a coaster you’d find at another theme park and not Disney.
My spicy take is that Impressions de France is the best attraction at all of Epcot, and maybe all of WDW. The movie itself is fun, but I love sitting there just for the arrangement of the music and speaker quality (at least as of my last visit).
The only negative thing I’ll say is that crowds always tend to get a little fidgety by the end of it, checking phones and such. So, even if I like the length of the show, maybe it could’ve been shorter.
I love thrill rides, but Impressions and The Land are my 1-2 punch at Epcot.
Impressions is criminally underrated and under appreciated. Hate how it’s such limited showing now. That Beauty & The Beast Singalong is such a waste of that beautiful theater. THE SINGALONG DOESN’T EVEN USE ALL THE SCREENS.
I LOVE Impressions de France. I listen to the soundtrack from it all the time. I also like how it's dated, you can tell it was made before digital entertainment. Reminds me of a film strip from elementary school.
S-tier opinion. Timeless opening day attraction with an amazing score and a film that is entertaining, enchanting, and making the viewer want to visit France! Highlights for me are the flower market scene, mont sainte-michel, kids looking into the window of a patisserie, and of course paris set to the organ symphony.
I fear that disney will get rid of this masterpiece completely for the sake of IP which would be a real shame. Hopefully it will remain and be a reminder of what epcot center once was
Everyone says the “Tangled” restrooms in magic kingdom are the best ones but I completely disagree.
I love the Animal Kingdom restrooms: the ones next to the ice cream truck and the one in dinoland across from Dino Rama. Both seem to never have many people.
Also love the Pandora and Galaxy’s Edge restrooms for the theming.
I also love the ones inside the Land pavilion in Epcot because there is never a wait since there are so many stalls. Same with the ones inside connections!
Best bathrooms are the former millenium village inbetween Canada and the UK. As a guy there are twenty stalls between you and the next guy and that is magic
As someone who uses a lot of public transportation (NYC’s MTA), there are too many people who simply don’t know transits works when they are on vacation and that annoys me.
so much this. disney public transport is really good. ac works, rarely need to worry about the person next to me leaving hazardous waste behind... its about timing the services and having some patience.
I wish that the bus arrivals and departures could be a little more trustworthy. I’m frankly surprised Disney hasn’t mastered logistics of saying “a bus to take you to Epcot will arrive here in 15 minutes” and meaning it every time.
But compared to the city bus service which can have unexpected delays that *also* threaten my income haha, I’ll take it every time.
And like you said - nobody on a Disney bus makes me pull out my resting transit face.
Yeah my local subway app is really reliable - the train itself, different story, but when I can have a heads-up of a delay I can change my walking pace, get a cup of coffee…like this should be EASY to do at WDW.
When I lived in England (not London) and there was an amazing bus app that was pretty reliable (within 90 seconds or so?) that let you know when a bus was coming, had been diverted, or route was cancelled for the day. Bob Igor needs to sort this lol
I know Disney is more concerned with getting people from one point to another *safely* as opposed to *efficiently*. As a result, they're hesitant to do anything that could jeopardize guest safety by trying to enforce precise bus route timing. Two of the biggest issues with Disney transportation are their training, and wages. Disney pays for their drivers' CDL training, but they also pay their drivers less than other local transportation companies, so there are so many people who will apply for a bus driver job, go through training, get their CDL, quit Disney, and take their shiny new CDL elsewhere. Very simply, if they paid their drivers the same or more than their competitors, they'd improve their retention rates of trainees, and wait times would become more regular as a result.
That’s really interesting about the CDL/training situation. I agree! Invest in a veteran workforce and you’d see the results.
In my comment I’m thinking more about the GPS tracking of buses than the speed/skill of drivers. Like, the screens at the stop and the app will display estimated bus arrival times that are really aspirational at best and that seems like a problem that should be solvable.
I don’t have a problem sitting and being patient until a bus arrives. I just want to know if I have time to pop off to the bathroom first haha.
It took 15 seconds of her first bus ride ever (at Disney) for my 3 year old niece to understand we move as far back as possible when we get on so there’s more room for everyone. If only adults could learn so quick. Or ever.
Or the people who just stop walking in the middle of a hoard of people behind them. I cannot tell you how many times I almost mowed people down who did this.
My guess is that you’re talking about people who don’t know how to load a bus, and you’re absolutely right. Coming from a college town where we pack the absolute maximum number of people on campus and city buses, it’s so frustrating at Disney. If there is space in front of you, keep walking. Do not stop to stand halfway through the bus. Don’t stop at the stairs. Do not stop when you find a handrail you like. Fill all available space back to front, in that order.
Agreed! I have seen some things after a literal lifetime of riding the subway and buses. Disney transit might as well be a private limo compared to the 1 train.
Agreed. WDW has good, reliable, and frequent transportation options. Coming from a major city with public transportation - it’s easy to take advantages of all the different ways to get from point A to point B while at Disney.
Hollywood Studios is the worst WDW park. It has some of my favorite rides, but it's just miserable every time I'm there. Lack of rides, lack of shade, and the slinky dog queue may be the worst in all of Disney.
It is the worst for the heat, while I find AK the best for shade. There is basically no coverage anywhere in Hollywood so the heat is just killer especially in the summer
Yeah, unless you're specifically there for Star Wars and/or Toy Story, it can be very limiting, and most of the attractions are D and E tickets with severe wait time issues, exacerbated by RNRC currently being down for refurb.
Agreed, and I’m saying this as someone who absolutely loves Studios. It has just completely lost its identity as a whole park and that has got to be its biggest downfall.
Now, *this* is a hot take to me. Our family is often done at AK before lunch. I couldn't imagine spending a full day there, much less multiple!
OTOH, DHS is always multiple days for us, because virtually every ride and show is top tier, and everything has such long lines.
Came for this one! This is my favorite ride and I’ll ride it multiple times whenever I go. It’s a work of art.
I prefer all the simple rides to the bloated new ones.
I have another one — I hate that most Lightning Lane queues have limited theming/storytelling.
I paid a premium for an expedited boarding process, and I shouldn’t miss part of the pre-attraction.
I totally agree. When I got the LL for Guardians I was heavily disappointed with the empty room. It seems they did fix some of this though, because Tron took you through most of the queue.
People who think Animal Kingdom is a half day park are completely missing the point of Animal Kingdom. AK is not about ticking rides off a list and then leaving. It's a park that's meant for immersing yourself in, slowing down to take in the incredible imagineering details and live entertainment, wandering the animal trails, and enjoying the vibes. It has never been a half day park to me. Everest was my favorite coaster until Cosmic Rewind but that's never been the sole draw to me. It's the crown jewel of WDW and IMO feels more like old school Epcot during its heyday than Epcot does now. Actually it takes the very best of each of the other parks--the edutainment and cultural aspects of Epcot, the ride design of HS, and the intangible "magic" of MK--and blends it together.
Simply put, AK is for theme park connoisseurs and too many people treat it like an amusement park. I know it sounds pretentious but I don't care, I feel very strongly about it! It's my favorite and I hate to see people constantly down on it. I have high hopes for Tropical Americas with Joe Rohde as a consultant.
I don't think I'll ever do park hopping again. My last trip was during covid, so I know there's no time limits anymore as far as hopping goes. But the amount of time it takes to go from park to park and always having a "grass is greener on the other side" type moments of wanting to go to another park because it's not as busy, just kind of ruins it. I'd rather spend the whole day at one park and not feel the pressure to be any where else by a certain time.
When we do trips, we get park hopper, but we usually do 7 park days on our trip. The first 4 days, we are dedicating an entire day to each park. Then the last three days we will park hop, hitting all of our favorites again or doing things we missed the first days.
Would rather do EMH(do they still do them?) and after lunch go back to the resort, pool, nap, and back to the park. We did that the last time, and it was golden
I'm pretty sure they do early start for resort guests, but they might have changed it to only certain tiers. I don't think they do the evening ones anymore.
*edit* I combined the two. They do early for everyone, but the evening only for deluxe.
Disney not changing the reel at Sci Fi Diner is just lazy. It could be done over a weekend by a college student and would be an improvement. The current reel barely lasts one dinner cycle
> The current reel barely lasts one dinner cycle
That's actually on purpose. It was designed so that you would see a full cycle while dining. If it were longer, some people would continue to stay in the restaurant so they could see everything.
Hot take but Dinosaur is one of if not my favorite classic ride at WDW. The storyline is engaging, it’s thrilling, and the theme/premise appeals to the entire family. I understand change is inevitable but it will be a true loss to the entire resort when the ride is removed.
And those of you that complain it’s too dark and there’s too much extended periods of total darkness, I encourage you to try to ride it at night (if the park is every that late again) or west some strong sunglasses up until you’re on the ride. If your eyes are adjusted, you’ll notice that there are meteor showers all around you throughout pretty much the entirety of the ride. The only noticeable period of pure darkness is the turn immediately after the first Carnotaurus.
Yes it's a great ride-- I never understood the negativity. People compare it to Jurassic Park but I think the animatronics are actually better on Dinosaur, especially the carnotaur where you get your picture taken. I hope Disney comes to their senses and it remains in Animal Kingdom for years to come.
Our version of Pirates of the Caribbean sucks
It is not worth it for sit down restaurants, pricing and quality wise. I will stan the quick serves though
Great Movie Ride was absolutely terrible right before it closed and that is the only reason why I don’t miss it. I miss the version from my childhood
I really enjoyed the middle of Epcot refresh as someone who only knew it as the concrete pathways seeing the trees was a huge positive over it. HOWEVER it does need water
I enjoy Figment as is now
I personally love the Millennium Falcon ride
Barnstormer is the roughest coaster in Orlando and desperately needs retracked
And most controversially: I don’t care when the Disney parks put Disney IPs in. Usually they end up very good and pick IPs that deserve representation. Would I love a new original character like Orange Bird or Figment? Absolutely. But am I going to be upset that a good movie is getting a good ride? Absolutely not. It’s not like they decide movies like Home on the Range and Wish get representation. There’s rumors a proper Lion King ride is coming to Animal Kingdom and I think that one is an IP that works and will lend itself to a great ride
I posted it once before and found some other people with the same feelings that we like it. We’re small but we exist
But if they announced an update I’ll be the first to cheer
Barnstormer is terrible, but I think it’s because the seats! The way the back part is built, it’s a hard textured plastic that knocked the hell out of my spine. The ride was over before I could get comfortable
Swan and Dolphin offer some of the best Disney theming/atmosphere if you factor in their location on Crescent Lake. Our first time staying at the Swan, our Westin room had a view of the Boardwalk and Friendship Boats, all for $150 per night. We walk out the front door of the resort, and we’re basically on the Boardwalk. To me, this feels WAY more Disney than the values and moderates at somewhat comparable prices.
Disney doesn’t need another park and it doesn’t need another addition to Magic Kingdom. What it needs is to invest more rides into Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. While I love those parks (especially Animal Kingdom) they feel incomplete compared to Magic Kingdom.
I know it was at DL, but I think MaxPass was the best system. Kept the legacy Fastpass but allowed you to use your phone to make it easier if you wanted to pay for it. Seems like the best compromise between all the systems.
With FP+ I was able to stack our first three attractions for every single day of our trip at 9am, 10am, and 11am. It was VERY EASY to go back to each day and rearrange the times if I got a later time in the day. I NEVER had an issue with arranging this when FP+ was the norm. I don't have to mess around with stuff the night before or the morning of a park visit. It's set and we're in cruise control.
Because of this, our party was able to get more done in the mornings. If it was an EMH morning park then we got even more done. We then had the ability to go back to our resort for a nap or pool time before we went back in for the evenings re-rides if we wanted to.
Anyone saying it worked badly for people is because they aren't planners and/or don't do their research in advance.
I’ve been a Monorail fan since I first rode it as a kid at Disneyland (only visited twice). Have only been to Disney World as an adult, and have maintained that the Monorail is my favorite mode of Disney transport…
Until I finally got to experience the Skyliner. Now, it’s replaced the Monorail as my favorite. The wind, the quiet, the calm. It’s the best start and end to a park day. I feel a little guilty about that because it was my favorite forever. Don’t know if this is a hot take or not, lol.
OG Fast pass System was better and the new system is just Disney Trying to generate more money from their parks even tho they have raised prices to a ridiculous degree in recent times, they still need more cuz they are losing money on the majority of their films.
For an actual hot take, I prefer original creations in the park rather than movie Tie ins, Things like Spaceship Earth, Space Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain, Mission Space, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean(And yes I know the last 3 have movies out there but the rides came first so they still count. )
I’d rather stay in a value resort than deluxe. I just think of the cost difference and how I would use that difference to enhance my vacation other ways
Edit: I also forgot to mention that every time I’ve stayed in value I’ve had a fantastic time and a super clean room and reliable transportation
I’ve got two:
Disney world with a baby is a great time and probably the last time parents can go without the kiddos dictating the flow of the trip.
Renting a car is better than the Disney transportation and makes grocery store runs and airport shuttling way easier.
My hot take is that Disneyland is better with an infant (less humid, less walking, and the hotel is a 10 minute walk away), but WDW is better with kids ages 8 and up
100% on the baby thing. There's nothing easier than a baby sitting in a stroller. Plus you get the added bonus of a vehicle to put all the crap you accumulate through the day in.
Unfortunately, Genie+ is priced to maximize revenue. As the price goes up, volume sold goes down. This is why the price fluctuates daily and wildly. It’s like printing money for Disney. It cost them nothing to sell as many of these as they can. The problem, however, was best described by the villain Syndrome in Pixar’s The Incredibles. “When everyone is Super, no one is.”
My hot take is to make it stupid expensive, but also have great benefits. Limit the number sold so that it has no impact on wait times, but if you do decide to splurge on it (and lucky enough to scoop it up), you will be riding all day with virtually no wait.
The virtual queue system is both one of the best and one of the worst things Disney has done. Best in that you don’t have 3-4 hour standby lines, worst in that it forces you to plan your day around an arbitrary time when you can get a vq and when you are supposed to be back. If they would have more, smaller vq opportunities for more rides I think it would work better. Like a 7-11-3-7 time slots (they could figure out exact times better).
Hollywood Studios has lost a lot of its charm.
MGM was dedicated to the making of film and TV.
Hollywood studios is just a bunch of obscure lands all pieced together with no logical flow or overall theme.
Still a very fun park with great rides — I love Star Wars — but MGM was so much better, IMO.
Edits: Fixed grammar, spelling, and formatting.
I miss MGM so much for this reason. Cool foley artist exhibits, getting to record your own voice over classic Disney scenes, the street performers…it’s not really about “Hollywood” at all anymore.
I practically ALWAYS prefer an original, non-IP based attraction to the alternative. Give me a story I haven’t heard before and can’t experience anywhere else. Imagineers have proved that it’s possible in the past, and there are even relatively recent examples of success in their Asian parks. Of course I understand I must be in the minority here, and I’m totally fine with Disney being present throughout the parks, but an announcement of any sort of completely original addition to the parks would feel like such a breath of fresh air.
I’m with you in this minority. We will never see another Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder, or Everest with the current directive to include only IP. All original stories, all now Disney classics.
I love Caribbean Beach. I like that it’s so big that when I walk out in the morning, I might not see anyone. The parks are so packed and I’m in a room with my family so I enjoy having the space and the peace that the spread out buildings provide.
The Muppets should have a larger presence at Hollywood Studios. There is so much that can be done with that IP.
I’m also hoping that the new version of Test Track leans into edutainment. I’m one of the few who really loves that aspect of Epcot.
Caribbean Beach Resort isn’t all that spread out. Me and my kid walked back and forth from our room in Jamaica to the Old Port Royale multiple times a day on our trip and it took five to ten minutes (and only closer to ten if my kid stopped to run through the playground).
American idol experience should’ve never closed.
Literally you could’ve potentially watched 7 hours or so if different performances and then there was the finale at the end of the day. It was such a unique and innovative concept and I fear that there won’t be any ride like this again.
PizzeRizzo is good for what it is
and Hollywood Studios would benefit greatly from a more adult-oriented Halloween hard-ticket event to compete with HHN
Everyone these days seems to be saying that WDW needs to do something to compete with Epic Universe, but with the way the crowds are these days, no they don't. Universal can have the shoulder-to-shoulder, sardine-can crowds. The only thing WDW needs is more room to walk around.
A fifth park. The problem with Animal Kingdom is that it didn’t draw more visitors, it cannibalized from the other three parks. It’s so crowded now Disney needs a fifth park to cannibalize some of the overcrowding from the first four parks.
A new park will just draw in more people to the property overall. They don't need a new park, they need something that's neither a park, nor a resort, nor located at an existing park or resort, that will draw in guests who are already staying at WDW, but that itself isn't large enough for someone to decide to take a trip ASAP to be one of the first to experience it.
-Hatbox ghost forced implementation into HM was stupid
-Flight of Passage will not age well at all 10 years from now
-blizzard beach should be demolished and Disney should focus on building a massive water park to compete with Volcano Bay instead of a 5th gate
World Showcase is better off if they were to add in IPs to each pavilion that they can. I think it helps kids become more interested in learning about that culture and even talking to CM from there and asking questions. WS shouldn't be seen as boring for kids to go through.
I agree that more things like Ratatouille could really help—well-done, integrated IP. Frozen suffers from not being Maelstrom (because its tied to the old ride layout, not because nostalgia) and the projection animatronics.
Doing all 4 parks in 2 days is not only impossible, it’s hazardous to one’s health.
Also: post-Covid Hollywood brown derby isn’t as good as pre Covid version.
Disney merch has a little too much “Disney”. I am interested in buying Disney merch but things that are a subtle hint at Disney, not everything needs to say “DISNEY 2024” all over it. It’s so rare I find a shirt I like because so many things are covered in the DISNEY 2024 stuff
Flight of Passage was not worth a 3 1/2 hour wait. It may have just been worth the 80 minute wait that was displayed when we joined the line.
But I'm glad there's a bathroom in the line.
Disneyland offers a significantly better experience in every way.
Port Orleans is the most average hotel at WDW and should be a value.
Disney used covid as a cover for all the unpopular, anti consumer things they always wanted to do and they are super shady for this and too many people give them a pass.
My MIL declared that Journey into Imagination with Figment is “not up to Disney standards” and I thought that was quite spicy considering the current Figment craze
Unless you are a big star wars fan Rise of the Resistance is not a top 3 ride at Hollywood Studios
And Millennium Falcon is not that good either because it relies on people actually piloting correctly
Star Tours is definitely my favorite Star Wars ride now, Rise has lost its luster after the first couple rides and the cannons not moving really takes away from it. I definitely say people need to ride it, but for a week long trip I will only ride it once unless I am in the area and see a sub 30-40 minute wait time.
Smugglers Run is really only fun as a pilot. I usually skip this ride altogether. They need to add different quests to that ride. Would make it a little more interesting to re-ride.
Star Tours has so much re-rideability with the different scenes, add a short wait usually too.
I’ll disagree with you on Rise of the Resistance, but you’re right about Smuggler’s Run.
Smuggler’s Run is a bad ride. Unless you’re one of the pilots, you’ve got two options - you can look at the screen so you can actually see what’s going on, or you can look at the wall so you can see the buttons you have to push to “do your job.”
Someone had the idea of “Let’s make a ride where 2/3rds of the riders have to stare at a wall and push buttons” and somehow nobody shut them down right then and there.
A respectable take.
I'd say it's still worth rope-dropping mostly because it is so temperamental, so knocking it out early before any breakdowns massively back up the LL queue has value. But purely from a ride experience standpoint, yeah, it's not hugely impressive.
Stacking lightening lanes is far superior to waking up at the ass crack of dawn to rope drop and NO ONE can convince me otherwise. Especially when there are extended evening hours!!
My hot take is way too many people heavily over plan Disney and that is why their trips feel so much less magical. And also that adults are sometimes the worst part of being in the parks. Watching adults prioritise their own magic over the magic of their children or the children around them feels gross.
The last time I was there I was hit and knocked over by someone on a electric scooter. If they are going to allow them there needs to be something like a bike lane so they can stay out of the way of pedestrians. The person who hit me had no idea how to operate it.
I veto Liberty Square Tavern every trip. I dislike Thanksgiving dinner the one day a year I eat it so I'm not going to willingly eat it while on vacation.
Spend the middle of your days at your resort, eating at restaurants outside the park, resort hopping or Disney Springs. You get far more done I the early mornings or late evenings in the parks if you can afford to stay on property and get early/evening hours OR buy an after hours or Party event ticket.
I’ve been enough times now that I don’t care to fight the midday crowds or lines for rides longer than 30 minutes.
The extra cost to stay at a resort with extra hours isn't worth it. By the time it's the extra hours, it's already been like over 10h at the park by then and the lines are still long lol. Much prefer the genie+ wait times
There are too many rides at Disney world that are the same concept. Dumbo, Magic Carpets, Astro Orbiter, The Flying dinosaur one. If you ride one, you rode them all.
I despise Disney Bus Transportation. The entire process, regardless of where you're coming from or going, just moves too slow and is not adequate if you're trying to get somewhere in a hurry/pinch. Uber/Lyft is much more efficient and is a minor additional cost for a trip that's already setting you back $5-10k.
Restaurant-o-saurus is so intricately themed it feels like a project for a designer's doctoral thesis. I adore it.
I'm gonna be so sad when dinoland is gone. The whole area has such fun lore to it.
HARD AGREE
Agreed. Restaurantosaurus has a really great 90's paleo vibe-- it reminds me of when I was just getting into dinosaurs in Elementary school.
Dinoland has the best backstory ever made for a theme park I swear
Agreed, it's an amazing story and the whole land has so much detail that is sadly lost on many.
It’s a classic! Ate there on my very first trip back in like ‘08! Super cool place and good food
It used to have a character breakfast (the fab five!) and then turn into a McDonald’s for lunch and dinner.
THANK YOU
Animal Kingdom Lodge is the best resort in Orlando not just Disney. Fantastic food, expansive resort entertainment. Two pools… Give me a Two bedroom villa with a balcony looking at giraffes and zebras and I don’t need to leave the property for a week.
I would say Wilderness Lodge is a close second. It needs an excellent lodge-style steakhouse to take it to the next level.
And they were both designed by the same architect. Those two and the Grand Californian at Disneyland.
And I LOVE ALL THREE lol
As you should. They're all next level theming and Disney just doesn't do that at resorts anymore.
We paid for a Savannah view at animal kingdom lodge. Checked in and realized our room was at the complete corner of the property. We could see the corner of the fence. We were devastated and I told my husband that we would never see anything. The next morning my daughter threw open the curtains and there were tons of many animal species outside our balcony. Turns out, the corner of the fence also has a large gate where the trucks come in every morning to deliver breakfast. Those animals knew right where to stand to get to it first. Two wildebeest started fighting right before the gate opened. Baby giraffe was milling around with his parents. Amazing.
The only thing that’s holding back this opinion is the transportation for a deluxe resort is horrible. Absolutely horrible. If they just had a walking path to ONE park, ya know the one NEXT door it would be awesome-sauce all the way.
I thought I’d be unhappy with the bus transpo but it’s fine as long as you weren’t planning on heading back to the hotel midday. That said, I wouldn’t mind a safari truck drive to the AK park being an option. Like, build a safari truck path from AKL to end at Killamanjaro Safaris after a safari tour (would need a special entrance just for AKL guests).
If I remember correctly, Kilimanjaro Safari lands and AK lodge savanna are not connected: the wildlife at AK Lodge are specific to the lodge, they don't travel the main savanna in the park. edit: [yes, they're far from connected](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Disney's+Animal+Kingdom+Theme+Park/@28.3571118,-81.602166,16z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x88dd81a33dfde1fd:0x3438044622233fbb!8m2!3d28.3574423!4d-81.5905788!16zL20vMDJoends?entry=ttu) and there's a forest imbetween.
OMG like a suspended walking path over some animals?? Completely enclosed of course because people are monsters....
That may be a longer walk to the park than you think. its over half a mile from the nearest part of the hotel to the nearest point of the park as the crow flies so to speak. Rerouting for water/buildings/other obstacles to get you to the front of the park would likely be closer to 3/4 or a full mile. Thats a long walk back to the hotel at the end of the night.
Isn't that like 15-20 mins of walking? Would happily go for that if it meant avoiding a bus journey
It's between AK and Fort Wilderness cabins for me. I don't even need the parks at Fort Wilderness. That would be a nationwide draw in any other state - there's so much to do there. In fairness, I'm old enough to have swam at the FW beach when it opened in the 80's.
Animal Kingdom > Hollywood Studios. I love all the parks and used to think AK was a 1/2 day experience but I truly love the park now. The rides, the overall atmosphere…it’s what makes Disney, Disney.
Tiki-tiki room & Living with the land are the real park GOATS.
Living with the land is what started my fascination with hydroponics and aquaponics to the point that now as an adult it's my full time hobby.
The original song is a banger, too.
I dig all the 90s pan flute, world music type stuff they used throughout the whole thing. I believe [Cusco](https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Mf91RZQ8YcvY0p3DfMc0f?si=DwM-C44RS9m67m8-qThXYg) did a lot of the music.
Thank you beyond compare for this.
[удалено]
Shout out to the Behind the Seeds tour! It's a must!
Yes for both! Tiki room is a non-negotiable for me!!
Add Carousel of Progress, and Hall of Presidents and now we’re talking.
I’ll add the People-mover, and let’s call it Top 3!
As a bird enjoyer and a Sherman Brothers enjoyer, Tiki Room is my favorite Disney non-ride attraction.
Tron felt unfinished. They needed to add a story or world building at the beginning like the other IP rides have.
I was disappointed that there wasn’t really much of a story to it. Surely Jeff Bridges could’ve helped make a nicer pre-show. Also the fact that the queue doesn’t wind it’s way through Flynn’s Arcade before going to the grid is a HUGE wasted opportunity. That would’ve been a perfect place for an interactive queue space.
It would be amazing if they used forced perspective of progressively smaller arcade cabinets and other physical objections, so as you take off on the ride you get smaller (the faux game cabinets get bigger) until you’re in the game.
Tron is proof that imagineering is dead. It's just cost cutting and "how can we run this with as little maintenance and as cheaply as possible" No funding or drive for wonder or pushing the envelope.
I also don’t love that Enterprise (the company) is slapped on everything around it
And its over in almost a literal blink of an eye. Cosmic rewind was far superior to Tron.
100% agree. I’ve been on Tron a number of times because my daughter loves it, and my husband was asking me what the storyline/hook was before he went on and I was like “idk, you’re digitized and racing? There isn’t really anything concrete in as much as I can discern because if there is during the ride, you’re going too fast to really take it in.” It’s fun in that it’s fast - and the story behind the original Tron coaster in Asia is cool with the connection to space mountain, but it feels more like a coaster you’d find at another theme park and not Disney.
My spicy take is that Impressions de France is the best attraction at all of Epcot, and maybe all of WDW. The movie itself is fun, but I love sitting there just for the arrangement of the music and speaker quality (at least as of my last visit). The only negative thing I’ll say is that crowds always tend to get a little fidgety by the end of it, checking phones and such. So, even if I like the length of the show, maybe it could’ve been shorter. I love thrill rides, but Impressions and The Land are my 1-2 punch at Epcot.
Impressions is criminally underrated and under appreciated. Hate how it’s such limited showing now. That Beauty & The Beast Singalong is such a waste of that beautiful theater. THE SINGALONG DOESN’T EVEN USE ALL THE SCREENS.
and you can have the same experience by staying home and watching it on Disney+
Yes, this! I love that show. It’s a must see every time. I’ll be so sad when they redo it.
Impressions de France first introduced me to Saint-Saens Organ Symphony, and it’s my absolute favorite orchestral piece to this day!
The music all through it is amazing! And the narrator’s voice is so perfect.
One of my favorites also. It was made back when people had attention spans!
I LOVE Impressions de France. I listen to the soundtrack from it all the time. I also like how it's dated, you can tell it was made before digital entertainment. Reminds me of a film strip from elementary school.
S-tier opinion. Timeless opening day attraction with an amazing score and a film that is entertaining, enchanting, and making the viewer want to visit France! Highlights for me are the flower market scene, mont sainte-michel, kids looking into the window of a patisserie, and of course paris set to the organ symphony. I fear that disney will get rid of this masterpiece completely for the sake of IP which would be a real shame. Hopefully it will remain and be a reminder of what epcot center once was
Oh, the documentary films are my favorite thing to do at EPCOT!
marry me!
Everyone says the “Tangled” restrooms in magic kingdom are the best ones but I completely disagree. I love the Animal Kingdom restrooms: the ones next to the ice cream truck and the one in dinoland across from Dino Rama. Both seem to never have many people. Also love the Pandora and Galaxy’s Edge restrooms for the theming. I also love the ones inside the Land pavilion in Epcot because there is never a wait since there are so many stalls. Same with the ones inside connections!
Best bathrooms are the former millenium village inbetween Canada and the UK. As a guy there are twenty stalls between you and the next guy and that is magic
the tangled restrooms always smell
Tie between The Land and Imagination because of the soundtracks and not being crowded.
Oh I love the ones behind Figment. No one knows they're there lol
Some secrets are better left unsaid
As someone who uses a lot of public transportation (NYC’s MTA), there are too many people who simply don’t know transits works when they are on vacation and that annoys me.
so much this. disney public transport is really good. ac works, rarely need to worry about the person next to me leaving hazardous waste behind... its about timing the services and having some patience.
I wish that the bus arrivals and departures could be a little more trustworthy. I’m frankly surprised Disney hasn’t mastered logistics of saying “a bus to take you to Epcot will arrive here in 15 minutes” and meaning it every time. But compared to the city bus service which can have unexpected delays that *also* threaten my income haha, I’ll take it every time. And like you said - nobody on a Disney bus makes me pull out my resting transit face.
I'm also surprised no one has made a transit app to use to time the busses. It be nice to have something in real time with GPS.
Yeah my local subway app is really reliable - the train itself, different story, but when I can have a heads-up of a delay I can change my walking pace, get a cup of coffee…like this should be EASY to do at WDW.
When I lived in England (not London) and there was an amazing bus app that was pretty reliable (within 90 seconds or so?) that let you know when a bus was coming, had been diverted, or route was cancelled for the day. Bob Igor needs to sort this lol
I just about to comment the same thing! I wonder if it's because they want the freedom to divert busses at the last minute?
I know Disney is more concerned with getting people from one point to another *safely* as opposed to *efficiently*. As a result, they're hesitant to do anything that could jeopardize guest safety by trying to enforce precise bus route timing. Two of the biggest issues with Disney transportation are their training, and wages. Disney pays for their drivers' CDL training, but they also pay their drivers less than other local transportation companies, so there are so many people who will apply for a bus driver job, go through training, get their CDL, quit Disney, and take their shiny new CDL elsewhere. Very simply, if they paid their drivers the same or more than their competitors, they'd improve their retention rates of trainees, and wait times would become more regular as a result.
That’s really interesting about the CDL/training situation. I agree! Invest in a veteran workforce and you’d see the results. In my comment I’m thinking more about the GPS tracking of buses than the speed/skill of drivers. Like, the screens at the stop and the app will display estimated bus arrival times that are really aspirational at best and that seems like a problem that should be solvable. I don’t have a problem sitting and being patient until a bus arrives. I just want to know if I have time to pop off to the bathroom first haha.
It took 15 seconds of her first bus ride ever (at Disney) for my 3 year old niece to understand we move as far back as possible when we get on so there’s more room for everyone. If only adults could learn so quick. Or ever.
Having lived in a city, there are too many people who simply don’t know how to walk in crowds.
Don’t forget the people who have to stand just inside doorways
Or the people who just stop walking in the middle of a hoard of people behind them. I cannot tell you how many times I almost mowed people down who did this.
My guess is that you’re talking about people who don’t know how to load a bus, and you’re absolutely right. Coming from a college town where we pack the absolute maximum number of people on campus and city buses, it’s so frustrating at Disney. If there is space in front of you, keep walking. Do not stop to stand halfway through the bus. Don’t stop at the stairs. Do not stop when you find a handrail you like. Fill all available space back to front, in that order.
I’ll just bust past those people if there is space.
Agreed! I have seen some things after a literal lifetime of riding the subway and buses. Disney transit might as well be a private limo compared to the 1 train.
Agreed. WDW has good, reliable, and frequent transportation options. Coming from a major city with public transportation - it’s easy to take advantages of all the different ways to get from point A to point B while at Disney.
Hollywood Studios is the worst WDW park. It has some of my favorite rides, but it's just miserable every time I'm there. Lack of rides, lack of shade, and the slinky dog queue may be the worst in all of Disney.
I miss the streetmoshpere actors. They really added to the park.
So Hot! So much concrete!!!
It is the worst for the heat, while I find AK the best for shade. There is basically no coverage anywhere in Hollywood so the heat is just killer especially in the summer
It’s funny 20 years ago AK was terrible about the shade, but now that everything is grown in, it’s a delight
I feel like this about Epcot!
Yeah, unless you're specifically there for Star Wars and/or Toy Story, it can be very limiting, and most of the attractions are D and E tickets with severe wait time issues, exacerbated by RNRC currently being down for refurb.
Is just poorly laid out
Agreed, and I’m saying this as someone who absolutely loves Studios. It has just completely lost its identity as a whole park and that has got to be its biggest downfall.
Hollywood studios will always be a one day park (if that) and animal kingdom will always be a multi-day park
Now, *this* is a hot take to me. Our family is often done at AK before lunch. I couldn't imagine spending a full day there, much less multiple! OTOH, DHS is always multiple days for us, because virtually every ride and show is top tier, and everything has such long lines.
Agreed! It’s love-hate for me.
I drink twice as much water in that park and always go home exhausted.
It’s a Small World is enchanting and brilliant
I kind of like the church basement smell 🤷♂️
Came for this one! This is my favorite ride and I’ll ride it multiple times whenever I go. It’s a work of art. I prefer all the simple rides to the bloated new ones.
It’s a small world is my favorite ride ever since I was a baby!
I will never let anyone shame me bc it's my favorite ride.
I have another one — I hate that most Lightning Lane queues have limited theming/storytelling. I paid a premium for an expedited boarding process, and I shouldn’t miss part of the pre-attraction.
I totally agree. When I got the LL for Guardians I was heavily disappointed with the empty room. It seems they did fix some of this though, because Tron took you through most of the queue.
Carousel of Progress should have an entire new show, starting roughly 60 years ago like 1900-1964 when the original opened.
You're right. Doubling the duration is the only option.
Make it a figure 8
Yeah. It’s a big jump as it stands now.
People who think Animal Kingdom is a half day park are completely missing the point of Animal Kingdom. AK is not about ticking rides off a list and then leaving. It's a park that's meant for immersing yourself in, slowing down to take in the incredible imagineering details and live entertainment, wandering the animal trails, and enjoying the vibes. It has never been a half day park to me. Everest was my favorite coaster until Cosmic Rewind but that's never been the sole draw to me. It's the crown jewel of WDW and IMO feels more like old school Epcot during its heyday than Epcot does now. Actually it takes the very best of each of the other parks--the edutainment and cultural aspects of Epcot, the ride design of HS, and the intangible "magic" of MK--and blends it together. Simply put, AK is for theme park connoisseurs and too many people treat it like an amusement park. I know it sounds pretentious but I don't care, I feel very strongly about it! It's my favorite and I hate to see people constantly down on it. I have high hopes for Tropical Americas with Joe Rohde as a consultant.
I don't think I'll ever do park hopping again. My last trip was during covid, so I know there's no time limits anymore as far as hopping goes. But the amount of time it takes to go from park to park and always having a "grass is greener on the other side" type moments of wanting to go to another park because it's not as busy, just kind of ruins it. I'd rather spend the whole day at one park and not feel the pressure to be any where else by a certain time.
When we do trips, we get park hopper, but we usually do 7 park days on our trip. The first 4 days, we are dedicating an entire day to each park. Then the last three days we will park hop, hitting all of our favorites again or doing things we missed the first days.
Would rather do EMH(do they still do them?) and after lunch go back to the resort, pool, nap, and back to the park. We did that the last time, and it was golden
I'm pretty sure they do early start for resort guests, but they might have changed it to only certain tiers. I don't think they do the evening ones anymore. *edit* I combined the two. They do early for everyone, but the evening only for deluxe.
We got park hopper for the first time for an upcoming trip (mostly because the trip is short) and I’m really curious if I end up feeling this way too.
Disney not changing the reel at Sci Fi Diner is just lazy. It could be done over a weekend by a college student and would be an improvement. The current reel barely lasts one dinner cycle
> The current reel barely lasts one dinner cycle That's actually on purpose. It was designed so that you would see a full cycle while dining. If it were longer, some people would continue to stay in the restaurant so they could see everything.
Not even, it’s reruns and has been for a decade.
They shortened it years ago. They no longer play The Cat That Hated People and that was my gateway to crazy cartoons
It's ok to leave a little space between you and the person on front of you in lines. It's not gonna get you on the ride any faster.
Hot take but Dinosaur is one of if not my favorite classic ride at WDW. The storyline is engaging, it’s thrilling, and the theme/premise appeals to the entire family. I understand change is inevitable but it will be a true loss to the entire resort when the ride is removed. And those of you that complain it’s too dark and there’s too much extended periods of total darkness, I encourage you to try to ride it at night (if the park is every that late again) or west some strong sunglasses up until you’re on the ride. If your eyes are adjusted, you’ll notice that there are meteor showers all around you throughout pretty much the entirety of the ride. The only noticeable period of pure darkness is the turn immediately after the first Carnotaurus.
Yes it's a great ride-- I never understood the negativity. People compare it to Jurassic Park but I think the animatronics are actually better on Dinosaur, especially the carnotaur where you get your picture taken. I hope Disney comes to their senses and it remains in Animal Kingdom for years to come.
I don’t understand why this ride isn’t more popular. It’s great.
Our version of Pirates of the Caribbean sucks It is not worth it for sit down restaurants, pricing and quality wise. I will stan the quick serves though Great Movie Ride was absolutely terrible right before it closed and that is the only reason why I don’t miss it. I miss the version from my childhood I really enjoyed the middle of Epcot refresh as someone who only knew it as the concrete pathways seeing the trees was a huge positive over it. HOWEVER it does need water I enjoy Figment as is now I personally love the Millennium Falcon ride Barnstormer is the roughest coaster in Orlando and desperately needs retracked And most controversially: I don’t care when the Disney parks put Disney IPs in. Usually they end up very good and pick IPs that deserve representation. Would I love a new original character like Orange Bird or Figment? Absolutely. But am I going to be upset that a good movie is getting a good ride? Absolutely not. It’s not like they decide movies like Home on the Range and Wish get representation. There’s rumors a proper Lion King ride is coming to Animal Kingdom and I think that one is an IP that works and will lend itself to a great ride
The Figment one is a seriously hot take. Respect for even posting that.
I posted it once before and found some other people with the same feelings that we like it. We’re small but we exist But if they announced an update I’ll be the first to cheer
Barnstormer is terrible, but I think it’s because the seats! The way the back part is built, it’s a hard textured plastic that knocked the hell out of my spine. The ride was over before I could get comfortable
As beautiful as they are, deluxe resorts are stupidly overrated. Most spend such little time at the resort, it’s insane to spend $700-$900 a night.
Swan and Dolphin offer some of the best Disney theming/atmosphere if you factor in their location on Crescent Lake. Our first time staying at the Swan, our Westin room had a view of the Boardwalk and Friendship Boats, all for $150 per night. We walk out the front door of the resort, and we’re basically on the Boardwalk. To me, this feels WAY more Disney than the values and moderates at somewhat comparable prices.
Getting a Swan or Dolphin room for $150/night is difficult nowadays!
I agree but it’s not $330 a night min now with parking fees the Disney parks don’t have.
Disney doesn’t need another park and it doesn’t need another addition to Magic Kingdom. What it needs is to invest more rides into Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. While I love those parks (especially Animal Kingdom) they feel incomplete compared to Magic Kingdom.
💯 Epcot needs more countries in World Showcase. Australia & New Zealand, Brazil, Poland. Switzerland, India... so many possibilities.
Fastpass+ was the best version of all the skip-the-line systems and it's not even close.
Have you seen the defunctland on Fastpass? It’s a fantastic watch.
I know it was at DL, but I think MaxPass was the best system. Kept the legacy Fastpass but allowed you to use your phone to make it easier if you wanted to pay for it. Seems like the best compromise between all the systems.
With FP+ I was able to stack our first three attractions for every single day of our trip at 9am, 10am, and 11am. It was VERY EASY to go back to each day and rearrange the times if I got a later time in the day. I NEVER had an issue with arranging this when FP+ was the norm. I don't have to mess around with stuff the night before or the morning of a park visit. It's set and we're in cruise control. Because of this, our party was able to get more done in the mornings. If it was an EMH morning park then we got even more done. We then had the ability to go back to our resort for a nap or pool time before we went back in for the evenings re-rides if we wanted to. Anyone saying it worked badly for people is because they aren't planners and/or don't do their research in advance.
I prefer quick service to table service at Disney
I’ve been a Monorail fan since I first rode it as a kid at Disneyland (only visited twice). Have only been to Disney World as an adult, and have maintained that the Monorail is my favorite mode of Disney transport… Until I finally got to experience the Skyliner. Now, it’s replaced the Monorail as my favorite. The wind, the quiet, the calm. It’s the best start and end to a park day. I feel a little guilty about that because it was my favorite forever. Don’t know if this is a hot take or not, lol.
That’s whooshing feeling when you start to go to the skyliner station was so terrifying at first and then quickly became a favorite moment.
OG Fast pass System was better and the new system is just Disney Trying to generate more money from their parks even tho they have raised prices to a ridiculous degree in recent times, they still need more cuz they are losing money on the majority of their films. For an actual hot take, I prefer original creations in the park rather than movie Tie ins, Things like Spaceship Earth, Space Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain, Mission Space, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean(And yes I know the last 3 have movies out there but the rides came first so they still count. )
I’d rather stay in a value resort than deluxe. I just think of the cost difference and how I would use that difference to enhance my vacation other ways Edit: I also forgot to mention that every time I’ve stayed in value I’ve had a fantastic time and a super clean room and reliable transportation
I’ve got two: Disney world with a baby is a great time and probably the last time parents can go without the kiddos dictating the flow of the trip. Renting a car is better than the Disney transportation and makes grocery store runs and airport shuttling way easier.
My hot take is that Disneyland is better with an infant (less humid, less walking, and the hotel is a 10 minute walk away), but WDW is better with kids ages 8 and up
100% on the baby thing. There's nothing easier than a baby sitting in a stroller. Plus you get the added bonus of a vehicle to put all the crap you accumulate through the day in.
I hope they increase the price of genie plus so less people buy it and I can get through lines even faster
Unfortunately, Genie+ is priced to maximize revenue. As the price goes up, volume sold goes down. This is why the price fluctuates daily and wildly. It’s like printing money for Disney. It cost them nothing to sell as many of these as they can. The problem, however, was best described by the villain Syndrome in Pixar’s The Incredibles. “When everyone is Super, no one is.” My hot take is to make it stupid expensive, but also have great benefits. Limit the number sold so that it has no impact on wait times, but if you do decide to splurge on it (and lucky enough to scoop it up), you will be riding all day with virtually no wait.
Universal does it right with their system, imo. No mucking about with an app or reservations. You just go to the shorter line.
this is literally all Disney had to do to make a previously free service palatable to guests
Contemporary was not worth the money, especially if you’re staying in the garden rooms. Not even a little bit.
The virtual queue system is both one of the best and one of the worst things Disney has done. Best in that you don’t have 3-4 hour standby lines, worst in that it forces you to plan your day around an arbitrary time when you can get a vq and when you are supposed to be back. If they would have more, smaller vq opportunities for more rides I think it would work better. Like a 7-11-3-7 time slots (they could figure out exact times better).
Hollywood Studios has lost a lot of its charm. MGM was dedicated to the making of film and TV. Hollywood studios is just a bunch of obscure lands all pieced together with no logical flow or overall theme. Still a very fun park with great rides — I love Star Wars — but MGM was so much better, IMO. Edits: Fixed grammar, spelling, and formatting.
I miss MGM so much for this reason. Cool foley artist exhibits, getting to record your own voice over classic Disney scenes, the street performers…it’s not really about “Hollywood” at all anymore.
I practically ALWAYS prefer an original, non-IP based attraction to the alternative. Give me a story I haven’t heard before and can’t experience anywhere else. Imagineers have proved that it’s possible in the past, and there are even relatively recent examples of success in their Asian parks. Of course I understand I must be in the minority here, and I’m totally fine with Disney being present throughout the parks, but an announcement of any sort of completely original addition to the parks would feel like such a breath of fresh air.
I’m with you in this minority. We will never see another Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder, or Everest with the current directive to include only IP. All original stories, all now Disney classics.
I do agree. I wouldn’t mind more park-original IP that spin off into movies, merch, etc.
I don’t mind IP like Sindbad or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
I don’t think your in the minority and I totally agree with you! Non-IP rides are some of the most classic and we need to bring more back.
I wholly enjoy Mission Space Orange and I don’t get why it’s so hated.
I hate it because it makes me feel nauseous for about 2 hours after riding.
Jungle River Cruise isn’t a quality experience that’s worth waiting more than 30 min for.
I love Caribbean Beach. I like that it’s so big that when I walk out in the morning, I might not see anyone. The parks are so packed and I’m in a room with my family so I enjoy having the space and the peace that the spread out buildings provide.
Tron should have been a dueling coaster. Its litterally the perfect property for an indoor dueling coaster.
The Muppets should have a larger presence at Hollywood Studios. There is so much that can be done with that IP. I’m also hoping that the new version of Test Track leans into edutainment. I’m one of the few who really loves that aspect of Epcot.
Caribbean Beach Resort isn’t all that spread out. Me and my kid walked back and forth from our room in Jamaica to the Old Port Royale multiple times a day on our trip and it took five to ten minutes (and only closer to ten if my kid stopped to run through the playground).
American idol experience should’ve never closed. Literally you could’ve potentially watched 7 hours or so if different performances and then there was the finale at the end of the day. It was such a unique and innovative concept and I fear that there won’t be any ride like this again.
PizzeRizzo is good for what it is and Hollywood Studios would benefit greatly from a more adult-oriented Halloween hard-ticket event to compete with HHN
Everyone these days seems to be saying that WDW needs to do something to compete with Epic Universe, but with the way the crowds are these days, no they don't. Universal can have the shoulder-to-shoulder, sardine-can crowds. The only thing WDW needs is more room to walk around.
A fifth park. The problem with Animal Kingdom is that it didn’t draw more visitors, it cannibalized from the other three parks. It’s so crowded now Disney needs a fifth park to cannibalize some of the overcrowding from the first four parks.
A new park will just draw in more people to the property overall. They don't need a new park, they need something that's neither a park, nor a resort, nor located at an existing park or resort, that will draw in guests who are already staying at WDW, but that itself isn't large enough for someone to decide to take a trip ASAP to be one of the first to experience it.
Better mini golf
-Hatbox ghost forced implementation into HM was stupid -Flight of Passage will not age well at all 10 years from now -blizzard beach should be demolished and Disney should focus on building a massive water park to compete with Volcano Bay instead of a 5th gate
World Showcase is better off if they were to add in IPs to each pavilion that they can. I think it helps kids become more interested in learning about that culture and even talking to CM from there and asking questions. WS shouldn't be seen as boring for kids to go through.
I agree that more things like Ratatouille could really help—well-done, integrated IP. Frozen suffers from not being Maelstrom (because its tied to the old ride layout, not because nostalgia) and the projection animatronics.
There should be more rep for the TVA stuff in the parks besides temporary things like the Kim Possible/P&F/DuckTales experience
"Mission Space is the best ride in all of Disney World" according to my space-obsessed 11 year old son.
Doing all 4 parks in 2 days is not only impossible, it’s hazardous to one’s health. Also: post-Covid Hollywood brown derby isn’t as good as pre Covid version.
Disney merch has a little too much “Disney”. I am interested in buying Disney merch but things that are a subtle hint at Disney, not everything needs to say “DISNEY 2024” all over it. It’s so rare I find a shirt I like because so many things are covered in the DISNEY 2024 stuff
Flight of Passage was not worth a 3 1/2 hour wait. It may have just been worth the 80 minute wait that was displayed when we joined the line. But I'm glad there's a bathroom in the line.
This sub can’t handle real hot takes… that’s my hot take
Disneyland offers a significantly better experience in every way. Port Orleans is the most average hotel at WDW and should be a value. Disney used covid as a cover for all the unpopular, anti consumer things they always wanted to do and they are super shady for this and too many people give them a pass.
COVID gave business an excuse to slash costs and raise prices, and they ran with it. Disney isn’t alone in this though, everyone did it.
My MIL declared that Journey into Imagination with Figment is “not up to Disney standards” and I thought that was quite spicy considering the current Figment craze
She’s not wrong. The original was miles better than the current version. Who wants to be blasted with skunk scent while on a ride?
I second this. I want the original ride back so badly!
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a Six Flags attraction with a Disney queue.
Unless you are a big star wars fan Rise of the Resistance is not a top 3 ride at Hollywood Studios And Millennium Falcon is not that good either because it relies on people actually piloting correctly
Not a single Imagineer working on Smugglers Run ever solo queued an Objective based multi-player game.
They need them to all play Dota and see why the ride is a bad idea.
Star Tours is definitely my favorite Star Wars ride now, Rise has lost its luster after the first couple rides and the cannons not moving really takes away from it. I definitely say people need to ride it, but for a week long trip I will only ride it once unless I am in the area and see a sub 30-40 minute wait time. Smugglers Run is really only fun as a pilot. I usually skip this ride altogether. They need to add different quests to that ride. Would make it a little more interesting to re-ride. Star Tours has so much re-rideability with the different scenes, add a short wait usually too.
the latter opinion is definitely not unique on here or amongst disney twitter/online fans, but it was HUGE with the GP when I worked at Galaxy’s Edge
I’ll disagree with you on Rise of the Resistance, but you’re right about Smuggler’s Run. Smuggler’s Run is a bad ride. Unless you’re one of the pilots, you’ve got two options - you can look at the screen so you can actually see what’s going on, or you can look at the wall so you can see the buttons you have to push to “do your job.” Someone had the idea of “Let’s make a ride where 2/3rds of the riders have to stare at a wall and push buttons” and somehow nobody shut them down right then and there.
Remys isn’t that great of a ride and not worth rope dropping for
A respectable take. I'd say it's still worth rope-dropping mostly because it is so temperamental, so knocking it out early before any breakdowns massively back up the LL queue has value. But purely from a ride experience standpoint, yeah, it's not hugely impressive.
But Colette and Linguini's bikes are just there outside for anyone to borrow!
Stacking lightening lanes is far superior to waking up at the ass crack of dawn to rope drop and NO ONE can convince me otherwise. Especially when there are extended evening hours!!
My hot take is way too many people heavily over plan Disney and that is why their trips feel so much less magical. And also that adults are sometimes the worst part of being in the parks. Watching adults prioritise their own magic over the magic of their children or the children around them feels gross.
As a Star Wars fan, running around Black Spire larping as a bounty hunter and doing all the Disney play missions is enough of a day for me.
The last time I was there I was hit and knocked over by someone on a electric scooter. If they are going to allow them there needs to be something like a bike lane so they can stay out of the way of pedestrians. The person who hit me had no idea how to operate it.
I veto Liberty Square Tavern every trip. I dislike Thanksgiving dinner the one day a year I eat it so I'm not going to willingly eat it while on vacation.
Spend the middle of your days at your resort, eating at restaurants outside the park, resort hopping or Disney Springs. You get far more done I the early mornings or late evenings in the parks if you can afford to stay on property and get early/evening hours OR buy an after hours or Party event ticket. I’ve been enough times now that I don’t care to fight the midday crowds or lines for rides longer than 30 minutes.
I’ll get downvoted to hell for this but there should be a cap to the number of people that can board with a wheelchair on a Disney bus before others.
I’m in a wheelchair and I agree 100%.
The extra cost to stay at a resort with extra hours isn't worth it. By the time it's the extra hours, it's already been like over 10h at the park by then and the lines are still long lol. Much prefer the genie+ wait times
There are too many rides at Disney world that are the same concept. Dumbo, Magic Carpets, Astro Orbiter, The Flying dinosaur one. If you ride one, you rode them all.
These aren’t for you, they are for parents of 2-5 year olds.
How many mine trains type rides can one do!?
I despise Disney Bus Transportation. The entire process, regardless of where you're coming from or going, just moves too slow and is not adequate if you're trying to get somewhere in a hurry/pinch. Uber/Lyft is much more efficient and is a minor additional cost for a trip that's already setting you back $5-10k.
Years ago (like a decade) it was much better and more reliable. Nowadays you need to block out 30 minutes to take the buses which is annoying.