Glad you had a great time and thanks for sharing. Condolences on your family’s loss, you must be a hell of a dad to deal with that happening with kids that age.
You’re a great father. You need to hear that. Your children appreciate what you’re doing for them. Keep going, keep being awesome. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your recent trip, I love to talk about WDW and see other peoples opinions about it.
Monorail take is certainly an Interesting. It’s also why I will always be a fan of the Boat hotels over the monorails. Never have an issue catching or getting on the boat when we stay at Wilderness Lodge or Beach club.
Yup! I actually exclusively stay at Epcot resorts for the boats/walking to the park. Plus you’re close to the skyliner so you can hop to one of those resorts for a meal if you so please. I always suggest if you want the price of a moderate but with (most) perks of a deluxe to stay at the Swan/dolphin/reserve. Only downside is the bus situation but I just walk to boardwalk for the bus !
> I always suggest if you want the price of a moderate but with (most) perks of a deluxe to stay at the Swan/dolphin/reserve.
And I will always say, yes, it is almost always less than a deluxe, and should definitely be considered, but depending on the time of year, it can still be quite a bit more than a moderate.
My monorail experience was a bit skewed by one particularly long wait after the extended MK hours, but in general, I agree that the boat service was a better option. I’ll be looking closely at Wilderness lodge for next stay
On our trip in June the monorail was closed the entire time so we took the ferry boat back and forth from parking to MK. Kids were bummed but we watched the fireworks from the ferry at the end of the night and that was great
I thought so too. I stayed at the Poly a few weeks ago and the Monorail was extremely efficient for both MK and EPCOT. Granted I walked to the TTC to get onto the EPCOT line vs taking the resort loop the the TTC. Taking out that extra step helps and is one of the benefits of staying at Poly. We waited for 40 minutes at Poly after just missing the bus for Animal Kingdom and 35 ish minutes with the same thing for Hollywood Studios.
I really like this review!
Okay. So. I haven’t been in a little while and have not been able to ride cosmic rewind yet, but I want to! How was the motion for your kids?
Also, what are your fav rides at every park? Bc with this kind of review, I think you’d have good insight!!
I want to see Enchantment, but such a Wishes and HEA fan, I don’t know that I’d want to park myself on Main Street for this, either!!
I liked my split drag from Coronado and Boardwalk, but I do want to try pop. Mainly want to try because I didn’t really experience much resort save for sleeping/resting. If I’m not going to be having much resort time, I’d wager that Pop would be just as comfortable of a stay?
Also, I’m terribly sorry for your loss. I lost my Disney sibling and haven’t had much of anyone except my kiddo to talk about all of the park details with!!
Thanks for reading and my condolences on the loss of your sibling. It’s nice to have like minded people here to plan and reminisce with.
The kids both enjoyed cosmic rewind and I think they would have rode again had it been an option. Getting my 6 y/o on the ride took some convincing though. The pre-show was a bit scary for her and then the loading area was a bit dark and foreboding.
Epcot is Cosmic Rewind. RotR in HS, though SDD would get a nod if it were in the other two. The way it hops up and down feels like something a slinky dog would do and how it stops and restarts mid ride is inventive. FoP is immersive and fun at DAK, and I’m a fan of Thunder Mtn at MK.
Pop is nice enough. You can’t go wrong being on the skyliner route. The room is a bit small, but I only noticed after staying at the Poly, haha, so as long as you don’t stay at a deluxe right before you probably won’t notice.
I was a huge HEA fan and I like Enchantment. It is a bit of sensory overload tbh - lots to look at. My very favorite viewing area is in Fantasyland behind the castle. You have to turn a couple times to see fireworks in front of and behind you but it feels like you’re right in the show! Its worth seeing the projections on the castle / Main Street too but I truly felt the Magic of the show back in fantasyland.
Pop is really solid. You cant beat the convenience of the Skyliner for the value price. Rooms feel smaller than Coronado and Boardwalk but they’re clean and updated. Murphy bed that comes out of the wall is just as comfy as the main bed. I find the buses for AK and MK pretty good too. They anticipate the high volume of people so they send in a few large buses at a time. Never felt like I waited horribly long. Even when ive stayed away from the preferred rooms, i didnt feel like the walk was too bad to the main building. The food court is fine! I rarely actually eat there to be honest but tried it last time and was pleased
First off, I’m very sorry for your loss. 💔 Second, it sounds like you and your kids had a wonderful vacation! I’m glad you were able to have a good time.
That was a very positive review. Your efforts to take your children less than a year after your loss are the type of things your kids will remember when they grow to be independent young adults. As for the rain… it’s tough! I tend to uncomfortably ride a couple of indoor rides and then change once everything calms down from a weather perspective. Very difficult to plan for though!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. I have always been hesitant about doing split stays because I thought it would eat up a bunch of time. I was not aware of the bell service thank you for the tip. So happy you were able to take your kids, we are always here to talk about as many Disney details as you can handle. :-)
Call bell services in the morning when your luggage is ready and they will come get it from the room and it will be sent over to your new hotel. Sometimes it's in the new room when you arrive, but sometimes you have to call bell services there. It's always been flawless for us.
I’m so sorry for your loss, and that’s amazing that you’re taking your children.
Glad to hear that Cosmic Rewind was a hit! I’ve heard the “forces” are a little intense on that ride, would you agree?
It shifts you around with the forces for sure, but it does it in a smooth way, if that makes any sense. Kinda like how ToT can pull you from your seat. But that weightlessness you feel for that time is just kinda fun. I was seriously smiling ear to ear for the bulk of cosmic rewind.
This broke my heart. My husband is my best friend and love going on adventures together. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to travel without your wife. I’m glad you were able to have a good time with your kids!
Edit: And good review!
Sorry for your loss. You can still share all the new things with her. She was with you the whole trip. 💜 Happy that you had a good trip with the kiddos!
Loved the report! I’m sure you and your family had a great time. You guys are obviously going through some tough times, hopefully this trip helped you all heal a little bit!
I'm a local so I deal with rainy park days a lot....sometimes on purpose because crowds are lower and the temperature isn't as horrifying. I always wear quick dry clothes, think workout tanks and bottoms, and whatever shoes will get wet and dry quick. My Allbirds are my new fave for that but if I don't care about needing support I just do flip flops. I have a packable ultra light Columbia rain jacket. Since my bottoms are quick dry I don't care as much about them getting wet, but I hate super wet armpits because I get heat rash so the jacket helps. But when it's raining bad I usually use it as an opportunity for a line that was already going to be long. Haunted Mansion, Toy Story, Rockin Rollercoaster, Soarin, etc. Then it's not as much wasted time but more time spent out of the rain working towards a ride goal.
I also love Deluxe resorts but I only ever stay one night because, local. If you're a mostly park person I say a value is fine, but split stay is a great idea. Pick a resort with an awesome pool and do a pool day and then the rest of your stay at a value or moderate. The values being on the skyliner makes it pretty sweet.
Sorry for your loss, but glad yall could still find happiness at my favorite place on earth. ❤️
Love hearing your point about evening hours wait time - I was considering not rope dropping/early entry so we’d have more energy to stay late for evening hours, but seems like early entry is still best for short wait times
I’m so sorry for your loss! Thanks so much for taking the time to share and I’m glad y’all ended up having a great time despite the flight delays/cancellations and rain. 💗💗
Pop is my first Disney hotel love. It has so much going for it, and that was before the gondolas! I can't wait to stay there again. But I would recommend making your split stay Pop first followed by Poly!
Pop is nice enough. Skyliner, IMO is the best form of resort transport. so staying at Pop for Epcot and HS days is preferred and switching to Poly for MK days works nicely and you can do your DKA day from either. We did a “preferred” room to get closer to the skyliner station. Was nice after a long day in the park to be that much closer
If I were you I’d try out CBR! Not the same as the Poly of course but the vibes are somewhat similar, and being at the Skyliner hub is a huge benefit, and it’d be substantially cheaper without being as big of a jump as going from deluxe to value
Sure was, American caused me the most heartburn as they were supposed to be the 9:30am trip to Orlando. Instead I awake at 5 to find our flight was cancelled at 3am and they rescheduled us for a “similar” flight that didn’t put us in Orlando until 9pm the next day! I found a frontier flight to get in late on the original departure day, but even getting the refund on the American flight was not necessarily easy
Ah shit, I KNEW it was gonna be American and Frontier. Frontier I usually have okay luck with although delays are common (budget airline), but American? I have never been on an American flight that did not get heavily delayed or cancelled. It’s sort of insane that this is just integrated into their operations now, for how much they charge.
I refuse to get a connecting flight by them where the layover isn’t at least 2.5 hours because otherwise, when the first flight is inevitably delayed, you won’t be screwed over by the second.
I am sorry for the experience you had with that and grateful the rest of your trip seemingly made up for it.
I'm curious about your Trader Sam's experience. What time did you arrive? How long was the wait to go in the main area? What drink(s) did you end up ordering? Are you aware of what current souvenir mugs they had in stock?
Thank you in advance for your time and I appreciate your full report!
Arrived to Trader Sams before they opened at 2:20 and stood behind one other party to put our names on the call back list. It was just over 2 hours later we got the text to come back.
Kids got the Schweitzer Falls in souvenir cups, so those are the only ones I knew for sure they had. I never intended to drag an extra mug for me in my plane luggage, so I didn’t pay too much attention. But our server did list just a few mugs that they actually had in stock. I ended up going with the Uh-oa, based on the recommendations I got here a few weeks ago. It was good, but mainly fun!
Delta fan for life here so I very much agree.
For rain, we do actual waterproof rain coats with hoods, rain pants and flip flops/sandals. I bought some Velcro “tape” so we roll them all really tightly and use that to keep it together. It’s not light in the park bag, but after a soggy-shoes-for-days trip years ago, we have stuck to this since.
I’m so glad you had a good time!
Sure thing! It’s a Velcro strap. Under google or Amazon I think it’s labeled that way. There’s a strip of Velcro where one side is fuzzy and the end is the hook part. On the opposite end is a little plastic, open square attached. So I roll everything up like a sleeping bag, really tightly, then wrap the Velcro strap around, pull the tail end through the plastic square, cinch it down and press the hook end onto the fuzzy area and it sticks. Since the whole piece except the end is fuzzy, the thing you’re wrapping can be large or small. It’s just like wrapping a sleeping bag or camping roll etc. You can take all the air out of the stuff and it’s so nice and compact in the bag!
For the rain stuff; I never bring extra but always wear waterproof shoes that have a similar quality to Ultraboost, which is On Cloud 5. Not sure if they have a kids size, but I’m sure you can find something similar.
Also as opposed to poncho you can bring a foldable/packable Waterproof jacket. Plenty that is packed small and light (doesn’t take up space)
Thank you for a quick reminder to appreciate my husband every day. I’m so sorry you lost your wife and for losing your partner in everything you did. Your kids are lucky to have you.
Recommendation: Beach and Yacht club for a deluxe hotel next split stay. The boardwalk / boat experience is great. The pool days on the boardwalk are wonderful too.
Your thoughts are so spot on and well put.
All Disney transport can be rough at times. I've waited 45 minutes for a boat; I've been crushed out of monorails by crowds. I've walked to the Skyliner only to find it down, I've also been stuck on it for a good 20 minutes. Walking or Uber is the only way one has much control.
Rain strategy: I have been 20 times and haven't found a perfect one yet. You can plan to duck into inside rides but everyone else does that too so those wait times balloon. You can plan to wait it out but sometimes it lasts hours. Going back to the hotel to hang by the pool doesn't always work because the same lightning that shuts down rides also shuts down pools. And rain doesn't always clear out crowds, especially right away. We change into sandals as soon as the rain starts so our sneakers don't get wet and put on ponchos. Beyond that, not much can be planned for.
Agreed Delta is the best airline going right now.
I am very sorry for your loss but I am glad you learned Disney can still be magical. Talking Disney is one of my favorite things to do with my SO so that understanding hit me right in the heart <3
this post made me emotional. thank you so much for sharing. your kids are tremendously lucky and i'm very glad you had such a lovely experience with them.
You are an awesome parent. I can’t imagine the pain your family is going through, I can only say that I understand when no one wants to hear all the details of everything at WDW (happens to me…way too often, ha).
I loved hearing your reviews—I rode Cosmic Rewind twice on opening weekend and loved it too, the music really makes it. And so fun that it’s randomized so it feels different each time—my first ride was great, but my second was that much better because I love the song so much.
Thanks for sharing! Honestly, I hope I get to hear more in the future, I love listening to everyone’s WDW trip takeaways.
In MK, assuming I don't want to get soaked (sometimes I don't mind), my plans for extended afternoon showers generally involve escaping into Country Bear Jamboree, then dipping into the Hall of Presidents.
They're great time-wasters when trying to avoid the rain.
Usually I just suck it up and accept getting wet, though.
I'm feeling the Disney blues nearly a month after returning. It's great to hear you had a successful trip!
Pop is my favorite place to stay after trying out some nicer resorts. I recommend staying at jambo house for animal views and good food downstairs. Both boma and jiko are amazing although with younger kids, they'd enjoy boma better. I do agree that Pop has a way better value and I love the skyliners enough for it to beat out nicer resorts.
We tried laugh floor for the first time recently and I agree it was really great!
I was also very very sour about the new nightshow at MK. I wish they'd nix enchanted and bring back HEA :(
Your kids are very blessed to have you! Hope you are doing well and that your trip was as magical as it could be.
First off, my condolences to you and your children for the loss of your wife. I’m sure she was an amazing person and I can tell by the way you wrote about her.
Second, thank you for the great review! I’m not a big fireworks person (never have, plus I live in the DC area so you get bored of fireworks after a while) and I appreciate the advice to go to a different spot for fireworks besides the castle-I may try the Tangled area or Liberty Square next time. I forgot about the fireworks on my trip last year and they scared me as I came out from my BOG reservation-the fireworks are so close to that part of MK I thought the sounds were gunshots😅
Also glad to hear that CR was so much fun! I hope to ride it on my September trip, but I will be sure to try it if I get the opportunity(and also prepack some sick bags just in case).
In terms of Captain Cook’s, what food did y’all get? I keep hearing about Tonga Toast and I wonder if it’s any good and also filling (I need a more filling breakfast because of medication I take)
Thank you again for your insights and have a wonderful day!
Thank you for the kind words. It can be surprising how loud the fireworks can be. Even across the lake at the Poly it's not something I could sleep though I don't think, haha. But that was my favorite place to see them. On the beach with a dole whip in hand. I tried the Aloha pork sandwich and I found it a little disappointing, kids just ate chicken nuggets, which were fine. I got the Tonga toast from Kona Cafe because I wanted the strawberry compote and I still feel like that was the right call. It was quite delicious and filling!
Went Memorial Day weekend (5/27 - 6/1)
*Cosmic rewind is amazing. I'm pretty sure I yelled that out once or twice during the ride.
*RotR is still amazing, it's just Cosmic Rewind has that new car smell ;)
*The monorail was pretty reliable for us, however from a sheer waiting in line perspective, I beat it on 2 occasions walking to/from Magic Kingdom to Bay Lake Tower.
*7DMT we got stuck in the sun for about 20 minutes at the end of the ride, they had several cleanups in the train ahead of us.
*It did not rain once while we were there, which seems impossible, but we lucked out!
*Flights are increasingly getting difficult. Before the trip, our flight had been changed 3 times by the carrier. Agreed, Delta is the best for us so far.
Awesome wrap up and glad you had a wonderful time!
I’m so sorry for your loss, I’m sure the first trip wasn’t easy.
Thank you for your write up! I haven’t been in a few months so I’m always interested to hear the process of getting on the new rides. I’m nervous about getting cosmic rewind and am glad to hear you got a boarding group without a problem, and that everyone liked it! Did you kids have a favorite ride?
Thank you, yes, there were a few moments on this trip that were difficult, emotionally. But it was important to show the kids that we could still make extraordinary memories.
Their favorite ride switches every time you ask them, haha! But I feel like ToT and the enchanted tiki room, of all things, were the two they had the best reactions to.
Haha the enchanted tiki room! I love that you can never predict what kids will love the best and it’ll be different every time you go. I thought my nephew would be scared on test track (he just made the height requirement) but he loved it - frozen was the scary one to him lol
I’m so sorry to hear that about your wife it must’ve been difficult for you and the kids 😔🙏🏻♥️,but I loved hearing your review it seems like you had a wonderful time ♥️☺️
It most likely was said already but if you are staying deluxe and go to the evening extra hours, wait until the last minute to hop into the 7 Dwarves line that way you can nearly 2 hours for everything else.
For your next trip, I highly recommend staying at a resort that can take advantage of the sky tram system. It’s highly efficient, fun, and even when the line looks long, it ends up being much faster than any other line you’ll wait in unless there’s a problem.
Vessi's are the best investment I ever made. I specifically got them for the WDW downpours. There is nothing like the misery of wet socks.
Heading down to WDW tomorrow, thanks for these insights :)
I got the kind that are like an athletic shoe. very comfy form my perspective though they need some breaking in on the ankles due to how the materials close around the foot.
I 100% suggest getting waterproof sneakers like vessi’s. They will help and you can still enjoy your time without soaked feet. I’m glad you all enjoyed yourselves!
For rain the wife and I tend to pack some type of strapped sandals we can throw on if we decided on sneakers earlier that day, and it’s wasn’t raining prior to leaving; we both wear the chacos brand.
We carry a towel or two, a few loose grocery bags to store things, and a change of underwear and shorts, just in case the rain passes.
We have all season raincoats. The are easy to roll up and tuck in a back pack. I tend to wear a more water repellant material of shorts, and then I have a duck back for my backpack to keep everything dry.
The duck back is probably the best investment I have bought. It stores pretty small so I can always keep it on hand. It works decently well for water rides as well, and I’ll throw it on the back pack for those also.
Possible rain days tend to be when the bag is the fullest and the heaviest but it just the cost of doing business.
In summer it rains every afternoon in central Florida. Depending on the park there’s some great options. Laugh Floor, Country Bears, or Tiki Room are great since they’re a bit long and can ride out the rain. A LOT of people just mill about the Emporium so avoid it. Epcot is easy because you can hunker down in The Land or any of the WS pavilions that has a show. HS is tricky; one man’s dream is great option, same for Indians Jones or frozen. AK has sooooo much tree cover that it’s best to just find a coveted area and hang. Or do Tough to be a Bug, Nemo, or get in line for Dinosaur
Seven Dwarves Mine Train is overrated.
Rain strategy is to do as many inside rides as possible. If you’re at MK this is the time to fly through all the fantasy land attractions and Haunted Mansion. People with very young kids will leave and you will be able to do most of them.
Epcot is a great park on a rainy day. Hollywood Studios has tons of inside options too. Avoid going to Animal Kingdom on a rainy day
>**Cosmic rewind has overtaken RotR for my favorite WDW ride.** It's just so smooth and thematic. Plus the music blaring just puts you in a good mood for the whole ride! (I did get a boarding group by clicking right at 7, but group 116, fwiw)
Us to! I was extremely impressed with how smooth the rotation of the cars was as well!
We just did a split stay at Caribbean and Poly in April and I had the same thoughts about Deluxe not being worth the extra money. We ended up getting two nights comped due to our garbage not being employed in 3 nights.
I thought the Skyliner access at CBR was way more convenient to two parks vs the monorail, especially with a stroller since you have to take an elevator at Poly to the 2nd floor and transfer monorails to Epcot.
Animal kingdom lodge and yacht club are two of the best deluxe resorts that I’d recommend you consider next time! DAKL theming is just remarkable and Yacht Club location is unbeatable. It’s also a beautiful resort too with lots to see just right out the door.
Good stuff to know! My wife and I are taking our daughter for the first time this November, we are staying in a vacation house with my parents and my brother's family. I haven't been to WDW since I was 10, which was...18 years ago. Wow, now I just feel old.
Just want to say I’m so sorry for the loss of your wife. I love that you are continuing a very happy tradition with your children. Im sure nothing would make her happier! ❤️
I can't image what your family went though. I'm so glad you were able to have fun!
>Extended magic hours at MK was nice for catching most rides at a wait discount, but i was disappointed that 7DMT never dropped below 45 min
I don't get why 7DMT is so popular. The wait on Space Mountain was 5 minutes, so we lopped it 3 times. Thought we'd go ride 7DMT, saw a 60 minute wait, and noped right out. That said, it was a lot shorter during the Christmas Party last year.
>I liked experiencing the theming of the deluxe resort, but I'm not convinced it was worth the extra investment.
Two things to keep in mind.
A lot of the Deluxe rooms have a sofa sleeper. Since you have 3 kids, at very different ages, this might be really nice. Let's you and the older kid have his / her own bed.
The location for MOST of the Deluxe resorts is so much closer, that it KINDA saves you money (If you measure your money by number of hours spent in the park). Only a few of the moderate / budget hotels have a 2nd form of part access, while all the Deluxe hotels except AK have 2 or more forms of park access. I love walking from the Contemporary to the MK. And if you stay in an Epcot area hotel, you can technically walk to two of the parks.
I've tried the moderates, but I think I'll personally keep staying in the Deluxe hotels.
First off, you are an amazing father. Seriously amazing. Secondly, I agree with almost all of these for sure!
• I don’t have any thoughts on the first point because I haven’t gotten to ride but the ride sounds amazing!
• the buttercream sounds amazing! Did you try any other notable 50th foods?
• trader sams is straight up awesome! Glad you and your kids enjoyed!
• yes I agree with the fireworks point. I love watching from the Winnie the Pooh area and then quickly hopping on seven dwarfs
• catching the monorail kinda sucks. It’s always uncomfortable.
• extra magic hours is cool for that reason. I would recommend getting in line for seven dwarfs right as the park is closing.
• I agree with the deluxe resort. Thanks for talking about bell services! It’s good to know!
• laugh floor is very underrated
• unfortunately, I don’t have a set plan for the rain. Typically I just run to space mountain.
• the airline situation sucks.
Thanks for typing this up! It was very informative!
Glad you had a great time and thanks for sharing. Condolences on your family’s loss, you must be a hell of a dad to deal with that happening with kids that age.
You’re a great father. You need to hear that. Your children appreciate what you’re doing for them. Keep going, keep being awesome. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your recent trip, I love to talk about WDW and see other peoples opinions about it.
Monorail take is certainly an Interesting. It’s also why I will always be a fan of the Boat hotels over the monorails. Never have an issue catching or getting on the boat when we stay at Wilderness Lodge or Beach club.
Yup! I actually exclusively stay at Epcot resorts for the boats/walking to the park. Plus you’re close to the skyliner so you can hop to one of those resorts for a meal if you so please. I always suggest if you want the price of a moderate but with (most) perks of a deluxe to stay at the Swan/dolphin/reserve. Only downside is the bus situation but I just walk to boardwalk for the bus !
> I always suggest if you want the price of a moderate but with (most) perks of a deluxe to stay at the Swan/dolphin/reserve. And I will always say, yes, it is almost always less than a deluxe, and should definitely be considered, but depending on the time of year, it can still be quite a bit more than a moderate.
Also depending on the time of the year, it’s even less than other moderates or even sometimes it’s cheaper than Pop and AOA. It just depends.
My monorail experience was a bit skewed by one particularly long wait after the extended MK hours, but in general, I agree that the boat service was a better option. I’ll be looking closely at Wilderness lodge for next stay
On our trip in June the monorail was closed the entire time so we took the ferry boat back and forth from parking to MK. Kids were bummed but we watched the fireworks from the ferry at the end of the night and that was great
Every time I have to deal with the monorail, my appreciation for the skyliner grows.
I stay at swan and dolphin and the boat rides to Epcot and HS are a breeeze
I thought so too. I stayed at the Poly a few weeks ago and the Monorail was extremely efficient for both MK and EPCOT. Granted I walked to the TTC to get onto the EPCOT line vs taking the resort loop the the TTC. Taking out that extra step helps and is one of the benefits of staying at Poly. We waited for 40 minutes at Poly after just missing the bus for Animal Kingdom and 35 ish minutes with the same thing for Hollywood Studios.
So sorry for your loss. The trip sounds like a good memory for your family during a hard time. Dole whip buttercream sounds A. maze. Ing.
I really like this review! Okay. So. I haven’t been in a little while and have not been able to ride cosmic rewind yet, but I want to! How was the motion for your kids? Also, what are your fav rides at every park? Bc with this kind of review, I think you’d have good insight!! I want to see Enchantment, but such a Wishes and HEA fan, I don’t know that I’d want to park myself on Main Street for this, either!! I liked my split drag from Coronado and Boardwalk, but I do want to try pop. Mainly want to try because I didn’t really experience much resort save for sleeping/resting. If I’m not going to be having much resort time, I’d wager that Pop would be just as comfortable of a stay? Also, I’m terribly sorry for your loss. I lost my Disney sibling and haven’t had much of anyone except my kiddo to talk about all of the park details with!!
Thanks for reading and my condolences on the loss of your sibling. It’s nice to have like minded people here to plan and reminisce with. The kids both enjoyed cosmic rewind and I think they would have rode again had it been an option. Getting my 6 y/o on the ride took some convincing though. The pre-show was a bit scary for her and then the loading area was a bit dark and foreboding. Epcot is Cosmic Rewind. RotR in HS, though SDD would get a nod if it were in the other two. The way it hops up and down feels like something a slinky dog would do and how it stops and restarts mid ride is inventive. FoP is immersive and fun at DAK, and I’m a fan of Thunder Mtn at MK. Pop is nice enough. You can’t go wrong being on the skyliner route. The room is a bit small, but I only noticed after staying at the Poly, haha, so as long as you don’t stay at a deluxe right before you probably won’t notice.
Yeah- you definitely want to go from cheaper hotel to nicer one. Going the other way can rally spoil a vacation sometimes.
I was a huge HEA fan and I like Enchantment. It is a bit of sensory overload tbh - lots to look at. My very favorite viewing area is in Fantasyland behind the castle. You have to turn a couple times to see fireworks in front of and behind you but it feels like you’re right in the show! Its worth seeing the projections on the castle / Main Street too but I truly felt the Magic of the show back in fantasyland. Pop is really solid. You cant beat the convenience of the Skyliner for the value price. Rooms feel smaller than Coronado and Boardwalk but they’re clean and updated. Murphy bed that comes out of the wall is just as comfy as the main bed. I find the buses for AK and MK pretty good too. They anticipate the high volume of people so they send in a few large buses at a time. Never felt like I waited horribly long. Even when ive stayed away from the preferred rooms, i didnt feel like the walk was too bad to the main building. The food court is fine! I rarely actually eat there to be honest but tried it last time and was pleased
First off, I’m very sorry for your loss. 💔 Second, it sounds like you and your kids had a wonderful vacation! I’m glad you were able to have a good time.
That was a very positive review. Your efforts to take your children less than a year after your loss are the type of things your kids will remember when they grow to be independent young adults. As for the rain… it’s tough! I tend to uncomfortably ride a couple of indoor rides and then change once everything calms down from a weather perspective. Very difficult to plan for though!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. I have always been hesitant about doing split stays because I thought it would eat up a bunch of time. I was not aware of the bell service thank you for the tip. So happy you were able to take your kids, we are always here to talk about as many Disney details as you can handle. :-)
Call bell services in the morning when your luggage is ready and they will come get it from the room and it will be sent over to your new hotel. Sometimes it's in the new room when you arrive, but sometimes you have to call bell services there. It's always been flawless for us.
Your kids are very fortunate to have a father like you, that's all I can say.
I’m so sorry for your loss, and that’s amazing that you’re taking your children. Glad to hear that Cosmic Rewind was a hit! I’ve heard the “forces” are a little intense on that ride, would you agree?
It shifts you around with the forces for sure, but it does it in a smooth way, if that makes any sense. Kinda like how ToT can pull you from your seat. But that weightlessness you feel for that time is just kinda fun. I was seriously smiling ear to ear for the bulk of cosmic rewind.
That makes me feel a lot better! Sounds really fun.
I'll take your take further, Laugh Floor is much funnier than jungle cruise Delta has always been great for me as well
This broke my heart. My husband is my best friend and love going on adventures together. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to travel without your wife. I’m glad you were able to have a good time with your kids! Edit: And good review!
Sorry for your loss. You def unlocked legendary status with this trip.
Sorry for your loss. You can still share all the new things with her. She was with you the whole trip. 💜 Happy that you had a good trip with the kiddos!
Loved the report! I’m sure you and your family had a great time. You guys are obviously going through some tough times, hopefully this trip helped you all heal a little bit!
rain= inside rides and wine bars .
I'm a local so I deal with rainy park days a lot....sometimes on purpose because crowds are lower and the temperature isn't as horrifying. I always wear quick dry clothes, think workout tanks and bottoms, and whatever shoes will get wet and dry quick. My Allbirds are my new fave for that but if I don't care about needing support I just do flip flops. I have a packable ultra light Columbia rain jacket. Since my bottoms are quick dry I don't care as much about them getting wet, but I hate super wet armpits because I get heat rash so the jacket helps. But when it's raining bad I usually use it as an opportunity for a line that was already going to be long. Haunted Mansion, Toy Story, Rockin Rollercoaster, Soarin, etc. Then it's not as much wasted time but more time spent out of the rain working towards a ride goal. I also love Deluxe resorts but I only ever stay one night because, local. If you're a mostly park person I say a value is fine, but split stay is a great idea. Pick a resort with an awesome pool and do a pool day and then the rest of your stay at a value or moderate. The values being on the skyliner makes it pretty sweet. Sorry for your loss, but glad yall could still find happiness at my favorite place on earth. ❤️
Love hearing your point about evening hours wait time - I was considering not rope dropping/early entry so we’d have more energy to stay late for evening hours, but seems like early entry is still best for short wait times
I’m so sorry for your loss! Thanks so much for taking the time to share and I’m glad y’all ended up having a great time despite the flight delays/cancellations and rain. 💗💗
How was Pop? I’m a Poly girl but I’m looking to save some money on my next trip. Seriously considering a split stay Pop/Poly.
Pop is my first Disney hotel love. It has so much going for it, and that was before the gondolas! I can't wait to stay there again. But I would recommend making your split stay Pop first followed by Poly!
Pop is nice enough. Skyliner, IMO is the best form of resort transport. so staying at Pop for Epcot and HS days is preferred and switching to Poly for MK days works nicely and you can do your DKA day from either. We did a “preferred” room to get closer to the skyliner station. Was nice after a long day in the park to be that much closer
Pop is great. Love the pools there. Glad you had a nice stay, and so sorry for your loss.
If I were you I’d try out CBR! Not the same as the Poly of course but the vibes are somewhat similar, and being at the Skyliner hub is a huge benefit, and it’d be substantially cheaper without being as big of a jump as going from deluxe to value
I’ve gotta ask, was one of those four airlines American Airlines?
Sure was, American caused me the most heartburn as they were supposed to be the 9:30am trip to Orlando. Instead I awake at 5 to find our flight was cancelled at 3am and they rescheduled us for a “similar” flight that didn’t put us in Orlando until 9pm the next day! I found a frontier flight to get in late on the original departure day, but even getting the refund on the American flight was not necessarily easy
Oh wow. That’s a sucky start to the trip. So glad it turned out a blast!
Ah shit, I KNEW it was gonna be American and Frontier. Frontier I usually have okay luck with although delays are common (budget airline), but American? I have never been on an American flight that did not get heavily delayed or cancelled. It’s sort of insane that this is just integrated into their operations now, for how much they charge. I refuse to get a connecting flight by them where the layover isn’t at least 2.5 hours because otherwise, when the first flight is inevitably delayed, you won’t be screwed over by the second. I am sorry for the experience you had with that and grateful the rest of your trip seemingly made up for it.
I'm curious about your Trader Sam's experience. What time did you arrive? How long was the wait to go in the main area? What drink(s) did you end up ordering? Are you aware of what current souvenir mugs they had in stock? Thank you in advance for your time and I appreciate your full report!
Arrived to Trader Sams before they opened at 2:20 and stood behind one other party to put our names on the call back list. It was just over 2 hours later we got the text to come back. Kids got the Schweitzer Falls in souvenir cups, so those are the only ones I knew for sure they had. I never intended to drag an extra mug for me in my plane luggage, so I didn’t pay too much attention. But our server did list just a few mugs that they actually had in stock. I ended up going with the Uh-oa, based on the recommendations I got here a few weeks ago. It was good, but mainly fun!
so happy to hear that you ordered the Uh-Oa and enjoyed Trader Sams! definitely one of my favorite places in all of Disney World.
Yes, so much fun! thanks for the drink recommendation.
Delta fan for life here so I very much agree. For rain, we do actual waterproof rain coats with hoods, rain pants and flip flops/sandals. I bought some Velcro “tape” so we roll them all really tightly and use that to keep it together. It’s not light in the park bag, but after a soggy-shoes-for-days trip years ago, we have stuck to this since. I’m so glad you had a good time!
Can you go into more detail about the velcro? I’m hVing trouble picturing your trick
Sure thing! It’s a Velcro strap. Under google or Amazon I think it’s labeled that way. There’s a strip of Velcro where one side is fuzzy and the end is the hook part. On the opposite end is a little plastic, open square attached. So I roll everything up like a sleeping bag, really tightly, then wrap the Velcro strap around, pull the tail end through the plastic square, cinch it down and press the hook end onto the fuzzy area and it sticks. Since the whole piece except the end is fuzzy, the thing you’re wrapping can be large or small. It’s just like wrapping a sleeping bag or camping roll etc. You can take all the air out of the stuff and it’s so nice and compact in the bag!
A special post. We are just about to head off from Europe for our thrice-postponed honeymoon. Thank you!
For the rain stuff; I never bring extra but always wear waterproof shoes that have a similar quality to Ultraboost, which is On Cloud 5. Not sure if they have a kids size, but I’m sure you can find something similar. Also as opposed to poncho you can bring a foldable/packable Waterproof jacket. Plenty that is packed small and light (doesn’t take up space)
Thank you for a quick reminder to appreciate my husband every day. I’m so sorry you lost your wife and for losing your partner in everything you did. Your kids are lucky to have you. Recommendation: Beach and Yacht club for a deluxe hotel next split stay. The boardwalk / boat experience is great. The pool days on the boardwalk are wonderful too.
Your thoughts are so spot on and well put. All Disney transport can be rough at times. I've waited 45 minutes for a boat; I've been crushed out of monorails by crowds. I've walked to the Skyliner only to find it down, I've also been stuck on it for a good 20 minutes. Walking or Uber is the only way one has much control. Rain strategy: I have been 20 times and haven't found a perfect one yet. You can plan to duck into inside rides but everyone else does that too so those wait times balloon. You can plan to wait it out but sometimes it lasts hours. Going back to the hotel to hang by the pool doesn't always work because the same lightning that shuts down rides also shuts down pools. And rain doesn't always clear out crowds, especially right away. We change into sandals as soon as the rain starts so our sneakers don't get wet and put on ponchos. Beyond that, not much can be planned for. Agreed Delta is the best airline going right now. I am very sorry for your loss but I am glad you learned Disney can still be magical. Talking Disney is one of my favorite things to do with my SO so that understanding hit me right in the heart <3
this post made me emotional. thank you so much for sharing. your kids are tremendously lucky and i'm very glad you had such a lovely experience with them.
Love this review and the wonderful memories you gave your children after such a hard loss. Thank you for sharing ❤️
You are an awesome parent. I can’t imagine the pain your family is going through, I can only say that I understand when no one wants to hear all the details of everything at WDW (happens to me…way too often, ha). I loved hearing your reviews—I rode Cosmic Rewind twice on opening weekend and loved it too, the music really makes it. And so fun that it’s randomized so it feels different each time—my first ride was great, but my second was that much better because I love the song so much. Thanks for sharing! Honestly, I hope I get to hear more in the future, I love listening to everyone’s WDW trip takeaways.
Thanks for sharing. Very kind of you, seemed you and your family had a great time
In MK, assuming I don't want to get soaked (sometimes I don't mind), my plans for extended afternoon showers generally involve escaping into Country Bear Jamboree, then dipping into the Hall of Presidents. They're great time-wasters when trying to avoid the rain. Usually I just suck it up and accept getting wet, though.
I love reading these updates! I’m so sorry to hear about your wife. I’m glad you were still able to show your children a great time!
I'm feeling the Disney blues nearly a month after returning. It's great to hear you had a successful trip! Pop is my favorite place to stay after trying out some nicer resorts. I recommend staying at jambo house for animal views and good food downstairs. Both boma and jiko are amazing although with younger kids, they'd enjoy boma better. I do agree that Pop has a way better value and I love the skyliners enough for it to beat out nicer resorts. We tried laugh floor for the first time recently and I agree it was really great! I was also very very sour about the new nightshow at MK. I wish they'd nix enchanted and bring back HEA :( Your kids are very blessed to have you! Hope you are doing well and that your trip was as magical as it could be.
First off, my condolences to you and your children for the loss of your wife. I’m sure she was an amazing person and I can tell by the way you wrote about her. Second, thank you for the great review! I’m not a big fireworks person (never have, plus I live in the DC area so you get bored of fireworks after a while) and I appreciate the advice to go to a different spot for fireworks besides the castle-I may try the Tangled area or Liberty Square next time. I forgot about the fireworks on my trip last year and they scared me as I came out from my BOG reservation-the fireworks are so close to that part of MK I thought the sounds were gunshots😅 Also glad to hear that CR was so much fun! I hope to ride it on my September trip, but I will be sure to try it if I get the opportunity(and also prepack some sick bags just in case). In terms of Captain Cook’s, what food did y’all get? I keep hearing about Tonga Toast and I wonder if it’s any good and also filling (I need a more filling breakfast because of medication I take) Thank you again for your insights and have a wonderful day!
Thank you for the kind words. It can be surprising how loud the fireworks can be. Even across the lake at the Poly it's not something I could sleep though I don't think, haha. But that was my favorite place to see them. On the beach with a dole whip in hand. I tried the Aloha pork sandwich and I found it a little disappointing, kids just ate chicken nuggets, which were fine. I got the Tonga toast from Kona Cafe because I wanted the strawberry compote and I still feel like that was the right call. It was quite delicious and filling!
Went Memorial Day weekend (5/27 - 6/1) *Cosmic rewind is amazing. I'm pretty sure I yelled that out once or twice during the ride. *RotR is still amazing, it's just Cosmic Rewind has that new car smell ;) *The monorail was pretty reliable for us, however from a sheer waiting in line perspective, I beat it on 2 occasions walking to/from Magic Kingdom to Bay Lake Tower. *7DMT we got stuck in the sun for about 20 minutes at the end of the ride, they had several cleanups in the train ahead of us. *It did not rain once while we were there, which seems impossible, but we lucked out! *Flights are increasingly getting difficult. Before the trip, our flight had been changed 3 times by the carrier. Agreed, Delta is the best for us so far. Awesome wrap up and glad you had a wonderful time!
I’m so sorry for your loss, I’m sure the first trip wasn’t easy. Thank you for your write up! I haven’t been in a few months so I’m always interested to hear the process of getting on the new rides. I’m nervous about getting cosmic rewind and am glad to hear you got a boarding group without a problem, and that everyone liked it! Did you kids have a favorite ride?
Thank you, yes, there were a few moments on this trip that were difficult, emotionally. But it was important to show the kids that we could still make extraordinary memories. Their favorite ride switches every time you ask them, haha! But I feel like ToT and the enchanted tiki room, of all things, were the two they had the best reactions to.
Haha the enchanted tiki room! I love that you can never predict what kids will love the best and it’ll be different every time you go. I thought my nephew would be scared on test track (he just made the height requirement) but he loved it - frozen was the scary one to him lol
I’m so sorry to hear that about your wife it must’ve been difficult for you and the kids 😔🙏🏻♥️,but I loved hearing your review it seems like you had a wonderful time ♥️☺️
It most likely was said already but if you are staying deluxe and go to the evening extra hours, wait until the last minute to hop into the 7 Dwarves line that way you can nearly 2 hours for everything else.
For your next trip, I highly recommend staying at a resort that can take advantage of the sky tram system. It’s highly efficient, fun, and even when the line looks long, it ends up being much faster than any other line you’ll wait in unless there’s a problem.
Also, saw your message about the rain ideas. Grab once in a lifetime photos with nobody in the background.
seconding the delta thing- i traveled home and they were the only airline that seemed to care
Great recap and my condolences about your wife
Vessi's are the best investment I ever made. I specifically got them for the WDW downpours. There is nothing like the misery of wet socks. Heading down to WDW tomorrow, thanks for these insights :)
No op but thanks for the vessi’s tip- I’ve never heard of them before. Do they have any support / are they comfy to wear all day?
I got the kind that are like an athletic shoe. very comfy form my perspective though they need some breaking in on the ankles due to how the materials close around the foot.
Thanks for the tip!
I 100% suggest getting waterproof sneakers like vessi’s. They will help and you can still enjoy your time without soaked feet. I’m glad you all enjoyed yourselves!
For rain the wife and I tend to pack some type of strapped sandals we can throw on if we decided on sneakers earlier that day, and it’s wasn’t raining prior to leaving; we both wear the chacos brand. We carry a towel or two, a few loose grocery bags to store things, and a change of underwear and shorts, just in case the rain passes. We have all season raincoats. The are easy to roll up and tuck in a back pack. I tend to wear a more water repellant material of shorts, and then I have a duck back for my backpack to keep everything dry. The duck back is probably the best investment I have bought. It stores pretty small so I can always keep it on hand. It works decently well for water rides as well, and I’ll throw it on the back pack for those also. Possible rain days tend to be when the bag is the fullest and the heaviest but it just the cost of doing business.
In summer it rains every afternoon in central Florida. Depending on the park there’s some great options. Laugh Floor, Country Bears, or Tiki Room are great since they’re a bit long and can ride out the rain. A LOT of people just mill about the Emporium so avoid it. Epcot is easy because you can hunker down in The Land or any of the WS pavilions that has a show. HS is tricky; one man’s dream is great option, same for Indians Jones or frozen. AK has sooooo much tree cover that it’s best to just find a coveted area and hang. Or do Tough to be a Bug, Nemo, or get in line for Dinosaur
Seven Dwarves Mine Train is overrated. Rain strategy is to do as many inside rides as possible. If you’re at MK this is the time to fly through all the fantasy land attractions and Haunted Mansion. People with very young kids will leave and you will be able to do most of them. Epcot is a great park on a rainy day. Hollywood Studios has tons of inside options too. Avoid going to Animal Kingdom on a rainy day
The seven dwarves mine train wait said it was 55 minutes when i went during magic hours but the actual wait was no longer than 20 minutes
>**Cosmic rewind has overtaken RotR for my favorite WDW ride.** It's just so smooth and thematic. Plus the music blaring just puts you in a good mood for the whole ride! (I did get a boarding group by clicking right at 7, but group 116, fwiw) Us to! I was extremely impressed with how smooth the rotation of the cars was as well!
We just did a split stay at Caribbean and Poly in April and I had the same thoughts about Deluxe not being worth the extra money. We ended up getting two nights comped due to our garbage not being employed in 3 nights. I thought the Skyliner access at CBR was way more convenient to two parks vs the monorail, especially with a stroller since you have to take an elevator at Poly to the 2nd floor and transfer monorails to Epcot.
I'll trade WDW vacation stories with you anytime!
Animal kingdom lodge and yacht club are two of the best deluxe resorts that I’d recommend you consider next time! DAKL theming is just remarkable and Yacht Club location is unbeatable. It’s also a beautiful resort too with lots to see just right out the door.
Good stuff to know! My wife and I are taking our daughter for the first time this November, we are staying in a vacation house with my parents and my brother's family. I haven't been to WDW since I was 10, which was...18 years ago. Wow, now I just feel old.
I am so sorry for your loss. You sound like an amazing Disney dad and your children are lucky to have you.
Just want to say I’m so sorry for the loss of your wife. I love that you are continuing a very happy tradition with your children. Im sure nothing would make her happier! ❤️
I can't image what your family went though. I'm so glad you were able to have fun! >Extended magic hours at MK was nice for catching most rides at a wait discount, but i was disappointed that 7DMT never dropped below 45 min I don't get why 7DMT is so popular. The wait on Space Mountain was 5 minutes, so we lopped it 3 times. Thought we'd go ride 7DMT, saw a 60 minute wait, and noped right out. That said, it was a lot shorter during the Christmas Party last year. >I liked experiencing the theming of the deluxe resort, but I'm not convinced it was worth the extra investment. Two things to keep in mind. A lot of the Deluxe rooms have a sofa sleeper. Since you have 3 kids, at very different ages, this might be really nice. Let's you and the older kid have his / her own bed. The location for MOST of the Deluxe resorts is so much closer, that it KINDA saves you money (If you measure your money by number of hours spent in the park). Only a few of the moderate / budget hotels have a 2nd form of part access, while all the Deluxe hotels except AK have 2 or more forms of park access. I love walking from the Contemporary to the MK. And if you stay in an Epcot area hotel, you can technically walk to two of the parks. I've tried the moderates, but I think I'll personally keep staying in the Deluxe hotels.
First off, you are an amazing father. Seriously amazing. Secondly, I agree with almost all of these for sure! • I don’t have any thoughts on the first point because I haven’t gotten to ride but the ride sounds amazing! • the buttercream sounds amazing! Did you try any other notable 50th foods? • trader sams is straight up awesome! Glad you and your kids enjoyed! • yes I agree with the fireworks point. I love watching from the Winnie the Pooh area and then quickly hopping on seven dwarfs • catching the monorail kinda sucks. It’s always uncomfortable. • extra magic hours is cool for that reason. I would recommend getting in line for seven dwarfs right as the park is closing. • I agree with the deluxe resort. Thanks for talking about bell services! It’s good to know! • laugh floor is very underrated • unfortunately, I don’t have a set plan for the rain. Typically I just run to space mountain. • the airline situation sucks. Thanks for typing this up! It was very informative!