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I haven't used many of the new planning tools, for a couple of reasons. We actually prefer to go in the off-season, so that the wait times for the rides isn't that bad. WIth twin boys in tow, we've learned that it's best to be organized and plan for the best - but expect to ditch those plans and go with the flow....which is why we like to go in the off season. If I were going during a time of year when it was much busier, I probably would take more advantage of the planning tools. Disney needs to do some refreshing, and the Star Wars addition will attract tons of fans (including my boys). Hollywood Studios has needed a total revamp for a long time IMO, it's never really been able to compare to Universal, and my teens much prefer Universal over Disney's HS. The addition of Pandora and Svatar -- really? That movie is just so old and out-of-date at this point, I'm surprised to hear that Disney is building it. Maybe they will wisen up and re-brand it so that it has nothing to do with the movie Avatar. If they are smart, they will look into technology and using more things like holograms and such in addition to the animonitronics and lighting effects.
Avatar will be this decades Matrix sequels. A lot of money wasted on this "land" when it could be put to better use.
How is Disney protecting the animals from the noise when AK stays open late? Or do they no longer care?
Frozen can die. They might as well change the Norway pavilion to the Frozen pavilion. I hate it.
I agree.. They should have kept Maelstrom & added a frozen ride elsewhere. My teens & I are sick to the gills of the frozen craze!
Do you have more info on the trail from Africa to Asia? Will it go over or around the train tracks?
Went to Disney 3 weeks ago and its a mess. As a Florida resident, im lucky to go on a whim whenever i please with my annual pass. Its still a magical place to be and disney builds with class. Decorative walls are covering the glam of the parks tho. But not stopping me from taking the family again in 2 weeks. Don't quiet about the stress and planning of the vacation, every day in the park is different. Just go and have a great day, even with the aggravated mess and detours. Take advantage of magic hours.
ENOUGH with all the reservation nonsense. It is making planning a trip to WDW more trouble than it is worth. And the fast pass res bundling wastes all kinds of time making it sure that you can ride a few, BUT ONLY A FEW, rides. BASTA!
If I was a local I'd be all for the "stop with the planning" however as someone who can only come over "once in a lifetime", which luckily for us is every 3-5years, I love love love the planning. In 2010 and 2013 we missed out on Toy Story Midway Mania due to queues being too long and fast passes all gone by the time we get there. We like to have a slight lie in and don't feel like racing around at rope drop whilst we're on vacation. Bring on 2017 when I'm finally going to be able to ride Toy Story Midway Mania! Woohoo (fingers crossed it's not under refurb, haha)
As a local I love the changes. Keep them coming. Fresh and new is what Disney needs. It's different when you have a yearly pass and go several times a year. It's great to know that the wheels keep turning at Disney headquarters.
As a local, I can make a FP reservation on Friday lunch time, go after work and at least be guaranteed 3 rides without having to walk back and forth across the park to get the FP. So that isn't so bad. Also, there are many restaurants that have open reservations the day of, so planning is not really a hassle for me. On the flip side, standby lines are longer. Many headliner attractions are hard or impossible to get, and many restaurants are booked solid even if I plan a week ahead. Overall, I don't think it is better now, but it is not much worse and could potentially improve as they do more with the bands.
That's if you are able to get a fast pass for Toy Story Mania! You will probably need to do it as soon as te fast passes are available.
You don't have to use the planning or reservation tools. It isn't a requirement to get into the parks - if you like to be more spontaneous, by all means, be more spontaneous. But I, and many others, really like the planning tools where I can plan out fastpasses and reservations months in advance. Especially when going with a larger for up, having a plan makes the trip much easier.
My thoughts exactly, re all the "reservation nonsense" - makes it work instead of spontaneous fun. Come back, Walt!!
How about "12 changes we've been reporting for months, plus an Indiana Jones bar"???!?