Learning Through Doing - Bulletized "Lessons Learned" (22-27 SEPT)

[Chuck96]

My family and I completed (yet) another Disney vacation yesterday, and the 5 days at WDW provided another treasure trove of do's and don'ts in the search for the "flawless" Disney vacation. Instead of a bunch of poorly written paragraphs, I'll try and keep my findings and potentially useful nuggets short and to the point. After a brief set-up. We flew down Wednesday afternoon, and stayed a Disney Springs adjacent Courtyard Marriott that night. Had a 4 day Hopper for Th-Su, and rented DVC points at the Beach Club for a Th-Su stay. It was a birthday weekend for my wife, who loves Disney, so we wanted to make sure she had a lot of fun with minimal planning on her end (other than her Halloween costume). It was myself, my wife, and our son (17). We've been to Disney a bunch, last going in Jan 2020 (with our first Monorail stay [Poly]). Some of the "findings" will draw from previous stays (compare/contrasts).

Without further adieu:

1. Loved the late afternoon arrival and staying off Disney property; here's why. You get two Disney arrivals. The first to Orlando and the WDW area. We went into Disney Springs, walked around, had a nice dinner, enjoying the anticipation (cheaply - our Courtyard room was $105) and being there. Could get an early start on the first full day, and then check into a Disney resort mid-day...which was the second arrival.
2. We ended up only "hopping" the first day (MK to HS). Don't pay the hopper fee unless you intend to hop majority of days. We would have hopped the second day, but had Boo Bash tickets. Ended up not hopping day three (all EPCOT, plus some different resort exploration) or day four (our resort pool, plus football and packing).
3. In the future, we will use day three (or the second half of day two for shorter trips) as a resort/rest day. Two days of two parks (even with a nap pre-Boo Bash) is a grind. Besides, resort time is awesome to recharge a bit. We did EPCOT Food and Wine our third day, which was local, since we stayed at Beach Club. We loved it, and will probably look to do Food and Wine more often, but maybe not on Saturday. We prioritized the "rides" parks on Th-Fr, before weekend crowds. That worked out in those cases, though. We did okay on wait times.
4. We love renting DVC points. We are still considering buying in ourselves, but renting points is a great way to try before you buy and learn firsthand the advantages of the Deluxe resorts. I'm sure bad experiences are to be had, but we use a third party broker to limit risk (to both sides).
5. Beach Club has a very long list of pros and very few cons: close to the Boardwalk, the Skyliner (EPCOT point), and EPCOT World Showcase. That is the most variety and quality of food options from a single location (identical to Boardwalk and Yacht Club, Swan and Dolphin). The DVC Villa is slightly separate, and felt quiet (except for EPCOT fireworks) and peaceful. Theming is quite nice (I actually liked Yacht Club a little more from what I saw, which make sense - I love the ocean more than the beach). The pool is as advertised. Great view, great amenities, lots of sub-sections, lots of room. Theming was enough Disney without being overbearing. Being able to walk into EPCOT in five minutes and walk back from Hollywood Studios (in 15-20 min) was awesome.
6. Do NOT walk back from HS if you are tired! We were, just did it anyway to do it. Made us sore the next morning. We should have taken a boat. In general, if you can walk TO a location, take advantage of it. Get a ride home after a long day!
7. Our last day was a revisit to our favorite park (AK) and then our longest resort time. We really appreciated the calmer and slower end to the vacation. We sort of eased in and eased out this trip, and both felt the transitions were peaceful and pleasant.
8. Three hours of Boo Bash is an hour too little. We made the mistake of not having dinner before we went, so I ended up having a corn dog for dinner. We liked the Maleficent Dragon quite a bit, enjoyed the fireworks, and some of the rides at night. But it was not worth the cost or time this year. I'm sure some of that is COVID-based. The park, frankly, felt dead in Tomorrowland and Main Street. All of the Halloween action was on the Frontierland to Fantasyland section.
9. We visited both Riviera and Grand Floridian, as I wanted my wife to see them. The Skyliner is a pretty fantastic addition, giving Riviera quick access to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. We liked what we say of Riviera, but not enough to consider it as a home resort. I know it's a premium to stay near EPCOT or on the Monorail, but the whole thing is a premium anyway. That said, I'd definitely rent points there at some point for a short stay (or Food and Wine). I liked what I saw a lot, and the staff was exceptionally friendly. They were considerate enough to let us briefly wander through Topolinos and enjoy the Terrace for a few minutes, just as dinner started.
10. Pre-Boo Bash, we walked around Grand Floridian a little. I liked it more than my wife and son, but again COVID may be dampening the vibe. She felt that it seemed like a place little kids would NOT enjoy. Because of Boo Bash and fireworks, the monorail wait was so large, we ended up walking from VGF to MK. It was also between 15-20 minutes, and was a pleasant enough walk in the early evening. On a hot day, the walk may be a bit tougher. I'm glad we tried it. It's definitely on our bucket list to stay there at some point, but may not be a potential DVC candidate.
11. Wait times were okay, fall and COVID numbers in effect. Definitely shorter than we had seen in the past few visits. I'm sure it will skyrocket again in the mid-future. My wife enjoyed not having to be slaved to FastPass times, so we could be a little more flexible in our park movements. We visited MK twice, AK twice, and EPCOT and HS once. We wanted to hit HS again, but the wait times were a bit longer than I could stand. They weren't awful.
12. Wait time seemed steady at AK, so we spent Friday morning bypassing FoP to ride everything else with short waits, and then just sucked up the FoP queue. Since the first time we rode it (2018, Spring Break week) was three hours, we scoff at FoP wait times under 70 minutes. That's a walk in the park. On Sunday, we started with FoP, then revisited a few favorites, before again finishing with one last FoP (my son's favorite ride, mine too). Always go out big.
13. If you are a semi-frequent visitor, do at least three to four new things every time you go, if possible. For us, Skyliner, Frozen Ever After, Runaway Railway (really enjoyed this one), and staying at BCV fit that bill this visit.
14. As your kids get older, take advantage of the lines. Lines are a huge irritant with little ones. With teenagers, they are a chance to have a conversation. My kid talks to me in those longer lines, and I try to enjoy those moments.
15. We hit a good balance of planned activities and flexible audibles when we changed our minds.

As I think of any more, I'll try and throw them in. Enjoy your touring!

 

[Chuck96]

Why start a new thread? Let's be efficient.

Completed a very short (30 Jul-1 Aug -- SUN/MON/TUES [half day]) Disney visit this past weekend. My wife had a conference down there (at Bonnet Creek) which ended SAT night, so we bolted a few days on and went hard. Our last visit was a big one in December of 2022, so not too long ago. Since my wife would already be down there (and have her ticket and bags paid for), we wanted a quick summer trip to get my son (now 19) onto Tron, and I wanted to ride the train after a long wait. I'll do the bulletized Lessons Learned again, but after a quick summary of the trip.

Our second DVC stay, we went with BLT Deluxe Studio. We'd just done our (first) home resort stay in December, so wanted to hit a different resort this time. Since Tron was the priority, we picked the resort that would let us walk there in short order. And BLT had been our first DVC stay (almost 16 years earlier), although that had been in a 2 BR my parents sprung for. Ultimately, I missed the second queen bed in the VGF BPK room, but it was nice being back at the Contemporary. 2.5 days is too short to do everything, but we tried (and ended up exhausted). We broke a few of our rules and regretted it, so I figured it was time to add to this list

16. Don't go in late July. Frankly, don't go in June/July/August/September (first three weeks). I mean, it could have been worse, but we sizzled in the summer sun.

17. Don't do more parks than you have days. We did all four parks (and MK twice) in 2.5 days.

18. Don't go to a park on your last day. We did (and had fun, got through most of the biggies), but it's tough visiting Disney, traveling/flying all evening, and then collapsing into your own bed before heading to work the following morning. We didn't "ease out" of the vacation, and I'm feeling it today (physically and emotionally).

19. New things tried:

• Rodeo Roundup (at DHS) - Wife and I really enjoyed this. Probably need more than two adults for all of the food, but the barbeque was surprisingly good, as were the accoutrements. Immediately became best meal I'd had at DHS in my lifetime.
• Tron - So We liked it, but it is MIGHTY short. And it peaks in the first 5 seconds. My other gripe...it needed to play that Daft Punk soundtrack a bit louder. Still, glad we went. Managed to get my son on it a few times (VQx2, ILLx2), so that is a win.
• Steakhouse 71 - Since we were staying at BLT/Contemporary, wanted to try this. I loved the art on the wall, photographs and concept art for MK and the hotel. Food was pretty good, and the prices were high but not too crazy. Would revisit.
• Got my family on the Carousel of Progress, so that was nice. Goes from 1900s --> 1920s --> 1940s --> 2020s. Quite a jump, but they kept updating the final one (from the 1960s [which makes sense for the 1964 World's Fair]), so it's a pretty big leap. My son was not a fan, but I was.
• Soarin' (Updated) - last time I rode this, the screen looked like a theater built in the 1970s and not maintained. They finally went HD and it looked pretty great (even if a bit too much CG for my taste).

20. Repeat #3 above. We went three straight days to the park (mostly full time). Too much. Take half days or full days. I kept meaning to head back to BLT for some pool time, but our VQ BG messed up our Sunday chance to do that, and weather torpedoed our Monday chance.

21. It was really too short a trip, unless we planned a single park day in the 2.5 (or 1.5 at most). Related to the above, but it felt like work managing reservations and Genie+ and park transitions. I still need a vacation! I need to perfect the ratio, but it won't make my son happy.

22. They put the Halloween stuff in MK on 31 July. Halloween is still 3 months away!

Trying to convince my family to take a longer DIS break. We went Fall 2021, Jan 2022, December 2022, and July 2023. It starts to run together. Hoping for a 15 month gap before the next stay (Fall 2024). I need it to feel a little fresh again. Build up the anticipation a bit more, which is what really helps.

 

[alexeis]

Didn't catch this the first time around. Great tips and tricks!!

 

[Dbjr01]

Why start a new thread? Let's be efficient.

Completed a very short (30 Jul-1 Aug -- SUN/MON/TUES [half day]) Disney visit this past weekend. My wife had a conference down there (at Bonnet Creek) which ended SAT night, so we bolted a few days on and went hard. Our last visit was a big one in December of 2022, so not too long ago. Since my wife would already be down there (and have her ticket and bags paid for), we wanted a quick summer trip to get my son (now 19) onto Tron, and I wanted to ride the train after a long wait. I'll do the bulletized Lessons Learned again, but after a quick summary of the trip.

Our second DVC stay, we went with BLT Deluxe Studio. We'd just done our (first) home resort stay in December, so wanted to hit a different resort this time. Since Tron was the priority, we picked the resort that would let us walk there in short order. And BLT had been our first DVC stay (almost 16 years earlier), although that had been in a 2 BR my parents sprung for. Ultimately, I missed the second queen bed in the VGF BPK room, but it was nice being back at the Contemporary. 2.5 days is too short to do everything, but we tried (and ended up exhausted). We broke a few of our rules and regretted it, so I figured it was time to add to this list

16. Don't go in late July. Frankly, don't go in June/July/August/September (first three weeks). I mean, it could have been worse, but we sizzled in the summer sun.

17. Don't do more parks than you have days. We did all four parks (and MK twice) in 2.5 days.

18. Don't go to a park on your last day. We did (and had fun, got through most of the biggies), but it's tough visiting Disney, traveling/flying all evening, and then collapsing into your own bed before heading to work the following morning. We didn't "ease out" of the vacation, and I'm feeling it today (physically and emotionally).

19. New things tried:

• Rodeo Roundup (at DHS) - Wife and I really enjoyed this. Probably need more than two adults for all of the food, but the barbeque was surprisingly good, as were the accoutrements. Immediately became best meal I'd had at DHS in my lifetime.
• Tron - So We liked it, but it is MIGHTY short. And it peaks in the first 5 seconds. My other gripe...it needed to play that Daft Punk soundtrack a bit louder. Still, glad we went. Managed to get my son on it a few times (VQx2, ILLx2), so that is a win.
• Steakhouse 71 - Since we were staying at BLT/Contemporary, wanted to try this. I loved the art on the wall, photographs and concept art for MK and the hotel. Food was pretty good, and the prices were high but not too crazy. Would revisit.
• Got my family on the Carousel of Progress, so that was nice. Goes from 1900s --> 1920s --> 1940s --> 2020s. Quite a jump, but they kept updating the final one (from the 1960s [which makes sense for the 1964 World's Fair]), so it's a pretty big leap. My son was not a fan, but I was.
• Soarin' (Updated) - last time I rode this, the screen looked like a theater built in the 1970s and not maintained. They finally went HD and it looked pretty great (even if a bit too much CG for my taste).

20. Repeat #3 above. We went three straight days to the park (mostly full time). Too much. Take half days or full days. I kept meaning to head back to BLT for some pool time, but our VQ BG messed up our Sunday chance to do that, and weather torpedoed our Monday chance.

21. It was really too short a trip, unless we planned a single park day in the 2.5 (or 1.5 at most). Related to the above, but it felt like work managing reservations and Genie+ and park transitions. I still need a vacation! I need to perfect the ratio, but it won't make my son happy.

22. They put the Halloween stuff in MK on 31 July. Halloween is still 3 months away!

Trying to convince my family to take a longer DIS break. We went Fall 2021, Jan 2022, December 2022, and July 2023. It starts to run together. Hoping for a 15 month gap before the next stay (Fall 2024). I need it to feel a little fresh again. Build up the anticipation a bit more, which is what really helps.

How would you compare staying at VGF vs BLT. I bought direct into VGF because points were cheap, but I haven’t stayed there yet. I’m looking at a 2nd resale contract and BLT is one of the places I’m looking at. We are a family of 4. The kids are 8 and 13.

 

[Chuck96]

We preferred VGF, for several reasons.

Full disclosure, I am a very new VGF owner, and we've only stayed there once (in Big Pine Key, in a TP View Resort Studio with the two queen beds). I've stayed at CR three times: twice in BLT (once in a 2BR many years ago paid for by my generous parents, the second on this trip in a Standard Studio), and once in the A-frame (which was an upgrade with a TP, and we really liked it).

Having done back-to-back trips (8 months apart) in the studios, the BPK Resort Studio felt more spacious, and VGF felt like more of a resort and less like a hotel. I will admit, I loved walking to MK from BLT (less than ten minutes, with an empty security checkpoint and the monorail ahead and the MK to your right). I liked going into the A-frame in the morning to get my soda and fight all the plebs for a Guardians VQ or Slinky Dog. I love the history of the hotel. We ate at Steakhouse 71 and liked it, but all three of us thought Citricos was quite a bit better. Although we didn't do it this time, BLT has the TotW Lounge, which we did one night on the last trip (and loved it). So BLT has history (well, via the A-frame does), better proximity to MK (walking) and Transportation Center (one stop monorail). But I liked the resort studio a lot better (we don't cook during our WDW visit, so the small kitchen that the BLT studio has went unused), and I enjoy walking around VGF more.

VGF also has the shortest monorail to MK, the fastest boat back to your resort (5 min!), and you can walk to Poly (and soon, Poly2 will be the closest Poly point to VGF). There are advantages to both, but we're very happy where we bought. In our brief flirtations with adding a few more points, we aren't looking at either monorail resort. Since you own at VGF, I'd recommend another resort for resale, just to have another 11 month option (but not from experience, only from intention). If Beach Club wasn't going away in less than twenty years, that would be my second choice (to walk into Epcot). I'm sort of eyeballing AK Lodge, Beach (anyway), and maybe Saratoga (we love Disney Springs) as a potential 2nd, but not anywhere close to pulling the trigger. I also keep an eye on Poly, but only because it is my favorite resort. But it's on the monorail (and we already own at VGF), so it doesn't make sense. But so what

That said, to summarize: we liked VGF more than BLT in our short experience span. I'm sure you'll find a wealth of opinions.