Disney World? Suggestions/secrets/recommendations/strategies? HELP!!!

[Green Monstah]

Anyone been to D-World or Universal Studios lately? Our family may be going later this week.

I go fairly frequently. For US, there are certain resorts that get you a lot of perks (the past passes come with the room), which makes it so much better. I went to US for a day, and dropped like 1600 bucks for both parks and fast passes for all. I could have paid less by staying multiple days on US properties.

I freaking love DW, but the on-campus hotels are getting ridiculous as far as pricing goes. I will typically stay at Art of animation in a family suite. It's not super cheap, but you do have quick access to the skyliner, which is a ski-lift style transport system that gets you quick access to Hollywood Studios (our family's favorite park) and Epcot. You still have to use buses for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

All that said, with my dad living with us, and our youngest no longer being free, we may have to switch tactics. I've heard that the WDW Marriot Dolphin and Swan resorts are super close, and while still expensive, you get luxury hotel accommodations for less than Art of Animation/Pop Century pricing, while benefitting from a central and convenient location.

Finally, we've also stayed at the Disney All-Star properties. They're the cheapest. They have the same cafeteria as Art of Animation, but a better pool. And they're cheaper. The only downside is no access to Skyliner.

I'd skip the meal plans. The cheaper of the two is crazy expensive and it's just too much food. My last two trips I've gone with no meal plan, and we've saved a shit ton, even though park food is as expensive as hell.

Some park run downs:

Magic Kingdom: it's good. It is a knock off of Disneyland. Nothing great; nothing terrible. if you like Disneyland, you'll like MK.

Animal Kingdom: Five years ago, easily the worst park of them all. Back in the day, Dinosaur was its' best ride (and the ride kind of sucks). However, the new Avatar-themed rides have really been a great addition in two respects. First, the Avatar ride is fantastic. Second, Expedition Everest has almost no line because everyone is waiting for Avatar. EE is a top 10 DW ride, so the kids would go over and over and over. A lot of bang for your buck. I'd avoid the Avatar river ride. I can't remember its name, but I waited in line for 2.5 hours (not knowing at all what it was about) and it was a small world/pirates of carribean-style boat ride, which if I'm honest, is my least favorite type of disney ride.

Hollywood Studios: This is our favorite park. Back in the day (pre-star wars and pre-pixar) we loved it. The kids would bounce back and forth between Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster with not a ton of waits. We'd mix in some Star Tours (old school Star Wars ride), while also doing the art lessons (which were sadly moved to Art of Animation resort). Throw in the new Star Wars and Pixar areas, and there's definitely something for everyone in my family (five kids, ages 3 to 20). Star Wars lines are not great, but it's worth paying extra for the Ligthing Lane and quick access to Rise of the Resistance. Find a time when Smugglers Run is not busy and go then. Pixar lines suck because they're kids rides with less capacity per trip, BUT, the toy story mania moves fairly fast (especially now that it's a decade old), and I don't care what anyone says, that ride is freaking fantastic.

Epcot: I've actually never really experienced Epcot like you should. Younger kids hate Epcot, and I always end up taking them back to the room to rest (it's usually day 3-5 that we get there, and the poor tikes are just worn out). My wife and my older two love Epcot. They go to each of the country areas around the lake, trying different food, looking at different shops. The rides there kind of suck. Test Drive dummy is blah. There is one ride (called Flight or Sky or something like that), which is pretty cool. The line is pretty gnarly. My co workers love Epcot for the booze and food.

Have fun.

[beefytee]

I'm heading to WDW next month. We went several years ago at Christmas time and had a great time. We went to different parks each day and after the parks closed would head over to Magic Kingdom until it closed at midnight. We would also go take afternoon naps while the parks were super busy. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the hours work out to do that anymore. There isn't a park always open until midnight anymore. All the extra perks you have to pay for now seem to ruin things. I'll let you know what I find out in a few weeks.

[Commando]

We went twice in 2020 when nobody was there. What would you like to know?

Epcot is the bomb-- there's a brand spanking new Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster/ dark ride that ought to act as a magnet for people to the front of the park so that you can hit the French pavilion at the back of the park to go on the brand new Ratatouille ride. There's also always some kind of food festival going on at Epcot that you can graze on all day. Jealous.

Magic Kingdom is like Disneyland but way bigger and with a few more rides. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs coaster is the best thing in the park (and is not a thing at Disneyland)- don't miss it. I also had a fantastic Cesar salad at Tony's on main street if you're looking for a place to eat.

Animal Kingdom is awesome. The park with the best theming and beautiful scenery/ animals. Expedition Everest 'the Yeti ride' is like the Matterhorn on crack. It's so great-- I would hit that more than once if I was there. The Avatar ride is the best thing Disney has as far as rides, though. It really is amazing-- like the Soarin' ride x100. Eat at the weird alien restaurant in the Avatar land or there is pretty good asian fare at the Yak & Yeti, which has take out and dine-in options.

Hollywood Studios is cool, but probably the least cohesively themed park. It is fun w the Tower of Terror, outdated-but-fun-as-hell Aerosmith's Rock N Rollercoaster, the brand new Mickey Mouse Runaway Train dark ride in the Chinese Theatre is fantastic, and the Toy Story Land is really cool as well-- the slinky dog coaster is a lot of fun. Of course there is a Galaxy's Edge there, too in case you haven't been. The Rise of the Resistance ride is in the running for the best ride at any Disney park, but not better than the Avatar ride. As far as eating, I love the 50's Prime Time Cafe, Mama Melrose's Italian was good, too, but by far the coolest 'experience' is Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's edge. You may have to go there first thing in the morning and get in line just to sneak in for a quick bite bc reservations are not going to happen. And this is for a reason-- it is the centerpiece of Galaxy's Edge and maybe the coolest thing in Disney? It is immaculately themed Star Wars. The food's ok and everything, but just an excuse to stand there in the ambiance and be floored for a while.

My advice is to book at the Swan/Dolphin. Not an Official-Official Disney Hotel, but within walking distance to Epcot and with enough amenities that it feels like an official hotel that runs maybe a third of the price. If money was no object I'd like to try the Boardwalk Villas. Also-- Disney Springs is a really cool outdoor mall if anyone wants to shop-- and it beats feeling rushed trying to shop inside a park. It's good to hit Disney Springs after a day at Animal Kingdom, which closes early bc of the animals. Also some very good places to eat over that direction. Hit up Olivia's Place at the Key West Resort for dinner and get the buttermilk fried chicken.