10 years since last visit!

Been 10 years since my last visit :scream: , obviously a lot has changed in this time, I was previously a seasoned pro when it came to touring, however not visited since the Fantasyland Extension ,so slightly out of the loop and just trying to get my bearings againā€¦ If anyone has any tips on must seeā€™s ,resturants touring , and maximising the new fastpass +etcā€¦that would be awesome :wink: .

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

Perhaps I am a bit jaded - but I donā€™t think there is much that is super earth shattering. Yes there is the new Fantasyland (nice but not OMG - WOW - WOW) and obviously Pandora in AK. However - I would say things are still relatively the same in approach etc.

You do need to make dining reservations and the FP is now tiered. I personally donā€™t care for how FP is now being done. So you basically have to pick ā€œwhich set of FPā€ you want - which is different from the past where you picked exactly what you wanted - but other than that - same dance - slightly different tune.

10 years ago would be the old paper fast pass system, so FP+ is a pretty big change. Iā€™m sure you have the basics of booking 3 at 60 days (if onsite) or 30 (offsite). The big choice is likely what is a must have since itā€™s hard to get (FOP, 7DMT & probably FEA) and when to schedule. Do you shoot for earliest possible to book a 4th? Or mid-day afternoon when the crowds are biggest and you need it most? Personally I think it depends on park and your plans for that day. At MK there are lots of 4th choices, so booking early makes some sense as the chance to book a 4th comes up fastest which may save a wait on Pirates, Buzz or Mansion, etc. At Epcot, not so much as due to the tiers, itā€™s unlikely to get another tier one FP (albeit possible some days) and there just arenā€™t a ton of secondary rides that you need a FP on most times of the year, although if going at Thanksgiving, Xmas or Spring Break you may need/want them.

There will be days where you may plan on park hopping after a rope drop where it makes more sense to book the FPā€™s at the afternoon park as well. Basically there arenā€™t really hard and fast rules - you need to figure out whatā€™s best for your touring style/plan and it may vary day to day depending on park/plansā€¦

The book (UG) has a great list of whatā€™s new at WDW in the past 2, 5, and 10 years. Itā€™s a nice summary of most of the changes, such as resorts, restaurants, attractions, and other things to do (e.g. interactive games). Not really any tips, but a place to see the list of things, to use as a jumping off point as your read up on everything.

I think the biggest thing you have to worry about is booking your FPP in advance as soon as you are allowed. But if you use a Touring Plan, especially a custom one, it will walk you through all of this.

Also, donā€™t forget to book dining in advance too, if you have your heart set on certain restaurants.

New restaurant wise I think itā€™s mostly just Be Our Guest (perhaps the highest demand restaurant now - ADRs all day, but it is quick service for breakfast/lunch and table service for dinner) and Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom plus a lot of changes at Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney). Others changed menus etc., but nothing huge. I guess Pizza Rizzo took over for Pizza Planet at HS, but I think there the atmosphere changed, but the menu didnā€™tā€¦

Thanks for the responses guysā€¦ I have the UG and have started to flick throughā€¦ But this fast pass tier system is completely differentā€¦ As someone mentioned last time we were there they were paper fastpasses and you could get your next fast pass for anyride participating as soon as your first fast pass time had lapsed ā€¦ So this should be funā€¦:joy: I have heard that FOP is a must also the 7DMT. Is the the Frozen Ever After worth a fast pass? I should mention it is myself my DH and 2 DD aged 19 & 22. We are very much young at heart and love to go anythingā€¦

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Surely biggest change in last 10 years is the intro of the Harry Potter worldā€™s at Universal

I realise itā€™s not disney but I couldnā€™t imagine being at disney and not wanting a day or two visiting the universal parks?

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Hi there
Last time we were in Orlando TWWOHP was not openā€¦ I am a huge fan so that is definitely on my list of must dosā€¦ It is so strange that after visiting WDW and US a lot over many years , that 10 year dry period has me feeling like a rookie again :joy::joy:

Frozen Ever After is a relatively slow loader (itā€™s effectively the old Maelstrom ride, re-purposed & upgraded - but the throughput is comparable) and popular which leads to long lines. If you want to ride it once, youā€™re likely going to be happier doing it with a FP. Iā€™d presume youā€™d want to ride it once to check it out even if you hate Frozen. Test Track has single rider and Soarinā€™ added a theater which reduces the waits for them making FEA the ideal FP of the 3.