Lol, DD is going to love it. Got one for my niece’s son for a trip a couple of years ago, he was 10 at the time and would not put it down.
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I have one more story to tell you:
Checking out of the hotel, I look under the bed and I see this. I immediately thought, “Ok, no one here has this strawberry blonde hair … ew ew ew”
But…… it’s NOT what it seems!!! The truth would come out later….
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… waiting! …
Kinda grossed out for the moment!
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Wookie fur??
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I Am On Tenterhooks. 
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I was going through security at MCO when I noticed this……
Can you believe it? 
Upon further interrogation she confessed she had got my scissors and shaved the front part of the lion’s mane (didn’t bother to throw it in the trash can 
)
I remember when she got it at AK and spent a long time trying to flatten the spiky part.
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That was close!!! 
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So glad I didn’t complain about “the tufts of blonde hair under my bed” at the reception. Phew.
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Summary, FAQ, final thoughts
(just my opinion, FWIW)
The Dolphin:
Great location, a number of excellent restaurants nearby, many pools, good value
- BUT it’s “almost Disney, but not quite”. You feel the difference the most when booking ADR - super annoying to be on the phone for an hour to get ADR for the length of my stay. Using MDE for 60+ is hit or miss.
Transportation:
- To/from the parks
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Disney buses: Worked really well for us on this trip, especially since the Disney buses get preferential entry at the parks at opening and drop you off much closer. Currently taking the first Disney bus is the best way to RD, as y’all recommended here (thank you)
-
Mears buses from the Dolphin: didn’t use them, they start running (I was told) 45 min prior to park opening, which didn’t work for my RD plans. Also, the Mears bus stop at the parks is much farther away from the park entrance than the Disney resort one. A pleasant surprise when we took the Disney bus from DHS is that it dropped us off at the Swan.
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Walking: <<< unpopular opinion >>> walking to the parks is a tiny bit overrated. It’s great to walk from the Contemporary to MK, no question, but from the Dolphin to DHS it is a solid 20 min walk. After a few days walking 12 hours a day, we didn’t want to walk anymore (not even that much). We took buses/boat on days 3 and 4 to DHS and Epcot.
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Friendship boat: Disney operated, you can take it between the Swan/Dolphin, frequent boats (every 20 min). One afternoon we had just missed the boat and decided to walk, but in the time it took us to get to the park, we saw another boat arrive and drop off guest ahead of us…
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Rental car: not working well for RD currently, but otherwise (I think) it’s the most efficient and comfortable means of transportation, especially when plans include breaks in the hotel and park hopping. Negatives include cost and the extra time spent at the airport.
- To/from MCO
- At 1:30 pm from MCO to the Dolphin, Lyft was about $35, Uber $70 (showed $35 initially, but doubled after I accepted it), Mears taxi: ~ $60
Weather app: I tested a few and my favorite is Accuweather. I love that it has a minute-by-minute option (and it’s free).
Touring plans: It is much more challenging to tour the parks without FPPs - no question. There simply isn’t enough hours with low waits for anyone to accomplish as much between 10am-4pm when waits are at at least 40 min on most attractions. That was particularly true for MK, because it is a huge park and there is an overwhelming number of attractions.
AK is an interesting and easier park to tour because FOP somehow retains a lot of the crowd right at park opening, and throughout the day the crowd seems to be concentrated in Discovery island and around the lake. What many people don’t seem to realize (thankfully) is that there is so much more to do! It was easier to escape the heat/crowd and relax mid-day at AK than in any other park.
In a world of paid FP, I would probably plan this:
AK: 1 day, RD FOP, no FP
MK, DHS and EP: 1 day + get FP (or tour in 2 days)
Boarding group: In addition to following Bebe’s method, what really helped was to:
-
- Practice thumb placement (use the join join join method, put the first Join button in the middle of the screen. That way the first 2 Joins are in the middle of the screen (use left thumb) and the last Join at the bottom (use right thumb). Watching YouTube videos help.
-
- Get the fastest connection you can. DH’s Samsung had a faster connection than my IPhone for some reason.
-
- Very important to join before 7 am and go back, because when you do it again for real the page loads much faster.
We used 2 phones to attempt, and 1 phone to show time.gov.
(To be continued)
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Thanks! Great tips! I agree it is hard to get rides done during the afternoon at MK without fast passes. I miss fast passes!
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Same with DD10!
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I will order this too!
kids do keep things interesting!
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We have worked our way through this book over the years. I wish they would do an updated one – lots of the clues are to parts of WDW that are no more or have changed so much.
It is lots of fun, highly recommend it!
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Part II
- Characters: I really miss interacting with the characters and getting autographs with the kids.
-Cavalcade: I enjoyed the surprise factor, but these are also smaller productions than parades.
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MO/Quick service: Every time I used MO, there was a “Now” time slot. No need to place the order in the morning to get a lunch time slot. At some places (Satu’li Canteen) we were able to order without MO, but in most QS restaurants MO is still required. I think this is changing quickly.
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Masks: enforced in buses, skyliner (and I was told, monorail), but weirdly enough not in the boat.
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ADR check in: You can check in up to 10-20 min prior to your reservation but you have to be close enough to the restaurant (tried to check in from the Skyliner to Topolino’s- nope)
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Walk up list: Always at capacity when I tried. Not working at Nomad Lounge: I was standing in line to put my name on the wait list, but when I tried the Walk up list, the message was at capacity/restaurant not open.
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Memory Maker: a few ride photos and even professional photos never showed up on the app. It seems photos are less likely to get lost if you scan your magic band (scanning available at many rides)
There is a way to try to retrieve the photos, at the park entrance, but I ended up not having time (it had to be at the same park where the photo was taken).
Also, without characters, there are fewer opportunities for great photos. Not sure MM is still worth it. I had it reactivated at no added cost from my interrupted 2020 trip, but wouldn’t buy it until character photos are back.
Packing/ shoes: forgot anti itch cream for bug bite; wish I had more than moleskin for blisters. I had to improvise a way separate my toes to avoid rubbing blisters. Adjustable sandals are the best.
Summer/ rain gear: I wanted to try a few things.
- Sun umbrellas: life saver at DHS where there isn’t as much shade. Not needed at AK. Will bring again. Really liked this one
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Cooling towels: also life saver. I had these which are easier to store and carry than frogg toggs. Its nice you can wrap around your head, but frogg toggs have a better cooling effect and are more comfortable on your skin. Frogg toggs: I wet them before leaving, folded it and carried in a zip loc.
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Portable misting fan: This one worked really well. I had it clipped on a lanyard so it was easier to carry.
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Ponchos: It rained once for a short time, so we barely used it. It ends up being a lot to carry around in the parks, so I checked the weather and left it in the hotel if rain was unlikely. Ended up bringing them most days though.
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Shoe covers: not worth it. When you have to carry around 4 pairs for the family, it gets heavy. It’s also annoying to put on. Wearing quick drying shoes or having an extra pair of socks is probably a better strategy
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Just downloaded Accuweather. Great app! Thanks for the recommendation. I use a local weatherman’s app at home, but it also works outside my area; I’m going to use them both and see which one I like the best.
Also the recommendation of the sun umbrella is not something I would have thought of, but if we are waiting in lines in the full sun, might very well be the thing that helps me survive. Appreciated!
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I am loving your trip report! I follow another board consistently, but your report has, by far, been the best report EVER! Love, love, love reading and following. Keep writing!
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Welcome! I’m relatively new here and I absolutely love this forum. Thanks for the kind words.
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I have been showing some of the posts here to DD11 and at some point she said “I want to be a liner too someday”
Raising a new generation of liners, one kid at a time
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