4 and 5 -
I hope you are ok with that time, and know what you are getting into.
No way I’d do that. If you are really wanting to ride the Skyliner, sure. But no way I’d do that. Bus from HS to MK.
That seems like a whole lot of waiting to wait to travel to wait some more.
The waters don’t just part when you arrive. You’ll be there with thousands of your closest friends. Waiting and travelling isn’t very magical. It sounds like butterflies and cakes and smiles and Disney songs on paper, but in reality, it can be hot, sweaty, and crowded and expensive, and hurried to make a reservation or show because you had to wait longer than you thought because someone in front of you held up the line for an insane reason.
4 and 5 would not be in my playbook. Just my opinion.
Thank you! Yeah, we managed to remove the more rushy elements of the plan, timings have gone really nicely today so far though!
Made the room by just around 16.00, out again at 16.20 and got an MK bus right away. Since we had to pass MK security to get to the green flag launch anyway, we picked up an FPP for Dumbo for 16.55 and have ticked that one off as a starter. Nice introductory ride!
Left MK again at 17.20, onto the launch right away and have just docked at FW at 17.38. Have never had so much spare time! Can also report the ex-River Country area is now demolished and undergoing proper construction.
Struggled to explain to my OH what the HDDR actually was (and still can’t), but she loved it Finished and out the door by 8pm, no resort buses after the 6.15 show so we got back on the launch to MK and got some nice views over the lagoon on the way.
After another security check (so you get checked both ways - bus to boat and vice versa), there was no AoA bus in sight when we got there, but there was a PCR one waiting a few stops down, so we hopped on that and took the extra few minutes walk over the bridge past the Skyliner station. I suspect given where our room is that heading north around HGL could even be quicker, but we wanted to check out the station for future days’ plans.
Quick shower and bed for 9.30pm, and here we at 4.30am preparing for our HS day. Suspect we could leave a bit later but better to go early on day one and see how timings go!!
Ok, so morning! Left the room 5.05am, bus stop for 05.10, on a bus 05.19, at the park 05.26. Bus driver (Scott) was amazing - provided you like Star Wars puns all the way to the park . He’s far more awake than we are anyway!
In line at 05.31, tapstiles opened 05.40, now waiting in front of the GCT…
Update: walked through to SWGE at 05.55, arrived at MFSR with maybe 25-30 people ahead of us around 6.15, now waiting…
MFSR done, into the SDD line by 6.38, wait time 25 mins. About on par with the TP. CMs posted at the TSL/SWGE boundary preventing people going the other way, feel a bit bad for them as it’s a long way round!
50 minutes later and that’s all of TSL done, having breakfast in WLB before leaving for RnRC. The sun rose while we were in TSM. Because we have made such good time we already did SDD in the dark (definitely better!) but will probably still do it again when we are back on Sunday. The standby line was just a little too long to re ride today without impacting the plan.
Breakfast was over in about 10 mins, so did RnRC (waited for front row) and ToT as practical walk-ons, sub 5 min each. Now so far ahead of time we re-rode RnRC while waiting for LMRA to open, now waiting for LMRA to open, a small line has formed.
Update: LMRA is broken, they say over 30 mins to fix it, CoH aren’t performing before 09.30, so going to do ST now, cancel the late FPP we have for that and start trying for earlier ones.
Absolutely correct, we walked past 4 or 5 of them facing away from us, blocking people trying to go the other way. Not a good idea to start with SDD for that reason!
Ok, ST down and FPPs for that and RnRC cancelled, have picked up a 2.25pm SDD and 4pm Frozen. At this point there is little left that needs them (for the record, its 10.30 with all rides plus VotLM and WDP done, breakfast eaten and and RnRC re-ride). Watched VotLM, wandering through WDP now and then basically shows for a while before picking up LMRA and SDD mid afternoon.
My phone decides not to upload pics sometimes so some posts may have them added later. This is one of them!
I still can’t figure out when that path is blocked. On September 30th it was opened the entire day, but there were reports here of it being blocked the entire day as well, and reports of it being blocked for just part of the day.
It seems better to never count on it being opened. Were you able to tell from a distance that it was blocked?
Well, you could see the CMs as you came around the corner even in the pre-dawn darkness. No rope or anything though. I’d imagine it’s open by now, but we are no longer in that part of the park!
Oh, something we discovered on our second RnRC ride - apparently you need to scan your MB to get the ride photos to attach to your account for some rides. We didn’t need to do this for SDD but seem to have missed out on a ToT photo by assuming they all worked that way.
Glad you are enjoying it. Was worried I was posting a bit much but figured it all helps, there is always someone who wants to know any given experience!
A few shows later - the changes to the plan meant we could catch the first BotB show at 11, then right into SWaGFFA (no seats, no shade!) at 1130 and IJSS at 12. Now our first FPP - MV3D. Very unnecessary!
Walked in with 3 mins to go, not too bad. Then a break to eat. Oh, we also stopped in on Pixar Place and shared a (huge!) Num Num Cookie in between WDP and BotB. Tasty!
Nearly done now, 3pm and going to finish well ahead of the plan even with the re-rides I reckon.
Had lunch at the ABC Commissary, then got thoroughly rained on (not forecast!) on the way to and while waiting for LMRA. Having done that, we headed for the Star Wars LB, just watched the movie and looked at the props etc, no character meets.
Then time to re-ride SDD - big win there, on and off in 8 mins while the standby is posted at 70 mins. Never forget to check for same-day FPPs! On that note, we have modified our Frozen ones from 4 to 3pm as we are ahead yet again. Once those are used we’re going to start trying for MK ones as we are heading there on the evening (one of only 2 non-party nights while we are here - want to see the fireworks!)
PotJ is not running all season apparently, so only Frozen, JT:TotT and (if we can find them - been up and down there at least 3 times) the CoH left. We have an Oga’s reservation at 6.20pm but may try to move that earlier and move on to MK or back to AoA for a quick nap.
Ok, final update for HS. Sorry, my phone started getting low so I reserved my battery for photos and FPPs.
We did the 3.30pm Frozen - FPP pointless again other than as a way to burn it, as seating is plentiful and all a common area. After that we had a little break and then tried to watch JT:TotT at 4.20, but it got rained off (rain on and off all afternoon, it was only for like 3 mins tops this time, I feel for the kids who missed out because of it. Some frustrated parents clearly felt the same way as the CMs got a little mobbed).
We managed to grab an instant FPP (4th) for ToT, so went and did that, then returned for the 5pm TotT. After scanning at ToT we had managed to get a 5.25pm TSM FPP (5th), so we then went and used that, leaving MFSR, ASwS and ST as the only rides we didn’t manage to do twice - and all have re-rides or FPPs already planned later in the week.
Figuring that was enough rides for one day, we had a 30m wander around SWGE, tried the (overpriced) blue milk with rum and then went to our 6.20pm Oga’s reservation for a couple of drinks, charcuterie and (even more overpriced) collector porg mug. My OH love porgs, we have a cuddly one at home and will have inevitably made it two by the end of his trip. She isn’t a big SW fan but really perked up when they turned up in various shows
Left Batuu as the sun was setting, and we were going to bus direct to MK but as that bus wasn’t present and an AoA one was, we have headed back for a quick freshen up and phone charge, before we head back out to hit TTA, HEA, JC (have a 6th FPP for this) and OUAT. Then back to bed! Phew!
No more photos just now as they are on the charging phone - this is on my iPad. Have packed some charging cables for further days as I understand Guest Relations will charge phones if you provide the cables. Worth a shot!!
Morning all! We made it back to MK by around 8.30pm last night having left our room at 8pm. By the time we got through security and into the park it was around 8.40, and we just about made it over to TTA, on, around and off by 08.56. Absolute chaos getting over into TL as the extra exit down behind Main St USA was open so there were two streams of people going through the MSU/TL “junction” near TLT at right angles to each other.
Anyway, getting off TTA (which we rode now to save time at MNSSHP later in the week - wanted to ride at night) we had not a lot of time to get to somewhere to view the fireworks. Fortunately there were spaces in the area on the hub-TL bridge just next to the new TL sign. Good view of the top 2/3 of the castle, and most of the projections / all of the fireworks are on this side anyway. Also no crowds, just a bin. I always seem to end up watching from behind a bin…anyway, happy with it for a literal last minute arrival!
Fireworks over, we again had a tough ask - making it to JC (only opportunity for a night time ride this trip). Getting through the hub was a challenge given people leaving, going into TL or just staying there for OUAT. But we made it there by 9.27pm, used our FPPs and were on board a boat for 9.33pm. All went well until both our boat and the one in front got stopped for ages before being able to disembark. Credit to the Skipper for managing a full 15 mins (including the usual 8min ride time) of pubs, but we didn’t get off until 9.48. High-tailed in over to the hub again and managed only to miss the intro, Peter Pan and Cinderella bits of OUAT - caught about 2/3 of it. Will take that over missing night-time JC!
Leaving the park was horrific. I have no idea what happened last night, maybe because it’s one of only a few non-party nights this month? The lines for every resort bus were rammed. We left promptly at/just before 10pm, got to the AoA stop shortly after, were not on a bus until 11.07pm (many, many people were still behind us by then, in fact as far back as we had been at 10pm, so if it carried on as it was they will have been there well past midnight) and were in our room just after 11.30pm. Had a brief view (finally!) of the EWP from the line for the bus. Not worth standing there for over an hour (though that was the only line we really had to wait in all day, so fair I guess).
As a consequence, we changed the plan for tomorrow (now today, as I’m writing this at KSC the next morning) to start a little bit later - got a solid 7 hours sleep, which off that MK exit is pretty good. There was a letter in our room about express check out, so we didn’t need to see anyone at the desk - another good time saver and very welcome.
Finished and out the door by 8pm, no resort buses after the 6.15 show so we got back on the launch to MK and got some nice views over the lagoon on the way.
. He’s far more awake than we are anyway!
