So we recently took a short trip to Nov. 30 - Dec. 3. We decided to do three park days and one with just the Christmas Party. Here were my observations for our trip…
Nov. 30 - Arrival Day - so we took an early morning flight and decided to do Magic Kingdom. It was a fairly heavy crowd but it was do-able. We planned this trip prior to 60 days out so many Fast Pass selections were taken. We stayed at Disney’s Pop Century resort. The resort was clean and was exactly what we needed. The second bed was a fold-out and that was nice to have the extra room.
Dec. 1 - Sleep In Day / Mickey’s Very Merry Christ Party - this was the whole point of this trip - MVMCP! We didn’t do a ticket for today because we knew it was going to be a long night. The party was alright (you can see why below) and we got back at a fairly decent time.
Dec. 2 - Hollywood Studios - I always enjoy HS and we were able to get there at noon (reasoning for that below). We were able to ride a few rides and actually stop and enjoy Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for all the details that are in the land. Make sure to check it out!
Overall - another great stay at Disney… but…
the most OVERRATED thing we did was the Christmas Party. I guess most people don’t think of trick-or-treating for Christmas, and the generic cookies that were handed out was just alright. We did ride a few rides but were kinda over it. I think it is a one and done event for us (by the way, we are two adults only). I enjoyed Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party better, but even that will be a one and done for us.
the most UNDERRATED thing that we did on this trip was purchase the Mid-Day Magic ticket. OK, so we all know that a Disney vacation is a lot of work, but to be able to sleep in after a long day at the park simply because you have to makes it more relaxing. We slept in, had pool time and never felt rushed. You were able to make FP reservations, but due to the late booking of the trip, we didn’t have access to the prized FP selections, but could have had good ones later in the day. I hope Disney brings these tickets back because for the first time out of five Disney trips, it actually was a relaxing morning.
What are ya’lls most over / under rated experiences at Disney World?
I found MVMCP to be overrated last year so we skipped it this year with zero regrets. My most overrated thing this trip - and it is quite the doozy- is Wilderness Lodge. I thought my H would go bonkers for it. Nope. And to be frank, I prefer the tree and lobby at AKL. I’m glad try at Disney has so many different offerings so that each person can find their niche.
I forgot my underrated thing. I have two - the Millennium Falcon and the resort activities. I hated being pilot on MF and said it was a one and done. The next night I was back on it (basically a walk on) as engineer. I am a kick ass engineer and it didn’t make me nauseous. DS1 got to be a gunner. Yup, both positions aren’t ideal if you want to fully enjoy the ride - I don’t. I want to see glimpses of the screen and let my son enjoy shooting at things.
Resort Activities - DS1 is my park commando buddy. He’ll rope drop with me, get soaked dashing around Epcot to take in evening magic hours, etc. DS2 is my chill kid. He wants his pool, playground, and arcade time. Does it kind of kill me to spend $$$$ for him to do so at Disney? Sure but whatever memories are being made.
We did the strategic crossover brunch, but really, it was more for the lunch than the breakfast. They had roasted salmon, and roasted chicken that day, and both were fantastic. The Character interaction was fantastic.
All of the ethnic offerings were just watered down to a point of weird, and bad. Not a fan at all. Character meals are about characters, not the food. I KNOW this, but, after hearing a lot of praise for TH, I went in expecting much more. If someone would have told me that I should realistically expect “Disney” flavored ethnic offerings, i would have known what to expect.
Would I go to TH again? I sure would, but I wouldn’t expect anything other than standard buffet offerings to be good.
Good point, I’ll mention that to H. It may work well for me but fall short for him. Thanks. We tried a strategic brunch timing at Crystal Palace but ended up with just breakfast and a roped off lunch area. Thanks!
I think MVMCP has value if the parks are already going to be busy or your schedule is tight, I found it worth it on Dec 21st (start of the trip, rest of the days were packed) but not on Dec 2nd of 2018 (made two holiday trips that year, long story).
I agree on MVMCP as overrated for us. We were also one and done. Too many people, ride lines were long and we just didn’t enjoy ourselves. But our most overrated was (ducking) - the Grand Floridian. I had high hopes for it, but it just didn’t live up to the hype for us. I’d rather be at BC/YC or AKL.
AKL is also one of our underrated. I hear a lot of people complain about the distance to the parks, but we never found it to be a problem and we just love the atmosphere. And c’mon…animals outside your balcony? A great way to wake up in the morning! Great activities (loved the tour with the night vision goggles!) and wonderful food (bread service at Sanaa…need I say more???). EMM is also a favorite of ours. We’ve done this several times and only had one bad experience where 7DMT was down for most of the time, causing waits on everything else to go us. Other than that, it’s a great way to knock out a lot of rides in a short period of time and walk around a quiet park.
We stayed at AKL our last trip and while it was a beautiful resort, I think your experience there depends almost entirely on the view out of your balcony. It’s definitely one of those resorts (much like the Contemporary in my mind) where the view is what makes it magical. At AKL we had a pool view in Giraffe Trail (non refurbished room) and it was just OK. I don’t feel a burning desire to stay there again. But in August we stayed at CR and had a Theme Park View – it was amazing. With those resorts your experience is all about the view and it’s worth it to pay more to ensure you get a good one. Otherwise they can seem very underwhelming.
EMM has been underwhelming to us too. It’s just too little time for the price you pay, especially when you can now do an after hours event that lasts longer for about the same price. I prefer DAH.
We loved the HS DAH the two times we’ve tried it. The VAH was not such a slam dunk. The lines were longer than anticipated and it just didn’t have the empty park feel that HS DAH had. We’re giving it another go in February, so we’ll see what our experience is then.
I wish they’d bring back HS DAH! Maybe in the future. We’re doing regular DAH next month at MK. I haven’t tried the VAH and after reading reviews here, I’m not sure I will!
We’re also trying the AK DAH in February…it’s just me and DS this time, so it’s a little more economical and we hardly every do AK at night, so we’re excited to see all the stuff we usually miss!
Overrated: SDMT- way too short. Would never do it without FPP
Underrated: H&V- loved it twice.
MFSR- had fun both times
Disney food in general. It was one of the things I was most stressed about, because there seems to be a general acceptance on here that it is bad, but we had so much good food.
DDP- loved this. Being able to save about 15% on all food was great.
Overrated- BOG. We did PPO and we did finish by 8:40 so that was the only plus. Food was meh and the atmosphere was underwhelming- too dark. I don’t think Od do this just for the PPO advantage and wouldn’t go back for any other reason.
Underrated
Lightening McQueen Racing Academy. We went about month after it opened and initial reviews weren’t great even for young kids. It was one of the highlights of our trip for my son. It’s also so easy to fit in your schedule since it runs continuously.
Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire - this just doesn’t get talked about. It was another highlight for my character loving kids. Unlike the parade, you can show up 5 minutes ahead and get a great view. It also had multiple shows so it’s easier to fit in your schedule. I’d still try to do both, but if the parade doesn’t work with your schedule, do this.