Hey everyone. I mostly lurk, occasionally post. My fam is heading to WDW on Saturday (wife and two kids 13 and 11.)
I am probably not going to do a live trip report ( I own a business and work a lot, so when on vacation try to stay off the phone as much as possible.)
Anyway, a few details:
Staying at Yacht Club for 8 nights and all 9 days will be park days because…we are insane. They’ll be lots of pool breaks and fun away from the parks, but the way Genie+ is setup having an evening in the parks after a pool day looks to be very enticing with the ability to stack LL all day. We will see how it goes.
I am locked and loaded with all of the tips and tricks: BG1, FF and double taps. We are going to try and dominate the parks with G+!
If anyone has any questions or aspects of G+ or any other strategies they want tested while we are touring let me know. I’ll check back in with random updates on wait times and stacking, etc.
My one question for all of you is weather. We are Disney veterans but never go in the summer. (we are usually early May or October) We are not bothered by the heat, so no issue there. I have read all about the quick rain storms in the afternoon, but anything I should know expect. Looking at the 10 day forecast is SCARY! Basically looks like rain every day, just hoping its the quick afternoon T-storm each day. Thanks for any help you can give on the rain side of things. We have ponchos ready.
Hope you have a great trip! I’m local so I’ll throw out that don’t count on the afternoon storm being quick everyday. Last week we were in HS and it started raining around 6pm and kept raining off and on for a few hours. Bring ponchos/umbrellas and just go with it!
As far as the rain goes, it’s hit of miss and you’re ready with ponchos. Have shoes that dry quickly or an extra set. Taking newspapers to stuff wet shoes also helps them dry out. (Take the liner out if you can.)
Poncho up and tour on! Some of our favorite trip memories were heading to rides as people were leaving the park in the rain.
I’ll be in YC starting on August 17th! I am soooo ready or at least I thought I was. I know all about Merlock but what are FF (fiddle faddle?) and double taps? (2nd touch point in some LL lines which will be when you can book another G+ if you have used your last one?
I’ve noticed that when I’ve gone in late August/early September the intensity of the midday (or all day) rain seems to really be affected by other weather systems in the region. When we’ve gone during tropical storm or hurricane watches (meaning there was one somewhere near FL) we’ve usually had one day of heavy rain all day and then basically none at all the rest of the trip. If there’s no systems in the region the there’s a daily rain of 1-3 hours.
Atlantic seabreeze vs gulf seabreeze. PM storms form where they collide. For Orlando, stronger atlantic breeze means earlier afternoon storms. Stronger gulf breeze means later afternoon.
Another thing worth noting is that the extra wetness from the rain goes away quickly if it’s sunny… I remember pouring an entire bottle of water on my niece before we got into a 45 minute line for Splash and she was basically dry before we got to the ride! Shoes are the only thing that doesn’t dry, so we wear Crocs or Keen or Teva sandals, or Native shoes that are good for walking but also more comfortable if they get totally soaked. They sell various Crocs and Native shoes in the parks and in the hotel shops.
The main thing to remember for the rain is that it’s also going to be HOT and very humid, and the rain doesn’t cool anything down… I wear nothing but performance fabrics or very lightweight cottons, because I’m going to feel damp within minutes of being outside even when it’s not raining. We tend to spend the middays at the pool or resting when we’ve gone in July or August, just because the lower crowds allow for more relaxed park days.
Ok so FF = fastforward. If you are able to obtain an anytime LL at the end of the day (last park hour) don’t use it. It will carry over into the next day. When you start a day with an anytime LL from the previous day, any LL you book can be used immediately. Lets say you book Jungle Cruise for 11am and it is currently 9am. If you go to JC they will not only let you on (mickey will turn green) but it WON’T take the anytime it will use the JC LL 11am! So you can immediately use any LL you book (regardless of time) and it won’t use the anytime.
The trick is, is has to be an anytime from the previous day. If you get an anytime in the middle of the day, just go to guest services and ask them to move it to the next day and you are in business.
Double tap is the the ability to book two LLs simultaneously. You need to have two devices with BG1 (doesn’t work as well with MDE) and each device pick a LL and hit the confirm button at the exact same millisecond and you will get both. I have heard it works best if one person hits the button on two phones, rather than two people trying to time together.
Hope that helps. Maybe I will see you at Yacht Club…I’ll be wearing a Disney themed t-shirt, so easy to spot.
I will be next door at the beach club! 5 of us, 3 kids 14, 11, and 7. Also check in on Aug 13. Checkout on Aug 22. 6 or 7 park days, one TL day, one other resort or TL day.
I am familiar with all you mention but had not heard it termed FF or double tap. I like it!
I have a few reservations I will be cancelling at some point if any of it is desired. If TL cabanas or umbrellas are of interest, I will likely cancel Aug 18’s. I also have savi, droid depot, and Oga’s. Those are for either Friday or Sunday. I was planning on using Friday, but I could switch since you leave Sunday.
We are also likely classified as insane for the number of open/close parks that are part of the plans. I’m starting to have nightmares about it! The last one I opened BG1 at 7:04!
Lets hope not. I’m optimistic that the double tap is absolutely in play. The Fast Forward as I call it will probably be fine too. Only one way to find out.
From a fellow lurker…Just got back from WDW first week of August. Weather forecast for our week looked bad but I never opened a poncho all week. Yes it rained in the afternoons a little…less than expected, and we anticipated that and found a places to relax…lounge at Poly and Enchanted Rose at GF are examples. After the rain passed, we were on our way. I always scope out possible indoor places in case of rain and don’t wait until the rain is upon us to try to get in somewhere nice for an hour or so. Had two granddaughters with us 7 and 8 and they just got something to drink, played on their tablet or one of our phones and relaxed in the air conditioning. As for Genie+ we did our research and combined with early entry and being close to the front of the line every day we killed it. First day MK and hop to EPCOT on a Sunday with a break in the middle of the day…19 rides without more than a 10 min. wait. It can be done. Have fun.
or at least I thought I was. I know all about Merlock but what are FF (fiddle faddle?) and double taps? (2nd touch point in some LL lines which will be when you can book another G+ if you have used your last one?