You’ll appreciate the back entrance to VB since you’re planning a day there. I really enjoyed our stay here. We did the motel style family suites and we didn’t have noise issues but we also purposefully did not pick a pool facing room.
WRT to USF sans EX: Hit the big rides until 11am as that’s when the lines will become long. Then do lunch/shows/walkthru/playgrounds. I am unsure how old your kids are but single rider is also a good option during peak hours. And then Diagon Alley after dark is a must. It will be less crowded, look cooler and wands work better. If you do wands during the daytime and they aren’t working try having one person hold their hand over the camera/reader to prevent the sun glare and then the effect will likely work. This is true of the U-No-Poo toilet for sure as that worked for us.
My favorite quick service in the park is Leaky Cauldron. Hands down.
I think other people are weird for liking Fast Food Blvd. I am not a fan. Pretty much in general I’d avoid burgers in the quick service in this park. None of them are good imho. I haven’t tried it, but it seems to get rave reviews, the Today Cafe.
My boys are 6 and 9 with fall birthdays so on the older side. DS6 is about 49" and DS9 is at least 53 or 54". DS9 will ride anything but DS6 is more timid. He seems willing to ride Hiccup’s winged gliders but he has never wanted to ride Slinky or 7DMT so we’ll see if he does it.
Originally this trip was just going to be me and DS9 who is truly obsessed with HTTYD. I was planning to buy Express Pass in that instance. However, he pretty much refused to go without his brother (and I was already going to have to pay extra to fly him unaccompanied) so DH was going to bring both down and do a pool day with DS6 while the I took DS9 to the park. But as things seem to happen around here, this has just spiraled into a bigger trip 4 express passes with DS6 as a wild card is just where I think I have to draw the $$ line.
You can do either, but if you buy there, they are around $14 for the adult size (smaller kids size tubes are less). When you leave, you can turn them in and they will give you a brand new one in the package that you can take home with you. I still have ours from our trip in May that I plan to bring back with me on our next trip, and then I’ll exchange for new packaged ones when we leave.
I apologize, but since June I haven’t really kept up. I used to spend hours watching theme park content. Now, I may watch a single video every week or so…
You can now do the single ride version of Express Pass at Epic??? That’s cool!
DD23’s absolute final deadline to tell me if we’re going to HHN is this Sunday. I’ve been avoiding watching stuff in case we don’t go. It’s easier for me to not be disappointed if I don’t let myself watch too much stuff.
It is 21+ now. They used to have “early hours” when you could come in if you were 18+ and leave when it got late.
I love that place. It’s my favorite. I wish I could have a birthday party there or something!!
I wonder if it would do more business if it did become a place that let 18+ in and didn’t serve booze?? It’s rarely packed in there. Even when it’s busy I can get in and hover until a seat is available or go upstairs to the lounge.
I’ve done both. BttF is good, but I liked JW better. (I’ve done it twice)
I do realize I used the term “soooo much” and that may have triggered my more Disney fandom friends!
I do like Disney Springs, but I will still believe there’s more activities at CW to actually do to keep kids entertained than DS. Plus, I like the “tacky neon” nightlife vibe of CW.
Yea!!!
I know, but if you go into those park four days in a year it pays for itself on day four… That’s why I do it. It does cause me to go back more though!!
If you go to VB two times in a year then that pays for the extra $100 upgrade as well on the second visit.
Yeah… the tubes being a charge is one of the few things I don’t like about CBBR. It does look fun, but I’ve never wanted to pay the price when I travel solo. I just go to VB next door!
This is where I feel like I could be so close! We’ll be back in late April which is surprisingly not blacked out. But I don’t want to sacrifice too many WDW days.
I’m trying to read into this wait time from 10:15am (I am in central time right now). The two crazy waits are no EP rides so hopefully maybe people aren’t buying a ton of EPs? Also, my TP is clearly “garbage” as my DS6 would call it.
Here’s what I do know / have kept up with in terms of Epic and waits.
BatM is terribly unreliable. It goes down as often as RotR used to. Everyone I see, basically, says don’t get into the queue at the start of the day. Then you just have to “bite the bullet” and get in the line after you’ve decided you’ve already done everything else you want to do.
On a personal note… I did go to SNW in May in Hollywood. They are, basically, the same. IMHO - Without spoilers, the land is beautiful and kids will flip out. The rides are dull. I was so disappointed with Mario Kart. I only waited 5 mins with an Express Pass. I could have ridden multiple times. Once was enough. I’m sure l’ll give it another try one day. However, neither ride, is ever going to be on my “must-do” list again!
But the one in Hollywood doesn’t have Yoshi (which I rode in Japan and is honestly not great, great for kids but not great) nor does it have MCM which I am very excited for actually. That wasn’t open yet when I was in Japan.
And I personally do like Mario Kart. It’s not my favorite ride ever but it’s fun.
I appreciate your perspective. We are going to sacrifice BatM for this trip. My DS is still reading the Chamber of Secrets and we have no hope of him getting to later books in 2 weeks. (Although I read all of Goblet of Fire in one day but I was a little older than 9!)
Right now my plan is to rope drop Mario Kart and then get in line for Berk and Meet Toothless. I am hoping we can be done with Toothless before 10:30 and wait less than 30 minutes for Hiccup’s Winged Gliders. Then I think it’s anyone’s game. We could probably do Fyre Drill with still under a 30 minute wait around that time. Then it will be 1000 degrees and maybe we will take a break and come back.
I already knew that Yoshi was “meh” so I threw it under the bus in my review!
I’ve seen the ride video for MCM. It probably is the best ride in SNW. However, that’s not a hard achievement!
I completely understand. Every attraction is going to have haters and fans!! I guess I was so underwhelmed at what the ride really was and how slow it is. I wasn’t expecting a coaster, but maybe something that went faster than IASW!!
Everyone I know, see and listen to says EPA at Epic is AWFUL! I don’t know if you are going to try for that or do the general public RD.
The check in process for EPA seems to take the entire time. I don’t know why when at the other parks it’s so smooth. Then people either rush to BatM or SNW where it’s clogged madness that first hour.
From every vlogger and podcaster I do still listen to says to NOT got to EPA. Just show up right after opening and you’ll have the same waits at Isle of Berk and everywhere else without the chaos.
If you do go to RD be prepared to still not get into the park quickly unless you got there 60+ minutes early and are at the front. Even at RD BatM is unreliable (I know you aren’t doing it) and the other large pack rushes to SNW.
If I do go this year. I’ll still go to EPA, but I won’t line up at Paris or SNW. I’ll queue outside Berk or DU until they open.
4 express passes with DS6 as a wild card is just where I think I have to draw the $$ line.
! We’ve stayed at CBBR LOTS of times & LOVE it there 
