Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[emmabelle]

We did a Disney/Universal split last week, 3 nights POFQ and 5 nights RPR. The weather was great, hot, but not crazy you can't breathe humidity. We only did one park day at Disney. I wanted to see F&G, so we ended up buying a one day hopper so we could go to MK at night. We didn't try to buy Guardians because I was worried that it would be a night time slot. On Saturday 5/28, we ubered to the Dolphin because I knew they wouldn't hassle us. We were in line at Remi by 7:45am and off by 8:20am. Our first G+ was for 8:55am for Frozen, rode that, got Soarin for 10:40am while in line at Frozen. After Frozen before Soarin, we got in single rider for TT - 10 minute wait. Next it was Club Cool, then Soarin and then I started stacking for the night at MK. I booked Crystal Palace for dinner and then it was ride time. During the day I got JC, Space, Thunder, Pirates, I had also bought 7D back at 7am. After dinner it was hot, so I dumped JC and got HM instead. Finally after we finished our rides I got Winnie. Could have gotten more "filler rides" but my husband was tired so we left.

I felt like it was crowded but easier to get G+ then it was in February. Maybe not as many people using it? Idk, but I feel as though it was a successful day.

We have had AP's for years but let them expire. I think it's okay now to just to do a day here and there, although it did cost a lot of money when I add it all up.

 

[emmabelle]

We had the issue reported here with not being able to purchase Genie+ before 7am on the day we wanted it. We were staying at SSR, so I was not in the mood to walk to the Carriage House every morning to get it resolved, so we sucked it up and dealt with it. It did put us at a huge disadvantage when trying to get good times for the rides we wanted. I was never able to get Remy at all. We did ride Remy once at the end of the night with a 45 min wait or so. The last day (6/4) it finally worked correctly.

I had that problem too but I just called the IT number and they answered quickly and had it fixed. I wouldn't want to do that every day though.

 

[mickey916]

I had that problem too but I just called the IT number and they answered quickly and had it fixed. I wouldn't want to do that every day though.

I had the same problem and thought the first few days it was because we were linked to my brother's family who had pre-purchased Genie+ (and I have an AP). But then the second half of our vacation, my brother's family no longer had tickets or park reservations so I thought I'd be okay. It would never work. I ended up having to do it in my husband's account that wasn't linked to my brother's family. Odd that it didn't work after they had gone home.

 

[emmabelle]

I had the same problem and thought the first few days it was because we were linked to my brother's family who had pre-purchased Genie+ (and I have an AP). But then the second half of our vacation, my brother's family no longer had tickets or park reservations so I thought I'd be okay. It would never work. I ended up having to do it in my husband's account that wasn't linked to my brother's family. Odd that it didn't work after they had gone home.

It so much anxiety too when you can't buy it. I didn't try until 6:30am the day of and when it wouldn't go through I was panicking. Oh Disney, you make things harder then they have to be.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

My mother uses disability access as does my sister's daughter. With Genie+ (and changes to DAS), it is now impossible to ride anything together as a family.

We are using DAS for the first time for our trip in June and I'm curious as to why y'all couldn't schedule rides together? Was it the size of your group?

 

[Fitzwoman27]

We are using DAS for the first time for our trip in June and I'm curious as to why y'all couldn't schedule rides together? Was it the size of your group?

Only allowed 6 in group . We have same problem. Two DAS groups and have to separate

 

[jlstwinmommy]

We are using DAS for the first time for our trip in June and I'm curious as to why y'all couldn't schedule rides together? Was it the size of your group?

It's a combination. Now the DAS group can't be larger than 6 (we have at least 11 traveling). While we used to occasionally tag along on my sister's DD DAS when the max party size was 10, the larger issue for me is that with the first iteration of FP, we could all just walk around together and pull the paper FPs together if there was a ride with a time that worked for us. With FP+, I would be the planner and schedule our 3 FPs together. Then we always knew we had 3 rides each day together and the occasional DAS pass ride with my sister's family. (My mom doesn't ride the same rides as she has back issues, but would sometimes use her own DAS pass to ride with us).

With the current system, everyone would have to buy Genie+ to schedule together (my sister and mom don't need Genie+ if they have DAS). Even if we all bought Genie+, there are issues with larger parties that make it painful. With them being able to schedule a ride anytime (essentially), and me having to follow the complicated Genie rules, we only rode 1 ride together and that was the morning we rope dropped RotR. We ended up splitting apart for the entire day as there weren't a lot of options for us to ride together as a family. It was very disappointing as we enjoy spending the day touring together.

 

[erinch]

Here now! We did MK on June 5, AK yesterday on June 6 and Epcot today. Length do stay Genie+ and it is working like a dream so far. Parks very crowded, but we glide through and have waited in now lines. We got to MK at 11 for Crystal palace, at dinner at Ohana and still got all the headliner LLs but Splash which was down. I started stacking at 7. Our only mistake was reentering the park at 9 for Enchantment, or whatever it is called. In our opinion, it s*cked —not helped because we were behind a tree. I was able to get LLs all the way up past 10. Park close at 11. We could have walked on to SDMT at 10:40, but the fam was pooped.

Genie+ definitely worth it for us at AK. Safari and Navi were both over an hour and Everest was 45. Worth it just for that. I was able to buy FoP as an offsite guest when my window opened, with return time of 5:35. I wanted to book Navi’i till at 5, which I got by fiddle-faddling in Molly’s terms. We walked up to Nomad, had lovely charcuterie and churros and drinks on porch, then did Pandora. Great day.

I was able to get a 12:30 Remi for today while SoL got Guardians.

 

[erinch]

Genie+ was worth it today at Epcot. I snagged Remy at 7 am, whileSiL got GotG VQ. We arrived in park at 10:30. Due to Remy and lunch ADR at CoralReef, I got Soarin when booking window opened at 10:30. This meant I never got Test Track or Frozen. Nonetheless, it was a crowded day. Genie + saved us 265 minutes of wait times, which made it totally worth it.

 

[acgardne]

Just back from 7-day trip around Memorial Day weekend. We did everything we wanted to do. Rode GotG seven times. We almost always stacked with G+ to the afternoon/evening, and this worked great. On Memorial Day, we got RotR, MFSR, SDD, and MMRR within a three hour window for the evening. We did do some refreshing once in the parks to get times or rides that worked best.

While there were a few G+ hiccups (some of which may have been user error not clicking thru to the third screen), it did not negatively impact our trip. We asked at GS for help converting an any time LL for one we could use the next day and to give us a little more time when we missed one LL time while waiting in a 30min LL for JC, and both requests were happily fulfilled. We only encountered one surly CM all week, who was sure we didn’t want to go to Ft. Wilderness from MK when that was where we were staying. But we had way more magic and happy CMs!

We all tested positive for Covid after we got home, which sucks, but it is reality now. It was a wonderful trip. We loved Fort Wilderness, and Cosmic Rewind is everyone’s new favorite ride.

 

[erinch]

Yesterday at MK with Genie+, I stacked for a 1:30 arrival. By ny count LL saved us 640 minutes of lines.

 

[Mamiamjo]

Yesterday at MK with Genie+, I stacked for a 1:30 arrival. By ny count LL saved us 640 minutes of lines.

So, you had 4 LLs stacked? Did you have any issues getting the return times that you wanted (afternoon) since you weren't arriving until 1:30?

 

[erinch]

It all worked perfectly. I had PP right when we arrived, then Liberty Tree for lunch. then SM, SDMT and JC slightly staggered. We got stuck in SM for quite awhile which shut down and was eventually evacuated. We were given 2 anytime LLs for that. I had booked Hm last, so then I was able to get PoC, then Hm, then Splash for close to park closing. Used the anytime for BTMR, and we did not make it back to SM to use the other . We also did CoP, Hsll of Presidents, Philharmagic, and I made them wait 25 for Ariel which was the only non LL we did. It was not our only day , so we had picked up riverboat, IASW, Country bears on the previous time, also arriving at 11:30 for Crystal Palace . I personally missed the less glaring sun and the less crowded park by not arriving at rope drop, but I can’t extract the rest of the famdamily out that early. Going later and staying till park close worked great for us. I booked the JC first, then bought SDMT at park open , then SM and picked up PP right at 1 to ride immediately, after refreshing for about 10 minutes. PoC and Hm times I got by refreshing.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

To those that‘ve been, how are the lines during EEH at MK?

 

[jlstwinmommy]

To those that‘ve been, how are the lines during EEH at MK?

When we were there on 6/1, the lines were not bad but the times were super inflated. Space mountain said 50 minutes but we walked on. Peter Pan said an hour but we waited maybe 20 min. EEH was 11-1am. We got in line for seven dwarves at 12:57. The wait said 60 min, but we waited 10.

 

[lorileahb]

Way behind, but we (just dh and I) decided just to do a quick one day Epcot/Magic Kingdom trip on Memorial Day (had gift cards for tickets). So it went something like this (just hitting our favorites, and avoiding lines/waits - just decided we'd relax and enjoy a spur of the moment outing):

-Drive to Epcot - arrived 11:30 a.m.
-Orange Wine Slushie / Mexico & Boat Ride / Snacked at Booths All the Way Around the World / Back Through France / Britain / Canada / A Second Orange WIne Slushie (LOL)
-Soarin' twice (once with Genie - no wait, second time 15 minutes until we were in the pre-show)
-Awesome Planet movie (no wait)
-Seas with Nemo & Friends (no wait)
-Drove to Magic Kingdom
-4 p.m. - Early Dinner (more appetizers and hydration in the cool) at Tony's (we like Tony's, we've been three times in past couple of years and it has always been good)
-Genie (no wait) for Peter Pan
-Philharmagic (no wait)
-Genie (no wait) for Pirates
-Aladdin Carpets
-Dole Whip
-Hall of Presidents (no wait)
-Genie for Buzz Lightyear (no wait)
-Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (no wait)
-Haunted Mansion (5-10 minute wait, had fun with the interactive elements of the queue)
-Watched Fireworks from Behind Castle (with the required Mickey pretzel)
-Carousel (no wait)
-Stop at the Confectionary for treats to take home to the kids

All in all, happy we went and managed to avoid waits. Loved it, as usual.

 

[Jfsag123]

Here now. Sitting in Hollywood Studios waiting for my family to get off Rise (we have a baby, so have to rider swap). I’m sitting in front of a giant fan, so it’s manageable. Day 4 of 10. It’s hot. It’s crowded. It’s magical. I was so so worried we would not feel the magic this time like we have in the past, but we’re having an amazing time. I’m still not a fan of all the changes and I miss FP+ desperately, but it still feels like Disney. Also, every cast member we’ve interacted with has been wonderful.

 

[Disneymom1102]

We had a pretty perfect day in terms of getting to everything we wanted (some 2x), getting extras in, even break with some pool time in the middle of the day. Thought this schedule may be helpful for someone planning a trip with kiddos like mine!

My family: myself, my husband, 7 year old girl, 4 year old boy
Priority rides (each person got to choose one that were cannot miss for us): Small World (mine), Pirates of the Caribbean (husband), Haunted Mansion (daughter), Barnstormer (son). We also wanted to catch the parade which was at 12:00 or 3:00!
Also REALLY wanted to try to fit in: Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Jungle Cruise, and Peoplemover
We were not staying on site so couldn't enter until 9:00. We arrived for rope drop at the rope for Liberty Square at 8:55.

We didn't wait more than 15 min (and that was actually for Jungle Cruise which had a LL) but most were walk-on or 5 minutes even standby. Used Mobile ordering to speed up the snacks.

Park was probably a 7/10 for crowds.

Morning (9:00-1:00)
* Rope drop Haunted Mansion
* Peter Pan right after (booked LL for (9:00-10:00), immediately booked Pooh LL)
* Small World (standby)
* Little Mermaid (standby)
* Pooh (LL, immediately after scanning in, booked Pirates LL for later in the morning)
* Barnstormer (standby)
* Dumbo (standby)
* SNACKS - hamburger and pastrami spring rolls from the food stand and Dole Whips from Aloha Aisle (coconut soft serve for my husband, raspberry dole whip with vanilla soft serve for me, plain vanilla soft serve for the kids) in Adventureland
* Pirates of Caribbean using LL (right after scanning in, booked Jungle Cruise for our first evening LL, booked for 7:20-8:20)
* Festival of Fantasy Parade (watched in Frontierland)
* SNACKS - Casey's corn dog nuggets with cheese and fries, 50th anniversary chocolate silk pie
* Peoplemover

Left park and took break at hotel (lunch and swimming and rest)
Set alarm to book back to back LL (stacking) every two hours for our evening session. Besides Jungle Cruise (booked earlier that morning), also booked Buzz Lightyear, and meeting Mickey at Town Square Theater.

Afternoon/evening (6:00-9:00)
* SNACKS - grabbed some amazing popcorn from Main Street Confectionary for later
* Buzz Lightyear using LL (as soon as scanned into Buzz, booked Monsters Inc; was able to do this because Buzz was last one booked and once you use most recent you can book another one even if you have others stacked).
* Monsters Inc using LL (as soon as scanned in, booked Haunted Mansion which we rode standby first time, had to refresh for about 5 minutes while waiting for Monsters to start but got the time we wanted)
* SNACKS - chicken waffle sandwich, funnel cake from Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square
* Haunted Mansion using LL (as soon as scanned in, booked Small World)
* Small World using LL (once scanned in, booked Aladdin)
* SNACKS - citrus swirl from Sunshine Tree Terrace (yes! The original, real Citrus Swirl!)
* Jungle Cruise with LL
* Aladdin with LL
* Meet Mickey with LL
Left park around 9:00

By the end of the day we were amazed how many rides we rode, the minimal waits for snacks and rides, and that we hit more than we even had hoped for (including all our must-do's and hope-to-do's). We weren't running around and though tired and sweaty, was not too much and we all had a great day!

TOP TIPS:
Use Mobile Order for snacks
Use Genie+ to book LLs (plan best way to stack for later after break and also how to use consecutive LL's for the less popular ones)
Remember that besides the 2 hour rule for booking new LL, you can also book immediately after scanning your MOST RECENTLY BOOKED LL, this helped us A LOT! We would scan in and while walking onto the ride would book the next ride for right after.
Refresh refresh refresh (there was not one time we didn't get what we wanted when we wanted if I kept refreshing while waiting in line or walking)
Rope drop (or ideally early entry)...the park got MUCH busier after 10 and of course hotter. We got a TON accomplished in the early morning.
Take a mid-day break and come back. It's too hot and with little ones everyone will be whiney and miserable without a break from the sensory overload and heat.

Hope this helps you and your family plan your visit!

 

[MissDisney21]

Sounds like a GREAT day!! This is helpful to read as I plan our MK day. Does Mickey talk in town square meet? Where did you get the chicken waffle sandwich?

 

[ucf_knight]

We had a pretty perfect day in terms of getting to everything we wanted (some 2x), getting extras in, even break with some pool time in the middle of the day. Thought this schedule may be helpful for someone planning a trip with kiddos like mine!

My family: myself, my husband, 7 year old girl, 4 year old boy
Priority rides (each person got to choose one that were cannot miss for us): Small World (mine), Pirates of the Caribbean (husband), Haunted Mansion (daughter), Barnstormer (son). We also wanted to catch the parade which was at 12:00 or 3:00!
Also REALLY wanted to try to fit in: Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Jungle Cruise, and Peoplemover
We were not staying on site so couldn't enter until 9:00. We arrived for rope drop at the rope for Liberty Square at 8:55.

We didn't wait more than 15 min (and that was actually for Jungle Cruise which had a LL) but most were walk-on or 5 minutes even standby. Used Mobile ordering to speed up the snacks.

Park was probably a 7/10 for crowds.

Morning (9:00-1:00)
* Rope drop Haunted Mansion
* Peter Pan right after (booked LL for (9:00-10:00), immediately booked Pooh LL)
* Small World (standby)
* Little Mermaid (standby)
* Pooh (LL, immediately after scanning in, booked Pirates LL for later in the morning)
* Barnstormer (standby)
* SNACKS - spring rolls and Dole Whips from Adventureland
* Pirates of Caribbean (right after scanning in, booked Jungle Cruise for our first evening LL, booked for 7:20-8:20)
* Festival of Fantasy Parade (watched in Frontierland)
* SNACKS - Casey's corn dog nuggets, chocolate silk pie
* Peoplemover

Left park and took break at hotel (lunch and swimming and rest)
Set alarm to book back to back LL (stacking) every two hours for our evening session. Besides Jungle Cruise (booked earlier that morning), also booked Buzz Lightyear, and meeting Mickey at Town Square Theater.

Afternoon/evening (6:00-9:00)
* SNACKS - grabbed some amazing popcorn from Main Street Confectionary for later
* Buzz Lightyear using LL (as soon as scanned into Buzz, booked Monsters Inc; was able to do this because Buzz was last one booked and once you use most recent you can book another one even if you have others stacked).
* Monsters Inc using LL (as soon as scanned in, booked Haunted Mansion which we rode standby first time, had to refresh for about 5 minutes while waiting for Monsters to start but got the time we wanted)
* SNACKS - chicken waffle sandwich, funnel cake
* Haunted Mansion using LL (as soon as scanned in, booked Small World)
* Small World using LL (once scanned in, booked Aladdin)
* SNACKS - citrus swirl
* Jungle Cruise with LL
* Aladdin with LL
* Meet Mickey with LL
Left park around 9:00

By the end of the day we were amazed how many rides we rode, the minimal waits for snacks and rides, and that we hit more than we even had hoped for (including all our must-do's and hope-to-do's). We weren't running around and though tired and sweaty, was not too much and we all had a great day!

TOP TIPS:
Use Mobile Order for snacks
Use Genie+ to LL (plan best way to stack for later and also how to use consecutive rides for the less popular ones)
Refresh refresh refresh (there was not one time we didn't get what we wanted when we wanted if I kept refreshing while waiting in line or walking)
Rope drop (or ideally early entry)...the park got MUCH busier after 10 and of course hotter. We got a TON accomplished in the early morning.
Take a mid-day break and come back. It's too hot and with little ones everyone will be whiney and miserable without a break from the sensory overload and heat.

Hope this helps you and your family plan your visit!

Sounds like a great day for the kids. If anyone has had a similar experience but been able to incorporate the mountains and/or mine train then I’d be really impressed.