An Island Frame of Mind (A Cam and Luke PTR) Updated 5/22 - Page 26 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I agree about DHS....it's the park I could most easily skip, but I LOVE ToT and TSMM! But Splash Mountain is my favorite ride - if I don't get drenched!
DHS is our #4 Park also. But I have to say Toy Story and Star Tours are our favorite rides and there are a few Restaurants we love Sci-Fi and H&V. We also try to make it in time for the fabulous Stunt Show. Our day here is not long by no means, but it is a Disney Park and we never miss it. My grandson does love all the characters in this Park too.
Sounds like an awesome trip! Got so behind with reading the last couple of weeks!
You highlighted a couple of things for me to put into our plan for November…
we have never done a Star Wars weekend!
So I'm living vicariously through you and Luke!
We might have to try the Taste Track QS. I am a sucker for a good grill cheese. That is one the I really like about the FP+ is that I won't have to RUN to get the FP for TSMM. I agree that Muppet Vision needs a major overhaul but it is one of favorite classics.
Thanks for the Taste Track link, Cam! Looks delish!!!
HS is my #3 park, I don't like the layout/feel of the park myself. I do love RnR & TSMM, I also ventured onto ToT for the 1st time last year so I always make sure we do at least 1 day there.
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Everything looks great! I love all of your choices and can't wait to see the choo choo room. LOL Aiden LOVES trains, it's an obsession. I'll be sure to show him the pictures
I'm looking more forward to the SWW post. We're planning on going next year for it - already picked dates and am working on the plans.
I'm working on that SWW update now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Love your lists Cam. Spaceship Earth has always been Epcot for me, I love Soarin and Test Track but Spaceship Earth is always the ride that we must ride the first day we get there and the last ride before we leave. Illuminations is also on my top list...I cry every time.
I kind of feel the same way about DHS - it is never a full day for us, Angel loves it as she can ride ToT and RnRC over and over - I enjoy ToT but not as many times in a row as she enjoys it....LOL
It will be interesting what the changes to the park will be and if it will become more of a full day park for us. Its funny though like you, as much as it is probably our least favorite park, we always have to squeeze a little time in there .
Illuminations (and Wishes) always bring the tears for me, too. I could never ride ToT as many times as Angel or I'd be sick and it's probably be off the favorite list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I am so with you about the Studios - it's my least favourite park as well.
I remember the first time we went in 1997, I was so let down after having visited both Epcot and MK first, which both excited all 3 of us so much. MGM at that time seemed rather barren and it hasn't improved much since.
Cam, I feel exactly the same way about HS/MGM !! I think it's the layout as well. It truly has some of the best attractions, but we can get through it pretty quickly. I actually also like some of the restaurants there as well. I know it's not the best food in the world, but we love the campy atmosphere of the Sci Fi and the 50's PTC!. I also would never miss this park and the Star Wars stuff sounds really fun! We've never done that.
Tara
I hadn't really thought about the layout, but I think it does contribute to some of my dislike. We like Sci-Fi and %0s PTC, too, but the counter service here could be better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mfirst
It's funny, because when that park opened at MGM it was my favorite. I the backlot tour (having experienced Universal in California first, I thought Disney's was MUCH better). I also thought that I wanted to become an animator so I adored getting to see the animators working toward the end of the tour. When we returned in 2010 as a family....it was our WORST park experience. The park had a completely different feel. We gave the park a try again in 2012, and spent about 1/2 day there. It was "ok" but I would have rather spent the time in another park.
DHS is just a bit weird as it does have attractions besides my favorites that I like, but since quite a few of those are shows, it makes scheduling the day tricky.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
I agree about DHS....it's the park I could most easily skip, but I LOVE ToT and TSMM! But Splash Mountain is my favorite ride - if I don't get drenched!
It would be nice if Disney would work a little faster at improving this park.
I agree about DHS. I would go just to ride ToT, RnRC and TSMM. I'm looking forward though to seeing the improvements they are making to the park!
Luke and I are looking forward to the improvements, too, though so much of it right now just seems to be rumors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie2006
DHS is our #4 Park also. But I have to say Toy Story and Star Tours are our favorite rides and there are a few Restaurants we love Sci-Fi and H&V. We also try to make it in time for the fabulous Stunt Show. Our day here is not long by no means, but it is a Disney Park and we never miss it. My grandson does love all the characters in this Park too.
Stefanie always loved the characters at DHS, too, which actually helped fill up the days better than we do now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NanaTink
Sounds like an awesome trip! Got so behind with reading the last couple of weeks!
You highlighted a couple of things for me to put into our plan for November…
we have never done a Star Wars weekend!
So I'm living vicariously through you and Luke!
I know you are busy preparing for your cruise which leaves soon after we get to WDW. Hopefully, I'll have lots of SWW photos to share.
We might have to try the Taste Track QS. I am a sucker for a good grill cheese. That is one the I really like about the FP+ is that I won't have to RUN to get the FP for TSMM. I agree that Muppet Vision needs a major overhaul but it is one of favorite classics.
We the Muppets, and really hoped with the release of their two newest movies that Disney might upgrade their 3D film, just to make it more current.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilsEagles08
Thanks for the Taste Track link, Cam! Looks delish!!!
HS is my #3 park, I don't like the layout/feel of the park myself. I do love RnR & TSMM, I also ventured onto ToT for the 1st time last year so I always make sure we do at least 1 day there.
Luke and I have been excited about the addition of Taste Track so I had to share the info.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kingfamily1129
Everything looks great! I love all of your choices and can't wait to see the choo choo room. LOL Aiden LOVES trains, it's an obsession. I'll be sure to show him the pictures
We have been going to Star Wars Weekends since 2003, so this one will be our thirteenth one. So what keeps us going back year after year?
1. The atmosphere in DHS changes with Star Wars characters roaming freely throughout the park all day. The Streetmosphere actors can be interesting, but we don’t usually stop for them. We will stop for figures from the Star Wars movies and shows. Luke once got into a stare down competition with a female character we couldn’t place. By the way, he won.
2. Darth’s Mall is a shopping mecca for Star Wars fan. Much of the limited edition stuff is well out of our price range, but it’s still fun to look over it all. We usually get one of the SWW pins, a t-shirt, and some figures. This year I’ll be checking out the SW Dooney & Bourke bags.
3. We enjoy the Disney characters dressed up to imitate Star Wars characters. In fact, we don’t do the special FastPasses for the characters like Chewbacca, but we’ll stand in line to meet Jedi Mickey. Last year we might have gotten passes to see Mark Hamill, but he wasn’t there until the last weekend. The same thing is happening again this year as Frank Oz won’t appear until we’re long gone.
4. With the characters in mind, the new addition last year of SW themed meals at Sci-Fi and H&V, we can more easily meet some of them and even enjoy a delicious meal. This year we have booked Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine at H&V just so I can see my pals Chip and Dale dressed at Ewoks whom I love almost as much as Yoda.
5. Our record with the Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade has been hit or miss over the years. We aren’t really big fans of parades, so if something we find more interesting distracts us, we don’t make the parade. Disney is offering a Feel the Force Deluxe Premium package this year for $99 that provides priority areas for both the parade and fireworks. The price seems somewhat reasonable, but honestly, I can’t justify the expense as I’d rather use $200 in a more charitable way. Here’s a link to Disney’s info on the package. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/di...mium-packages/
6. We have not yet seen the fireworks, though we’ve planned twice to do so. Our dinner at H&V includes the Fantasmic package, so I’m thinking we’ll have two reasons now to stay in the park. Third time might just be the charm.
Over some of the next updates I’ll share some photos of Luke’s work on transforming Stefanie’s bedroom into a train room. These first photos are of the paint work, replacing the two shades of Disney princess violet to the gray and yellow of L&N railroad. He did an online search to learn the best way to paint so that the line was straight. I was quite impressed.
You can still the pink in these if you look up near the ceiling.
New bronze ceiling fan/light fixture that remind us of old train stations.
The yellow paint covers the purple.
The finished paint work. I need to take a picture of the newest work, including the book case you can see here that we have moved to another wall to help us remember Stefanie.
As I reviewed the photos I just noticed that there is snow on the ground. Thank goodness that stuff is gone and the green grass is back.
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Love this update!! We're already talking about doing that Feel the Force Package, but not sure about the regular one or the deluxe. Time will tell. You're right though, DHS gives off a different feel on SWW days. The characters and music really help with that.
Love your SWW plans. I did not know there were SW D&B bags coming out! I can't wait to see those. I do have a question. Do you have to get FPs to see Chewbacca or some of the other more popular characters? Or can you just wait in line?
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That is one the I really like about the FP+ is that I won't have to RUN to get the FP for TSMM. I agree that Muppet Vision needs a major overhaul but it is one of favorite classics.
the backlot tour (having experienced Universal in California first, I thought Disney's was MUCH better). I also thought that I wanted to become an animator so I adored getting to see the animators working toward the end of the tour. When we returned in 2010 as a family....it was our WORST park experience. The park had a completely different feel. We gave the park a try again in 2012, and spent about 1/2 day there. It was "ok" but I would have rather spent the time in another park.
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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