It's a Marshmallow World...at New Year's!The End! Future trip?? 7.21.14 Update

[TinksThree]

It's a Marshmallow World...at New Year's!​

​

Welcome one and all to my latest trip report! I feel as though I am on a never ending report writing trip since I have had so many trips over the last few years! But that is a good thing, right!? Who knows when we will return so for now...I will relish in my memories of our New Year's Week trip as I tell our story!!

Introductions!!

Perhaps I should begin by introducing my clan!



This trip included myself, my DH Keith, my DS Chris and DD Madison.

Chris completed Basic Training in the Army and graduated this past Thanksgiving. He is currently in AIT but got two weeks off for Christmas. (More on that later since it plays heavily into the story!)

Madison is a senior in high school and now that her last semester of high school has begun we are knee deep in college decisions and all of the craziness that goes with a graduating senior!

Why on Earth do you choose New Year's Week!?!?! ​

The road to this trip was bumpy with lots of changes, adjustments, and "will we go" questions along the way! I actually began planning the trip last April. I really wanted to go during Christmas and see the decorations. Normally we go to Gatlinburg for Thanksgiving but we were going over the July 4th holiday so we decided Thanksgiving week would be perfect!

It was going to be only Keith, Madison and myself since we knew Chris would be (likely) busy with the Army. Although I included him in all reservations since we weren't 100% sure! We were booked at Port Orleans Riverside (this is Keith's favorite resort so far!). I had the best ADRs...everything I wanted and exactly when I wanted them!!

Fast forward to July and Chris is sworn into the Army and receives his ship date. We see that Thanksgiving for him is out, so we make a few changes: instead of POR we are now booked at Boardwalk!!! This has just become my dream vacation! I had so many awesome things planned for this 9 day trip!!!

Ah...but some things are still unknown and when Chris shipped off to Basic Training in September we were still not sure until he went through processing: graduation would be the day before Thanksgiving. Well, that pretty much makes this dream vacation a wash out!

I begrudgingly cancelled my wonderful ADRs, said so long to seeing Gary Sinise at Candlelight Processional and sadly let go of my most desired resort!

But we also learned that Chris would have two weeks off at Christmas so the decision was made to go the week after Christmas. Only now I have booked at POR at a higher rate... Now I am going to skip over the many back and forths we went through!

Originally, the plan was to beat WDW December 28 - January 4. Chris had to return to Missouri on January 3 so we were going to fly him from Orlando. But logistics in travel made this a non-option and a round trip ticket was our only choice.

Plus there was the whole cost issue...I am used to going on military discount rates and this time period was blacked out. So again to make a long story short:

Keith did not want to cancel and suggested POP Century and shorter days. Now we had stayed at POP October 2012 and I found it fine but Keith was not thrilled. So needless to say, this decision shocked me!

Now our new plans: December 28 - January 2 at POP Century (And thus began my many,many, many lectures of "It WILL be CROWDED!!!" We went with the mind set we may not do anything but stand in lines...do we?!

(Oh and on a side note about costs, our shorter trip at POP for 4 was close to what I was paying for 3 at Boardwalk the week of Thanksgiving... It's a scam!!! )

This meant letting go of a few ADRs I was looking forward to: Hollywood Brown Derby, Raglan Road, Liberty Tree Tavern and Chefs de France. I still had Be Our Guest though due to my constant haunting of the Reservation website!

Alright enough talk! I want to get to sharing!! I will have many opinions though on several topics! We had Fastpass Plus only, Magic Bands, My Disney Experience app experiences and the new dining cancellations rules during our visit just to mention a few! But we also tried some new restaurants along with some old as well as some new treats! Oh and along the way...well, I didn't get to do a lot that I wanted to do and what about those awful crowds because really...WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND goes the week between Christmas and New Years?! Plus lots of pictures and in some cases the amount of photos may be slightly obnoxious!

Now on with the show!!!

 

[TinksThree]

It's a Marshmallow World at New Year's.....

It's a Marshmallow World...As we travel along!

It's a Marshmallow World...In the Studios!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...When the Night Lights Up!!! Part 1
and Part 2http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50552244&postcount=24

It's a Marshmallow World...When the First Day Becomes Night!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...As the Night Draws to an End Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

It's a Marshmallow World...In Epcot's Future World!!!

It's a Marshmallow World...In the Fast Lane and Under the Sea!!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

It's A Marshmallow World...As We Go Our Separate Ways Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...As the Choir Sings!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshamallow World...And We Can Do Anything We Want!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's A Marshmallow World...When We Do What The Boys Won't!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4

It's A Marshmallow World...Even When Things Don't Work Out Part 1 and Part 2

It's A Marshmallow World...With Plans Becoming a Fantasy Part 1 and Part 2

It's A Marshmallow World...When Going and Stopping and Going Again!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4

It's A Marshmallow World...And They're Playing MY Song!!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4

It's a Marshmallow World...And A Magical Evening Begins!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...with Food and Merriment!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

It's a Marshmallow World...And NEW YEARS EVE!!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...in the Studios on New Years Eve!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...on New Year's Eve in Epcot with Illuminations!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...and I Can't Move!!! Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...and it's finally 2014 (at Animal Kingdom)!!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

It's a Marshmallow World...in Epcot and Time for Lunch at Via Napoli!! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

It's a Marshmallow World...Beach Club and Hollywood Studios! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

It's a Marshmallow World...As The Final Night Rolls Along Part 1 and Part 2

It's a Marshmallow World...as the Road Leads Home! Part 1 and Part 2

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm here and ready to read about all of your New Year's adventures! The intro pictures are great and, can I just say, Chris looks so nice in his uniform. I know that you are really proud of him.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

HERE! I have to admit to being extremely curious about a New Year's trip. We did it once when I was a kid on New Year's Eve. They had 70 thousand party hats to give away... and ran out.
More to the point, I'm curious how Keith handled it.

 

[tinawv]

Looking forward to reading more about your trip during the notorious week after Christmas.

 

[LutheranChick82]

I'm here!!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[TinksThree]

I'm here and ready to read about all of your New Year's adventures! The intro pictures are great and, can I just say, Chris looks so nice in his uniform. I know that you are really proud of him.

Hooray...you were first!! Chris looks so grown up in his uniform! And when I look at pictures from the March trip...it floors me how mature he has gotten! We are super proud of him!!

HERE! I have to admit to being extremely curious about a New Year's trip. We did it once when I was a kid on New Year's Eve. They had 70 thousand party hats to give away... and ran out.
More to the point, I'm curious how Keith handled it.

And you were a close second!! (Like it was a race!! ) Seriously...glad to have you along!!! Well...without giving too much away...you should try it but be prepared! Ahhh...Keith...well, I'll save that for a little later!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip during the notorious week after Christmas.

Welcome!! The stories I'd heard had me so nervous!! I would like to say more...but I can't! (not now anyhow!)

I'm here!!

Welcome!! Happy you are coming along!!

Following along!

Welcome!! So glad you're here!!

 

[TinksThree]

"A Marshmallow World"​

First I want to explain about the title...there really isn't any particular time in our trip (although it is heard in the parks!) that pinpoints this as the "Ah-Ha!" moment. I just really like the song which I heard just two years ago. I really like the Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra version but then I am a sucker for the "old stuff"! And then...I went to the MVMCP in December 2012 and right in the middle of the parade...there plays "A Marshmallow World"!

This song just makes me smile and I found myself singing all week (even now!)so I thought that's my title! Not too earth shattering but that's the tale!

Plus the first verse just sounds all happy and fun to me...just like Disney!!:

It's a marshmallow world in the winter,
When the snow comes to cover the ground,
It's the time for play, it's a whipped cream day,
I wait for it all year round.

A Few "Oh Yeahs!!"​

And to begin this tale...

1) There were definitely some ups and downs to this trip!!

2) My next trip MUST be longer than 4-5 days! Short trips are fine but I really miss the trips where we can schedule breaks and off days. We just feel ragged after a short trip...and the last three have been!

3) There really isn't anything quiet as magical as Disney all decked out in Christmas finery and the festivities leading up to New Years!

4) And there isn't anything not so magical as crowds...but will it or will it not be part of our ups and downs!?!?!

Well...let's get this show on the road and see how it all pans out!!!

The Open Road Beckons!!!​

We began our journey on Friday, December 27 around 5 pm. We weren't sure what time Keith would get off work so our departure time had been up in the air. We hit the open road and made great time! A quick stop at a Dairy Queen outside of Mobile for supper and soon we were see the bright lights of Mobile which were still decked out for Christmas:



(You will be able to tell any pictures taken with my iPhone since it takes not too great pics!! )

We drove along and had thought about driving straight through. But that would put us in Orlando around 5 am and we decided we would rather be rested than exhausted so we stopped in Crestview around 10 pm.

I looked at Trip Advisor and found a Super 8 that had pretty decent reviews so we tried there first. I sent Keith in to negotiate since he is much better at that than me and came out with a rate of $60...not too bad since we planned on being there for only 6 hours or so! The Super 8 wasn't much on the outside but it felt very safe and the people working there were friendly. The rooms had recently been remodeled:



The rooms were clean and the only annoyance was the fridge humming all night! It wasn't a 5 star hotel but it most definitely served our needs for some restful sleep!

We were up and on the road by 6:30 am...a little later than planned but oh well, no big deal. That was until we hit I-75 south and traffic slowed us considerably!!

We Arrive!!!!!​

After some minor traffic issues at the Turnpike exit and toll booth, we were seeing this glorious sight!!!



Seriously...this NEVER gets old!!!

And then only minutes later...





We were home!!! Well, our home for the next few days. POP really doesn't feel like home like POR does! But I will go ahead and say for this trip, POP proved better for Keith!! He joked on the way down that I had booked us at "that dump" again but when we left he commented it wasn't so bad this trip! The biggest negatives we found this trip were the double beds, the bathroom area is tiny for four adult sized people (although we have a system that makes this work!), and the food court left lots to be desired!!

We park and make our way into the lobby...





And check-in was a walk directly up and here's your stuff deal! Easy-peasy!! We get our room in the sixties section, ground floor which I had requested!

We park, unload, locate our room and prepare to begin the vacation...for real!!

I didn't take a lot of room pictures but the few I did will be interspersed since I am posting in the order I took them!





When we entered the room, my Magic Band didn't work so I made my way back to the front desk and found an extremely helpful CM. She also noted Madison's appeared to have issues also, so I called her to join me. Within 10 minutes we were good to go!!(And that includes our walking time!).

More random pictures of the resort as I walked to the front and also as I waited on Maddie:









Once Madison and I were done, we made our way to the gift shop and waited on Keith and Chris. We were starving by this time! So we decided the food court was sufficient! We all got the create your own tacos which were pretty yummy although the ordering process was pretty painful! It took forever and a day! Literally 20 minutes! While waiting in line I took a few pictures of the food court area:







This was my tacos:



They were ginormous!! I had them stuffed pretty good. You could choose three or four...I went with three. I had beef, pork and chicken. The pork was my favorite! The chicken was okay. Andthe beef fell in the middle. We also all got the cheesecake. I got the plain and the kids got the tie-dyed after I told them the urban legend...I unfortunately was told that the legend wasn't true....

I would like to say that I loved the Magic Bands! I got so used to them I would panic that i had lost mine or forgot it since it was so unnoticeable! I loved the convenience and aside from our issues at the very beginning that were quickly remedied we had zero problems!! The FastPass Plus...well that is a love/hate relationship that we will discuss later!!

Initially we were to arrive earlier and do Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and dash off to Epcot for supper. Since we were 2 hours behind, we skipped Animal Kingdom and head directly to Hollywood Studios...so I shall leave this part of the story at the bus stop!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

It's neat to see Mobile lit up in the Christmas colors. Usually, we just see the buildings lit up in the clear color (and, isn't there a purple one too?).

So, exactly where is Clearview? I'm trying to find a good stopping place on our first drive day. With us leaving on a Friday and John being off on Fridays now, we can make it past Crestview where we usually stay.

It was good to hear that Keith warmed up to staying at Pop. We've walked around the resort and it looks really cute. Oh and I'm with you on the short trips to Disney. They wear you out and you feel like you need more time. But, I'd definitely take a short trip over no trip at all.

It's lunch time and I'm looking at those delicious lookin' tacos and am now craving Taco Bell.

 

[scottny]

Joining in.

Great start. I like POP it has grown on me. POR is my favorite non dvc resort.

Those tacos do look big.

The tye dye cheesecake was good then they made it small. I liked it the other way.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

You're so right, that sign never gets old, and POP really is home for me. BUT, I would find it difficult with 4 in a room. When it's just me, it's glorious.

Wow, 20 minutes for food? It doesn't even look that busy in your photos. YIKES!

 

[TinksThree]

It's neat to see Mobile lit up in the Christmas colors. Usually, we just see the buildings lit up in the clear color (and, isn't there a purple one too?).

So, exactly where is Clearview? I'm trying to find a good stopping place on our first drive day. With us leaving on a Friday and John being off on Fridays now, we can make it past Crestview where we usually stay.

It was good to hear that Keith warmed up to staying at Pop. We've walked around the resort and it looks really cute. Oh and I'm with you on the short trips to Disney. They wear you out and you feel like you need more time. But, I'd definitely take a short trip over no trip at all.

It's lunch time and I'm looking at those delicious lookin' tacos and am now craving Taco Bell.

Oops! Typo! I think I tried combining Clermont and Crestview! It was Crestview where we stopped. But further down there are other towns with decent hotels and prices. We'd hoped to make it to Tallahassee but we left too late. Marianna is a good option too...and they usually have the cheapest gas! I'll have to go back and edit!!

I was glad Keith warmed up to it also...I think it was due to hanging out there so much.... But I am with you on taking any trip I can get! I am just ready for a nice long one...and that's thanks to reading your TR! Makes me miss that week...that has officially become my favorite time to go!!

So did you get Taco Bell? I will say those tacos were much better than Taco Bell!

Joining in.

Great start. I like POP it has grown on me. POR is my favorite non dvc resort.

Those tacos do look big.

The tye dye cheesecake was good then they made it small. I liked it the other way.

Hey there!! Welcome! So glad you're joining in! We love POR but POP really was nice and better appreciated this trip. We love the proximity to AoA also!

The tacos were huge!! I really didn't eat all of mine but I did eat the stuffing of all three. Aw man! I wish we had tried the cheesecake before! It was fine but I had heard so much about it for so long, it was sort of disappointing...but we still ate it!

You're so right, that sign never gets old, and POP really is home for me. BUT, I would find it difficult with 4 in a room. When it's just me, it's glorious.

Wow, 20 minutes for food? It doesn't even look that busy in your photos. YIKES!

I simply love that sign! It puts a huge 'ol smile on my face every time! Just knowing it is coming makes me smile!

Honestly, we are in the room so little that the size was perfectly fine! I think POP would not be ruled out in the future! And yes 30 minutes with only three people ahead of us...PAINFUL! It took a while to load those tacos I guess!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Crestview is our "normal" stopping point during most of our drives. We have also stayed in Marianna before. I need to go back and look at my notes but I think that we decided that we can make it past Tallahassee but not to Lake City. I don't want to be so tired the next day that we can't get up and going.

No plans to head back in May? You know that you wanna!

No Taco Bell for me yesterday. I went home to make hot roast beef sandwiches and about half way into the dinner, I realized that our oven wasn't warming up. Guess we'll try working on it tonight and see what the problem is. UGH!

 

[Soarin4Disney]

I'm joining in!!!! Love your TRs!!!!

We've stayed at the Pop before and we really enjoyed it. Its so fun and vibrant, and the kids loved the bowling pin-shaped pool.

 

[TinksThree]

Crestview is our "normal" stopping point during most of our drives. We have also stayed in Marianna before. I need to go back and look at my notes but I think that we decided that we can make it past Tallahassee but not to Lake City. I don't want to be so tired the next day that we can't get up and going.

No plans to head back in May? You know that you wanna!

No Taco Bell for me yesterday. I went home to make hot roast beef sandwiches and about half way into the dinner, I realized that our oven wasn't warming up. Guess we'll try working on it tonight and see what the problem is. UGH!

When we took the Crestview exit, I told Keith that it was where ya'll stop. I hope your oven wasn't too bad...for us it is the washer or dishwasher it seems!

As of right now, no May... I definitely want to!! I am all excited about the mine train ride and the new parade.... ahhhhhh....but Keith and I were even discussing it today. He said he was getting a little burned out and maybe wait a year. So my plan is May 2015 for a nice long trip!!

I'm joining in!!!! Love your TRs!!!!

We've stayed at the Pop before and we really enjoyed it. Its so fun and vibrant, and the kids loved the bowling pin-shaped pool.

Hey!! Glad your here! So happy you enjoy reading!!

I love the vibrancy of POP. It is just a fun place...so full of energy! We have yet to swim in the pools! Which is kind of shocking for us!

 

[TinksThree]

Time for a Park!!!​

After we finished up our meal, we made our way to the bus stop and waited for a Hollywood Studio bus. I keep hearing people say they will always call it MGM and from the things I have heard...I hate I missed so much of what the park used to be! I really didn't care for this park for the longest time. Put me on ToT, RnR and TSMM and I was done with DHS! It is growing on me now though.

But Keith really likes this park...although he always calls it Downtown Disney. I'm not sure if it is him joking or not. He always know she has said it wrong when he says "Let's go to Downtown Disney" and I am all "What? Really?"

Anyhoo, we are now waiting for our bus and it takes about 15 minutes but I am itching to get to a park so it felt so much longer!! Finally we see one headed our way. One thing I love about POP is the proximity to parks. It feels like we get to the parks so quick!!

On the way a quick "selfie" (I really am not a fan of that word! ) A whole lot of pictures are like this and I have not one single family picture. We never even stopped at a Photopass photographer. I barely snagged a picture of Keith...he is so anti-pictures! Needless to say after our first trip, I never contemplated Photopass again. It's a HUGE waste of money for us! Well...if Keith is along that is!



We disembark the bus and make our way to the bag checks, but first...a Christmas tree!!!



We get through bag check and breeze through the scanner thingy to discover more decorations!

FastPass Plus #1​

We were experiencing our first FPP test. Initially my FPP were set up for Tower of Terror at 3:50, TSMM at 6:20 and The Great Movie Ride at 7:20 pm. That 7:20 pm slot was really going to be pushing it since we had an ADR in Epcot at 8:20 pm. On the bus ride I log into My Disney Experience and play around with options. ToT amd TSMM are givens! No changing those but I am able to change The Great Movie Ride to Muppets 3D at 3 pm - 4 pm. So when we arrive our FPP are ready to go!! That means we make our way to Muppets 3D!



Notice the time on that clock? Yea, I am 1) in the park a lot later than I wanted and 2) our FPP ends at 4 pm! (Not that it really mattered....)

It always seems we arrive as they are ushering everyone into the theater. So we never get to really take in the cute atmosphere! I did capture a few quick pictures though:







We exit Muppets 3D after narrowly escaping that massive explosion and wander into the Streets of America.





And I discovered Hidden Mickey's!



We walked through Pixar and observed the ridiculously long line...it was seriously LONG!! 180 minutes!! I wish it hadn't been so congested or I would have gotten a picture! That was another thing on this trip. Sometimes it was so congested, I could either 1) not get a picture or 2) took it so fast it wasn't the greatest. You'll see as I continue. And sadly the bad ones I dd not realize until I got home!

Before long we found ourselves at Sunset Blvd! And this beauty was in my sight!!



Madison saw pins she really liked at the stand next to the Tip Baoard so we stopped. This year, the band show was "The Music of Danny Elfman" and one of the songs was from "The Nightmare at Christmas". Maddie saw a lot of Jack pins and had to stop. She couldn't decide and figured she would come back later after she had thought about it (and she actually did!).




FastPass Plus #2!!

Now it was time to make our way on to Tower of Terror!! Honestly (IMO) this crowd wasn't that bad!



I have seen it about like this and worse, so I thought I can handle this week!

We arrive at ToT and scan our bands and walk directly into the library. It was seriously one of the quickest entrances ever! We see the movie and at the end Maddie and I do what we always do...

We look at each other...
Our eyes get real big...
And we say with Rod Serling "You've just entered the Twilight Zone"...
And we add our own "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

The doors open and we file out and enter the dank, dark, dusty basement....

Somebody is a little excited!



I took one of Chris but a stranger girl was behind him and had an awful (but funny) look on her face. I chose not to post because I would be so if I was reading a TR and saw my picture, looking like that! So i am being kind to stranger girl! Whoever you are, you're welcome!!

We are soon loaded onto our elevator of destiny and have one of the BEST DROPS ever!!!!! It was so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We actually say that like Dash on "The Incredibles" when we exited... "That was sooooo coooollll!!!!"

Our ride picture...where I am trying to act scared but it was too cool so I messed that try up! Oh well!!



Continued in the following post....

 

[TinksThree]

A Non-FPP Ride!!!​

We had gotten on and off ToT so fast that we had time to spare before our TSMM FPP. So we walked around and Keith said "Just go somewhere and we will follow". So I went somewhere...somewhere where the line was only 20 minutes long (and actually felt much shorter--should have timed that!)

As we wait...



Chevy Chase because 1) it is Christmas and one of our favorite movies-especially to quote--is "Christmas Vacation" and 2) Chevy Chase is just funny and 3) I am standing in line looking for something to occupy my time!



And by now, I suppose you have figured out we are in line at The Great Movie Ride! So even without that silly 2nd tier FPP, we WILL ride and we will only wait 20 or so minutes!!



Finally we make it indoors (really this was only about 5 minutes)...



And before long we are on our way through famous movie sets!



Even if this ride is a little old and in need of an update, we still enjoy it!

We saw "Saving Mr. Banks" on Christmas Eve. Such a great movie!! I also got Mary Poppins and enjoyed watching it since I had not seen it since I was a child.



We meander along and soon find ourselves among Clint Eastwood and John Wayne (who never starred together in a western movie) on the old west sets...



That's a lot of reward offers!!! And then it happens! We can't ever seem to go on this ride without being ambushed!! At least this time it was a bank robber from the old west and not a 1920's gangster!!



They even set the town on fire!



Sheesh! So now we are held hostage and almost get attacked by an alien.....

And then Indiana Jones!!!!



Karma, my dearies....Karma!!!!



Then we follow the yellow brick road...





And The Wicked Witch comes out!! But at least she is taken care of quickly too!!



Then we follow that yellow brick road right on through the end of the ride!

When we exit, it is 5:45 pm and still a bit until our 6:20 pm TSMM FPP so we still have time to find something to do!!!

My FastPass Plus Experience​

And here I will call it a night! You'll have to wait for the rest of this Saturday evening tale! But I want to give my views on FastPass Plus from my experience!

Overall I really like the concept! Because we never would have rode ToT or TSMM on this night had we not had FPP. The TSMM line was 180 minutes, like I had stated, and ToT was 80 minutes. Arriving midday and then going to DHS would probably have never happened.

So I really, really like scheduling those rides ahead of time! And knowing those times are being held, well, that takes stress out and we did not have to worry about rope drops every single morning to get what we wanted! I also found it extremely easy to make changes on my iPhone app with My Disney Experience. I (thankfully) ever had any technical issues. I made, cancelled, rearranged our FPP so many times. It was nice and easy! I was pleased with that.

But then we have the down side. I didn't like being tied to one park. The three FPP was okay...I mean, yeah, I would like more sometimes, but I was okay with that; but at Animal Kingdom and Epcot, we really don't use three different Fastpasses so it made those parks hard, and we never did FPP at AK and changed Epcot to a different park one day. This meant we didn't ride one of the "big two" at Epcot. And that is disappointing.

But too me, the thing I really, really disliked was the tiered system! I can understand the thought behind it but seriously...at Epcot do you ever need a FP for Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Captain EO...and so on. If in the future you do thanks to FPP, then BOO! I will say this is a failure! But for this trip, we had a FPP for Muppets 3D and didn't use it! We walked right in. So great! That is a WASTE that we could have used on one of those super long lines!

Hopefully, as the whole process happens,they will tweak some of this. Overall I love the FPP and definitely love the Magic Bands! I have heard different thoughts on what may happen and how they may give x number of FPP for those staying on-site with the number increasing for mods and deluxe. But I really hope they change the one park deal and the tiered part gets restructured. In some ways, the tiered structure left us feeling as though we were cheated. And we spent a lot of money to not feel that way! People that visit and aren't used to touring the way my family does may not notice it, but we did.

Okay I didn't mean for that to become so drawn out! And I am not really ranting even if it sounds like it! I just wanted to share my opinion on something new! Please come back!!

For me...the next installment is one of my most favorite parts of the trip!!!!!!!!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Yup, I am indeed an "MGM" guy. It's just habit I think. And yes, MGM is REALLY close to POP. It feels like you could almost walk there.

Haha, despite your aversion to the word, cute selfie with you and Madison.

I love that the dude has a Mickey glove in your ToT photo which makes me wonder... Why do I not have a Mickey glove???

I think your experience with FP+ covers it quite well. The 1 park per day is a big issue for me as one who thrives on park hopping. In fact, I'd say that is my biggest issue. The tiering didn't affect me only because I had locked in before the tiering started. I'd have to say I'm still on the fence overall.

 

[TinksThree]

Yup, I am indeed an "MGM" guy. It's just habit I think. And yes, MGM is REALLY close to POP. It feels like you could almost walk there.

Haha, despite your aversion to the word, cute selfie with you and Madison.

I love that the dude has a Mickey glove in your ToT photo which makes me wonder... Why do I not have a Mickey glove???

I think your experience with FP+ covers it quite well. The 1 park per day is a big issue for me as one who thrives on park hopping. In fact, I'd say that is my biggest issue. The tiering didn't affect me only because I had locked in before the tiering started. I'd have to say I'm still on the fence overall.

You were actually one of the ones I was thinking about with the MGM comment!

I think my biggest aversion to "selfie" is the over use...I am not one to conform!! Thanks about the pic! I have plenty more "selfies" coming! And some are plain goofy!

I am in shock! You don't have a Mickey glove!?!?!?!

I am definitely on the fence too. And with all paper FPs going away now, even our experiences will be different I do believe! As you can tell, we are huge Park Hoppers too so that is a bummer. Especially like I had said involving Epcot. I was sent a survey and wrote a long e-mail on my opinions...should be interesting if I get any type of response!!