It's not like you can buy the upgrades and then go on the ride a bunch of times either. It will use the boarding group system so probably once each visit, assuming you can even get a boarding group.

Someone must have told Disney about Stern's topper DLC and they could not be outdone.

i used to go every year or 2 from the age of about 5 to the age of 25, now its once about every 5 yrs. if you miss 2-3 yrs, you won't recognize it when ya go back.

In Jan/Feb 2020, the arcade at Animal Kingdom Lodge had a GOTG that worked fine. Not quite level, but no other issues.

Is it true they did away with the service where they deliver your luggage from the airport to your room? I think it's called The Magic Express.

The magical express will end in Dec. The same service will be available after, but will cost $.

The magical express itself still exists for now, meaning the bus that will take you to your resort. Until the end of the year.

But you are correct that they are no longer handling your luggage for you.

Now, you have to go get your own luggage from the baggage claim, and then bring it with you to the magical express bus.

When are they bringing back the Disney Dining Plan ?

That is such a bummer. I really liked just going to the bus and not worrying about it. We would check into the hotel and then just go exploring for a while. When we finally got to the room, our stuff was sitting there.

I try to not whine about changes at Disney, but at some point there will not be any value staying in a Disney hotel. No extra hours in the park, no worry free express, no real park hopping, reservation systems for which park instead of just following what you feel like doing. Outside hotels look better and better every year.

For me personally, the ridiculously short park hours are the biggest killer. And specifically, the lack of late night hours and night time events. But this is still an issue regardless of where you stay.

I've already cancelled two trips. I've got another planned, in hopes they they'll turn to better hours, but may very well cancel it too. In the meantime, we're going to some other great places!

I agree, but what is the alternative?

It’s getting to the point where you just don’t want to do anything because it is such a hassle and they dollar you to death. Disney is so expensive now the average person can’t afford it. The meal plans saved us lots of mo why the last time we went but this are no more. This is the New World Order.

I disagree. It is expensive, but the average person can still attend. Airfare is dirt cheap, and there are plenty of cheaper hotels to stay around the resort.

And the mean plan is almost always not of value any more.

I would recommend that anyone thinking about going to Disneyland wait until they are back to full capacity and then wait another 6 months. Things are sloppy there right now. They need time to get back in the groove.

I thought we were saving money every time we did the meal plan in the past. After some research I don't think we did. Not being tied to Disney Property was nice on our April trip. We tried some things around Orlando and it was a welcomed change of pace. Also, I almost never order a dessert at dinner. With the meal plan it's included, and I'm the type of person that gets it because I paid for it, every meal. This leads to way overeating for me.

As far as the hotels are concerned, I'm not sure I'd bother staying on property again. I was always a big fan of being close, fast pass, extra hours, etc. With all of that gone I don't know that it's worth the premium.

We had 5 people and ate like kings with the meal plans. We enjoyed the hell out of it. I can’t be sure if it saved us money or not but we would have eaten a lot less and more
conservatively without it.

Years ago the meal plan had value, but it was only when it was offered as an incentive during Sept and Jan...but those deals haven't been seen for 5 years or so. The meal promos they offer now have a series of limitations that make it cost prohibitive.

Having said all that, the meal plan encourages gluttony. When we did do it, I think we gained a few pounds even after all the walking we did.

I will agree with that 100%

I got stuck right directly in front of the hat box ghost last time I was there before COVID.

Well, one alternative is not going to wdw. I know this is an extreme reaction, and most people won't do it, but the reality is that there are a lot of other places to go.

Over time, all the little cuts that Disney is making will add up. When people ask their friends about their trip, more and more people will be telling their friends it wasn't worth it, it was just ok, it was too expensive, etc. Then over time the overall feeling about going to wdw will take a hit.

As far as magical express is concerned, I can tell you that right now, the lack of magical express alone would not stop me from going to wdw. But, 4 years ago, it would have. My kids were younger then, and the magical express was great because I didn't have to rent a car and bring car seats with me through the airport. This is a big reason that wdw became a place we went to often.. because there was no hassle and it was easy to get to. That makes a huge difference when you have toddlers with you.

Oh, and another, very real alternative to wdw is... Disneyland!

I don't know how DL will change after the pandemic. But, pre-pandemic, there were definitely some pros and cons of DL.

For one thing, DL is consistently open late night, usually until at least midnight. So for me, I loved that. Also, staying "off site" at DL is really the best way to go. Dozens of hotels in walking distance. Not as much pre-planning required and they have a good fastpass system. Getting to DL sucks, though- no magical express or anything like that.

But then you have to go to Ca and that is a big no for me.

Yeah, I get that.

I love Disneyland WAY better than DW. It still has a charm that the bloated DW doesn't. (And hey!...you don't have to take a bus to get everywhere!)

Same here. I would like to see Walt's original park but no thanks. I'm sure Walt would have taken his name off it by now. Hell, - he wanted to take his name off of it back in 1965 when he started to scout land for WDW.

I cant go to Ca because Im wanted there. Im baaaad man. Actually I didn't pay a ticket there or four of them and if I get pulled over I will go to jail. But it is kindof crazy over there.

Lol, that's actually pretty funny.

Ha that is certainly NOT the reason I thought you didn't want to go to Cali, I was pretty convinced it had something do with poop on the sidewalks.

That's pretty funny! I know someone who did a couple days of jail time for similar offenses in California, but at least he's free to travel there now.

I've been to both Disneyland and Disney World this year. Disney World is doing much better. Disneyland is still hamstrung by state regulations and employee reluctance. Disneyland is a mess. I have a feeling that the 13 month closure destroyed a lot of institutional knowledge that was vital to running the parks well. Hopefully they will improve over time, but if you have to choose between DLR and WDW, go to WDW.

If you're a fan - you must go. The DL experience is very different and well worth the trip. Having so much in such a compact space will blow your mind. But wait until they get all their actual entertainment and shows back. Seeing the REAL Fantasmic!, Remember..., and World of Color all in one evening is something WDW couldn't even come close to.

We are going to DL the day after 4th of July.....which ,usually, is a good week to go in the summer...but all bets are off this year.
As of now...there are no reservations available for any restaurants in either park for breakfast lunch or dinner.....but maybe when they ease the restrictions a bit on the 15th they will open up more space in the restaurants.

we did get one Lamplighter lunch date....but that is it.

I know. While the attractions have changed, I heard there is still enough of the old park left to get the sense of what it was like. I would have killed to get there in the 60's, with Walt walking around signing autographs and the late night jazz events they had with Annette making an appearance.

This is all exactly correct!

Regardless of the history of the park, nostalgia for Walt, feelings about CA, etc... Looking at the parks as they stand today, DL is superior to WDW in many ways.

I used to only go to WDW, but now I realize that it would have been a shame if I missed out on DL.

Don't get me wrong. WDW is also superior to DL in many ways.

There is a vastly different, and at the same time vastly similar, experience between the two. It's really sort of strange in a way. But I definitely think that Disney parks fans should experience both.

But...DL is in CA. WDW is in FL. Nuff said.

Sounds like a good reason to visit DL

DL is also in the middle of a city, and as soon as you leave the park, let's just say it's very clear that you're no longer in the park.

But I'm not going to miss out on experiencing DL with my kids while they are still young, just because it's in CA.

Hell, Illinois sucks too but I still live there because my family's there. Sometimes things just are what they are.

Aww, c'mon, now...Anaheim isn't that bad at all. Palm tree-lined streets, nice restaurants, the convention center right next door. I don't mind it at all. Of course, I have Jersey and New York cities to compare it to, so for me it's more like a suburban town than a city. But I don't feel threatened at all unless there's a protest going on at the time...and there usually is, sadly.

Yeah that convention center is why I was there in the first place. Brought the kids and made a trip out of it.

I never said I felt threatened. Look, the area outside of DL is just not the nicest area in the world. That's just truth.

It's a stark contrast to inside the park and it's one of the big differences vs. WDW.

There is that. I my opinion rose people are just plain crazy

Ya...I don't understand the hate for CA.
It's perfect weather beautiful sunsets.
Orlando or Kissamee is not that great...not to mention the humidity.
I mean it's a literal swamp ....

Jeez, why do some of you hate CA so much? I don't want to move there, but its nice to visit. And correct, low humidity versus Orlando is muggy as all hell.

But have you seen the area outside WDW with all those seedy motels? Same thing, different place. It's just that WDW is more sprawling so it's not so in your face when you leave the area...because leaving the area requires a 5 mile drive.

There are certain news stations who run programming about 18 hours a day designed to make people terrified of the Golden State, while also filled with hate toward our western brothers and sisters.

It’s effective programming!

And no one is walking anywhere at wdw outside the disney sites

Yeah this is true for sure, and in reality it really applies to any place in the world. Hey, sometimes seedy places are the most fun.

I guess my overall point was that in wdw, when you leave a park you are still in their bubble. It's a nice area. Many people who fly into wdw don't even rent a car, so they stay in that bubble the whole time. I mean, it's fake, but it's nice.

Question for the Disneyland folks-

Me and my wife are thinking about doing Disneyland Hotel / Disney in mid July. Lodging is obviously very pricy.

My question - is the Disneyland hotel worth it? My memory from childhood was that the monorail got you into and out of the park specific to and from the hotel. But sounds like this is no longer a perk?

Sounds like they have a great pool, amazing tiki bar and it’s a nice place.

But is there any MAJOR reason to stay here?

No real benefit to staying on property. You're better off staying in a cheaper place nearby.

The meal plan is 100% overpriced. My parents swore that it was 1) easier and 2) cheaper. Easier is false since the meal plan does not include the tax and tip, you still need to either give them a credit card or scan your magic band. If I pay for the full meal, its the exact same number of steps. For price, unless someone is going to buffets with their family every night, you never eat enough to really cover it, and you are stuck with no apps and a dessert. We found ourselves ordering everything expensive to make it "worth it", and weren't even hungry a lot of the time , and we still had to pay for the apps and waste the desserts taking one bite. A few years ago I convinced my family to try non meal plan. Kept every receipt, including every snack, bottle of water, quick service, sit down meal, etc. For the six of us, we saved over $1600 for the week compared to the cost of the meal plan (the one sit down, one quick service, 2 snacks per day meal plan). Also we all hate buffets, paying $65/person at Chef Mickeys for chicken tenders, ravioli, baked potatoes with cheese sauce, and soft serve ice cream is nuts ... and its so f**king loud in there.

short answer - no

There are other properties walking distance from the parks too. It used to be that all the closest were motel style, but more properties are opening all the time that are in close proximity. Even the walk to the convention center hotels is perfectly managable. The tiki bar is amazing - but is open to everyone.

I would say not worth it. We always stay at the best western park place inn literally exactly across the street from the bus drop off. As close as you can get. It comes with a nice big free breakfast. Not cheap, but half the price of the Disneyland hotel.