djsamuel

2 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Wow. I didn’t know it was that bad. I wish they would move to a system like they have at Disneyland where all FP’s are up for grabs once guests enter the parks. This 60 day business allows guests to game the system,  and then the park experience is ruined for everyone. 

TCD

And it forces everyone to have such a rigid schedule it removes all spontaneity and the ability to adjust.  I agree, the system at Disneyland is MUCH better.

2 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Haven't towed on the Beachline, but it's a good drive. 

And it should be less $$ than the 417 (but it is a longer drive).  You're going further S on I-95 then straight across so it's a right angle whereas 417 is more of an angle.

Get a Sun Pass available in vending machines at the rest areas or E-PASS Xtra, ( https://www.cfxway.com/e-pass-xtra/) you will save $$ and a lot of time.

I have the E-Pass Xtra and used it when driving from Florida to NJ to visit family.  Worked great all of the way up, including the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

As Grumpy stated, you can take I-4 to 417 south.  If the traffic looks heavy on the incoming part I-4, then heading to 528 West and getting onto 417 south from there is another good choice.  528 is usually an easy drive from 95 to 417.

4 hours ago, Travisma said:

Universal had/has the same issue with Hagrid's ride breaking down and shortened hours to allow for repairs.

One article I read shortly after it opened is that the equipment is getting beat up and worn out just about everyday requiring a lot of parts to be replaced.

Not sure how true that is, but I guess they are still running it on reduced hours.

That is true.  A friend of mine works on maintaining that ride.  Another problem is inadequate staffing to handle the increased maintenance of that ride.

6 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I can’t believe that the crowd level at DHS is anywhere close to the crowd level at Disneyland, let alone three times more. Since Disney closely guards its attendance figures, I don’t know how you or anyone can make that statement. 

Why is it so hard to accept the fact that the Rise of the Resistance attraction is a disaster at the moment?

TCD

Having a daughter who lives near Disneyland and who goes there frequently; I can tell you that Galaxy’s Edge is no where near as crowded as HS. In fact, she’s sent photos showing the lower crowds. When my daughter and son in law went to ride Rise of the Resistance, they got a hotel and were in line to get into Disneyland early in the morning. They still didn’t get to ride until later in the afternoon. There were still some issues with the ride there as well. A much larger percentage of people at Disneyland are locals and aren’t as desperate to ride Rise of the Resistance as those at HS who have paid a lot of money for a single trip to WDW. So even though my daughter had to get to Disneyland early there were fewer people who did not get to ride because there were fewer people trying. 

2 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Okay... it's early and I haven't finished my coffee, but I'm so confused.   

Will there be the same FP system as what's been in place for the past several years or are they saying the thought is (if you want to secure FPs early), you have pay with the option to pick additional FPs the moment you get into the park?   I remember not so long ago, getting to MGM early to rush ahead to the FPs kiosk to secure a ride for Toy Story, then MDE came out and you were able to secure them early (which I much prefer).

 

If it is to be like Disney California, they have the paper fast passes and Maxpass.  I love it, much better than the WDW system.  You pay for Maxpass, and that allows you to get a fastpass via the app on your phone ONCE YOU ENTER THE PARK.  You can then grab another pass using your phone once you used your previous fastpass.  In addition, purchasing the Maxpass (which I believe cost us $15 a day) also gives you photopass for the day.  If you don't want to spend the money, the paper based fast pass system is still there.

12 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Didn't 9/11 and air space resttictions create more stringent rules regarding such fly overs?

You are correct.  The rules changed after that.

On 1/27/2020 at 5:28 PM, Katman1356...Jason said:

Devils Tower on your way from Yellowstone to Mount Rushmore. Crazy Horse Memorial near Rushmore. Custer State Park near Rushmore.  

 

Can't agree with this more.  Add the town of Keystone and spend some time there.  Also, Badlands and Wind Cave National Parks are great. The crafts being sold at Crazy Horse and the people selling them are terrific.  As a side story, my wife's family used to take their camper from NJ to South Dakota to take clothes collected at their church to an episcopal priest named Father Two Hawk.  The clothes were for the Native Americans there.  While visiting, my wife and her siblings would ride horses and play with the children on the reservation.  Several years ago when we were at Crazy Horse, my wife was talking to a woman who was making a dream catcher for our daughter.  In the course of the conversation, my wife mentioned her trips to Father Two Hawk and why they came.  the woman, who was my wife's age, stopped what she was doing and said, "I got my clothes from Father Two Hawk when I was a child."  Here she was at the same reservation at the same time my wife would visit.  And they met almost 40 years later.

On 1/31/2020 at 2:35 PM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Wasn't a different name?  I didn't think it was John.

I'll have to look the next time I stop over there.  A friend of mine is friends with John and works with him.  As of last week, he mentioned nothing of any change, and we were talking about him.  My only thought would be if they are having someone handle activities at the fort since he is also involved with the building of Reflections which is taking a lot of time (and meetings).

On 1/29/2020 at 7:47 AM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Which reminds me... did that change recently?  Saw a letter from the GM near the bathhouse and the name looked different to me.

No, still John Stafford. 

1 hour ago, Beckers said:

There’s a house in NJ that does a whole Christmas Vacation decorating theme. It’s pretty fantastic. If I remember how to post pics I will.

We saw that this year when we went up to visit family in NJ over Christmas.  Even had the camper, and Griswold hanging from the roof.

15 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I agree with both of the previous posts, but wanted to add some more thoughts. 

Considering that you’re going in June, you probably will want easy access to the pool and campfire area.  If we are talking regular premium and not Meadow premium, I’d say 500 or 1300. 

Another thing to consider this year is all of the construction in the Settlement area.  500 and 1300 will distance you from that.

TCD

I agree.  The 500 loop is a really nice loop in a great location. 

If you're looking for a more quiet loop that is classified as a non-meadows premium loop, the 1100 loop is a nice choice.  It is across the street and up a little bit from the Meadows area, yet not too far away.  My wife and I always walk around the loops, even if we are just stopping in for the day, and it is not too far unless you have difficulty walking.  The buses are always convenient.  Many enjoy the golf carts, but certainly not necessary.

17 hours ago, Travisma said:

I'll be able to work from home in June when I retire!

This week marks 2 years until retirement, max.

1 hour ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

With more and more "work from home" jobs along with the fact that several "high tax" states such as Illinois are losing over 6.5 per 1,000 FL is an ideal place to go.

I know several situations where families consisting of around 30 year old parents and their kids either move their work from home location or take new jobs to escape high cost areas to enjoy the relatively low cost and income tax free status of Florida.  After they move, the grandparents retire and follow them down; buying their own home nearby.  About half of the homes in our development are parent/grandparent pairs, or even triplets.

1 hour ago, ThemeParkCommando said:

 

Also, I can't go to EPCOT without eating at least once at Nine Dragons.  I always get some sort of chicken dish, and have never been disappointed.  It's different than the usual Chinese food you get in the USA.  It's fresher somehow,  more snappy a flavor profile.  

I've never been to Coral Reef, and count me on the list who were not impressed by BOG.  Too noise, food sub par. 

I LOVE Nine Dragons; ate there yesterday.  ALWAYS a great meal and service.  One of my favorites.

Just now, Tri-Circle-D said:

You're remembering right- lunch used to be considerably cheaper than dinner. But Disney can't have that. And they do a great job at making it hard for guests to see the actual prices. 

TCD

I am being convinced that Disney is using high dining prices as a tool to show a value in the meal plans.  Some of the prices are getting out of hand.  Others remain somewhat reasonable in price; like Ale and Compass, Grand Floridian Cafe, Sebastian's, etc.

4 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I hear you about the Disney employees. My daughters have several CM friends whose parents have invested in homes for them. Must be nice.

So there is that. 

As for the high tech jobs, where are they located?  With traffic, these new homes are an hour away from downtown Orlando and the UCF area. Where do all of these new folks work?

TCD

Many people, including me, commute daily from west of Orlando to east Orlando.  Some jobs are located along Sand Lake road, around the Lockheed Martin facility there.  I have several friends commuting from Clermont to that area. 

The downtown Orlando area has a growing digital media industry.  Companies such as EA are planning on moving to the center of Orlando from Maitland in a few years.  I know several people who commute from the Clermont/Winter Garden area up to Maitland for EA and will do the same when EA moves.  East Orlando (near UCF) has a really large simulation industry, anchored by the military and large companies like Lockheed Martin on Lake Underhill road, Boeing, and others. 

I commute from Clermont to near UCF.  It isn't a bad drive and the East Orlando area is just too dense for me. Also, a lot of people enjoy the Clermont/Winter Garden area a lot.  It is a great place to live.

8 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Have you considered Biergarten at Epcot?  That's a Fiend favorite. 

TCD

I love the Biergarten.  We were at Epcot yesterday and I looked at the price and saw it was now $46 for lunch.  that seems really high to me.  Am I mis-remembering the previous price?  I thought it was around $35.

3 hours ago, Travisma said:

Last time we went to BOG (walk in lunch time) we noticed the the food portions got quite a bit smaller, weren't as good, and seemed to have gone up in $$ slightly.

Not a fun time.

Dinner at BOG is really good (at least it was last Mother's Day); much better than breakfast or lunch.  Noise is a real concern, wlthough we always ask to be seated in the Gallery and that is much quieter.

4 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

If you drive around what used to be some of the back roads in Winter Garden and Windermere, you'd be shocked at the endless new subdivisions popping up. And these little houses on tiny lots are going for $300K and up.

I have the same question- who is buying these houses. It sure ain't Disney CM's. They can't afford those prices. 

TCD

A lot of the people buying have one family member working at Disney.  My wife worked at Disney for years while I have what she calls the "serious job" earning more money and the serious benefits.  Her job, even retired, provides some great "fun" benefits that save us a fortune.  I know several families who recently moved to the area from the midwest and the east coast (and one from the West Coast) and they do not work at Disney.  The Orlando economy is really starting to boom in the high tech sector although it gets overshadowed by the tourism industry.  

7 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Also WDW is Disney's cash cow. They will be raking in the dough from this new stuff and using it to prop up their duds like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Paris. 

TCD

The big concern is Hong Kong as they are getting hammered by the protests last quarter.

From Disney's most recently quarterly report:

" Operating income at our international parks and resorts was comparable to the prior-year quarter, as growth at Disneyland Paris and Shanghai Disney Resort was largely offset by a decrease at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. "

Just now, Travisma said:

It's hard to imagine that there are that many people that need housing and another Starbucks (or Publix) in those areas.  Do they move out of current housing to go into newer ones?

It's the same around Tampa. 

I didn't think that many people are moving into FL every day to justify all of the new apartments and sub-divisions being built.

The construction up Avalon is mind boggling.  I have no idea where the people are coming from, but they need to get a handle on it.  As far as all of those Starbucks; I must be too old!  I just don't get it. 😀

58 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Good point. And on top of that, there are housing projects popping up everywhere around the other 429 exits north and south of the Western Way exit. There is also a lot of road construction, but it doesn't seem like anywhere near adequate to handle what's coming. 

TCD

Avalon Road is being widened to 4 lanes the entire length.  It looks like a traffic light will be in place at Western Way and Avalon, and there is a lot of construction currently blocking Flamingo Way at Avalon.  A big problem area will be the intersection of Western Way and Buena Vista Drive. That really backs up now each day around shift change times and especially normal rush hours.  Also, the intersection of Avalon and 192 can be a nightmare.  Finally Hartzog Road will be an issue, especially now that a large Del Webb 55+ community is just starting construction right on Hartzog, about halfway to the Western Way.

22 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I understand and respect that you have far more knowledge than I do in regard to engineering and technology, but can you recall any other recent major attraction at a Disney park that was not preceded by at least a month or more of previews and soft openings?

And, can you recall any Disney major attraction that was opened to guests and then had multiple breakdowns of an hour or more every single day after it opened?

TCD

Test Track had a lot of issues at the beginning, both in software and mechanical. There were much larger issues there. Fantasy of Flight had some and of course the Skyliner as well. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train closed several times the first few weeks after opening, not including the fire. You are also assuming that the lack of announced previews and soft openings equates to a lack of testing. Give it a month and see where they are. They were certainly under pressure to get the crowds up at Galaxy’s Edge, and that is one of the factors used in risk management.