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Thanks,
Tom Bricker
Hi Tom and Sarah!
First, thank you for all of your content! It gets me through the time between my trips and ramps up my excitement leading up to my trips.
On your recent update to your post “What’s Returning to Disney World in 2021 & 2022”, directly above the “When will the Dining Plan return?” part of the post, there is a picture of some very interesting desserts. Would you be able to tell me where they are from? I am going in September and planning a “terrible for my waistline”, indulgent trip.
Thanks!
Hey Tom,
We are going to WDW 9/25 – 10/3 for our bi annual trip to celebrate our twin girls birthdays. Their birthday is…..wait for it……October 1st ! We have gone every two years om their birthday since they were 3. So this will be our fourth trip. With this birthday colliding with WDW’s 50th its going to be just crazy. We normally do bibbidi on their birthday and then Cinderella’s Royal table for breakfast while they are all made up like the princesses they are. This year we have to call an audible since there is no Character breakfast at CRT and we could not get park passes for MG on 10/1. We have passes for EPCOT on 10/1 so I was hoping you could give some advice about rope dropping EPCOT on 10/1. I was thinking about heading straight to Remy’s since it opens that day. We are staying at the Beach Club so can we get in early via the gateway entrance? With us being closer to France and early morning entry for onsite guests i would think we could be one of the first to ride Remy’s but would love to hear your thoughts.
Can you tell me about parking at Walt Disney World, Florida? We are staying at Fort Wilderness and will have 2 cars. Can we drive to the losts near Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios and park for free there?
We just got back from our trip to Disney World. Thank you for all of your advice. We went in with a solid plan based on your advice (ride order, restaurants, etc.) and then were flexible. We did everything we wanted, including 12 rides in Magic Kingdom in a single day! I’ve followed your blog for a couple of years in prep for our trip and it really paid off. Thanks again for the info and recommendations you provide. You helped make our trip magical!
Tom and Crew – I love your passion but I finally had to press that unsubscribe form the newsletter. The articles are just too wordy. When I see your newsletter and it has a topic I want to read, it takes too long to find the actual information I’m looking for in the linked page. Today’s article about the rider swap changes is just an example – I don’t need a history of the rider swap program or explanation of it – I came to see what the changes were. After 611 words and multiple photos and ads, you finally started talking about the information I came to read. In the past where I’ve expected bullet lists of data, you give paragraph after paragraph where I’ve had to read things multiple times before finding what I came looking for. It’s just too frustrating anymore. I’m sure I’m in the minority and I wish you the best … but it’s just too wordy anymore for me.
For some reason I no longer receive your email.
I tried to subscribe again but NEVER received your confirmation email.
Can you help?
Tx
Ron V
I have been reading your blog for quite a while and I enjoy your honesty about WDW. I see you and your wife really like the Boardwalk Inn and all things that go along with it. One of my favorite things on the Boardwalk is the entertainment venue Jellyrolls. Have you ever been there? I have been there many times and I really love it. You have never reviewed it. Why? I wish you would. Thank you.
When looking at the Frozen Sing Along, the plans on Disney’s site didn’t allow for picking a date between August 13th-28th. Weird….? I wonder why those dates are blocked out.
Disney World Summer 2021? Don’t go!
For months before, I fully prepared: Read entire Birnbaum book; ordered park maps to study; read Tom’s emails everyday; and watch Youtube videos for expertise using app, etc. All to no avail. This was supposed to be a time of “reduced admission” but we spent the entire time mostly waiting in long lines.
Magic (Broken) Kingdom:
We made a special trip from the Contemporary Sunday to update our Magic Bands from military park tickets in person at AK Customer Service, to save valuable time on MK day. Yet Monday morning 7:15 we lost our “early half-hour onsite admission” as the magic bands didn’t work. Spent critical “rope-drop” access waiting in line at Customer Service due to a Disney “computer glitch.” By the time we got inside, everything was mobbed.
Worse than all the stuff still “unavailable” completely (All Firework Shows; Hall of Presidents: the entire RR; etc.), were the rides promised but “broken.” It was a short day (closed by 6 PM) so it jammed everyone into what few rides were operating. We waited about an hour for each of our first 3 rides, and almost as long to get lunch because many of the food carts were closed or had just one person working there. We checked back all day for the “People Mover” which was moving all day but didn’t allow any riders – ever. We were in line TWICE waiting for The Haunted Mansion, and both times were eventually sent away because the ride was “down” again. We came back that night and became “unavailable” again.
A hot, crowded waste of time!
Cruddy Contemporary Hotel:
Awful.
Spent a fortune to stay here to use the monorail for MK and Epcot. What a joke. Our first morning going to MK, they announced at the critical time of 7AM that there’d be a 20 minute delay for maintenance (!) so we got out and walked to MK.
We couldn’t use the monorail to go to Epcot, because it is not available at all.
And, we had planned to use the ferry to go from the Contemporary to dinner at Fort Wilderness….but no ferries.
The only housekeeping is trash emptied and new towels every other day. And, our room was continuously humid (wet). After getting caught in a shower on Monday, we hung up our clothes around the room to dry — but when we left 4 days later (!) — they were still damp. So, with beds unmade all week, and clothes hanging all over, it looked and felt like tenement housing. (Note: I did spend valuable vacation time waiting in line at the desk to tell them of the humidity, but they could only offer us a room with one bed instead of the two we needed. So, it was zero help.)
BTW, there are no clocks, and the only outlet for my cell phone was way over by the bathroom. So, to check the time, I had to get out of bed and cross the room. Warning: Bring your own clock.
Hollywood Studios:
We synchronized our cell phone time with time.gov; tested whether 5G or the local wi-fi in the room was faster Internet; and practiced at home using the app for the virtual queue for Rise of Resistance. Yet by 4 seconds past 7 AM all our cell phones said the boarding groups were full. We planned our day around being free at 1 PM to try again….and were elated to get a boarding group number. There was nothing left to do in Hollywood, so we commuted round trip to the Contemporary and back, rather than waiting the 3 hour in the hot sun. It took most of the 3 hours, but at least we were in A/C while commuting. Then Rise of Resistance broke down. It was “unavailable” for a few hours, We gave up and left the park. Then we saw that R of R was operating again…..so back into the park we went. Finally…..after standing in line for our boarding group for over another hour….we got on the ride.
Awful way to spend a vacation.
I could go on. But, I’m done.
I’m not wasting any more time (or money) on Disney.
Can you please do an FAQ on the Swan/Dolphin (especially since there’s now the Swan Reserve opening, soon? These “half-disneys” confuse me (even though I’m going to the Swan in Sept 2021). I’m pretty sure that one can get park-purchases sent to the room, but which of the other WDW hotel perks go with it? I know there’s no Magic Express (we booked Wingz to get to and from hotel/MCO)
Example of Perks that it’s *not* clear if the Mariott-Disneys do:
https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2020/04/19/13-surprising-things-you-didnt-know-your-disney-world-hotel-can-do-for-you/
https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2020/12/30/30-things-you-may-not-know-your-disney-world-hotel-can-do-for-you/
A special FAQ on these would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks again!
[email protected]
What are your thoughts on characters returning to Ohana?
Hi Tom, do you have any information why mostly hotels are blocked beginning December ?
Regarding mask mandates for inside facilities – if the vaccine works for those who choose to get vaccinated, then why does everyone need to wear a mask??
Any info on hotels for toyko disney or shanghai?
Our trip is not until December, but I have a question.
What are your thoughts on buffets, do you think they will be reinstated? For example, I saw Cape May Cafe new dinner menu and prices and seafood is now charged by the pound as an add-on. Not a fan of this new pricing structure or menu structure.
Hi Tom and Sarah,
My husband and I just took all of our kids and grandkids to Disney World (a total of 14 people, ages 10 months – 67 years) and had a fabulous time thanks to you! You became a part of the family! I have been reading your blog for a year and a half preparing for our trip. I had condensed your “one day at ____ park” posts to help us navigate each park we attended. I would start the day saying “My blogger says…” and away we would go to do as much as possible on your list of must dos. Our family loved having you with us on our adventures through the parks. Thanks to your advice and suggestions we were able to ride every ride we wanted to go on and see every show we wanted to see without waiting an excessive amount of time. We even got on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance by following your suggestions of how to get on the app and get a place. My son is a fantastic gamer, so his fast fingers and your method resulted in all of us getting to ride – he captured a group 3. Thank you! Trying to plan a Disney World vacation is very overwhelming, so when I found your blog and started reading your suggestions, I was very happy. Then with COVID thrown into the mix, it was even more complicated. Thank you so much for your advice on everything from what to pack to how to navigate every park. You helped make our trip successful, fun, and memorable. Keep up the good work, and I hope others find your blog to help them plan their next Disney Vacation!
Hello Tom & Sarah,
My husband and I are celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary by taking our family (10 of us altogether) to Disney World in April/May 2022. We were thinking of celebrating our big day at Chef’s Domain at Citricos at the Grand Floridian but have since found out it is no longer. We liked that idea because of the wine room that was separate from the rest of the main dining area. Would you know of any other Disney World restaurant that would have a private/semi-private area for a group of somewhat boisterous, casual folk from Canada?
Hi Sarah & Tom,
My girlfriend and I will be staying at the Grand Floridian 9/22 to 10/1. Just wanted to thank you two for your very thorough work, and invite the two of you to catch a beer with us while we’re in town. Love to hear more about how you got into all this. Mahalo!
I’m visiting Walt Disneyland in Anaheim next month. I’m wondering if any of the restaurants serve the peanut butter and jelly sandwich sold in Hollywood Studios at the 50’s Primetime Cafe.
Thank you,
Prefrance