Known as the happiest place on earth for years, Walt Disney World is a popular vacation destination for families and Disney seniors alike. While I went a few times as a kid, I haven’t attended since I was in high school around 2008. But that changed earlier in October, as I returned to the parks as an adult. And there were 3 things that shook, and 3 things that did not.
I was listening Disney world Stories from my loved ones for years, so I was eager to see how the new lands and systems would work. Although I was glad to know that during any moments of discomfort I would be able to drink alcoholic beverages. However, there were a few things that really stood out when I visited all of the parks in Orlando over the course of a week. Let’s start with the good.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is more immersive than I could have imagined
One of the big reasons I came back to Disney Park is because I’m huge star Wars admirer. The last time I was there, the Galaxy’s Edge wasn’t even a glimmer in Disney’s eye, but boy did it. I looked forward to my day at the Hollywood studios more than ever, and it ended up becoming my favorite of the entire trip. And a large part of that is due to how immersive the Galaxy’s Edge really is. It made me want to go back to try the Galactic Starcruiser, even though I might have to win the lottery first.
The Hollywood studio grounds (or I still refer to it, MGM) were so detailed that it took my breath away. Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler’s Run were both really cool, and helped me feel like I was in a galaxy far, far away. Sometime after the resistance rose high, I had a cocktail at Oga’s Cantina, and felt like I was in the middle of it. star Wars Movie. I also grew up to experience building my own lightsaber at Saffy’s workshop, which was worth every penny. That was the most wonderful moment of the day, as the sword itself was an ultimate souvenir.
The Avatar Flight of Passage is the most amazing flight I have ever taken
Another long-running update to Walt Disney World since my last visit was Pandora – The World of Avatar, which was a land added to the Animal Kingdom several years ago. Like Galaxy’s Edge, I was totally impressed by how immersive this part of the park was, including the architecture of the floating mountain and the food at Satu’li Canteen.
But the real stars of the show were the two attractions on Pandora. The animation at the end of the Na’vi River cruise was frightening in its realism, and seemed to look straight into our souls. But it was the widely popular Avatar Flight of Passage that became the most amazing flight I’ve ever had. The 3D device looked crisp and gorgeous, and the small details like the smells and the feeling of breathing from under me were next level. As a result, I am even more excited for the upcoming release of Avatar: Water Road in December.
Genie+ and Disney World worked great…mostly
Perhaps most nervous about returning to Disney World is the Disney+ system, and how many parks have relied on digital reservations. While some loved ones liked it, others complained about the extra fee per guest. In fact, my group and I paid for Genie+ access for every day at the parks.
Despite the nerves involved, the Genie+ ended up working great once my party and I got into a rhythm to book new reservations, scheduling the lines we’d been waiting across to get ready. The ability to schedule food orders and/or reservations all from the same app made most days a breeze.
The exception to this came in my day at EPCOT. This park has far fewer rides than others, with the big-ticket items being Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The slots for each of these landmarks were filled pretty much immediately (more on the latter), as did frozen gravity. And since we were on low ropes and so rode other attractions like Test Track and Soarin earlier in the day, paying more for our Epcot ride wasn’t very cost-effective. Of course, we already did that before we realized.
Now that I’ve talked about the best part of my return to Disney World, let’s break down the three things that were less than great for me.
Guardians of the Galaxy: It Was Impossible to Ride the Cosmic Rewind
As mentioned earlier, EPCOT ended up being the day the Genie+ failed to really pay off. The best ride in that park is definitely Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which was high on our to-do list that day. Unfortunately, it ended up being basically impossible to ride, and we never got to try it.
Unfortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind appears to be a ride mostly meant for those staying at a Disney resort. I was on campus at a chain hotel, but staying at a resort allowed entry into Disney+ and Lightning Lane reservations for Cosmic Rewind. The rest of us had to try to get into the digital queue at 7am and 1am, and both times they filled in a few seconds the day I was at EPCOT. On top of that, there’s no queue available (other new flights used this strategy when opening), so we couldn’t even suck it up and spend a few hours online. There was literally no way for me to get into this trip, which was the first attraction in the park. Unfortunately he was in a killer mood all day long.
The cost of Disney was truly shocking (how do families do that?)
Obviously vacations at Disney parks are notoriously not cheap. But when doing it for the first time as an adult (and paying all my own bills), it was really amazing how expensive such a vacation was. Since I was only paying myself, I had to wonder: How exactly could families do that?
As mentioned earlier, there are ways to cut lines in Disney via Genie+ and Lightning Lane. But this additional feed is per person, which means that if you want to schedule an attraction for an entire family, that fee will double. Add in the cost of food, tickets for the parks themselves, and hotel accommodations (which can affect your ability to book parking), and it’s almost insurmountable. While Disney World was something a working-class family could save, I’m not sure it’s sustainable unless you’re willing to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars.
There have been tons of closures in all the parks
Another problem I noticed throughout my time at all of the Disney World parks was the number of times the games were closed. While most of these were temporary closures, I saw at least 1-2 closures at both parks during my trip. And given how important reservations are on Genie+ and Lightning Lane, it seems like a huge mess of popular attractions closing in the middle of the day.
During our day at the Hollywood studios, we saw The Rise of The Resistance closing a few times, which definitely made me feel lucky that we got on the ride as soon as we got into the park. The same can also be said of Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. I haven’t been able to fully ride some rides due to the lockdown, like Pirates of the Caribbean. And while I accepted not being able to take every ride on my list, I was impressed by how frequent closures were across the various parks at Disney World.
Despite some disappointments, overall, I have to give my first adult Disney World sufferer two big thumbs up. Despite worrying about bills and seeing countless young attendants crying all week, I’m not sure I’m planning to go with any kids. Does that make me an official Disney adult?
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