Unlike the saying, you can always teach this old dog (i.e. Buster) new tricks. Even though we have visited WDW almost a dozen times as a family, each trip is unique. Given how much there is to see and experience at Walt Disney World, there is always something new to learn. This trip was no different. Since it has been a few weeks since we have returned, I’ve had time to reflect on this year’s vacation. Here are some of the things that I have taken away from the experience.
General Thoughts
It’s Good to be a Passholder Again
As soon as Annual Pass sales started again, we snatched up our DVC-exclusive Sorcerer’s Pass. We got the benefit of it immediately on this trip. As I mentioned in a previous article, you come out ahead with the Sorcerer’s Pass if you have a 10 day visit staying offsite. Plus, Disney had a special merchandise and food discount for the month of June, which Banshee took liberal advantage of.
Finally, we got some really cool Figment Passholder magnets, so there’s that!
Not Crowded? Really?
There are many news articles floating around saying that WDW was empty during Fourth of July weekend. I can tell you firsthand from being in the parks on July 3rd and 4th that… it… was… crowded. Now I get that ride wait times may have been lower when you compare it to 2019. However, you also have to keep in mind that park capacity was less in 2019. There was no Galaxy’s Edge. There was no Tron. There was no Cosmic Rewind. And so forth. In 2023, there are more rides to absorb the crowds. Therefore, you can’t really use wait times as a proxy to measure crowds.
Now even if there were less people in the parks on these days compared to years past, to say it was a ghost town is hyperbole of the highest order.
PS: Pointing to crowds at Hollywood Studios on the Fourth of July, like CNN did, isn’t a good barometer either. With no special holiday activities in that park, of course it isn’t going to see a lot of action as people flock to MK and Epcot.
Rides
Tron Has Shown Me That My Roller Coaster Days Are Over
After riding Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind last year, I told my family that I loved everything about it except for the ride itself. The queue theming was amazing. The pre-show hit all the right notes. But the ride almost killed me. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that it was the longest three minutes of my life. If it weren’t for the dulcet tones of Tears For Fears, I don’t think I would have survived! That was an absolute one-and-done for me.
When Tron opened, I debated whether I wanted to give it a try. From the videos and reviews, it honestly didn’t seem as bad as Guardians. Yes, it also starts with a zero to infinity launch. However, it didn’t seem to have all of the spinning that Guardians had. I figured that I might actually enjoy it. Besides, it is less than a minute long. I can handle getting tossed around for a minute.!
I was wrong.
Tron was an absolute disaster for me. The initial acceleration almost caused me the black out. I vaguely remember seeing the outside concourse as we streaked above the crowds. Then once we entered the dark section, it completely went off the rails (figuratively, not literally thank goodness). When the ride finally came to a stop, I was begging to be let off the ride. It took me a good hour to finally get some semblance of normalcy.
What I concluded from this experience is that my roller coaster days are over. Maybe I can handle a family coaster like Seven Dwarves Mine Train or Slinky Dog Dash (and even that is questionable). However, anything beyond that is probably beyond my capabilities at that point.
That said, I am glad I tried Tron. At least I know where my body stands!
Rafiki’s Planet Watch is a Hidden Gem
I’ve always said that Animal Kingdom is one of those parks that rewards people who stop and smell the roses. Well, we “discovered” another rose this year: Rafiki’s Planet Watch. This is one of those attractions that we probably walked by dozens of times and never stopped to experience. This year, we decided to give it a whirl, and I am so happy we did.
It starts with a very relaxing train ride from Africa to the Conservation Station. You ride in open train cars facing sideways so you can observe the scenery as you travel. Then after a short trip, you arrive at your destination.
This is actually many attraction in one. First, you have the Animation Experience where you learn how to draw a Disney animal with an actual Disney animator. When we visited, we learned how to draw Bambi, which was really cool. Even me, who has no artistic skill was able to do a serviceable job. Within the same building, you can see the animal welfare clinic where, if you are lucky, you can watch Disney Veterinarians perform procedures on the animals. While nothing was going on when we visited, we got to see some radiographs that they had taken earlier in the day. Veterinarian Banshee and vet-to-be Little Buster were definitely in their element.
Finally, there is a petting zoo where you can get up close with goats, cows, sheep, and other animals. I think this is the only place in the park where you can literally get “hands on” with the animals.
Yes, it is a little off the beaten path, but Rafiki’s is definitely worth your time!
Accommodations
The Polynesian Bungalows are Amazing!
Since we no longer stay on property with Disney Vacation Club, we have a number of DVC points that have accumulated. This year, we decided to use them to splurge for a night at the famous Poly Bungalows for the night of July 3rd so that we could watch the Magic Kingdom Fourth of July fireworks without having to fight the crowds in the parks. While it used up quite a number of our points, it was absolutely worth it!
We got take out from Kona Cafe (more on that below) and ate on the back deck as the sun went down. Then we hopped into the plunge pool to cool off. Finally, we set up the deck chairs and settled in for an amazing fireworks show.
Watching the MK fireworks from the Poly is so much better than watching from the Contemporary. The main difference is that the view is pretty much straight on when you are at the Poly, whereas when you watch from the Contemporary, you are off to side. This definitely makes the Poly experience much better.
After the fireworks, we stayed out on the deck, watching the boats crossing back and forth the lagoon. Eventually we dozed off in the warm summer air. So perfect!
Food
The Hollywood Brown Derby is the Real Deal
On our last day at Hollywood Studios, we were getting hungry. Looking at the My Disney Experience app, I saw that there were reservations available at the Hollywood Brown Derby. We’ve never eaten there, but we’ve heard so many good things about it, so we decided to give it a try. Good move.
First off, the Cobb Salad is as good as advertised. I’m not a big salad guy, but the combination of all of the different items just works. And at $22, it is an absolute steal, especially given how big it is! We also got the Free-Range Chicken and Dumplings to share, and that was just as good. Yum!
The only slight disappointment was the Grapefruit Cake. None of us are fans of Grapefruit. However, since this is what they are known for, we felt obligated to try it. Bad move. It is definitely “grapefruit forward”, to say the least. If you like that, then you’d probably enjoy the cake. If not, you might be better off with something else.
With tax, tip, and our Annual Passholder discount, the four of us ate for around $100, which honestly isn’t bad considering that this is considered to be a signature restaurant. I wouldn’t hesitate to eat there again.
Skipper Canteen is a Must for Jungle Cruise Fans
Skipper Canteen was another “new to us” dining experience. If you love the Jungle Cruise, you will love this place. Keep your eyes open for so many groan-worthy puns in the decor, on the menu, and from the servers. So much fun!
And the food isn’t bad either. I got the “Taste Like Chicken, Because It is”. I can tell you that it tasted like chicken (although the server wasn’t 100% sure it was chicken, so maybe they substituted out the protein – who knows?)
Kona Cafe’s Bread Pudding is Amazing
We got take out from Kona Cafe when we stayed at the Poly, and the highlight was, by far, the bread pudding. Being naive, we got two orders, thinking that we would need that for four people. However, the portions were so big and decadent that we could only handle one portion among the four of us.
By the way, the ability to order Kona Cafe to go is a cool hidden gem itself. This allows you to experience their food without having to worry about getting a reservation
Miscellaneous
Fourth of July Fireworks at Epcot are Incredible
We got to see both the MK Fourth of July show and the Epcot one. The Epcot one was, by far, the superior show. Epcot first did their regular show (currently Epcot Forever). When that ended, they added on a five minute special “one day only” extra show for the Fourth of July. Basically, they took a year’s worth of fireworks and set them off all in a five minute period. It is not an exaggeration to say that it there were so many fireworks that it felt like it was daytime. Honestly, I have never experienced anything like it.
While the MK show was great and special, it had nowhere near the volume of fireworks that Epcot had. I would recommend catching the MK show in July 3rd and then head to Epcot for the July 4th.
When at WDW, You Need to Stop and Smell the Roses
If you just rush from ride to ride, you are missing out on so much that WDW has to offer. This was driven home one evening when we were leaving Epcot. We decided to let the crowd die down before making our way to the exit. We were rewarded by the beauty of the park at night, lit up in all its glory. Because the crowded were sparse by that point, it gave us the opportunity to take in the view, snap some photos to remember the experience, and just share a wonderful moment together as a family.
And this is just one such “stop and smell the roses” moment that we experience every time we visit the parks. This is what truly makes WDW special.
So if you are running around the parks like chickens without their heads, you might want to re-think your touring plan.
Well, that’s all I got for now. We’d love to hear about your special learnings from your most recent trip, so please tell us about them in the comments. Maybe we can learn from them too!
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