Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Discussion Thread

[Meteornotes]

Trust me, I'm not judging at all! I once asked Robb to take me to Waffle House for my birthday dinner!

 

Single people, take note: A person that would ask for Waffle House for their birthday is the type of person you want to be in a relationship with. Trust me on this.

 

dt

[cfc]

^

[BugEyed]

I just back from 2 amazing days at WDW. Rather than post a review just yet, I'd prefer to ask a question that has been plaguing me.

 

Due to a series of unfortunate flight mixups and ill-timed flu epidemics I ended up buying 3 more "1-Day with Park Hopper Option" tickets than my group was able to use. I bought the tickets on January 23rd and (at the moment) they are all registered in my name.

 

Does anyone know how soon after purchase Disney 1-Day tickets expire? One unofficial Disney site suggested one year, another said 2030, one said never and the official Disney Ticket FAQ and the receipt/invoice that came with them indicates nothing about expiration.

 

Realistically I won't likely be in Florida again until well after 365 days since their purchase has passed, but it would be nice to at least know what my options area.

[christianscoasters]

Just had a fantastic trip to Florida where we visited 9 parks in 5 days and had a great time doing it!!! This was my first visit to Disney World, and shockingly, we only went there for a day. We had Monday and Wednesday at Universal Studios (Most rides were a walk-on or close to it, including Escape from Gringott's), Tuesday at Busch Gardens, on Thursday we did ALL FOUR Disney parks, and Friday we went to Sea World. We also went to Fun Spot on Monday night.

 

We started at Animal Kingdom right at 9 am and promptly got two laps in on Expedition Everest without waiting. Then, we headed to Primeval Whirl (no line) and rode it twice without getting off. After that, we rode Dinosaur and finished up with the Safari! Didn't wait for anything and left the park around 10:30.

 

We made our way to Hollywood Studios where we waited a little over a half hour for Rock N' Roller Coaster. The efficiency of all Disney parks was very apparent here and the capacity-nerd in me could not stop drooling over how quick the cast members dispatch the trains. We then waited maybe 45 minutes for Tower of Terror and headed on over to Epcot...

 

We didn't plan on going to Epcot, but we got done with everything we wanted at the other two parks super early, so we decided to use the single riders line on Test Track and experience that. The ride was pretty interesting but some of the scenes were slightly underwhelming. We ate in Mexico since it was closest to the front and we could leave the park quicker.

 

Last but not least, Magic Kingdom! We arrived right at 2:50, just in time for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. We were right smack dab center in front of the flag pole and had an amazing view. I'm 21, but my childhood just came to life the second I saw the first float. The parade was so fantastic and really "transported" me into the world of Disney. When the parade finished, we waited maybe 20 minutes to meet Mickey. Seeing him not only talk, but respond to use was the most incredible thing. We headed on over to Space Mountain where we waited approximately 35 minutes. The order we rode everything after that is a little fuzzy, but we managed to ride Big Thunder (with FastPass+), Buzz Lightyear (walk-on), Haunted Mansion (FastPass+), It's a Small World 2x (walk-on), Jungle Cruise at night (walk-on), Pirates of the Caribbean (FastPass+), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (25 minutes or so, but only because it broke down and the line dwindled), Carousel of Progress (walk-on), Enchanted Tiki Room (no wait), and the rest of my group did Splash Mountain with a 15 minute wait but I skipped it and got Dole Whip instead.

 

I know that I didn't get the full Disney experience. I would LOVE to spend multiple days at each park and not rush it, but we planned the day as such so we could relax and enjoy our time at Magic Kingdom. With the short waits, we absolutely loved it and I can't wait to go back and see what else the park has to offer.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Wow. It looks like you really went and got your money's worth out of that single day, lol.

I think I would have been exhausted just park hopping between two parks that fast. All

four is pretty impressive, if you got to ride and see what you intended.

[christianscoasters]

Well it was pretty exhausting but totally a lot of fun! We also parked at each park and walked to the gates at each one, instead of taking the tram. Obvious exception is Magic Kingdom though. Very tiring day!!! haha

[Jew]

Animatronics not working correctly, AND in view of guests?!!???!?! This will NOT stand! Think of all the childhoods and expensive vacations that were just instantly ruined!!

 

We must go to the internet quickly and sound the alarms of the imminent collapse of the entire Walt Disney Company while we can still take credit for even the tiniest unrelated change made while this catastrophe is still fresh in people's minds!

 

Yes, but were the USB ports working?!

 

Perhaps the working USB ports caused the animatronics to lose power when someone plugged in their phone?

[milst1]

I just back from 2 amazing days at WDW. Rather than post a review just yet, I'd prefer to ask a question that has been plaguing me.

 

Due to a series of unfortunate flight mixups and ill-timed flu epidemics I ended up buying 3 more "1-Day with Park Hopper Option" tickets than my group was able to use. I bought the tickets on January 23rd and (at the moment) they are all registered in my name.

 

Does anyone know how soon after purchase Disney 1-Day tickets expire? One unofficial Disney site suggested one year, another said 2030, one said never and the official Disney Ticket FAQ and the receipt/invoice that came with them indicates nothing about expiration.

 

Realistically I won't likely be in Florida again until well after 365 days since their purchase has passed, but it would be nice to at least know what my options area.

 

I'm fairly certain that you can still use those tickets whenever you show up again. They still honor unused tickets from long ago. I just pulled the image below off of the WDW site.

 

The catch comes when you buy a multi-day ticket. All of those have to be used within 14 days of the first use.

 

You used to be able to buy a "no-expiration" option on those, but the option has recently been discontinued. You could use a ticket and come back later in the year or two years later and the ticket would still be good.

 

I'm pretty bummed about it. We bought 10-day park hoppers with the no-expiration option 3 or 4 years ago and we still haven't used up all of the days. I don't mind prices going up for WDW, they always have, but I liked the 10-day ticket a lot and it's simply not available anymore.

[cfc]

^I purchased non-expiring park-hopper days earlier this week at the Magic Kingdom's Guest Relations office. It's pricey, but I'm glad I did it before the latest price increase.

[milst1]

^So they're still available? This was after you had entered the park?

[cfc]

^Yeah, they don't offer the non-expiring option online, but you can ask for it in person or by phone (I think). How long this will last, I couldn't say.

[milst1]

^Yeah, they don't offer the non-expiring option online, but you can ask for it in person or by phone (I think). How long this will last, I couldn't say.

 

^Okay. I had heard some time ago that the option was no longer being advertised on the signage at the gate but that you could still request it. I wonder if that is still the case at the gate. Did you ask at the gate? Or did you just wait until you were inside?

 

Then a couple of months ago some sources said that the option was going away altogether, and it has definitely disappeared online, which is why I was surprised to hear that you had gotten it.

 

I called and they confirmed your experience, that it was available at GR, but they couldn't tell me if it was available over the phone without actually transferring me to ticket sales. Maybe I'll call later and find out.

 

Thanks, Chuck!

[Meteornotes]

^I would hate if that option went away. The 10 Day No Expiration ticket is the best bargain out there.

 

dt

[cfc]

^Yeah, they don't offer the non-expiring option online, but you can ask for it in person or by phone (I think). How long this will last, I couldn't say.

 

^Okay. I had heard some time ago that the option was no longer being advertised on the signage at the gate but that you could still request it. I wonder if that is still the case at the gate. Did you ask at the gate? Or did you just wait until you were inside?

 

Then a couple of months ago some sources said that the option was going away altogether, and it has definitely disappeared online, which is why I was surprised to hear that you had gotten it.

 

I called and they confirmed your experience, that it was available at GR, but they couldn't tell me if it was available over the phone without actually transferring me to ticket sales. Maybe I'll call later and find out.

 

Thanks, Chuck!

 

What happened was that I had two tickets: an old non-expiring park hopper with one day left, and a standard five-day park hopper. My Magic Band was linked to both, and the old ticket was used first, leaving me with two unused, expiring days on my new ticket. So, I decided to just make the new ticket a ten-day, non-expiring park hopper (thanks for the guidance here, Robb). As I said, it was a good-sized chunk of change, but as I'll probably be hitting WDW again this fall, it'll be worth it (and I beat the latest price increase).

Edited February 21, 2015 by cfc

[CanobieFan]

Just a random question. Do you think It's a Small World will ever be removed from the park??? I've always wondered if it's years are numbered... every video I see there's always a few dolls missing, and they come back a year later.

[cfc]

^I haven't seen any evidence that Small World is in any danger of being removed. I think the only "Magic Kingdom" park without it will be Shanghai Disney, and it wouldn't surprise me if they added it later (like they did in Hong Kong).

[Jew]

It's a Disney staple. I can't imagine it is going anywhere.

[jray21]

Yeah, I don't see it leaving anytime soon. It's a great people eater, and the families with small kids love it.

[halltd]

Parts of the new hub opened today. The fountain is amazing, but I'm not sold on the artificial grass yet. I'm hoping it looks better in person than it does in pictures.

 

Photos from @TheSnitchSeeker on Twitter.

[cfc]

^It's good to see this project unfold. When I was there over the Feb. 16 weekend, the construction walls were still up.

[robbalvey]

Here's some pics I took tonight. It looks GREAT! So much attention to detail and so practical! The wide open walkways around the center hub will really help during busy parade and fireworks times. And the new FastPass viewing area will give you a GREAT view! Once the entire project is complete, this is going to be really amazing!

Really like the look of the new viewing area.

Tap in and watch the fireworks!

HUGE walkways! So needed during parades and fireworks!

Panoramic view.

Yes! The character statues are back!

View from the FP+ Fireworks area!

Look at the details!

Fountain and the castle...

Edited February 26, 2015 by robbalvey

[Intimidator305]

As a landscape architecture student, I love seeing this hub renovation at the Magic Kingdom. It really needed to be done and I'm glad they're taking the time and money to do it correctly with such detail. It'll all be worth it once it's done.

 

It gives me hope that they'll transform the Sorcerers Hat area in Hollywood Studios into something special if they don't plan to replace the hat with a new icon.

 

Thanks for sharing as always, Robb!

[Jew]

Looks great! I wish Disneyland would get something like this for the 60th celebration! Glad to see WDW improving guest flow!

[COASTER FREAK 11]

I really like they the added the fake grass to the viewing areas. It looks great seeing it broken up like a traditional garden would be. If Disneyland were to ever ditch the trees in the hub, I would hop it would turn out like a smaller version of this!

[805Andrew]

Looks cool. I like that they got a modern sponsor also.