Just Back - Lows and Highs

[beaker72]

I thought it was time I posted my own Lows and Highs report, you’ll note I’ve done this the other way round from normal because I think it’s better to finish on a positive note. As well as the Lows and Highs, I’ve also included some details of things I wouldn’t repeat and things I would definitely do again

Summary of the Holiday

This wasn’t the first time that I and DW had been to Orlando, we had originally planned to do a more independent trip, booking flights, car hire, tickets and accommodation separately. But for a variety of reasons that plan had to be shelved and we ended up booking the whole package with Virgin Holidays. We travelled with another couple, neither of whom had been to Disney before and one had never been to the States. They saw us very much as the “experts” which was a bit of a worry, but I think we go away with it!

We’re based in the Glasgow area and the last time we went to Orlando (2016) we flew direct from Glasgow to MCO with Virgin Atlantic. This time round that wasn’t an option and while looking at alternatives we discovered that if we were prepared to fly from Manchester we could save £2k on the overall holiday cost for four adults, so that was what we did. At the time of booking, there were supposedly no seats available in PE and our friends who were travelling with us drew the line at UC. So we ended up in Economy at the back of the plane.

We drove from Glasgow to Manchester the day before we were due to fly out, stayed in the Premier Inn Runger Lane North over night and caught our flight the following morning. In Orlando we picked up a hire car at the airport and spent 14 nights in a villa in the Davenport area. During our stay we visited MK, HS, Epcot, Typhoon Lagoon, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and KSC. The tickets for KSC were the only ones we didn’t get through Virgin Holidays, they were purchased through Floridatix. With the exception of our day out to KSC and Cocoa Beach, we spent all of our time in the Orlando area.

On our return we arrived back into Manchester at 7:15am, picked up our car from T2 Multistorey West and drove back to Glasgow, finally arriving home just after 3 in the afternoon.

Before the holiday began, I spent a lot of time researching what we were going to do this time. As DW and I both like our food, much of this centred around putting together a list of options for where we were going to eat. The good people of the Dibb were hugely helpful with this, especially in their replies to this thread which I started some months back. We got a lot of great suggestions there, many of which we followed up on. I’ve since written some restaurant reviews and you can get to them from the box under my name in the left sidebar.

So that’s the background – now onto the details.

Lows

There were a few lows on the trip, the standout one being the medical emergency we suffered on our first day in MK. One of our party had never had to contend with the weather conditions we were encountering (mid 30s and high humidity), combined with a lot of walking. They didn’t take onboard enough water and unfortunately as a result they suffered from heat exhaustion which manifested itself when they fainted in the queue for Jungle Cruise. Luckily we were able to catch them before they fell and did themselves a serious injury. The cast members were fantastic and took great care of us. Long story short we ended up taking them to the first aid post next to the Crystal Palace where they spent a few hours being monitored and made better before they were allowed to leave. We ended up using a wheelchair to get them through the park and back to the car, which gave rise to the holiday in-joke about a Magical Day being one where you arrive at the park under your own steam and leave in a wheelchair. They suffered no long term ill effects and were good to go the next day, a lesson about how to cope with the conditions having been learned. When we went back to MK a few days later, the CMs were good enough to let us jump the queue for Jungle Cruise so we didn’t have to stand in that heat again.

The next real low in terms of the impact it had on the holiday was the absolute chaos on the I4. This has been covered extensively already on various threads on the Dibb, so I won’t go into too much detail here. It meant that whenever we were getting in the car to go anywhere, the first thing we had to do was tell the sat nav to avoid that road. The upshot was that we had much longer drive times to and from the parks and it actually put us right off going to the Universal Parks as the increased travel time was almost unavoidable.

That takes us onto the next point which was the general experience in Universal. The queue times were massive, unless you got there bang on opening. Our best experience was managing to get onto the Hulk after only 30 minutes wait time, but for most of the time we were there you were looking at 60 minutes minimum for rides like the Hulk and Velocicoaster, rising to 3 hours(!) for the new Hagrids ride which has sadly replaced Duelling Dragons. Who in their right mind queues for 3 hours for a two minute ride? We certainly didn’t, even 60 minutes was too much for us and so there were a few rides we just didn’t do. We did consider the Express Pass but if you’re not staying at one of the Universal hotels, it’s wildly expensive. That’s my other gripe with Universal – it feels very money grabbing. All round the parks there are signs exhorting you to buy the express pass and/or upgrade your ticket. As I understand it, you don’t even get the Express Pass as a guest of all of their hotels, just the really expensive ones. This is way worse than Disney and it just takes you out of the moment whenever you see something like that.

The water parks have always been one of the highlights of Orlando for me, way back to when I first went there as a kid and the main park was Wet n Wild. This time we were all set for Typhoon Lagoon and Volcano Bay. The experience of the long travel times getting to Universal, the fact that we would have to pay to park at City Walk to use Volcano Bay and the fact that Typhoon Lagoon was closer to us (and free to park) all conspired to help us decide not to bother with Volcano Bay. I also didn’t like the idea of having to book onto a ride at Volcano Bay whereas at Typhoon Lagoon you could just rock up and the longest we’d had to stand and wait was about 15 min. We ended up going to Typhoon Lagoon three times over the course of the two weeks, the reason this is listed as a low is that the crowds got bigger and bigger each time we went. Could this possibly be as a result of Blizzard Beach being closed? It could also be because other people made the same decision as us regards Volcano Bay, maybe we’ll get there next time.

The last thing I’d say was a low was the car we got from Alamo. Before I go on, I’ll openly admit this was partially my fault (schoolboy error alert) and I should have been on top of this when we first picked it up. In my defence I’ll say it was at the end of a long day, we were all tired and really struggling with the heat and humidity as well as figuring out navigation from the airport to the villa when we got the car. Hopefully this might act as a warning to others in future not to make the mistake I made, which was not to check the fuel level in the car or the general cleanliness of it before driving away. The car only had half a tank in it which we didn’t notice until we were almost at the villa. The car also hadn’t been cleaned out, there was still litter in it from the previous renters and I’m not sure how it made its way back onto the row of cars available to drive away. The upshot was that I complained to Alamo (who never replied) and Virgin (who told me they’d sort it with Alamo and to take the car back for a replacement). I ended up having to haggle with Alamo customer services when we returned the car to the airport, but I eventually got a $50 rebate on the fuel charge when we returned it.

Highs

The absolute highlight of the holiday for me was Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance. Galaxy’s Edge just looks incredible, even if there weren’t any rides there it would be somewhere I’d be happy to spend a lot of time. As always with Disney, the attention to detail is stunning, I loved all the little touches like the scrap yard of R2 units, the way they made the area look used and run down rather than sparkly and new and the Millenium Falcon was excellent. On top of that, ROTR is spectacular. The pre-show sets were amazing, and the New Order cast members were easily the most entertaining I’ve encountered anywhere in the parks. Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, the ride is worth going on just to experience the technology and quality of it, if you are a fan (like me) then it’s an absolute must-do.

The second highlight was Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. On the face of it, this isn’t the kind of ride I’d usually go on, another member of the party gave it a go while the rest of us were on ToT (they really didn’t fancy that) and they raved about it so much, we all went on it. I just love the technology used in this ride, the autonomous cars are so clever (they’re also used in ROTR) and I really enjoyed watching them dancing around each other. If you like that kind of thing, I’d recommend giving this ride a go – apparently it’s recently won some awards.

The Haunted Mansion has been my favourite ride at WDW since the very first time I went there, back in the early 80’s. So it was great to go on it again, we managed it twice this trip – despite the standby queue being massive.

The last highlight from a Disney perspective was bumping into Molly from All Ears in HS (almost literally bumping into her). She was lovely, even though I interrupted her recording a vlog and she seemed genuinely happy to meet her audience, even if it was a sweaty, overweight, middle-aged man.

Kennedy Space Centre was another highlight, we actually thought that because we’d been there before we wouldn’t get too much out of it. Our friends were keen to go and so of course we went, I’m glad we did. Since our last trip over there, I’ve really got into the history of the US space program and have dived into a lot of material around it. As a result I got a lot more out of visiting KSC this time – before we were looking at piles of concrete and nondescript buildings in the middle of a swamp, this time round it all really came alive for me. The Atlantis experience is still the absolute star of the centre.

Finally, in a nod to some great advice I picked up on the Dibb before going, I have to say that the Visitors Toll Pass is a game changer when you’re driving around Orlando and Florida. When you consider the previously mentioned carnage on the I4 and the fact that we told the sat nav to find alternate routes, regardless of whether they were toll roads or not, having the VTP saved a lot of time and money.

Things I Wouldn’t Do Again

As I mentioned in my intro, we had originally planned on booking everything ourselves but had to change that plan at short notice. As a result we ended up booking a villa through Virgin Holidays, not realising at the time that they allocate their villas on arrival (AOA). The villa we ended up with was absolutely fine, it had everything we expected and was in a good location. The problem with AOA is that we only found out the address of the villa the day before we flew, which made it difficult to plan some things – including practicalities like knowing in advance how to navigate from the airport to the villa when we first arrived. Add to that some previous scaremongering around villa availability and it increased the stress levels before the holiday started. All of this could have been avoided if we’d selected our own villa and booked it in advance. We won’t be doing AOA again.

The weather in July and August is particularly challenging, walking round the parks is essentially walking round acres of concrete which radiates heat back at you. It was a slog which at times felt almost brutal and took a lot of fun out of the days. If/when we ever go back, we’ll be going at a time that avoids that kind of weather. I know this isn’t possible for everyone, the main reason we went at that time of year is because one of our friends is a teacher and so was tied to those dates. But if you can avoid those months, I’d recommend it.

The last thing I wouldn’t do again is the Bourne Stuntacular. I know a lot of people on here really rate it, but to me it was a 35 min show of which the first 15 min was standing in a room watching a video followed by 20 mins of average stunts made to look good by the special effects. The actual stunts on Indiana Jones are way better.

Things I Would Do Again

This first one could be quite contentious, I’m just giving my experience - Genie plus. There’s been a lot of talk about G+ on the forum and I totally understand why people don’t like it. When you think back to the days of Fast Pass and how that was included with our tickets, this feels like money grabbing on the part of Disney. Unfortunately I think it’s here to stay and we’re just going to have to accept that you either use it and get onto things faster, or you don’t. Our plan was that we would do a couple of days in the parks (MK and HS) without it to see how we get on, before deciding if we wanted to buy it for a day or two. MK went reasonably well, but in HS we spent almost three hours combined queuing for the Tower of Terror and the Rock n Roller Coaster. Even though this was first thing in the morning, the heat made it really unpleasant. By the time we’d finished that, the queue for Smugglers Run was over an hour and the queue for ROTR was closer to two. So we decided to get G+ for a day in HS as well as pay for the ILL for ROTR. It worked really well for us, we arrived at the park later in the morning (around 10am) and got onto Smugglers Run, Star Tours and Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway all by 12:30. We left the park for lunch, came back and did Indiana Jones then ROTR. After that we hopped over to MK and used G+ for the Haunted Mansion, we were going to do Thunder Mountain Railroad but it was down – probably due to rain. We wrapped the day up with the Tiki room and Country Bear Jamboree before the early fireworks. We all felt that having G+ completely transformed the parks experience, making it much more enjoyable. For those of us who’ve been before we thought it felt like old times. We will definitely use it again – for one or two days it’s worth the $15 per person. I don’t think it would be worth getting for a whole family for two weeks.

On the subject of the Tiki room and Country Bear Jamboree, using those shows as opportunities to take a break and a seat in an airconditioned room for 10-15 minutes each time was great. I think that tip came from All Ears, it’s definitely something we’d do again. They’re also a really interesting insight into what was considered high entertainment back in the day.

Staying in a villa rather than a hotel or apartment was something else we’ll definitely do again. Having your own space to go back to at the end of the day which includes a pool, an outside area under shade, a kitchen (so you don’t have to eat out all the time) and basically more than one room so you can spread out a bit just makes it all more enjoyable. DW even used the kitchen to bake some shortbread for some of our local friends as they never seem to be able to carry enough home when they visit us (I’m not sure it always makes it as far as their suitcases to be honest). Using a villa is a no-brainer for us and something we’ll definitely look at doing next time, just not AOA.

The last day has always been something we’ve struggled with in terms of what to do with ourselves. Wandering aimlessly round shops isn’t exactly fun as you’re very aware that you’re just killing time. We don’t really like going to parks, especially in that weather as you end up all hot and sweaty just before getting on a plane, which isn’t very pleasant. Same with doing things like mini golf. This time we decided to go back to Typhoon Lagoon as it’s a more chilled way to spend your time, we all enjoy the water parks, you can get a shower when you’re done and they sell Dole Whips. Despite it being pretty busy (see the Lows above), it was a great way to spend some time and making the Miss Adventure Falls the last ride of the holiday with all four of us in one tube careering down the slide was a great way to round things out.

The last thing I would add to the list of things I’ll definitely do again is use the Dibb. This forum is a fantastic resource full of like minded people who mostly just want to help. Folks are so generous with their time and knowledge on here, I genuinely don’t know of any other place on the internet quite like it. I’ve thanked a few individuals separately on different threads but just want to say here again, to everyone on here who posts, answers questions, shares experiences and helps to allay anxieties – thank you.

If it wasn’t for you lot, we’d probably never have heard of Dole Whips.

[Gill H]

Glad you had a good time overall.

Just to pick up on the Universal Express Pass - the one night hotel stay is definitely the way to do this. For one night in the cheapest of the three (usually Royal Pacific) you get two full days of early entry and unlimited express pass. Given that a night in RPR can usually be had for about £300, that is a solid bargain. Check in before 7am, leave your case with bell services, be at the park by 7.45 for early entry, then you’re good to go.

I wouldn’t dream of doing it any other way.

[JudeB]

Thanks for taking the time to feedback on your trip. Overall a great holiday by the sounds of it and lots of memories made, I’m sure. I can agree about the Dibb being a great resource- there are so many things I wouldn’t have known without it.

[spenners]

Great highs/lows thank you for posting.

[Moorlandman]

Originally Posted by Gill H

Glad you had a good time overall.

Just to pick up on the Universal Express Pass - the one night hotel stay is definitely the way to do this. For one night in the cheapest of the three (usually Royal Pacific) you get two full days of early entry and unlimited express pass. Given that a night in RPR can usually be had for about £300.

See more...

Hotel prices have been ramped up for peak periods this year - looking at £400-£500 a night for July. Big savings for 5 night plus bookings though….

[mick]

Sounds like you had a great holiday with just one or two hiccups.

Joan

[margyloveswdw]

Great lows and highs report!

Sounds like you have a great trip.

[Leia77]

Overall, sounds like a great trip 😊. Thanks for taking the time to share.

How did you find the drive back from Manchester? I’ve always said I wouldn’t do it, but given flight prices from Scotland, it might now be worth it.

[jas72]

Originally Posted by Gill H

Glad you had a good time overall.

Just to pick up on the Universal Express Pass - the one night hotel stay is definitely the way to do this. For one night in the cheapest of the three (usually Royal Pacific) you get two full days of early entry and unlimited express pass. Given that a night in RPR can usually be had for about £300, that is a solid bargain. Check in before 7am, leave your case with bell services, be at the park by 7.45 for early entry, then you’re good to go.

I wouldn’t dream of doing it any other way.

See more...

Was about to post exactly this.

In fact on our stay we had 5 in our party so didn't even stay in the room so had no luggage. We got a good deal on the hotel and got our fast passes that morning first thing.

It really would have made a difference to your Universal experience.

The last time we did a week in Universal just for volcano bay and express passes.

Shame you missed out on Volcano bay, it's the best water park in Orlando area by some distance, I understand the mess that is the I4 though.

[beaker72]

Originally Posted by Leia77

How did you find the drive back from Manchester? I’ve always said I wouldn’t do it, but given flight prices from Scotland, it might now be worth it.

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In all honesty it wasn't great. We started the drive at around 9:30am and finally got home at about 3:15pm. We stopped three times on the way to stretch legs and stock up on food and coffee and we had to take our friends back to Barrhead before we finally got home to the west end of Glasgow.

I was the only driver and was operating on around 2 hours sleep from the flight over. My co-pilot had the job of keeping talking to me to make sure I stayed alert but she had problems with that as she was knackered! We got home safely enough but it was a bit challenging.

I'd do it again, especially considering the crazy price differences now, but I wouldn't enjoy it. It would be much better with more than one driver though.