Disney World, 2020

Disney World, 2020
Written Feb, 2020

This blog post is assuming the reader has some familiarity with Disney World and is mainly about recent updates to the park. 

Disney has been heavily promoting their recently built Star Wars themed area, Galaxy's Edge.  You can't even get out of the Orlando airport without seeing at least one subtle advertisement for the park.

The tram from the concourses to the baggage claim.

Before you go, you will need two things, a smart phone, and the Disney World App.  The app looks like this:

 

You probably will want a spare battery to keep your phone charged.  Once you are used to this app, you will be using it a lot.

This app does a number of things for you.  

It allows you to select 3 rides for Fast Pass.  This can be done up to 60 days ahead of time.

It allows you to sign up for a boarding group for "Rise of the Resistance"  This must be done in the park on the day of your arrival.  More on this later.

It allows you to view the wait times for all attractions in all the parks.

The view of Hollywood studios using the app.  With a touch of your fingers, you can zoom in and out.

It uses the GPS to position you on the map.

You can make reservations at the various restaurants.

In short, this app will save you a lot of running around, leaving you time to enjoy the ambiance of the park.

Arriving at the park can be done via bus, Uber, and the new Gondola system.

Gondola running from the Riviera resort to Hollywood Studios.

I arrived by bus at 6:50 am, and was greeted by the aroma of fried onions.  That was cruel, and I never did find out where they were coming from.

The red dawn lights up the Tower of Terror.

7:10, and the park was already filling up.

Star Tours has been around for a while.  But it has been upgraded with movie clips from the latest movie and worth seeing.  And, because it is not physically in Galaxy's Edge, it was largely ignored by the masses.  I have read that there are a number of different ways it plays out, but I rode it twice and saw the same show both times.  Also, while the Standby time stated 15 minutes, but I walked right on.

The entrance to Galaxy's Edge.

At first I thought the entrance a bit odd, but after I thought about it I think it is about controlling the transition from "Hollywood" to a "Galaxy, far far away"  You walk into a dark tunnel, turn the corner, and then...

You are in Star Wars.

Theming abounds.

Slightly newer model X-Wing.

Droids,

droids,

and more droids.

Great landscaping.

The local market.

Monkey-Lizards on a stick.  These ride on your shoulder.

Kid sized transport

The Millennium Falcon.

The above is the back drop for the ride, "Smugglers Run"  The queue is well decorated, with characters walking about, including Chewbaca.  Once inside there is an engine repair shop with things going on, and a refreshment stand.

The Millennium Falcon has seen better days.

Remember Luke's first comment?  "What a hunk of junk!"

Chewbaca complaining to the repair crew.

Good lines on her though.

Hondo explains the story.

The latest animatronics are amazing.  You can tell they are not real, but only just.  Later you see the Mon Calimari, the Navi, and they are all amazing.

"Blah, Blah, Blah"

Then you are split up into groups of 6, and are taken on board the Millennium Falcon.  I was one of those who waited in line for 2 hours to see the original Star Wars, so stepping onboard the Falcon just sent chills down my spine.

And they you get to take her out for a test drive.

I have to say, this ride alone was worth the price of admission.  The feelings of being on board something that we have been seeing stories about for 40 years just cannot be put into words.

A speeder workshop.

First Order's fighter.

Troopers checking the ID's of everyone. 

Kind of a more personable TSA Agent.

For sale, $25,000, and in small print, allow 6-8 weeks to deliver, no refunds.  Amazon does not exist in the Star Wars universe.

But phone booths still do?

I love the Indiana Jones stunt show, I see it every time I am here.

I am not sure if there is a landing pad up there or was there a crash.

The theming of the park is excellent.  As it is a star port, occasionally you hear ships flying by with noticeable Doppler shifts.

It is time to explain the "Rise of the Resistance" boarding group system.  It is very similar to Fast Pass, but it is on it's own system.  And you have to be in the park, on the day, to get a boarding pass.  Once you sign in, you get a number, and they will sequence though the numbers and when your number is up, you will get a text that it is time to board.  You have 2 hours to respond.

To give you some numbers.  I talked with one person who was there at 4 am, and he was assigned boarding group #3.  But, there is a bit of randomness, as someone immediately behind him was assigned to boarding group #60.  From what I can intuit, on a normal day, Disney expects to get 88 groups through.  I signed in at 7:10, and was assigned group 102.  But the park was opening early, and closing late, so I could expect get on.  And at 3 pm, the text arrived.

At that point I just walked up and allowed on.  If you hadn't got your cardio in yet for the day, you will now.  The queue is about a half a mile long.  But other than that, it was a walk up to the ride.  

I hate to use the over much overused term, "Takes it to a new level", but in this case, the immersive experience really does take the ride going experience to a new level.  You are recruits for the Resistance, and after you are introduced to BB-8 and Rey, you are told the your base has been discovered and you have to evacuate.  Outside there is a transport, and you pile in.  The transport, has standing room only, and is driven by a Mon Calimari.  Another, unbelievable animatronic.  Excitement ensues, but in the end, it is a pointless effort, as your transport is caught by the First Order in a tractor beam.

BB-8 and Rey provide the intro.

Then the evacuation past a sleek black X-Wing.

And after you are captured, and leave the transport, this is what you see:

You are in a frikken Star Destroyer.

You are now prisoners of the First Order.  This is the part of the immersive experience.  About 90 Storm Troopers are standing guard, while the officers of the First Order split you up into small groups for interrogation.  I honestly didn't know where to go with this.  Make light humor while breaking the fourth wall?  Go along with experience?  I was stunned, and found my self in a staring contest with an officer of the New Order.

I lost....

We were split into groups.

The interrogation starts and then stops suddenly.

After that it gets even better!  The escape, the special effects, the near magically controlled self driving cars. I won't add anymore spoilers here.

As good as Smugglers run was, Rise of the Resistance totally blew it away.

More little goodies.
Borrowing a page from "Build a Bear Workshop", there is a Build a Light Saber Workshop. 

He was going for the Kylo Ren/Darth Maul version.

On to the Magic Kingdom.

Because all Magic Kingdom articles have a castle shot.

So what is new or going to be new?
A new roller coaster based on Tron  is going up right next to Space Mountain.  Open some time in 2021.

Cranes building Tron off in the distance.

Pirates of the Caribbean has been updated to include Captains Barbarossa and Sparrow.  The auction scene has been made more politically correct.

And what is this?

Another restaurant, based on Beauty and the Beast.

It's the dead stroller grave yard.

The parade is marvelous.  And I am not a big fan of parades.

Quite a few princesses make the parade.

My favorite is the clock-work dragon.

And it shoots fire.

The Haunted Mansion has had some updates. 

A blinking tomb stone greets you, don't blink, or you will miss it.

The hitch-hiking ghost animations have been updated.
The Jungle Cruise has been updated to include a underground Cambodian city.

Who knew there was an actual barbershop on Main Street?

Left overs from the now defunct "Adventurers Club"

 More on that later, ConGaloosh!

The final show of fireworks and lighting is well worth waiting for.  Do not leave early.  The show is now 19 minutes long, so the buses are on their return trips from those who did leave early.

 A Video on Youtube can be seen here.  Well worth putting this on your 4k TV.


On to Epcot.
As of 2/2/2020, I recommend you do not visit Epcot.  The park is going through major renovations and a lot of construction going on.
Test Track is down for renovation
World of Energy is being replaced with a Guardians of the Galaxy Ride
A Ratatouille ride is being built in France.
The main entry area is getting some sort of update.  I think it will be a show stage.  The effect is half of the main entrance is closed off.
Cherry Tree Lane (Mary Poppins) is being added to the United Kingdom pavilion.
Canada's 360 has been updated.

The effect is running into constant blockages and disappointments.  I entered the park at 4pm, and rode everything I wanted (that was open) and was out by 8.  Epcot should be deeply discounted while this is going on.  But after these updates, it is going to be marvelous. 

And since I am on disappointments, lets talk about one area where Disney is leaving you wanting, the food.  There is nothing good you can say about the food services.  Long lines, high prices, disappointing portions.  For a company that does everything so well, this is surprising and I was willing to ignore the deficiencies.  Because this is not what the Disney is about and I need to lose weight anyway.

Item 1, Long Lines.  I don't understand any organization that skimps on personnel whose job it is, is to take money.  This is your ultimate goal!  If there are 50 people in line for an ice cream bar, or heaven help you, just an egg-roll, there is something wrong here.  The exchange is as simple as it gets. 

Item 2, High Prices.  From what I have read, the prices have gone up 20% a year for several years.  A bottle of water was $3.50, and a 7 inch round of pizza $10. 

Item 3, Disappointing Portions, What is this?

This is called a "Deconstructed BLT"

My first clue should have been the minimal sized line.  I saw BLT and thought, sandwich.  I should have paid attention to the word "Deconstructed".  What does Deconstructed mean?  Looking it it up it means "Presentation over Substance".  Above is a quarter slice of bacon, on an ounce or so of tasteless pork, topped with a sprig of arugula and an egg.  Combine this with a spoon size that cannot handle a runny egg and you have nothing but a disgusting disappointment here.  Just enough food to get you to the next food cart, 50 feet away, but leaving you leery of what you will find there.

And don't get me started on what they call pizza there.  But I live near Philadelphia, where the best pizza in the world can be had just about everywhere.  

Animal Kingdom

Closing out out this article is the new addition to Animal Kingdom, The World of Pandora

The floating islands look great.

Closeup on the same islands.

The whole area is just lined with cliffs and vegetation.

Excellent theming.

Lighting, Navi style.

The river ride is gorgeous.

The camera can't do it justice.

A shop full of Banshees.  You can get one to ride on your shoulder.

I found a quiet sit down location just across the river from the Tree of Light.  It's on a small porch, free of strollers and carts. 

Modeled after an Indian Snake Temple.

Fun Puns

The Flight of Passage is the other major ride in the park.  The line varied from 2-3 hours in length.  Plus size humans will not fit.  However, there is a bathroom in the queue about half way through.

Flight of Passage ride queue

Interesting reading.

Disney Springs, formally Downtown Disney, is a shopping area nearby.  It can be visited via bus or from some resorts, by boat.  As of this writing, it has 104 shops, 64 restaurants and 23 "Attractions, Shows and Events".  I have been visiting this location since the mid 80's and it has been steadily attriting the reasons to actually visit the place.  My favorite places to visit were the Adventurers club, populated with excellent theming, shows, and animatronics.  Then the comedy club, and lastly, Disney Quest.  The first two have been replaced by more clothing stores, because 102 of them apparently wasn't enough, and the last by "The NBA Experience".  What is that?  I didn't care to find out.

As with my rant in Epcot, Disney seems to have a shortage of cast members whose job it is to actually take your money.

A store worth the visit.  I walked by the Dragon twice before I saw it.

If it was real, I would have been dead.

The sea dragon has been on location for 20 years.  It says something about the durability of Legos.

Rainforest Cafe, with a live volcano.  One of the few places worth eating at in the whole complex.

 

The other is the T-Rex Cafe.

I saw 3 of the remaining 400 Amphicars cruising the lake.

The balloon ride looked unmanned.

Another "Build a Light Saber" store.  And you don't have to fight the crowds or pay the entrance fee of Hollywood Studios to get one.

Partially completed models.

Why?  Disney Quest was something unique here.  3-D gaming salons.  Rafting down river with dinosaurs, Light saber duels.  And they trashed it for what?

A little tip here.  Disney buses have charging ports lined up at the bottom of the seats.