Walt Disney World — Attraction in Bay Lake

Never going again. 10 hour day, 6 of it in lines. "You should get a fast pass!" You should get a clue. NOBODY wants to stand in 85-90 degree heat. They WILL, but they don't want to. While they are standing in this heat, they are not pulling out their wallets and spending money. They are just warehoused in a queue. Which is I think part of their mindset: we can fit so many additional spenders in the park, trickling them out at ride speed, if we keep them standing still, and lined up. Problem: for me and many others, it's a one trick pony. I'm not doing it again. Smugglers run was not the experience that the hype promised. Rise was cool, but I'm never spending an hour of my life on this planet for clunky animatronic threats, while riding a warehouse robot (think cat on a Roomba).

Guardians was great! But, here's an hour of line (Or MORE!!!) and then you enter a room. While in this room, every mouse ear wearing, soccer mom and social influencer type is pushing through you from 30 people back, towards the exit door. Don't worry, they're going to OF COURSE be kind and not discourteous in any way. So the door opens, and you get in your ride! NO! it's another room. Now the people who were 60 people behind you when you started this linear hell, are now standing on your toes, talking loudly about about how this is their "50th time on this ride" and how they can't believe that [spoiler] happens.

So now the door opens and you get on your ride.

NO! NO! NO! ITS ANOTHER FLUPPING LINE!!!

The door opens, and it's a bland hallway. That gets narrower, making you THINK this is the final moments... It's when the hallway is about 4ft wide that they give you a window, overlooking your last level of hell: another line.

You can stand there in the cloud of stench that is the unshowered aura of someone who has been line standing all day in 90 degree heat, and watch as the couple you got in line with, and chatted briefly with an hour and a half ago, when things looked so optimistic. That couple is smiling, and leaving the station... You are left smelling the accumulated BO of someone who has been filling his shorts with sweat and other unspeculated nastiness, since the park opened, and maybe much longer.

All this after entering a "Virtual Queue" 6 hours earlier.

Here's the rub, and I feel it's inarguable: with the same level of technology that those "Roomba Rides" use, Disney knows full well who has ridden what ride, when, and how many times. It knows where they are now, likely how much money PER HOUR they spend. Disney CAN give everyone a short, enjoyable, not overly gross, waiting experience to see the most popular rides.

It won't.

You are being warehoused in a line. Your wallet and spending money is staged there, ready for when you get let off this stanchion walled prison hell, and back out into "The Market". You've been released from the warehouse, while others are happily taking their place in the warehouse, freeing room for you. It's now your turn to browse the refreshing AIR CONDITIONED Walmart themed shops. Walmart themed? Well, yes. Excepting the exterior walls, it really is just standard store fixtures showcasing the latest thing that they've been able to put a Stitch face on. Or Star Wars. Or whatever new IP has risen to popularity.

Do you find many air-conditioned REST AREAS? Nope. We are offering food, drink, junk, and stuff. Enjoy our cool air, and open those wallets. Once you feel cooled and refreshed and not yet regretting that Moana coconut coffee mug for 40x retail, get back to your warehouse!! There is a person in line with a skin condition that only Limburger cheese bar soap can offer any relief from waiting for you. He knows you need to be informed on the difference in Blaster variants, and wants to share with you how he loves legacy sabers over any others.

I can't argue. It really is the most magical place on earth. I just wish it wasn't evil magic they were...

We had an absolutely wonderful time! We stayed 7 nights at the Pop Century Resort and we loved every minute. The facilities were kept clean for our entire visit and the housekeeping went above and beyond with their service. They made special arrangements on the bedding using our youngest daughter's blanket and stuffed animals and she loved it.

Throughout our visit, I noticed that every single park was kept in pristine condition. I was actually blown away at how clean they kept it. I commented on it to several of the cast members on the custodial team. They made such a big difference in our experience.

The dining experiences were incredible throughout our visit. We took advantage of the free dining plan with reservations and it was a fantastic deal. That was a big selling point for our party of 12 to come. The food was spectacular at every venue. I'm more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, so I was the only one in my party who really took advantage of some of the more specialized foods, like in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom. I tried almost every dish offered at every restaurant and each was special and delicious in their own way. All of the cast members I encountered at the restaurants were very friendly and helpful. I tried to speak to every person that I encountered to let them know I appreciated what they were doing.

A few special cast members really stood out to us. I'm in no way negating the other cast members, but these few made a lasting impression:

First, Eli from Denton, TX came to our table while we were dining in the Pop Century dining hall. He made my daughter's day very special with buttons, stickers, and a ketchup Olaf. He was very friendly and super personable. Fantastic person who made a lasting impression in the short amount of time we had with him.

Second, Ang from Jackson, MI was working at the pretzel stand directly across from Rockin Roller Coaster when I encountered her. She was very friendly and helpful with my dilemma on choosing which item to pick. She described them all in detail and helped me make my decision. I had a fantastic back and forth conversation with her and at the end, she said "This pretzel is on Mickey". I asked her if she was sure, and she said "yes, you made my day special, so this one's on the house". Very friendly person.

Last but definitely not least, Aziz from Morocco was our server at the Riviera Resort dining room. He was so personable, we all just wanted to take him home with us. He had a ridiculously accurate photographic memory and took our orders with zero notes. I was blown away by that in itself. He interacted with everyone in our group and everyone commented on how nice he was. He also told us that he used to play for the Orlando soccer team. He was a genuinely pleasant person to be around and I sincerely hope we get to dine with him again.

Overall, our trip was absolutely phenomenal. So much so, we decided to purchase season passes for our family. It's a 10 hour drive from our house, but it's worth a every second of it. I travel for work and I go to Orlando quite a bit, so I hope to pop in on several occasions throughout the upcoming year.

We're already having withdrawals from our trip and can't wait to come back. Thank you sincerely to every single member we countered. Your team is...

I have been coming since I was a teenager. the last family trip I chose not to go, I was over it. I nolonger wanted to go to Disney World . But then I had a child of my own. I grew up traveling, and I didn't want her to be deprived of the wonders of the world. So, on her 5th birthday, we decided to treat her to her first plane ride on a trip to Florida. As long as your child is small enough to ride in a stroller, it's a must . Baggage check is fast . And yes, I am that person who stood in line and drank a whole bottle of water to keep from trashing it before crossing the line. We only chose two parks that year because she was only 3 feet and some inches. So it wasn't much she was going to be able to ride. Her birthday is in October, and her pediatrician suggested that we purchase the trick-or-treat package money well spent . They shut the park down early for the ones who purchased that particular package . She wanted to go to Magic Kingdom every day. All I came along to do was one thing get to Animal Kingdom to ride one ride, and that was the Avatar ride. So when we talked her into going, we did the safari ride first. I used my last fast pass on . So I could get to where I wanted to be . Once we made it there, the kid was too short . So her dad could see this was not a next with me . We made plans to meet back up at some point. And I merely skipped off to wait in line . After an excruciating two hour wait and I infiltrated into the main building, it was no turning back . I did what I claimed to do . Once on the simulator and strapped in, it was on . The smells of nature, the smell of mud, and the mist of water landing on your skin when your Ikran glided across the water were mesmerizing . The most scary part was when the Ikran dove off the cliff or take a sharp turn, and you think you're going to collide into something. But I'm very adhd and I wanted to see what else was going on around me . So my distracted mind lifed my goggles and leaned forward and looked down. I was seated on the top level and could see everyone on the ride . I did miss about 10 seconds of the ride, but I was so impressed with all the people on this one ride and how huge the room was. If I had it my way, once I got off, I would have gotten right back in line. That was the first time I saw a fast pass. u had to still schedule a ride. I'm an adrenaline junkie after that, I was ready to leave. If you are at Magic Kingdom and go on the Space Mountain ride and the kid is too short. Place them in the middle, and the adults each hold on to the kid . It is front, middle, and back. So I had to sit in front and reach behind me and hold her in while her dad sat in back and held on . She loved every minute of it. It's pitch black on that ride, so u have no concept of what's going to happen . One thing I learned is they let you bring outside food in the park and tell you how to prepare it to keep it cold all day. I don't know if it's for people who have small children or what? Because when I would go we bought all the food...