Just recently got back from a trip to WDW, last year a local friend asked if I wanted to head down to WDW this year and I was perfectly fine with doing so as it's been a couple years. While I did enjoy my trip in 2022, various things were still closed and/or haven't returned yet, and this year's visit had quite the timing being right after a D23 with a lot of announcements. And there were certain things I had to visit for the very last time and potentially the last. I'll keep this TR relatively simple since I've already done several reports before.
Homebase
Homebase this trip was Wilderness Lodge, in one of the Copper Creek studios. WL has always been a favorite of mine ever since my family first visited WDW in 2001, and nothing has changed that. And with Animal Kingdom Lodge being a close second, it's pretty clear I have a favorite type of hotel down here.
Sayanora Bye-Bye...
With the rampant rumors and final confirmation at D23, it was time to say good-bye to Dinoland USA and Dino-Rama. I'll admit I have a little soft spot for Dinosaur since I did ride this well before I experienced Temple of the Forbidden Eye at DL, and Dino's in general are what I feel is a pretty evergreen theme which Disney admittedly never took advantage of. Either way, got my last rides on Dinosaur and admittedly it's not in the best shape. It was looking quite a bit better in 2022 and especially 2020 when it first had the blacklight treatment done to it. Can't really lament too much, as it's going extinct presumably within the year or so.
It was also the last opportunity to see It's Tough to Be a Bug...which I promptly skipped since I was only at AK for one day and my time was limited. And that's pretty telling in itself. While I did like the show, I couldn't help but notice in my last two trips that the crowds for that were getting smaller and smaller, even more so once those spiders dropped and a good chunk of the audience left.
Over at MK, this was the last I'll see of Rivers of America, the Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer Island. I've only done TSI once during my first trip in 2001, and that was enough. While that entire area does provide some pretty aesthetics, I fully understand the challenges they've been having with the basin, island etc. and what they needed to do in order to expand and not have any dead ends as requested by park management. I know there are folks who'll take this a lot harder and I understand, but for me I'm welcoming this with an open mind and arms. Cars Land at DCA pleasantly surprised me, and I think WDI can do it again, plus there's Villain's Land which is an absolute dream come true for me.
...maybe, yes, no, I don't know?
Right now, the biggest mystery is where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?...wait, wrong thing but a great show and theme song. Ah, Monstropolis. Where in DHS is it going? We know construction starts next year, but where? Is it replacing Muppet*Vision 3D? Is it going in the hollowed-out corpse that is Animation Courtyard? Who knows, but it would be good to know soon. Nonetheless, I did make sure to see Muppet*Vision several times as I absolutely adore that show. And unlike Dinosaur, this show is looking beautiful! So, in the chance it does leave us by next year, it's going out on a high. Now, I do acknowledge that this show will eventually be replaced by something. It sucks, but for me it won't sting as much if it's replaced by multiple attractions if possible which would help fix the continuous issues in DHS.
In with the New
TRON Lightcycle / Run - After what felt like forever, this coaster is finally up and running! I was able to get on this three times thanks to the single pass, and I gotta' say this coaster is a lot of fun! It was more intense than I thought it would be, and that's in part of the riding position which is more extreme than something like Hagrid or Pony Express at Knott's where you're sitting upright. The ride looks great at night, and it's always nice having a Daft Punk soundtrack on a coaster. The only downside is the coaster is a smidge short, however something I didn't mind being short was the pre-show. That was the definition of short but sweet, it wasted no time providing a cool effect/visual, and it gets you moving real quick. Considering how re-ridable this coaster is, this pre-show is honestly perfect! All in all, it may have taken way too long to finally open, but I'm very glad it's here as it's a wonderful addition!
Tiana's Bayou Adventure - I'll keep this as short and simple as possible. I went in avoiding as many spoilers as possible, and I was able to ride this three times thanks to landing a 7am VQ drop on Friday, a 1pm drop on Sunday and scoring a lightning lane after redeeming my first on Monday. And with those three rides, I came to the firm conclusion that I honestly really like this! It's a really cute retheme, the AA's are great, the music works well, I love what they did with the final lift hill and finale, the ride looks stunning at night, all in all my friend and I really enjoyed it!
Journey of Water - It's a cool little walkthrough which no doubt felt good on a hot day and with some neat effects here and there.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree - This was honestly a really cute revamp of the show, definitely way more successful of an attempt and with zero cynicism that plagued something like Under New Management. The retouched AA's look great, and the country versions of the Disney songs work pretty darn well. One of the best examples is "A Whole New World", for when Wendell starts the song in his very country/hick voice, you think this is gonna' be corny and such, but then Teddi comes swinging down from the ceiling and the song/pairing works surprisingly well. And that sums up the show, it works surprisingly well! The pace of this show is lighting fast, too. It doesn't drag one bit.
Multipass/Single Pass etc. - I'll write more on the tech thread in the forums, but the new Multipass/Single Pass reservation system worked very well for me! Had zero tech issues, and it was very easy booking in advance, modifying times and booking same day. I honestly have no complaints with this, except I'd like to reserve certain rides more than once.
Returning Favorites and a few observations
GotG: Cosmic Rewind - Was able to get on this a couple times, and got September both times, which I didn't mind since the song works nicely. This is easily one of Disney's best coasters, though the multiple pre-shows are already old for me. A re-ridable attraction like this should never have multiple pre-shows, especially when they're hyping up an effect which just isn't as good as it can be. And both times I went, the crowd had zero reaction to the reveal, they just shuffled to the right.
It was pretty clear the international CM's are back in full force, always great to see all over the parks and especially in Epcot and the various specialty restaurants all around the resort.
And speaking of CM's, they were great all across the board!
Not surprisingly with-it being August, it was pretty hot. Both MK and Epcot were the best parks to be in during the heat be it ample shade, breezes and plethora of buildings and pavilions to chill out in, and DHS and AK are definitely the worst with the lack of shade and not as many buildings to take cover in.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out Peter Pan's Flight reopened the Friday I went, it was great to see the queue effects back on, and the new Tiger Lily scene looks great! It was also great not having to wait in a super long line, either! Though it was pretty funny seeing the cars down in London downright speeding down the roads, something that me and several brits in line had a laugh about.
On my last night I did discover a ride worth timing to see the fireworks on, Seven Dwarves Mine Train. As it turns out, the first lift hill is facing where the main fireworks launch site is, so once the train started going up and the fireworks went off, the entire train cheered! And with the ride being nestled between the castle and the launch site, there's fireworks going off all around so it was honestly pretty epic!
Homebase
Homebase this trip was Wilderness Lodge, in one of the Copper Creek studios. WL has always been a favorite of mine ever since my family first visited WDW in 2001, and nothing has changed that. And with Animal Kingdom Lodge being a close second, it's pretty clear I have a favorite type of hotel down here.
Sayanora Bye-Bye...
With the rampant rumors and final confirmation at D23, it was time to say good-bye to Dinoland USA and Dino-Rama. I'll admit I have a little soft spot for Dinosaur since I did ride this well before I experienced Temple of the Forbidden Eye at DL, and Dino's in general are what I feel is a pretty evergreen theme which Disney admittedly never took advantage of. Either way, got my last rides on Dinosaur and admittedly it's not in the best shape. It was looking quite a bit better in 2022 and especially 2020 when it first had the blacklight treatment done to it. Can't really lament too much, as it's going extinct presumably within the year or so.
It was also the last opportunity to see It's Tough to Be a Bug...which I promptly skipped since I was only at AK for one day and my time was limited. And that's pretty telling in itself. While I did like the show, I couldn't help but notice in my last two trips that the crowds for that were getting smaller and smaller, even more so once those spiders dropped and a good chunk of the audience left.
Over at MK, this was the last I'll see of Rivers of America, the Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer Island. I've only done TSI once during my first trip in 2001, and that was enough. While that entire area does provide some pretty aesthetics, I fully understand the challenges they've been having with the basin, island etc. and what they needed to do in order to expand and not have any dead ends as requested by park management. I know there are folks who'll take this a lot harder and I understand, but for me I'm welcoming this with an open mind and arms. Cars Land at DCA pleasantly surprised me, and I think WDI can do it again, plus there's Villain's Land which is an absolute dream come true for me.
...maybe, yes, no, I don't know?
Right now, the biggest mystery is where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?...wait, wrong thing but a great show and theme song. Ah, Monstropolis. Where in DHS is it going? We know construction starts next year, but where? Is it replacing Muppet*Vision 3D? Is it going in the hollowed-out corpse that is Animation Courtyard? Who knows, but it would be good to know soon. Nonetheless, I did make sure to see Muppet*Vision several times as I absolutely adore that show. And unlike Dinosaur, this show is looking beautiful! So, in the chance it does leave us by next year, it's going out on a high. Now, I do acknowledge that this show will eventually be replaced by something. It sucks, but for me it won't sting as much if it's replaced by multiple attractions if possible which would help fix the continuous issues in DHS.
In with the New
TRON Lightcycle / Run - After what felt like forever, this coaster is finally up and running! I was able to get on this three times thanks to the single pass, and I gotta' say this coaster is a lot of fun! It was more intense than I thought it would be, and that's in part of the riding position which is more extreme than something like Hagrid or Pony Express at Knott's where you're sitting upright. The ride looks great at night, and it's always nice having a Daft Punk soundtrack on a coaster. The only downside is the coaster is a smidge short, however something I didn't mind being short was the pre-show. That was the definition of short but sweet, it wasted no time providing a cool effect/visual, and it gets you moving real quick. Considering how re-ridable this coaster is, this pre-show is honestly perfect! All in all, it may have taken way too long to finally open, but I'm very glad it's here as it's a wonderful addition!
Tiana's Bayou Adventure - I'll keep this as short and simple as possible. I went in avoiding as many spoilers as possible, and I was able to ride this three times thanks to landing a 7am VQ drop on Friday, a 1pm drop on Sunday and scoring a lightning lane after redeeming my first on Monday. And with those three rides, I came to the firm conclusion that I honestly really like this! It's a really cute retheme, the AA's are great, the music works well, I love what they did with the final lift hill and finale, the ride looks stunning at night, all in all my friend and I really enjoyed it!
Journey of Water - It's a cool little walkthrough which no doubt felt good on a hot day and with some neat effects here and there.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree - This was honestly a really cute revamp of the show, definitely way more successful of an attempt and with zero cynicism that plagued something like Under New Management. The retouched AA's look great, and the country versions of the Disney songs work pretty darn well. One of the best examples is "A Whole New World", for when Wendell starts the song in his very country/hick voice, you think this is gonna' be corny and such, but then Teddi comes swinging down from the ceiling and the song/pairing works surprisingly well. And that sums up the show, it works surprisingly well! The pace of this show is lighting fast, too. It doesn't drag one bit.
Multipass/Single Pass etc. - I'll write more on the tech thread in the forums, but the new Multipass/Single Pass reservation system worked very well for me! Had zero tech issues, and it was very easy booking in advance, modifying times and booking same day. I honestly have no complaints with this, except I'd like to reserve certain rides more than once.
Returning Favorites and a few observations
GotG: Cosmic Rewind - Was able to get on this a couple times, and got September both times, which I didn't mind since the song works nicely. This is easily one of Disney's best coasters, though the multiple pre-shows are already old for me. A re-ridable attraction like this should never have multiple pre-shows, especially when they're hyping up an effect which just isn't as good as it can be. And both times I went, the crowd had zero reaction to the reveal, they just shuffled to the right.
It was pretty clear the international CM's are back in full force, always great to see all over the parks and especially in Epcot and the various specialty restaurants all around the resort.
And speaking of CM's, they were great all across the board!
Not surprisingly with-it being August, it was pretty hot. Both MK and Epcot were the best parks to be in during the heat be it ample shade, breezes and plethora of buildings and pavilions to chill out in, and DHS and AK are definitely the worst with the lack of shade and not as many buildings to take cover in.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out Peter Pan's Flight reopened the Friday I went, it was great to see the queue effects back on, and the new Tiger Lily scene looks great! It was also great not having to wait in a super long line, either! Though it was pretty funny seeing the cars down in London downright speeding down the roads, something that me and several brits in line had a laugh about.
On my last night I did discover a ride worth timing to see the fireworks on, Seven Dwarves Mine Train. As it turns out, the first lift hill is facing where the main fireworks launch site is, so once the train started going up and the fireworks went off, the entire train cheered! And with the ride being nestled between the castle and the launch site, there's fireworks going off all around so it was honestly pretty epic!
