Category: Other

It’s hard to believe that Labor Day weekend is here. The flow of time and dates just seems off this year, doesn’t it? But the first major holiday weekend since Orlando’s theme parks reopened is here.

Our Crowd Calendar showed all four Disney parks at a level one this Thursday and Friday, as they’ve been practically all of the time since reopening due to fewer people traveling, fewer hotels open, and Disney’s park reservation system. However, today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday) show an increase to level two at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Let’s see how wait times looked during the days leading up to Labor Day weekend and how our new Lines 2.0 app showed expected wait times compared to Disney’s posted wait times. (Also, can we all just bask at how beautiful our redesigned Lines app is?)

EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios Afternoon Wait Times

September 3, 2020 and September 4, 2020

EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios open the latest of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. We typically see wait times peak between 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Although there are patterns we typically see each day with wait times sometimes things change like an attraction goes down unexpectedly. Our Lines app uses real time data to make adjustments so you can optimize your plan and save as much as time as possible. We use in-park data to produce Expected Wait Times that are typically more accurate than Disney’s Posted Wait Times.

• Frozen Ever After – 1:00 p.m. vs. 3:00 p.m.
  • Posted Wait Time 25 / Expected 20
  • Posted Wait Time 45 / Expected 34
• Test Track
  • Posted Wait Time 25 / Expected 22
• Soarin’
  • Posted Wait Time 10 / Expected 6
• Gran Fiesta Tour
  • Posted Wait Time 20 / Expected 12

Let’s take a look at yesterday afternoon’s wait times at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

• Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway 1pm vs. 3pm
  • Posted Wait Time 40 / Expected 38
  • Posted Wait Time 70 / Expected 45 / Actual Reported Wait Time about 35 minutes
• Slinky Dog Coaster
  • Posted Wait Time 40 / Expected 28
• Rock N’ Roller Coaster
  • Posted Wait Time 25 / Expected  12
• Star Tours 1pm vs 3pm 
  • Posted Wait Time 25 / Expected 15
  • Posted Wait Time 5 / Expected 12

You can see there was a 25 minute difference in our Lines app Expected Wait Time and Disney’s Posted Wait Time around 3:00 p.m. for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Runway Railway does experience occasional down times during the day, and it did yesterday afternoon. It is possible Disney inflated the posted wait time in case the attraction went down again.

EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios Evening Wait Times

September 3, 2020 and September 4, 2020

We’ve seen time and again since the parks reopened that the last 90 minutes or so of park operating hours have the lowest wait times of the day. Without a nighttime spectacular to anchor guests and without park hopping, the last hour or so leads to most guests clearing out. Frozen Ever After is often an exception to this with wait times before at their lowest first thing in the morning and climbing throughout the day.

• Frozen Ever After 6:00 p.m.
  • Posted Wait Time 30/ Expected 26
• Test Track
  • Offline around 6:00 pm
  • 8:00 p.m. Posted Wait Time 45 / Expected 30
• Soarin’
  • Posted Wait Time 10 / Expected 8

Let’s take a look at yesterday evening’s wait times at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

• Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway 
  • Posted Wait Time 40 / Expected 38 / Actual Wait Time Reported 25 – 30 minutes
• Slinky Dog Coaster
  • Down time from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. due to severe weather
  • Posted Wait Time 40 / Expected 30
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
  • Posted Wait Time 15 / Expected  11
• Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run
  • Posted Wait Time 30 / Expected 21

On the above graph the green dots represent actual wait times reported in our Lines app by users, known as Liners. Actual wait times for Runaway Railway average around 30 minutes in the early evening.

We all know this year is dramatically different than any other time in Walt Disney World’s history. But, since we have the data (we’re nerdy and scientific that way), let’s take a look at the wait times for this equivalent day last year (the Friday of Labor Day weekend) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Clearly things are dramatically different this year compared to last year. Still, it’s fun to look back. Let’s compare last Friday to yesterday to see how much of an impact Labor Day Weekend had on wait times. Overall the observed wait times are not dramatically different between last Friday and yesterday, though that is what we expected with Crowd Levels being at 1 on both days.

We’re sure to see an increase in wait times this weekend. Stay tuned to our social media channels and blog as we continue to cover the parks. You can probably tell from our screenshots that our Lines app has been completely refreshed and is rolling out to iOS and Android devices this month. Let us know what you think of the new app and what you think about these kinds of blog post.

 

The post Labor Day Weekend Kicks Off With Slight Increase in Wait Times appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Trip Planning, disney reopening, disney wait times, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, epcot rides

Hello everyone! It is time to swim back over to the Dolphin for some nice deals in September and October!

If you recall, way back in February 2020 (approximately eleventy-two months ago) we posted some Dolphin deals you could find in the $130 and above range. I now scoff at those prices! Scoff!

If you are in the market for some nice weekday deals early in September, or any weekend all the way to Halloween, then Priceline Express is offering rooms at the Dolphin as low as $93, but most in the $107 to $130 range.

An easy way to spot the Dolphin in Express Deal results is to look for a 4-star, 7-guest rated resort in Bonnet Creek with 700 reviews. It is the only resort with that combination of ratings and reviews. (In fact, right now the only other resort in Bonnet Creek that is 4-star, 7-guest rated is Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani. I would be flabbergasted–and might even scoff again–if someone told me they saw a deal for that resort at these prices.)

Before I post the calendar of deals (not but maybe it should be), I need to post some additional info to help you find them. There are times that Priceline Express fails to include some deals in search results unless you jump through a few hoops. or maybe even hop a fence, in a friendly, non-trespassy kind of way. This is one of those times.

Here’s an example that should help you tease out these Dolphin deals without much fuss: I’m going to search Priceline Express for a deal on September 7. When looking for Disney or Swolphin resorts, you always want to limit your search to the Bonnet Creek and Disney Springs areas. Here’s a shot of some of the results.

If you look at the pair of 4-star resorts here, you’ll see that neither of these appear to be the Dolphin: the 7-guest rated resort is in Disney Springs and the other resort has an 8-guest rating. (Also, both have only 500 reviews.) What to do? Click the “Choose” button on the Bonnet Creek resort to open up that deal and you’ll find some additional deals pop up below it.

Now, that 4-star 7-guest looks like a good match for the Dolphin. BUT – We have another problem! Priceline is always making changes to their site and one of their recent updates broke the links on all those pop-up deals. If you try to use them right now, you’ll just get a blank web page. (They did the same thing last year and it took a few months for them to fix it.)

Luckily, there’s a way around that problem. Remember I asked you to open the 4-star Bonnet Creek resort deal – if you go the new new tab that opened, you can scroll to the bottom of that page and it will show you these same additional pop-up deals. (and maybe even a few more.)

If you open up that middle result, you’ll find it is indeed a Dolphin deal. One of the clues to look for when seeking the Dolphin are rooms with two double beds. You’ll also want to look for a mandatory (aka resort) fee – most often $30 lately, but Priceline does like to change that amount slightly sometimes to keep us on our toes.

My last tip: Don’t forget to try out any Priceline codes you see when you visit the site. The current code takes 10% off these deals – in this example you’d be getting the daily rate of about $85 (before adding on the resort fee, which annoys me no end I can tell you). That is the lowest rate I have recorded for the Dolphin in the 2 years I have been watching prices.

Now, you’re not likely going to see that low price on any of the other days below, but I think you’ll agree they are all still pretty nice deals for a 4-star resort. In comparison, if you booked this same night through the Swolphin’s own web site, you’d pay $156 (pre-resort fee) for a non-refundable pre-pay room. If you used the AAA rate, it drops to $140.

If you’ve taken advantage of any of these deals or have any questions, please let us know in the comments!

The post Priceline Express: More Dolphin Fun! appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: discounts, Resorts, Walt Disney World (FL), priceline

This week’s SATURDAY SIX Presents: Plastic in the Parks at the WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER! For fans of the Harry Potter books and films, the first week of September is an important one as the school year at Hogwarts begins on September 1. This year, LEGO celebrated this important date with the release of an incredible Diagon Alley set that contained over 5,500 pieces! This got us thinking. We love our Plastic in the Parks series that features LEGO, and we love the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal parks… so we sent our head Potterphile Megan Stump along with SAT 6 shutterbug Michael Carelli to get some photos…

# 6 – Weasley Twins at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes

“‘George,’ said Fred, ‘I think we’ve outgrown full-time education.’” –  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

When Universal opened the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter back in 2010, a case could be made that for the first time in theme park history gift shops had become an “attraction”. What was once a necessary evil and something most guests just wanted to pass by as quickly as possible, the stores in Hogsmeade Village were so popular at times they needed to have queues set up outside. For Diagon Alley, the stores became even better. Our favorite is Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, a shop filled with products straight out of the Potter movies (like the Skiving Snackbox, Decoy Detonator, and Love Potion), but also loaded with sight gags and details that every guest will appreciate. (Don’t forget to look up!)

Our LEGOs wanted to see some of the other Wizarding World stores as well.

# 5 – Moaning Myrtle at the Public Conveniences

“Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it’s funny to throw a book at me.”  – Moaning Myrtle, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

We here at the SATURDAY SIX love our theme park bathrooms and the Wizarding World has one of the all time great details in any theme park restroom. Moaning Myrtle, the school girl who died at Hogwarts in 1943 and continued to haunt the lavatories as a ghost, can also be found at Hogsmeade Village. That’s right, head into the “Public Conveniences,” and you can hear Myrtle herself talking to guests inside.

# 4 – Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour at the Tri-Wizard Spirit Rally

“You saved ‘er. Even though she was not your ‘ostage.” – Fleur Delacour – referring to Harry rescuing her sister Gabrielle, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

While it may not receive the attention or praise that the rides get, the Tri-Wizard Spirit Rally in Hogsmeade Village is a Must Do for Potter fans and is a relatively quick, enjoyable watch. Along with the Frog Choir, the Spirit Ralley was Universal Creative’s attempt at bringing shows from the Potter Universe into the parks, something they would then take a gigantic leap with for Diagon Alley. The students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute walked so that Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees could run.

# 3 – Voldemort and Bellatrix at Gringott’s Bank

“I know YOU’VE seen Harry Potter! He was in YOUR vault Bellatrix…” – Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts

The queue for Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts is filled with great moments, starting off with a jaw dropper when guests enter the Great Hall of Gringotts Bank. With stunning chandeliers and incredibly detailed goblin animatronics, we can guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this before. For me personally, my favorite part of the ride is that it takes guests “into the movies” like never before. For many film-based attractions, such as Back to the Future: The Ride, E.T., or Jaws, we get to see the characters from our favorite movies, but generally the rides are completely separate from the films they were based on.  With some slight adjustments for creative reasons, for all intents and purposes those riding Escape From Gringotts are in an actual scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, just from a different perspective. The movie showed us what was happening from Harry Potter’s POV, while the ride shows us what else was going on. The cherry on top of the sundae was that we also got to finally have Voldemort, one of Hollywood’s all-time best villains, finally make his appearance in the theme parks.

# 2 – Hagrid and Buckbeak at Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

“First thing you wanna know about hippogriffs, is that they’re very proud creatures, very easily offended.” – Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In years past, one big difference between Universal and Disney was how well themed WDW was within each land while Uni was more a “collection of stuff.” In the past few years alone Universal has made major strides in making their parks more cohesive, whether it be Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon in the New York section at Universal Studios Florida, the addition of Fast Food Blvd and Duff Gardens in Springfield USA, or – most recently – Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure in Hogsmeade Village. As good as a ride as it was, Dragon Challenge stood out like a sore thumb in Hogsmeade Village. Hagrid’s fixes that in a major way and possibly makes Hogsmeade pound for pound the best overall land in any Florida theme park–and that includes WDW.

Now, for the attraction itself: Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a high-speed roller coaster ride through the Forbidden Forest. Guests will experience a twisty, turvey coaster experience that replicates the motions of a flying motorbike. The ride elements and sensations are unlike any coaster in Orlando. While no one can deny the opening of the ride had its hiccups, it seems the only good thing to come out of the Great 2020 Shutdown was that Universal was able to spend some much-needed TLC on the attraction and it is currently running better than ever.

# 1 – Harry Potter and a Hungarian Horntail at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

“Hagrid! The Dragon!!!” – Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

What do you get when you add cutting-edge media, life-like animatronics, a breakthrough ride system, pinpoint accurate robotics, and the boy who lived? You get one of the best rides on the planet. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey changed the way we look at rides and how we experience them. Everything within this attraction is nothing short of amazing. The grand facade, the elaborate queue, and – heck – even the Sorting Hat safety spiel perfectly demonstrate the level of detail and technology you’ll find on this amazing adventure. Forbidden Journey is the complete experience and a must-ride attraction for anyone visiting central Florida.

Honorable Mention – Photo-Ops in the Wizarding World

“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve —” Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

“STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY’D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU, I DON’T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE!” – Molly Weasley’s Howler to Ron, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won’t kill you  yet. But they could knock you out for several hours.” – Professor Sprout, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

So there you have it: The SATURDAY SIX PRESENTS: Plastic at the Parks in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles covering the latest from the Disney Outlet Stores. You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan).

If you enjoyed this article, you will surely like the following: 

The SATURDAY SIX Presents: The Debut of PLASTIC IN THE PARKS

The SATURDAY SIX Presents: PLASTIC IN THE PARKS at Disney Springs

DAVID & DEREK: The Do’s and Don’ts of COVID-19 Safety Protocols at the Theme Parks

6 Pieces of Disney Merchandise That Don’t Exist (but Totally Should)

SATURDAY SIX Presents: The Disney Signage Hall of Shame

Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHyde and you Potterheads will  enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.

“No post on Sundays!” – Uncle Vernon Dudley.

The post The SATURDAY SIX Presents: PLASTIC IN THE PARKS – Wizarding World of Harry Potter! appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Saturday Six, Universal Orlando Resort, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, plastic in the parks, saturday six, wizarding world of harry potter