Disney and Ft. Wilderness

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by bucko

My biggest complaint is the price. Yes, staying at FW without attending the theme parks is nice (and cheaper), as the prices to attend any park is for the wealthy. Since I've "been there, done that", I'll use the money saved and visit other places in the U.S.A that I have not ventured out to yet.

BUCKET LIST (not in any order): Grand Canyon, smithsonian, Washington State, and Alaska.

I just finalized our reservations for the summer. Yes, the prices have increased. But honestly, not that much since we were last there in 2019. The biggest difference is the addition of the Genie+ system that added $600 to the total cost of our stay ($15/person per day over our 10 day trip). Otherwise, the prices are still fairly close to what we paid 3 years ago for the same basic trip.

Speaking of our summer trip. I was able to get reservations completed for all of the parks that we want to visit over the course of our stay. I'd say the biggest disappointment that we are finding is that some of our favorite restaurants are either not open yet or not character dining at this point as they were in the past. That's one of the things that my kids, even my teenager, really like.

[rodpod]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

That's addressed in the video I posted above. To control the crowd size but not reduce park income, Disney is steadily pricing out many visitors by making the parks too expensive for many to attend. If this continues, only the upper-middle class and wealthy will be able to afford it.

However, so far, it does not appear to be working. People are simply spending as much money as Disney wants to come.

A week at Disney for a family of four, including park hotels and admission currently costs around $6,000. That does not include airfare.

The roller coaster is an apt analogy. i have been a Disney aficionado since my first trip to Disneyland in 1959. We camp at the Fort about 3-4 times per year and have annual passes as Florida residents, and have done so for over 30 years. As your video has pointed out the changes to the resident passes are deigned to dissuade us from purchasing these with more restrictive rules and price increases lowing the value. Many of our Disney friends and neighbors are coming to the same conclusion and are curtailing their Fort stays and not purchasing annual passes. Disney's plan is working all too well. We'll curtail our visits from now on. That said, Disney doesn't necessarily win. The thing about roller coasters is that the trip up is sublime, but the the drop over the crest is rapid and violent. I believe that is where Disney is business strategy wise, enjoying the ride up, but I'll predict their strategy and corporate wokeism will be a scream on the way down as more of us vote with our wallet.

[EA37TS]

You can have it. When they injected their political views into things they lost us.

[MartandMillie]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

You can have it. When they injected their political views into things they lost us.

Bingo.

[HAL9001]

To be clear, none of my criticisms of Disney has anything to do with politics. That is an entirely different subject that should be discussed in a political forum. I'd hate to see this forum devolve into politics and divide everyone. We get enough of that elsewhere.

[atlantaM3]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

To be clear, none of my criticisms of Disney has anything to do with politics. That is an entirely different subject that should be discussed in a political forum. I'd hate to see this forum devolve into politics and divide everyone. We get enough of that elsewhere.

This.

Disney camping and park experience for kids is an entirely different topic vs the adult political junk.

I will agree that their cost model is getting a bit out of hand, we were just there last week. Definitely more add-on costs than previously. That said, using those services did result in a materially improved experience overall. I did not enjoy having to wake up a bit before 7 every morning though. Thought it better when it was a pre-planning exercise.

We didnt stay of the Fort this time, went to the French Quarter property - and REALLY enjoyed it. A very nice property with the 'right' amenities without being a huge complex. Even the wife liked staying there. Hard to turn away from fresh beignets and chicory coffee each morning!

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by atlantaM3

Snip......

I did not enjoy having to wake up a bit before 7 every morning though. Thought it better when it was a pre-planning exercise.

This will be the first time that we will be using the Genie+ system. I had read about the 7AM access to the ride reservations. Am I correct that you can only reserve one attraction at a time? Or, are you able to reserve more than one like you used to be able to with the traditional Fast Pass system?

[Jopopsy]

My wife is the expert in this area, however I believe its one ride at a time. Meaning when you punch in for the ride you’re going on, you can start looking for another. However, Disney sends the rides out in batches/drops - so the ride you want next might not be there when you’re looking, but if you time it w/ the drops and are obsessive on the app you can lace up some rides in order.

Far far more of a PITA then the original Fast Pass where you could use your 3 and then just keep refreshing for one ride at a time.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

This will be the first time that we will be using the Genie+ system. I had read about the 7AM access to the ride reservations. Am I correct that you can only reserve one attraction at a time? Or, are you able to reserve more than one like you used to be able to with the traditional Fast Pass system?

The traditional Fast Pass system is history. It's been completely replaced with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.

The Genie+ system is so ridiculously confusing that the family members I was with including a Google manager/past Disney employee and a lawyer, both young and highly computer savvy, and myself, a retired IBM electrical and software advisory engineer, had considerable trouble figuring it out, lol. Here's why:

It appears that you can reserve a "Lightning Lane" pass on only one ride at a time, only at a specific time, and only if that specific ride is currently Genie+ eligible which apparently changes for specific days and times each day and throughout the day. You may make one reservation beginning at 7 AM, all others must be made after you arrive at the park. It then appears that you may attempt to reserve another ride after a specific amount of time, i.e. you cannot make a reservation for more than one ride at a time including an apparent time lag, i.e. you'll be locked out of Genie+ reservations for a period of time if you try to use it too fast. There may be other factors such as how many rides you can do this with per day. Additionally, someone in your group will need to add all Genie+ paid and eligible members to his or her "group" to make the reservations for everybody in the group that wants to ride. If you don't do this and instead try to make reservations individually, eligible ride times may vary per individual or not show up at all and you won't be able to ride together. This happed to my group a lot until we finally figured out how to coordinate it through one person.

If you want to reserve a ride time in the morning for a very popular ride that may or may not be Genie+ eligible, you'll need yet another paid feature, called Individual Lightning Lane that allows you to do this, but there are more restrictions and fees even over Genie+. My adult nephew had to do this just to get on Star Wars The Rise of the Resistance. It was crazy. You can only do this on up to two eligible rides per day, thus the need for Genie+ as well for all the other rides. Diabolical marketing, you need to purchase both if rides are your thing.

To do any of this, you need to be active throughout the day furiously manipulating the Disney Genie App on your smartphone (not to be confused with the Genie+ feature which is an add on and costs $15 per person per day in Orlando and $20 in CA). This app is your best hope to ride any ride, get anything to eat, or know the showtimes. You can go to a Disney park without the app, but with the tremendous crowd sizes, those who are using it have a huge advantage. Pity poor computer clumsy Grandma and Grandpa trying to show their grandkids some Disney family magic as they used to remember it.

There are also Virtual Queues at times. When the virtual queue is in place, a standby queue (normal line) will not be available, nor may Genie+ help, and guests must use yet another app called My Disney Experience to enter the attraction or experience.

Confusing enough? This is all true, read the links provided. You can't make this stuff up.

Compare this to Universal Studios where you can buy a Universal Express Pass that allows you fast entry to virtually any ride at any time for the entire day for both parks. It costs considerably more than Genie+ but, depending upon how many rides you want to go on per day, it's probably the better buy and certainly less confusing. Unlike Genie+, no app is required, you simply show the ride attendant your pass card to get in the Express Lane. If you want, you can use a Universal Express Pass to go on as many rides as you can handle whereas Genie+, at best, will get you on only a few extra rides per day with all its rules and restrictions specifically designed to limit its use to only a few rides per day. In contrast, the Universal Express Pass is as good for as many rides as you can physically get to. You couldn't possibly do that at two Disney parks in a day, probably not even one unless you had some kind of super-expensive VIP privileges.

Is Disney Genie+ worth it? Yes, if your goal is to ride as many of your favorite rides as possible on very busy days with large crowds. It will likely get you on around 2-4 more rides per day than if you just waited in the "standby" lines.

Is Universal Express Pass worth it? Yes, if your goal is to ride almost all the rides in both parks in a day or as many as you can possibly handle on days with large crowds.

Without either, on a very busy (now normal) day, with wait time up to 2 hours per ride or more (190 minutes is not unheard of for the best rides on very busy days, I saw that yesterday for a Harry Potter ride), you'll spend most of your very costly day in queue lines, for only a 2-3 minute-long ride. You may get 4-6 rides in if you're lucky and have a lot of patience.

If you're not much interested in rides and can have a great time without them, then you don't need any fast pass system. Just enjoy the atmosphere, the food, the excitement, the sites, a couple of shows, and maybe ride a few rides with reasonable wait times. That's what I do.

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

The traditional Fast Pass system is history. It's been completely replaced with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.

The Genie+ system is so ridiculously confusing that the family members I was with including a Google manager/past Disney employee and a lawyer, both young and highly computer savvy, and myself, a retired IBM electrical and software advisory engineer, had considerable trouble figuring it out, lol. Here's why:

It appears that you can reserve a "Lightning Lane" pass on only one ride at a time, only at a specific time, and only if that specific ride is currently Genie+ eligible which apparently changes for specific days and times each day and throughout the day. You may make one reservation beginning at 7 AM, all others must be made after you arrive at the park. It then appears that you may attempt to reserve another ride after a specific amount of time, i.e. you cannot make a reservation for more than one ride at a time including an apparent time lag, i.e. you'll be locked out of Genie+ reservations for a period of time if you try to use it too fast. There may be other factors such as how many rides you can do this with per day. Additionally, someone in your group will need to add all Genie+ paid and eligible members to his or her "group" to make the reservations for everybody in the group that wants to ride. If you don't do this and instead try to make reservations individually, eligible ride times may vary per individual or not show up at all and you won't be able to ride together. This happed to my group a lot until we finally figured out how to coordinate it through one person.

If you want to reserve a ride time in the morning for a very popular ride that may or may not be Genie+ eligible, you'll need yet another paid feature, called Individual Lightning Lane that allows you to do this, but there are more restrictions and fees even over Genie+. My adult nephew had to do this just to get on Star Wars The Rise of the Resistance. It was crazy. You can only do this on up to two eligible rides per day, thus the need for Genie+ as well for all the other rides. Diabolical marketing, you need to purchase both if rides are your thing.

To do any of this, you need to be active throughout the day furiously manipulating the Disney Genie App on your smartphone (not to be confused with the Genie+ feature which is an add on and costs $15 per person per day in Orlando and $20 in CA). This app is your best hope to ride any ride, get anything to eat, or know the showtimes. You can go to a Disney park without the app, but with the tremendous crowd sizes, those who are using it have a huge advantage. Pity poor computer clumsy Grandma and Grandpa trying to show their grandkids some Disney family magic as they used to remember it.

There are also Virtual Queues at times. When the virtual queue is in place, a standby queue (normal line) will not be available, nor may Genie+ help, and guests must use yet another app called My Disney Experience to enter the attraction or experience.

Confusing enough? This is all true, read the links provided. You can't make this stuff up.

Compare this to Universal Studios where you can buy a Universal Express Pass that allows you fast entry to virtually any ride at any time for the entire day for both parks. It costs considerably more than Genie+ but, depending upon how many rides you want to go on per day, it's probably the better buy and certainly less confusing. Unlike Genie+, no app is required, you simply show the ride attendant your pass card to get in the Express Lane. If you want, you can use a Universal Express Pass to go on as many rides as you can handle whereas Genie+, at best, will get you on only a few extra rides per day with all its rules and restrictions specifically designed to limit its use to only a few rides per day. In contrast, the Universal Express Pass is as good for as many rides as you can physically get to. You couldn't possibly do that at two Disney parks in a day, probably not even one unless you had some kind of super-expensive VIP privileges.

Is Disney Genie+ worth it? Yes, if your goal is to ride as many of your favorite rides as possible on very busy days with large crowds. It will likely get you on around 2-4 more rides per day than if you just waited in the "standby" lines.

Is Universal Express Pass worth it? Yes, if your goal is to ride almost all the rides in both parks in a day or as many as you can possibly handle on days with large crowds.

Without either, on a very busy (now normal) day, with wait time up to 2 hours per ride or more (190 minutes is not unheard of for the best rides on very busy days, I saw that yesterday for a Harry Potter ride), you'll spend most of your very costly day in queue lines, for only a 2-3 minute-long ride. You may get 4-6 rides in if you're lucky and have a lot of patience.

If you're not much interested in rides and can have a great time without them, then you don't need any fast pass system. Just enjoy the atmosphere, the food, the excitement, the sites, a couple of shows, and maybe ride a few rides with reasonable wait times. That's what I do.

Thank you very much for the detailed description. It sounds like we have a really big learning curve with this new system. The nice thing is, we have been there enough times that it isn't ultra important to ride every ride in the parks. We obviously enjoy them, but also like other aspects of Disney and Ft. Wilderness that we can keep ourselves entertained.

If you don't mind, I may bounce a couple more Genie questions off of you as we get a little closer to our arrival date.

Speaking of Universal, we were just there 2 weeks ago. It was absolutely amazing. We were only in the parks for 3 days and have quite a few things that we didn't have a chance to do. But, that gives us all the more reason to want to go back. The Bourne stunt show was probably my favorite. The only one I didn't care for was the one Harry Potter simulator over in Islands of Adventure. It messed with me a little. I normally don't get sick on rides, but that one was intense.

[Jacjayco]

Wow. IDK what else to say. I was hoping to make a trip back to DW and stay at the Fort. As I said, I haven't been there in quite a while. Never camped at FW. It sounds like things have totally gone nuts.
So, if I'm getting this right, you pay a large amount of money to get in. Then you pay another fee that "allows" you to maybe make a reservation to possibly go on a ride. That you already paid for?
I had absolutely no idea that is what has happened to what was once a very special place.
I don't think so. Wow.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

Thank you very much for the detailed description. It sounds like we have a really big learning curve with this new system. The nice thing is, we have been there enough times that it isn't ultra important to ride every ride in the parks. We obviously enjoy them, but also like other aspects of Disney and Ft. Wilderness that we can keep ourselves entertained.

If you don't mind, I may bounce a couple more Genie questions off of you as we get a little closer to our arrival date.

Speaking of Universal, we were just there 2 weeks ago. It was absolutely amazing. We were only in the parks for 3 days and have quite a few things that we didn't have a chance to do. But, that gives us all the more reason to want to go back. The Bourne stunt show was probably my favorite. The only one I didn't care for was the one Harry Potter simulator over in Islands of Adventure. It messed with me a little. I normally don't get sick on rides, but that one was intense.

The Bourne Stuntacular is indeed amazing, I've never seen anything like it. Part simulation, part live-action, perfectly blended. Incredible.

The Hogwarts ride and the Simpsons ride are the only two that make me queasy at Universal. This is probably why the line for both is usually not as long as the others.

I would be happy to try and answer any other questions you have about Genie+.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Jacjayco

Wow. IDK what else to say. I was hoping to make a trip back to DW and stay at the Fort. As I said, I haven't been there in quite a while. Never camped at FW. It sounds like things have totally gone nuts.
So, if I'm getting this right, you pay a large amount of money to get in. Then you pay another fee that "allows" you to maybe make a reservation to possibly go on a ride. That you already paid for?
I had absolutely no idea that is what has happened to what was once a very special place.
I don't think so. Wow.

Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Don't get me wrong though, Disney can still be highly enjoyable once you get over the fact that it's changed so much. Underneath the 21st-century money-making machine, the original 20th-century Disney magic still exists, you just have to work harder and pay more to find it.

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

The Bourne Stuntacular is indeed amazing, I've never seen anything like it. Part simulation, part live-action, perfectly blended. Incredible.

The Hogwarts ride and the Simpsons ride are the only two that make me queasy at Universal. This is probably why the line for both is usually not as long as the others.

I would be happy to try and answer any other questions you have about Genie+.

Thanks again for the help.

Believe it or not, the Simpsons didn't bother me at all. In fact, my youngest daughter and I rode it twice. My wife however will not set foot back on the thing. But yet, she can do Hogwarts with no issue. It is funny how certain rides effect people differently.

It really isn't fair to compare Universal with Disney. But if I would, I would say that I like the rides at Universal a little better. They are lot more intense in many ways.

Next time there, I want to get on the Hulk for sure. Didn't get to it this time. Our Disney trip is in June. If we can, we may tack on a couple of extra days at the end to go over. If not, we will come back later in the year. Probably without the camper.

We only had a short time window for Universal a couple weeks ago, we stayed at a hotel off exit 68 of I-4 and just drove straight through over night from PA. It really worked out well.

[TAK14Swift]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Don't get me wrong though, Disney can still be highly enjoyable once you get over the fact that it's changed so much. Underneath the 21st-century money-making machine, the original 20th-century Disney magic still exists, you just have to work harder and pay more to find it.

I strongly agree.

[Yooper906]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Don't get me wrong though, Disney can still be highly enjoyable once you get over the fact that it's changed so much. Underneath the 21st-century money-making machine, the original 20th-century Disney magic still exists, you just have to work harder and pay more to find it.

Memories is what it's all about. My kids are in their 40's and 50's now, but occasionally still talk about our Florida vacation in 1982. I took 3 weeks off from work which at the time I really couldn't afford to do. Packed everybody up in the car, hooked onto our 1976 pop-up and just took off. In hindsight it was a great decision.

[atlantaM3]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

This will be the first time that we will be using the Genie+ system. I had read about the 7AM access to the ride reservations. Am I correct that you can only reserve one attraction at a time? Or, are you able to reserve more than one like you used to be able to with the traditional Fast Pass system?

Different than the old fastpass system, where you could have up to three advance reservations. These new systems, you have to do each day.

There are two things, Genie+, and the Individual lightening Lanes. $15 per day/per person for Genie+. The Individual Lighting Lanes are for the two 'most popular' rides in each park. WDWInfo, AllEars and other similar sites can give you all the details.

Short summaries -
Genie+ - you get up early and select a ride time for the first ride you want for the day. Then you have a 120 minute cooling off period before you can lock in another time for a different ride. Or, if you schedule something very early, then once you check in to that ride, you can select another time. Most of the options for the rides are gone around 2-3pm each day, so get up early and get there if you are using the service for the day.

Individual Lightening Lane - get up early and try to get a slot for the day for that ride.

I generally schedule times around dining reservations I had in place. If you dont have that limitation, even easier to get ride times.

Staying on property helps, since the window opens at 7. You are competing with everyone else using the service to get times that work for you - it is first come first served model. If you are staying somewhere else, it is available at park open, so much less available.

We also used the app to score unplanned reservations to things like Oga's Cantina, which we were not able to get in advance, as those also show up in the app.

First day using it was bumpy until I did some reading on it. The rest of the week worked very well for us using the services. Longest wait we had for anything was maybe 10 minutes. HUGE time saver for the cost. Family said it was the best trip ever, even with the park being stupid busy. The Pandora ride, for example, hit 3 hour waits each day.

I know this is very condensed summary. As much as the added cost irritates me, we would use the services again as it made the park days very easy. We got all the rides in we wanted with almost no wait, watched various streets shows and other presentations like Festival of the Lion King, lots of pin trading, etc. with little stress.

Happy to answer questions as needed.

[atlantaM3]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Don't get me wrong though, Disney can still be highly enjoyable once you get over the fact that it's changed so much. Underneath the 21st-century money-making machine, the original 20th-century Disney magic still exists, you just have to work harder and pay more to find it.

Ditto. This was our experience too. In hindsight, the added cost was immaterial compared to the much better experience my family had this time.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

Thanks again for the help.

Believe it or not, the Simpsons didn't bother me at all. In fact, my youngest daughter and I rode it twice. My wife however will not set foot back on the thing. But yet, she can do Hogwarts with no issue. It is funny how certain rides effect people differently.

It really isn't fair to compare Universal with Disney. But if I would, I would say that I like the rides at Universal a little better. They are lot more intense in many ways.

Next time there, I want to get on the Hulk for sure. Didn't get to it this time. Our Disney trip is in June. If we can, we may tack on a couple of extra days at the end to go over. If not, we will come back later in the year. Probably without the camper.

We only had a short time window for Universal a couple weeks ago, we stayed at a hotel off exit 68 of I-4 and just drove straight through over night from PA. It really worked out well.

Yes, it's difficult to compare Disney and Universal, but I'll give it a shot. (Long post warning, but worth it if you're interested).

General:
Disney wins for overall park atmosphere, it still has that special Disney magic that Universal can't quite recreate. But Universal comes close, especially with the Harry Potter-themed areas which are incredible for Potter fans. You see people in long black Hogwarts robes walking around the park in the hot sun every day. Disney wishes it had that kind of fan commitment. And frozen butterbeer is a treat not to be missed. Disney has Star Wars while Universal has Harry Potter, both huge draws for the younger crowds. These areas are both always very busy.

Disney Orlando offers 4 theme parks to Universals 2 (soon to be 3). Universal is huge at 840 acres, but Disney dwarfs it with 27,000 acres. They both also have great water parks, but Disney offers 2 to Universal's 1. Disney also offers Disney Springs which is a nice (free admission) place to spend a day whereas Universal has CityWalk (also free except for parking). Both are great. Disney offers more exclusive hotels and resorts but Universal's are far less expensive.

Park Hopping:
It's much easier to park hop at Universal and CityWalk is perfectly positioned between the two parks, all connected within relatively easy walking distance. Disney Parks, as well as Disney Springs, are all in discrete locations where you can't usually practically walk to/from, although there are buses and other transportation such as monorails and gondolas. You can do Universal Island of Adventure, Universal Studios, and CityWalk in one (busy) day if you so choose, and it's actually designed for that. I've done it many times. It would be more difficult to do the same with Disney, but it is possible with more effort.

Tickets:
Always buy your tickets online or via a travel service. You'll likely get a much better deal and not have to wait in long lines at the ticket booths. Don't head to any park without tickets, especially Disney parks which also require reservations.

Universal is definitely the better buy with less expensive tickets and somewhat less dense crowds, although crowds can be massive there too. Disney Orlando currently offers season passes to FL residents only. The season pass price for everyone else was outrageous when it used to be available pre-Covid. You can still buy 1 to 10 day Disney park passes but you are now required to use all the tickets within a very short time period. For example, if you purchased a 10-day pass, you must now use all the tickets within 14 days or they expire. That can be brutal (ask me how I know). Park hopping tickets cost extra. Water Parks cost extra. With Disney, you must also now book a reservation for each park before you go even if you have a ticket. Not all parks are all available on all days so book well in advance. Also, pay very close attention to closing times before you go. These can vary greatly per day. Some days the park can close at 6 pm whereas other days it's open until 10-11 pm. The same is true for Universal. This can cut up to 5 hours from your day. You've been warned.

Universal also offers single and multi-ticket options. They usually offer good deals such as buy three tickets and get two free. Park reservations are not required but, like Disney, the multi-ticket options must all be used within a set period of time. Park hopping tickets cost extra. Water Parks cost extra. Their best buy is a season pass that allows park entry for a full year. If you're going to buy five or more tickets, also consider this. There are multiple options, some with blackout dates, some without. Some passes include park-hopping and free parking. Season pass prices are actually very reasonable compared to Disney, and unlike Disney, non-Florida residents can purchase them. This is great for RVers who are staying in the area for a few months as I am.

For either Disney or Universal in Orlando, buy your tickets at www.bestoforlando.com to get a rare discount.

Parking:
Parking is expensive, $25/day at Disney, $27/day at Universal. This can add up. If you had a 10-day Disney pass, it's an extra $250 over the cost of the tickets. If you must drive to either Disney or Universal, good luck finding any free parking option. There are a few strategies, but they're risky and you can get towed or fined if caught. And they involve a lot of extra walking.

Disney's open lot parking fee is good for any park if you wish to park hop, Universal's covered garage parking allows full access to both parks. It's a long walk into either. Disney World offers a tram from the parking lot and then you take the monorail or the boat. The other Disney parks require you to walk in and back to the parking lots. They used to have a tram but it was not operating when I went and hadn't been since Covid. It's a long walk into Universal from the parking garage, but they do have escalators and people movers. Both Disney and Universal have very tight parking, much narrower than usual, and your car can easily get dinged with all the kids opening car doors parked extremely close to each other. I hate that. However, if you have a full-sized truck or other wide vehicle that comes within mere inches of the other vehicles on both sides, Disney will let you take two parking spaces or an end space if you ask the parking attendant very nicely, which is great. Talk to guest services beforehand at Universal if you have a big truck and they may let you park in the oversized vehicle lot. Both have RV lots but they will only let you park there if you have an actual RV or travel trailer. RV parking costs $32. Parking at Disney Springs is free and you can safely park anywhere you want.

Transportation:
Both Disney and Universal offer transportation to/from their parks and their hotels and resorts. They even offer third-party transportation to/from each other's parks even though they're in intense competition with each other. Some parks are within walking distance of the hotels/resorts. Disney offers boat, monorail, or gondola rides to/from some parks and resorts. Universal offers boat rides to their resorts and you can take the Hogwarts Train ride between the two theme parks if you have a park hopper ticket or pass.

Guest Experience:
Universal is much more customer-oriented and bends over backward to resolve any guests' problems. They often ask you for your opinion about all aspects of your stay via in-park and online surveys. They really value your opinion and make changes based upon them. Disney barely listens and has a take it or leave it attitude. If you need any help from Disney guest services, be prepared to wait in a long line. You can try to call Disney, but wait times are long. Forget about emailing, they never answer emails even though they provide you with an email customer service portal. They'll auto-acknowledge your email and tell you you'll hear from them shortly, but they'll never get back to you. Universal will always answer your email within a day or so with personalized and very friendly service and they'll do their best to help. I've never had to call them or use their in-park guest services because the email service works so well and there is no waiting.

Going to Disney virtually requires the use of the Genie App for everything from rides to reservations to attractions. Universal also has its own excellent app but it's nowhere near as necessary. As previously discussed, both offer a fast pass system at additional costs. Universals is far more user-friendly, and although seemingly costlier, is actually a better bargain for those who wish to ride as many rides as possible in a day.

Park Security:
Both Disney and Universal are very serious about park security and rules. Don't even think about taking anything even resembling a weapon such as even an innocent pocket knife. They don't even allow selfie sticks, lol. You'll need to go through the exact same security as an airport. You won't be allowed any banned items and they check via metal detectors and randomly. They'll make you empty all your pockets even for non-metallic items. I've even seen park security turn people away for wearing obscene or divisive T-shirts. They want a friendly, family-safe atmosphere throughout the parks. You can purchase alcohol in most of the parks, but if you get drunk and loud, out you'll go. Security and cameras are everywhere. I've seen security instantly close in on people simply for smoking or vaping in non-approved areas. Security is as tight as you'll find in any public area. If you break any rules such as line hopping, you'll be asked to leave and may be banned. They have no patience for rule-breakers at all. Given the size of the crowds and the potential for serious problems, you really can't blame them. Most people are generally well-behaved in the parks and aware of the rules. I've only seen a few people mildly drunk at Epcot, but they seem to have more of an alcohol tolerance there with their drinking around the world theme. Always read all the Disney and Universal park rules before you go. Some will surprise you like the selfie sticks rule and not allowing wagons for kids. Backpacks are allowed but always x-rayed and not allowed on many rides. You'll need to store them in lockers.

Rides:
Disney rides are a bit more family-friendly and a bit less intense on the whole. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective. Universal has a greater percentage of rides that are more intense and thrilling and a bit less friendly for those who prefer milder rides, but there are many rides and attractions for everyone at both Disney and Universal. Let me know if you want any specific advice on any of the rides such as thrill and motion sickness ratings. I've been on most of them. It's too much info for here, this post is already too long.

Attractions:
Both have good to excellent attractions. Some at Disney are a bit dated but are now classic like the Hall of Presidents and the Carousel of Progress which date back to the 60's even though they've been updated. Some are cute like the reopened Tiki Birds. Some are brand new and mind-blowing like Universals Bourne Stuntacular which must be seen. Disney attractions are more family-oriented whereas some of Universal's can be risqué such as their Mardi Gras girls in very skimpy outfits. But Universal offers several family attractions too such as the Animal Actors. The Hogwarts castle light show at dusk will astound you.

Food:
Food can be mediocre or great at both Disney and Universal. Both are overpriced for any food/drink, even a snack. Getting a sit-down restaurant reservation at either during busy days now usually requires making an online reservation very early in the day or calling in a reservation, especially at Disney. I've been able to get a last-minute reservation at Universal now and then but never yet at Disney, even at Epcot or Animal Kingdom, the least busy of their parks.

RVs:
Disney offer Ft. Wilderness for RV's. Universal doesn't offer an exclusive RV park, but you can just stay at Ft. Wilderness or there are many excellent RV resorts in the Orlando area that cost a lot less.

Extra Hints:
Plan on walking at least 3 miles per day per park. I've walked over 10 miles a day park hopping back and forth, but I love it. Be sure you can handle it and have excellent footwear. I see so many flip-flop wearers walking barefoot after getting blisters and that's a very bad idea. If you can't handle the walking, you can rent scooters for $70/day but they go fast. If you have someone to push you, wheelchairs are available at $15/day. If you have little kids bring or rent a stroller, don't expect a young child to walk as far as an adult. And please get them good footwear too. I see adults with $100 Nikes with their 4-year-olds walking double-step next to them in $5 flip-flops. That's awful.

If you're at all prone to motion sickness and want to ride the thrill and 3D/4D rides, then take Dramamine or Bonine a half hour before you ride, or ask your doctor for a skin patch. These really work well for most people. Don't spoil your day or your family's day by getting motion sickness that can last for hours. It can ruin an expensive day and good memories for everyone. Universal has more motion sickness-prone rides than Disney, especially Hogwarts Castle and The Simpsons Ride which are the worst. If you want a list of all rides in all parks with thrill and motion sickness ratings, let me know.

Florida is freakin hot all year round and the sun is intense, especially if you're used to the northern sun. Bring sunblock for everyone unless you like the cooked lobster look. If you forget it, you can always buy it there for $30 a bottle, lol. Wear white (or light) clothes and have a hat. In the winter months bring a jacket, it can be 85 degrees during the day and quickly drop to the 60s when the sun goes down. Bring water unless you want to pay $4-5 for bottled water there. These days, you may also wish to bring a small bottle of alcohol sanitizer. The crowds are neck in neck and you're going to be touching a lot of surfaces thousands of others have touched all day. If you're conscientious about Covid, also bring a mask. In some queues and stores, you'll be within inches of sneezing and coughing fellow humans in indoor areas with little or no ventilation. I didn't catch Covid (yet) but some nice person gave me an awful flu virus at Disney World that sidelined me for two weeks. Since then, I went back to the dreaded mask when indoors at parks and have had no problems since. Only a few people still wear masks there, so be prepared for that.

There are a few select rides, especially at Universal, where you will get soaking wet right down to your underwear and socks. You may wish to avoid these rides on cool/cold days. On hot days they can be a blessing. You can stay a bit drier using a cheap plastic poncho or a waterproof jacket but your pants and socks will get wet. If getting wet bothers you, avoid these rides or save them for last. Don't even think about going on Universal's Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges unless you are prepared to be soaked from head to toe. Disney rides are less prone to getting soaked, but they can be quite wet too.

That's all I can think of. Let me know if anyone has any other questions. I wish someone wrote this for me before I went, lol. I had to learn everything the hard way and made a lot of mistakes.

[spark of insanity]

This will be our second trip back to WDW. The first was well over 15 years ago when our daughter was 7. We are returning to celebrate her 25 as well as WDW Halloween and their 50th annv. We too had questions as well. I am on facebook inside an RV private page and they directed me to another page called Disneys Fort Wilderness Resort Campground. I am asking a ton of questions and getting a lot of answers. This is a private page and I love some of the stuff posted and getting a lot of answers. My question was something our daughter heard thru google and there was flurry of answers to it and one of which was do not listen to those people they have no clue. The question was how clean do they keep the park and the restrooms. My daughter said she read that it was nasty. One reader remarked back and said it was a disgruntled guest and that their bathrooms are so clean you can eat off the floor. Uh maybe. So from what I am reading I can't wait to get there in September. The price for a week and three people and tickets is expensive but it sounds worth it. Check it out. It is simple to get into the page and well I have now pulled out my notes from our first visit and going to try to redo what we did then. A sentimental journey. Happy trails.