My WDW Attraction Rankings

After my trip to Walt Disney World to start the year, I started debating with myself what my favorite attraction in each park was. So I decided to sit down and formally decide by making a list of attraction rankings.

That was obviously a challenge. There's both a lot of attractions and a lot of ways to consider the relative value of each attraction. I would like to say that this ranking is super scientific and perfectly accurate, but really it was a bit more instinctive based on how I feel after the most recent trip. But there were a couple big things I considered: if it is fun, if it is innovative or unique, and if its theme fits its location. So a good attraction could be boosted by being one of a kind, or penalized if I think the theme doesn't work well. I think that forms a pretty good general value system for attractions.

So I'll go through each of the 4 parks and then do an overall ranking of my top attractions. Let's go.


Magic Kingdom

34. Tomorrowland Speedway - It's loud, takes up a lot of space, doesn't look very interesting, and this version doesn't make much sense in Tomorrowland. Easy choice for last place for me. 
33. Astro Orbiter
32. Move It! Shake It! Dance and Play It! Parade
31. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor - This one gets majorly penalized for being in Tomorrowland. 
30. Philharmagic - Would have been higher in the past, but the render and 3D quality is so far behind everything else in the resort just because of its age. Needs an update badly. 
29. Magic Carpets of Aladdin - This starts a chunk of flat ride and kids attractions that aren't exactly bad, but just not interesting for me. Something has to be near the bottom. 
28. Barnstormer Starring The Great Goofini
27. Mad Tea Party - Not a fan of spinning attractions, so I've never even been on this. 
26. Prince Charming Regal Carousel
25. Dumbo The Flying Elephant
24. The Hall of Presidents
23. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
22. Enchanted Tales with Belle - What is just a meet and greet is surprisingly high on this list for me, and I think it is entirely because of the awesome Lumiere animatronic. 
21. Under The Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
20. It's a Small World - The first of a couple attractions that would have been higher before I rode their twin at Disneyland. 
19. Festival of Fantasy Parade - Really solid daytime parade, and way better than what it replaced. Sad though that this is the only parade I can rank in the whole resort. 
18. Tom Sawyer Island
17. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin - Here's a real challenging one. Fun ride, innovative for its time as the first shooter in the resort, but I don't think it fits in Tomorrowland. Hard to balance that, so it ends up middle of the pack. 
16. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
15. Liberty Square Riverboat 
14. Walt Disney World Railroad
13. Peter Pan's Flight - A classic that gets a lot of points for its unique ride system and history. Always try to ride once, but I don't think I would ever actually wait in line for it. 
12. Swiss Family Treehouse - I'm sure very few people would have the treehouse this high on the list, but I love it and I think its because it combines a bunch of my favorite things: Adventureland, explorable themed design, architecture, and great views of the park below. I'll always climb the treehouse at least once. 
11. Jungle Cruise
10. Country Bear Jamboree - Country Bears is so simple but still really entertaining. Higher than I would have expected before this trip. 
9. Carousel of Progress
8. Happily Ever After 
7. Splash Mountain
6. Pirates of the Caribbean - Another drop versus a pre-Disneyland trip list. 
5. The Tiki Room
4. Big Thunder Mountain - Challenging to decide between these coasters. I think Big Thunder might be a better coaster by itself, but the theme and the dark factor of Space Mountain pushed it ahead. 
3. Space Mountain
2. Tomorrowland Transit Authority - The peoplemover was close to being top pick for me. I think it says a lot that it was even in contention. But really its so good as everyone should already know. 
1. Haunted Mansion - Top place for the Magic Kingdom for a ton of reasons. The effects were innovative for their time and still impressive, the theme is thorough and well done, and it is fun. 

EPCOT

18. Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival - This is just kind of sad that this counts as an attraction. 
17. Circle of Life - It was open when I was there, so I counted it. But I think I only ever saw it once about 10 years ago. So no loss. 
16. Journey Into Imagination With Figment - Its sad to put this so low, but it really just isn't that great when you know what used to be there.
15. Innoventions
14. The Seas with Nemo and Friends - I miss the hydrolaters. 
13. O Canada
12. Reflections of China
11. Turtle Talk with Crush
10. Frozen Ever After - Good ride, great animatronics, bad location. So a ranking near the middle.
9. Grand Fiesta Tour
8. Test Track - I think Test Track 1.0 would have been higher, which is weird to me. Objectively, 2.0 is better themed and better fits the tone of the park. But I just don't think its as fun. So many blank spaces and screens and projections. Still worth it for the speed run however. 
7. Soarin - I preferred over California. Wish they could run both. 
6. The American Adventure
5. Living with the Land - This is so classic EPCOT and its great that it still exists. 
4. Mission: Space - It's probably shocking that I put this above the two heavy hitters of Future World, but I honestly think this is a better EPCOT attraction. Innovative and fun ride system tells a story that directly aligns with the concept of EPCOT. I know few will agree, but I appreciate what this attraction tries to do. 
3. Impressions de France - Best and most timeless of the movies. I think a lot of it is because I don't have to be constantly turning to see it all. And France is a beautiful place, so that helps too. 
2. Illuminations - Favorite nightime/fireworks show by a lot. I love that its not Disney, and that is what I am most afraid of losing when it is eventually replaced. We've already got Happily Ever After, we don't need it again in another park. 
1. Spaceship Earth - The top spot for this park is one of the high points of Imagineering. It constantly amazing me still that they built a dark ride in a giant floating sphere, filled it with maybe the most animatronics in the resort, and it still holds up after so many years.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

15. Star Wars: Path of the Jedi - It's just a movie trailer. 
14. Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
13. Star Wars Launch Bay
12. Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage - This pair of shows are fine for what they are, but have been around unchanged for way too long. 
11. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
10. Jedi Training Academy
9. Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Fireworks - The only fireworks show that I am ranking that I have not actually seen. But this feels like a good place for it. 
8. Fantasmic - After seeing Disneyland's, I feel like I can skip this in the future. 
7. Rockin Roller Coaster
6. Walt Disney Presents - This ranking is really based on its old version as One Man's Dream, but I think its value holds, even if just for all the cool models. 
5. Toy Story Midway Mania
4. Muppet Vision 3D 
3. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular - The original and still the best theme park stunt show. I think it's scale is still impressive for a theme park setting and it really is the only thing left that reflects the original park idea of putting you behind the scenes of the movie making process. 
2. Star Tours - Even though this is an old attraction and a common ride system, points for it being one of the first and for the randomization of sequences. Adds a lot to re-ridability. 
1. Tower of Terror - Both an incredibly fun attraction and an example of really great and thorough theming. Basically the only attraction that would make me strongly consider going to Hollywood Studios for a day right now. 

Disney's Animal Kingdom

19. Triceratops Spin
18. It's Tough to be a Bug
17. Primeval Whirl - I used to think this was fun, but my memory of the last time I rode it is that it was pretty rough. Plus, penalty for the area around it. 
16. Rakiki's Planet Watch 
15. The Boneyard
14. Kali River Rapids - Last couple trips have been in winter, when getting soaked was not a great idea, so I don't have the best view of this attraction. 
13. Finding Nemo: The Musical
12. The Oasis Animals
11. Flights of Wonder
10. Dinosaur - It hurts to ride this and know that it is basically the same thing as Indiana Jones. It's just so dark and rough and empty compared to the better version. 
9. Rivers of Light - I liked it, loved the idea and the style and the music, but felt it needed something more. Still, good show and middle ranking in a strong park. 
8. Navi River Journey - That animatronic is super great, but it is only worth like a 20 minute wait.
7. Maharajah Jungle Trek
6. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
5. Festival of the Lion King - This show shouldn't be as good as it is. It's old and uses parade floats, but it is still really fun and entertaining after so long. 
4. Discovery Island Animals - This wins among the animal trails because of the views of the Tree of Life along the way. There's some incredibly photogenic paths in this area. 
3. Expedition Everest
2. Kilimanjaro Safaris - Safe to say this is the most ambitious attraction in all the parks, right? So that gives it a lot of points, plus is a good attraction anyway. 
1. Flight of Passage - I went into this trip expecting to like Flight of Passage, but didn't really think it could take the top spot. It easily did. 

Top 10 for the Overall Resort

10. Big Thunder Mountain - I start with a trio of coasters. All really fun, all well themed, all fit really well in their land. Three really solid attractions that I absolutely have to ride each trip. 
9. Expedition Everest
8. Space Mountain
7. Kilimanjaro Safaris - It just amazes me that this attraction exists. It's nearly the size of Hollywood Studios by itself and is so ambitious. I don't think this would ever be built now.
6. Illuminations - Best way to end a night in the parks I think, and it says a lot that a fireworks show is so high on my list. 
5. Tomorrowland Transit Authority - It's just so relaxing, and you get great views, plus it makes you feel like your a true futuristic Progress City. 
4. Spaceship Earth - Here's a pair of really well done traditional dark rides that are the absolute best examples of the attraction type. 
3. Haunted Mansion
2. Tower of Terror - This is what I previously thought was my favorite of the resort, making it hard to skip the park all together this last trip. 
1. Flight of Passage - But because this is the one attraction that even weeks later I most want to ride again, I think that means it is my favorite attraction in the resort. Really amazing overall experience that ups the bar for themed attractions. 

I think it is interesting how I ended up with one from each park in the top 4, but overall more from Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, and less from the other two parks. I foresee though that the list could change at some point in 2019.

So those are the decisions I have come to for my best attractions of the four Walt Disney World Parks and the Resort overall. 

So now that I have shared my list, what about you? Do we share any opinions about the best of the resort? 

Balloon Simulator Attraction

The post this month is an attraction concept that I am really excited about, and if you've been around my projects for a while, one you have seen a version of before.

This is I think my third full version of my idea for a balloon simulator attraction. Think Soarin, but with a hot air balloon and inside a 360 degree screen, showing panoramic views over some kind of landscape.

I've had this idea for so long that I really don't even know where it came from. I guess just wanting to make my own unique version of the so common flight simulators. But one of the reasons that I stick with it is because the idea of a 360 degree experience is interesting to me and I think could solve some of the problems of current flight simulators: that if you look exactly where you are supposed to, its a perfect experience, but once you see the edges of the screen, your pulled out of the flight.

The idea has been the same all along, but the mechanics of the ride system changes with each version. Though I am not an engineer, I like problem solving through how a ride system like this could work.

I have designed this as just the generic ride system for now, not as a specific attraction. However, I included this attraction in my Worlds of Exploration 3rd Gate for Disneyland as a hot air balloon safari, and in the past used it for a Australian Outback ride in previous Animal Kingdom plans. It will likely return to my next Animal Kingdom in some form. In all the cases I have imagined it, it has been for landscape based flying experiences.

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So I'll start with the layout of the building. I've designed it with 3 theaters in one building, but I guess it really could be modified for whatever amount is needed. The main attraction building is 80' wide, 245' long, and something like 55' tall. That doesn't really include queue or exit space, I imagine that would be customized to each version use of the attraction.

In this concept, you load on one floor level, called the 2nd level above, and unload on the level below. How the necessary stairs/ramps/elevators would work to move guests up or down before or after the ride is also outside of this building. I have it drawn as just an entry on the second level and an exit on the first level.

After the queue, guests enter the main showbulding portion down a hall, with one line for Fastpass+ and one for standby. At the end, guests are distributed to two preshow holding rooms. The one on the left serves two theaters, the one straight ahead serves the third. It would be possible to do a 4 theater version of this as more of a square building, two theaters and one preshow on each side of the center hall.

The left side room would reload twice as frequently as the other room, since it serves two theaters, so guests in the second room would have twice as long a preshow. So there could be some kind of passive introduction to the subject of the attraction that could last a variable time and then the actual preshow content before your room moves on to the next step in the attraction.

Out of the preshow room, the group of guests are grouped onto numbers in four single file lines, split into two halves with a railing. Here would be the final preshow and the safety instructions. The the doors at the end of the room open and markings on the floor lead around the bend into the main theater. Guests walk across an elevated gangplank platform to the balloon platform in the center of the theater. Above the seating, through what appears to be a round opening in the ceiling, guests can see the bottom of the giant balloon above, tied to the seating platform with a series of ropes and cables meant to look authentic.

The actual theater "vehicle" has three stadium seating rows split into half with aisles on either side. The far left and right of the four numbered lines lead to the front row on either side, and the other two lines feed to the second and third rows. Guests sit and strap in with a seatbelt like Soarin and then the attraction begins. The balloon theater rises up from the gangplank and up and out of that opening in the ceiling and into the sky. The trick is that the theater has not yet moved. To end the attraction, the theater descends 10' and rejoins the gangplank at the lower level to exit. Guests then leave out a pair of doors to an exit hallway and then leave the building. The attraction then resets for the next group of guests.

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Now how the theater actually works. Follow along with the animation.

There are three moving pieces to each theater. The "gangplank" loading platform, the seating platform, and the projection dome. Each are independent but synchronize to create the illusion that you are flying up and away.

The moving seating platform also includes a small portion of fake balloon above the guests to frame the view of the screen. It visually merges with another stationary continuing section of fake balloon above that, which actually holds some of the projectors. The other projectors are below the seating platform.

The attraction load begins with the dome elevated and the load platform aligned with the seating. Then in synchronization, they both descend and the projections begin on the lowering dome, making it feel like you are actually going up. Both move up and down along 4 large "column" structures, so the system is in a way freestanding and independent of the building.

Once the dome is lowered into place, it should fill the full field of view of guests in the vehicle. The front row may be able to see above and below if they try hard, but with the average view, you are fully in the immersive dome.

There could also be some environmental effects in the attraction, like smells, wind, or light mist, all coming from the fake balloon canopy above.

The seating platform at the center can move slightly up and down during the attraction to simulate flight movement, and then can descend 10' on scissor lifts to unload on the lower floor. It can also rotate to add to the sensation of movement.

After unloading, the whole system moves 10' back up to reset and the attraction cycle begins again.

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Each theater seats 62 guests per cycle. There could potentially be 8 cycles an hour, which I believe is the same amount as Soarin. So that means about a 4.5 minute ride and 3 minutes load and unload, again basically the same as Soarin. 

So each theater gets through 496 guests an hour and the total project moves 1,488 guests an hour. Not bad. Better than 2 theater Soarin, slightly less than the 3 theater version. If it needed to be a people eating E ticket, it could be modified to 4 or more theaters easily.

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That is it for this ride system concept. This is the third big ride system that I've worked out and I really like it, even if its a little different than the architecture style stuff I normally do. It also lets me play around with Blender, which is a fun challenge every time. 

Not sure what will be up next month, but hopefully soon I will be ready to post my plan for my redesign of Hollywood Studios, or whatever it is called by then. 

Thanks for reading and check back next month for something brand new! 

One Week at the Walt Disney World Resort: A Trip Report

If you follow me on twitter, you know that I just got back from a week at Walt Disney World. During the week, I shared a lot of my thoughts on twitter each day, but I decided that I wanted to write a really quick trip report/review to expand on my thoughts.

I really want this to be a short little summary of my views, but as you know, I am a long writer so who knows how long this will end up. I want to just hit some of the most significant elements of the trip and share what I think about them.

So I think I will try to break this out into each park with a couple thoughts for each.

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But first, I want to talk about planning, My Disney Experience, and Fastpass+. I have very mixed views here. This was my first trip ever to use the new technology so I'd seen the years of people complaining about the system and then getting used to it.

It was mostly successful for us. I got up early so many days out to get the fastpasses we wanted, and got all the difficult to get necessary ones. I set up the My Disney experience app with all our plans and was familiar with the app. All set for it all to work.

But then the first day, I had a series of serious issues. The problem ended up being not with using the initial fastpasses I had, but with the process of getting additional fastpasses later in the day. I think the issue had to do with the irregularity of my party: we included one person in a wheelchair who was not really able to ride much, but all the fastpasses I made were set up for the whole group. So if some members of the party did not go on the attraction, their fastpasses went unused. Plus many attractions do not have a accessible fastpass queue, so we would try to use our fastpasses but be sent to the exit instead without our fastpasses being used. I had assumed that once the window passed, the fastpass would be disappear or be considered used. So we ended up making it to halfway through the day with all our fastpass windows being passed, but the app would not allow me to make any more fastpasses for the group because not everyone used all 3 of their initial fastpasses. Trying to solve this problem was confusing for even me, especially because there were no cast members staffed to assist at any of the fastpass+ kiosks. Plus the app became much more glitchy while in the park, I assume because of the weaker wifi. I frequently had tech errors when trying to alter those fastpasses that went unused. It just wouldn't let me modify them any way I tried. So we were basically stuck without any more fastpasses that day.

The solution ended up being that we had to make sure through the week that no fastpass went unused. If someone didn't want to ride, I went twice. And if a ride sent us to the exit instead of the queue, I made them scan our fastpasses anyway to get the credit. So it works and it definitely makes sense for the normal guest, but in our more specific situation, the fastpass+ system seemed challenging.

Also, I have to say that I honestly miss having to run around the park to get fastpass tickets. It was fun for me, plus there seemed to be way better availability later in the day with the paper system than the digital system. I remember being able to still get good stuff in the afternoon before, but now the main attractions are gone way earlier in the day. I get that overall it is an improvement for the average guest, but I miss being able to use it like I did.

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I don't think I have a ton to say about the Magic Kingdom. It looks good, it is insanely crowded, it needs more attractions to hold that capacity, and it has too many strollers.

Quite honestly, I have somewhat aged out of so much of that park, so there is not as much that I want to do than in past trips. Now I like it just for the atmosphere, which the park is still very good at. 

Now that I have been to Disneyland, I have a different view on so many of the attractions in the Magic Kingdom, all the clones between the resorts. Unfortunately, in most cases, the Disneyland version is way better. I prefer Pirates, Jungle Cruise, The Tiki Room, The Railroad, Big Thunder, The Rivers of America, and Space Mountain in Disneyland. Of the clones, really only Haunted Mansion is better here, but even then I rode that one before the Hat Box Ghost so I don't really even know anymore.

The good news is that the stuff that is unique to the park is really really good and adds a ton of value. The Country Bears, the Peoplemover, and the Carousel of Progress are a super solid top 3 of unique things for the park, and all three are underappreciated attractions that I was happy to see with a big crowd last week.

Also, the park is really strong with entertainment right now I think, even with the lack of a night parade. Festival of Fantasy is a solid parade and infinitely better than what was running before it, there's some cool character interactions, like the Country Bears who wander Frontierland and talking Mickey at Town Hall, and Liberty Square currently has one of the coolest and most entertaining streets shows I've seen with the Muppets. I appreciate how its real actual puppeteering with a pretty big cast, and its a fun show that is in theme yet really entertaining. On top of all that, I am a big fan of Happily Ever After, which is odd because I initially really didn't like it much when I saw it online. It has really grown on me though and is super impressive in person. 

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Even though this is still in the Magic Kingdom, I am giving this it's own grouping. During the trip, I took the Keys to the Kingdom tour in the park and I have mixed thoughts on it. I tweeted about this some that day, but it is definitely a pretty basic look at the history and operations of the park. Not much information at all that I didn't know or that someone with a intermediate knowledge of park history wouldn't know. For example, major segments were about force perspective, windows on Main Street, and the history of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. All good info, but nothing all that out there.

But the good part of the tour was the backstage access, which is really the main reason why anyone takes the tour. It included getting to walk back to the parade barn behind Splash Mountain and about half an hour down in the Utilidors. It really is a little surprising to see just how plain backstage is, but also fascinating to see the reality that runs the park. The parade barn trip was really just a quick look at the empty warehouse where the floats were parked, and I think it was cooler to just be able to walk backstage across the train tracks. The Utilidor walk the highlight, starting below Fantasyland and a lot of the more active areas of the complex, like the exercise room and dressing rooms. The walk then went directly under the Castle and Main Street, towards the area that is more offices and storage for the Emporium, where there were a lot of cool historical features on the walls. We crossed a ton of the park underground which really changes how you view the park above. Its one huge building really. 

So overall, the tour is worth it if you don't have a ton of Disney knowledge already or if you really want to see the backstage areas. 

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EPCOT is the park that I spent the most time in during the trip, but I think EPCOT is the park with the least to do (aside from Hollywood Studios of course). That's not necessarily a bad thing. Its just so much a park that is designed around experience and exploration, not rides, so that really can change how different people view the park.

Personally, Future World just feels underdeveloped right now with so much closed or just not very great, even though there are some really good attractions in the land. I really feel like Spaceship Earth is one of the true peaks of Imagineering even with the weird ending, and attractions like Living with the Land and Misson: Space fully dive into their concept. The rest is a mixed bag of quality. I was less impressed by Test Track and Soarin as in past trips, and the Seas and Imagination are just disappointing in their current states if you know their history.

World Showcase seems way better right now even though it needs more attractions as well. At least there is plenty to explore, learn about, and eat. It's also packed, and really could use that next country or two, whatever they are going to be, and attractions to pull people off the pathway. 

As for the Festival of the Arts, we enjoyed it but to be fair we didn't actually do much of the special stuff. We only saw about 2/3rds of the concert from the path outside, only did a couple photo spots, only got one or two food items, and only watched a few minutes of the special entertainment. But the overall feel that the festival brought to the park was really nice and fit the park well. I think that's the true value to the festivals, they really make the park feel like the World's Fair its meant to be. 

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Hollywood Studios: no thoughts because we didn't go. It's weird to skip a park, but there just wasnt enough to make it worth it when the other three parks are there. Happy with the decision, even if I missed riding Tower of Terror, my previous favorite ride in the resort. I'll be back there in a few years when it is worth it. 

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And then there is Animal Kingdom. I think my new favorite park and where my new favorite attraction is. 

This trip was basically planned because of Pandora. The day after it's first previews, when the first videos all about it were coming out, we decided we should go back. So this was the thing that I was most looking forward to during the trip.

And it lived up the hype. I don't need to describe it to you, there's plenty of info and pictures online. But the beauty and impressive scale of the land outside, and the immersivness of the attractions inside is just incredible. Every view in the land appears to be a carefully designed composition with layers of scale and movement. Just incredible design that put it above so much in the parks. 

Flight of Passage is the big element here to discuss. I was lucky and got to ride it 3 times in one day. First, I rope dropped solo to ride it first thing in the morning, with the intent of seeing the full queue. Getting there 40 minutes before park opening got me on and off the ride by about 30 minutes after open. Unfortunately, for the first hour of so of the day, they don't open the full queue and instead route everyone through fastpass. So I missed the indoor jungle, the lab, and the Navi in the tank, which is super disappointing. But the ride after that made up for it. I then got to ride it two more times that afternoon with our fastpasses and rider switching.

It's really incredible how realistic the sensation of flight is with just a couple effects and a moving seat. It really seriously feels like you are flying. On the third ride I mostly looked behind me and to the side to see how it works. It was fun to see how the full link room bounces up and down in coordination with the film and to watch the rows on the opposite side of you. Funny to think that people called this just a Soarin clone before it opened. It's way more and I think it might be my favorite ride in the parks. It's hard to decide so close after the trip, and it might be the newness of the ride, but its the thing that I most want to ride again right now. Definitely up there with the best of the resort at a minimum. 

Different thoughts about Navi River Journey though. Its very nice for what it is, but isn't worth the waits it is getting right now. Its the kind of thing that should be 15-30 minutes max. Luckily, I didn't wait that long, so I am not regretting the decision to ride it. Its a nice little boat ride with some cool effects, like the frogs on the leafs above, which I think is one of the most well done special effects I've seen in a long time. And the AA figure at the end is fantastic. But it really could use a couple more things along the way and it should have been longer. It should have like 2 more Navi figures and a couple animals along the water, all just basic figures with limited motion to add more to look at on the way. Maybe that'll happen in a distant future refurb.

The rest of the park is just as strong and like I said, I think it is my new favorite park of the resort, and I think that has to do with my tastes changing from rides to more enjoying the experience of the park. It's an environment strong park, with plenty of areas to explore, plenty of things to watch, and a lot of space to just relax and enjoy being in a themed environment. That's what I want out of a theme park now, plus having good rides helps too. I really don't understand how anyone could say that it is a half day park anymore, as I didn't even get to everything in a full day.

It really is incredible to look at this park and think about how lucky we are to have it and how amazing it is that it happened just 20 years ago. It breaks so many rules for theme parks and I absolutely think it would never be built now. It really hit me while on Kilamajaro Safaris when I realized that I'm on a ride that's the size of its own theme park, on free driving vehicles, seeing dozens and dozens of real animals, and hearing a spiel about serious topics like ecology and recycling. Thats 4 rules broken and it makes a great attraction and a great park. 

Last, this was the first trip where I got to be in the park at night so that was really cool, but I wish it was open even later because there was so much to see. We focused on Rivers of Light and the Tree of Life Awakenings, both good, both beautiful, but I agree with the general consensus that Rivers of Light needs some kind of story. It's interesting how the Tree of Life projections have a significantly stronger throughline in just a couple minutes yet are still as beautiful and abstract and don't need narration to make sense. Rivers of Light has all the elements it needs and the visuals are great, but I think just some organization and structure to the show would help create more of a story you can follow. My quick opinion is that they should have used the 4 animal barges more in the middle of the show. Maybe structure the show with 4 segments highlighting the 4 animals. 

As I sit here a week later, Animal Kingdom is definitely the park I want to be back at and Flight of Passage is the ride I definitely want to be riding, so I think that makes this park recent growth a big success. 

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Beyond the parks, here's a couple other things worth mentioning. 

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire rivals Flight of Passage as the coolest thing I did all week. I've never done anything VR before so this was a totally new experience. Groundbreaking and makes me think more about how VR should be used in themed entertainment. The talk so often is that VR is impersonal and you can't share experiences with you friends and family. And I felt that a bit in this case, but it was not very bad. Definitely worth doing.

We stayed at the Polynesian, which was a step up for us and a really nice place to stay. We've done moderates and values in the past aside from one Wilderness Lodge stay, but wanted to do something nicer this time. This is definitely the best Monorail loop hotel in my opinion, but I don't like fancy and it is my style so that is probably why. The hotel definitely has some special amenities that you have to take advantage of if you stay there. I mean dole whips, Trader Sams, and watching fireworks from the beach. 

Last, I'll mention the crowds. Before getting there, the wait times were appearing to be higher than expected and then I think the day before getting there, a Touring Plans article came out talking about how the crowds are just way higher now than anyone expected and they don't know why. We were a little worried. 

It turned out that yes the crowds were higher than normal, but as it was January, not yet bad enough to cause issue. All the big rides were constantly over an hour and there were a ton of areas of the parks that were overcrowded. It was definitely challenging at times, but if you know how to properly tour the parks and use fastpass, it was not that bad. I can only image how it is going to be in the summer though if it stays like this. Guess that is why we are getting both a lot of expansion and higher ticket prices soon. I think were just at the point that the parks are always going to have some level of crowd, Disney has done too well at spreading the density through the whole year with special events and discounts. Planning strategy is just going to have to respond now. 

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So I think that is everything I want to say about our trip. It was a great time even with the challenges. And the trip really reconfirmed to me to this is what I want to do.

So thanks for being a reader here and helping me do what I enjoy. 

The goal is to get back to one post a month for this year, and this is a bonus post. So EPCOT was January and I'll have something else up later this month, either an attraction I am working on or a part two to the How To essay with more information about what I think about when putting a plan together.