I have been going to Disney parks for as long as I can remember I've been going to Disney parks for…read moreas long as I can remember. It wasn't necessarily a huge thing growing up, but as I got older, got a paying job, and discovered the ability to enjoy a cocktail or two, I definitely started visiting a lot more often. As Florida residents, we do get better deals than out-of-state or international visitors, but even with those discounts, I honestly cannot believe how much the prices have exploded. And I mean that in the absolute worst way possible. It's aggravating and disappointing to see how greedy Disney has become. Why does a bottle of water cost $4? Why am I paying $15 for a small bowl of soup? I understand the whole concept of Disney being magical, where dreams come true and you're paying for an experience, but there no has to be a limit. Once ticket prices started climbing past $150, I pretty much refused to pay those ridiculous prices. The only way you're getting me into these parks anymore is with a free pass! Over the years, I've definitely been fortunate enough to receive my fair share of complimentary Disney passes. This time around, my girlfriend's boss had to leave a day early and could no longer use his pass, so he transferred it to me. Honestly, that was such a thoughtful and generous thing to do, especially considering he didn't even know me! So, my two girlfriends and I spent the day at Disney on and off very rainy day. One of my biggest annoyances, though, is how Disney handles Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Since it's October and the Halloween event requires a separate ticket, anyone who doesn't purchase one has to leave the park at 6 p.m. So, please explain to me why you're charging people full price for a regular park ticket when you're kicking them out early and they're missing some of the biggest events of the night, which is the fireworks! Make it make sense. It honestly feels like a money grab, especially when you consider how much you've already paid just to get through the gates. My girlfriend actually tried to get tickets for the Halloween party, but unfortunately, it was sold out. I absolutely LOVE visiting anything Disney-related during Halloween season because Halloween is my favorite holiday, so missing out on that experience was disappointing. I genuinely don't know how families afford Disney anymore. Sometimes I wonder how many people are putting these trips on credit cards and going into debt just to make those magical memories. A weeklong Disney vacation for a family must cost an absolute fortune once you factor in park tickets, hotel accommodations, food, drinks, and all the extras. Would I visit Disney again? Absolutely, especially if someone else is footing the bill! But paying out of pocket for an entire week with a family? I'd probably be living off ramen noodles for the foreseeable future. Honestly, at this point, I'd seriously consider going to Paris and visiting Disneyland Paris instead. You might get an entirely different experience for your money, and at least you'd get to visit another country while you're at it. Disney will always have a special place in my heart, but the magic is getting harder to justify when your wallet is the one taking the biggest hit.

A SERIOUS TRANSPORTATION & EMERGENCY-EGRESS CONCERN AT MAGIC KINGDOM…read more I absolutely love Magic Kingdom, but I believe Disney needs to seriously reconsider how guests travel between Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). Tens of thousands of guests can leave the park within a relatively short period. If approximately 20,000 guests need to reach the TTC during a concentrated departure period, the existing transportation system can become severely overwhelmed. When the monorails and ferries are operating normally, guests can divide between the two systems. But when the monorail is unavailable, thousands of people become dependent on the ferries. Consider just one hypothetical scenario: * 20,000 guests need to reach the TTC * Three ferries are operating * Each carries approximately 600 guests * A complete ferry cycle takes approximately 12 minutes Even under these optimistic assumptions, it could take approximately 135 minutes to move the entire crowd--and real-world loading, unloading, crowd movement, strollers, wheelchairs, children, and other delays can make the actual situation substantially worse. A guest leaving Magic Kingdom around 9:15 PM could potentially find themselves still trying to reach their vehicle close to midnight. That should not be an acceptable possible outcome. More importantly, I believe Disney should examine this from a life-safety and emergency-egress perspective, not merely a convenience perspective. The current system relies heavily on mechanically and electrically powered transportation. If a major emergency, power failure, mechanical failure, fire, severe weather event, or other incident simultaneously limits these systems, what independent high-capacity means exists for tens of thousands of guests to safely reach the TTC? I am not claiming that this necessarily constitutes a fire-code violation. That determination should be made by qualified fire/life-safety engineers and the appropriate authorities. However, the question deserves a serious formal review: Does the current transportation infrastructure provide sufficient independent emergency egress capacity if the monorails and ferries are simultaneously unavailable? A dedicated pedestrian bridge could address both the transportation bottleneck and this potential life-safety vulnerability. A roughly 15-foot-wide pedestrian bridge could provide hundreds of pedestrians per minute of independent capacity without relying on propulsion systems, electricity, or mechanical transportation. Instead of: Monorail + Ferries Disney could have: Monorail + Ferries + Pedestrian Bridge The bridge would provide: * A completely independent transportation option * Additional capacity during normal evening crowds * A backup when the monorail fails * A backup when ferry operations are disrupted * An emergency evacuation/egress option * Improved accessibility and reduced crowd congestion * Greater resilience for the entire transportation system This isn't about replacing the monorail or ferries. It is about redundancy. Disney invests enormous amounts of money creating attractions that guests remember for years. A pedestrian connection might not be as exciting, but it could benefit millions of guests and potentially provide an important layer of emergency resilience for decades. I strongly encourage Disney to conduct a professional feasibility and life-safety study of a dedicated pedestrian connection between Magic Kingdom and the TTC, including engineering, crowd-flow, accessibility, environmental, fire-code, emergency-egress, and cost considerations. The Happiest Place on Earth should have a transportation system that remains safe, reliable, and functional even when mechanical transportation fails. Please seriously consider building the bridge.

Overall, the waiting areas decorated in theme for Ariel's grotto. It's absolutely amazing. There…read moreare seashells embedded in the flooring. There are water features and it's a really cool retreat from some of the summer heat or the hotter days in fall or spring. Overall, the ride itself is smooth. It's a good transition. I will say that when for whatever reason they do have to stop the ride. If you are in the under the C-section of the song area, it can get a little bit loud for Littles and frankly for adults too, if you are sound sensitive. I wholly recommend this as a wonderful attraction and ride for all ages.

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid is OK. Ariel looks weird, mainly in the face…read more While I still enjoyed this ride and thought it was fun, the overall quality of the animatronics was a step below most other rides at Disney World. I thought maybe that was because this ride opened around the same time as the movie in 1989. However, I was a bit surprised to learn after the fact that this ride actually opened 23 years after the movie, in late 2012. On the ride, you board clamshells that take you on an adventure under the sea. Pretty much all the characters from the movie make an appearance and the ride is filled with Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's popular songs like "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," "Poor Unfortunate Souls," and "Kiss the Girl." The "Under the Sea" song and dance segment is bright and colorful. It reminds me of going to E.T.'s planet in the E.T. Adventure ride at Universal Studios. It's a festive party; both rides have that neon-colored, crowded "creature party" aesthetic. During our visit, the animatronic Ariel in this section was broken and inanimate. Kind of funny and creepy. During the "Kiss the Girl" segment, the plastic water coming out of the fishes' mouths didn't look great. It added to the overall sort of "knock-off" and kitschy look of the ride. Also, right before the end of the final scene with King Triton and the wedding of Ariel and Eric, the ride stopped on us. So, I was able to get a good, long look at the different animatronics and scenery. Finally, I thought the transitions between the high-quality video and the actual practical physical ride props were a bit jarring. Other rides do it better like, for example, the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros at EPCOT. We had Lightning Lane passes at around 1:47 PM on a non-holiday Monday and experienced no line and no wait.

No trip to WDW is complete without riding Pirates Of The Caribbean. Yes there have been updates…read morethrough out the years, and I feel like right now it is in a weird in between phase, but it's still a great ride. Iconic scenes. Memorable one liners. Great animatronics. We love this ride. The queue was clean. The cast members were in character. Was a very nice experience overall

I enjoyed riding Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney World again recently, but for the first time as…read morean adult. This is an incredibly popular and all-time classic ride, not just at Disney theme parks, but in the amusement park industry. It spawned a multi-billion dollar movie franchise, after all. At Disney, Universal, etc., I love the old-school rides with animatronics and practical special effects. They have a certain charm about them. The Disney World version of this ride opened at Magic Kingdom, in Adventureland, on December 15, 1973. The original version opened at Disneyland on March 18, 1967. I rode one or both of these versions when I was a kid back in 1989-1990. I think I enjoyed the ride more as an adult. Two other versions of this ride exist in Tokyo and Paris, making four total. A variation exists in Shanghai, but is different. The setting, the story, and of course, the music (from 1967) are whimsical and a lot of fun. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." In 2006, the ride was refurbished to incorporate characters from the film series that started in 2003, most notably with appearances from Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. The ride has a distinct smell caused by bromine, which Disney uses to treat the water instead of chlorine. It's become such a signature part of the "practical effect" charm that you can actually buy candles that smell like "Pirate Water." You might get a few little splashes of water on you and there's one small dip during the ride. We had Lightning Lane passes for this ride just before noon on a non-holiday Monday. We experienced little to no wait.

I've been there many yesterdays; plan on going some more tomorrows and wish I was here today!…read more It's a blast (no pun intended Buzz...) and you'll have fun too!

I liked this ride. It was a fun exciting one for my toddler. I let her take the driver's seat and…read morenow I have a preview of what things may look like in another 14 years. In this ride you drive your cars along the speedway. It only goes so fast but I think you do indeed have to hit the gas, which I did whilst my little one steered. We did a lot of bumping along the car's guard rail since driving was a new experience for her! At the end of the ride you can take a photo for your "permit". With my Memory Maker I was able to get a copy for free but otherwise I think it costs 7 or 8 bucks.

While exploring Fantasyland, I saw Rapunzel's Village and Tower! The most noticeable feature to me…read moreis the tower. Rapunzel's tower from Tangled is very cool to see from an up close perspective! It felt like you were in the movie! The tower is not accessible for entry, however, the outside of the tower has been detailed extremely well. The tower appears as though it could have easily come right out of the film. At daylight hours, the tower is quite nice. However, when evening arrives with lights like the lanterns from the movie, the entire atmosphere changes and becomes much more immersive! Although this area contains themed restrooms, there is no indication that they are bathrooms! This is not your average restroom stop in Magic Kingdom though! There are details throughout the area including Pascal hiding within some of the design elements, wanted posters of Flynn Rider and many other small details to give off the idea that this is essentially a mini Tangled town. I was happy about this being a slightly less crowded area of Fantasyland as well. It is nice to be able to step back and stop for a moment to capture some photos and take a quick rest from the crowds. Unlike many of the rides surrounding this area, there isn't always a huge crowd of people here! It is definitely worth stopping by especially at night. There are so much details to Rapunzel's tower!

LISTEN I FEEL CONFLICTED. Because YES this is a pretty area ok. but like IT'S A BATHROOM T.T I…read moredon't want the bare minimum when I've seen other parks have entire rides ok. T.T

We visited here with our kids and it was such a special experience. We were seated right away at…read moreour table. And we enjoyed our friendly servers, who made sure we were taken care of. We both ordered the steak as our main entree, which was cooked perfectly. Our kids loved the atmosphere and getting to meet all of the Disney princesses who stoped by our table from Snow White, the Little Mermaid, Jasmin from Aladin, among others. We're excited for even more great reviews moving forward.

Absolutely gorgeous! After seeing it in person, I now see what all the hype is about. There are so…read moremany fun photo angles you can try, it's beautiful from all sides! And at night it completely transforms with projection and lights abound. It honestly was pretty fun seeing all the kids and Disney parents in aw of it, just as I was, in a collective experience sort of way. Simply magical!

Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 4D show that is so lowkey!! I thought this would be cheesy, but I…read moreenjoyed myself more than expected. There were clouds of doom rolling in and with most of the outdoor rides being temporarily closed due to the weather, our group needed to wait it out. On a normal day, I would typically pass this one up. But, I'm so glad we got a chance to see this show! 12 minutes long, you'll be welcomed to a musical show accidentally hosted by Donald Duck and other Disney characters and songs featuring scents, effects, and water. You'll be singing along to classics such as "A Whole New World", "Part of Your World", "Be Our Guest", "Hakuna Matata", "You Can Fly" and added most recently "Poco Loco".

From time to time we stop in to see this fun filled 3D short film- show operates every 15 min or…read moreso.. seats are comfortable - keeps you engaged, sing along if you'd like, 100% recommend seeing this if you can fit it into your magic kingdom day!(:

One of my favorite rides at the park! I love this ride - even the line is fun to wait in and once…read moreyou get on the train - hold on for awesome fun! Twists and turns and around the bend but no upside downs!

Seven Dwarfs is a fun, classic, must-do ride at Disney! The queue is very cute and on-theme, where…read moreyou can spot the Seven-dwarfs cottage and when you enter the mine, some lit lanterns, and a little video featuring the seven dwarfs telling you how to stay safe on the ride! The ride's not that crazy, with only a couple of medium-sized drops, and little kids do it, too! The part indoors with the seven dwarfs is one of my favorite, because it's fun to watch them mining for diamonds and singing "Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it's off to work we go!" There are some twists and turns, and you get some pretty good speed on this coaster! I will say, at the beginning there is a small drop that some people freak out at when they see, but it's really not that bad. Thanks for reading! -A

Peter Pan's Flight was our very first ride at Magic Kingdom, and I'm honestly so glad we started…read morewith this one! I'll admit, I had never really watched Peter Pan before this trip (I know! ), but that didn't stop us from being excited to experience the ride. We waited about 25 minutes, which felt like a win because the line got MUCH longer later in the day. Even the queue itself was adorable. Walking through the Darling family's home was such a cute touch, and I especially loved the interactive shadow effect while waiting. It was so simple but really well done. The ride itself was short, but incredibly cute and whimsical. There's something so fun about being in the little ship and flying over Neverland. My daughter absolutely loved it. Definitely a great ride to hit early if you can. And if you're a Peter Pan fan, I imagine it's even more magical!

One of the most classic rides of all the Disney bunch - famous from the worlds fair and for its…read moreresident status in the parks for so long now - we love this classic and sing the song for days once we ride!

One of my favorite rides at Disney. It's soo chill, very spacious, super relaxing and yet still…read morequite fun! I love how it cuts through, above and below other rides and gives you an incredible view of the lines, so you can tell how to time the next hour of your day. Also, don't be scared of the line, it moves SUPER fast!

This is the "sit and relax" ride. It's easy to miss, but…read moreit's pretty nice for a break. It's an easy going sit down ride. It's usually never packed, but it's one of the more enjoyable and entertaining rides for relaxing. Don't pass it up! Especially when all the other rides have such a long wait!