Park observations from 2/25-3/4
We took our 2.5 year-old to Disney WDW for her first trip and our first time back since 2018. We stayed at Caribbean Beach. I'd read a lot of general negativity around a few things on here so I was curious how I'd feel about things for myself.
Dining prices weren't nearly as bad as I'd expected. Inflation has made all of the restaurants around us raise their prices pretty dramatically over the past few years. Disney's quick service is right in line with what we're now expecting to pay at home, and actually less since you don't tip. Some of the table services also seemed somewhat reasonable.
Skyliner is incredible. It will be hard to stay anywhere that isn't on the line in the future now that we've experienced it. It'd be amazing if they could connect more parks but I can't imagine that being possible. I wish French Quarter were on the Skyliner...
Everything was very crowded but wait times for rides and food were all completely reasonable. Everything but the most premiere attractions were 45 minutes or less, usually more like 20-30. It really didn't seem that bad at all. Did we just get lucky?
Galaxy's Edge was a miss for us, even as big Star Wars fans. I really think Disney missed the mark by creating a new planet rather than grounding the land in beloved locations. The rides were great but I don't know that I'll feel much urge to visit this land again. Oga's in particular was absolutely not worth it. EDIT: Also wtf was the idea behind making Blue Milk a slushy? I expected maybe a smoothie but not a slushy. It tasted OK.
Our 2.5 year-old did 6 park days in a row with only one meltdown in the parks. We couldn't believe it. Most days we went from park opening to about 3 and then back to a park for dinner after a break. She loved absolutely loved it. We couldn't believe how much she was able to ride and really enjoy. The tea cups were her favorite ride.
If you're staying at Caribbean Beach I would highly recommend requesting Jamaica. It seemed like the ideal location for each access to everything.
I didn't hate Genie+ as much as I thought I would. We bought it for maybe 3 days and went without for the rest. My really gripe is how much time you end up looking at your phone in the parks but I'm not sure there is really a way around that.
All in we had a blast. I'm glad to squeezed in a trip while our daughter is still "free" in the parks. She may not remember this particular trip when she's 30 but she'll still remember it for years to come. It's going to make her super excited for the next one, that's for sure.