Today is a good day--no, a GREAT day--to welcome the Disney Outlet back to Nashville! Yes, if you're reading this between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and, oh, maybe 1:00 p.m. Central time, I'm at the Grand Re-0pening of Opry Mills. Closed since the flood of May 2010, the Mills is opening with a host of new and exciting stores. But none has caused more excitement in our household that the Disney Outlet, as Nashville has been without a Disney Store since months before the 2010 flood. (First the Mills outlet store closed--unreleated to the flood--and then our only other Disney Store at Cool Springs Galleria also closed.)
I plan to post later today with pics and a report from the opening. Technically, the store has its official Grand Opening on Saturday, but I called and was assured by a Cast Member that they will be open on Thursday with over 160 other stores.
So, what is my Thursday's Tip? Arrive early. Whether you're going to a store opening where free goodies might be distributed (please, please!) or to the Disney Parks, where the early bird really does (often) catch the worm, arriving early is always a good idea. Early to arrive means early through the gate. And early through the gate means early in line for rope drop. And early in line for rope drop means early in line for your favorite attraction. And, if you're really lucky, arriving early might just give you a chance at being the family who gets to help Mickey and the gang open the Park for the day!
In the case of the Disney Outlet opening, I'm hoping early to arrive means some kind of fun freebie. I hear they are giving out ear hats on Saturday, but I'm hoping for something fun on opening day as well. I'll be sure to share the fun right here on Affording the Mou$e!
Showing posts with label rope drop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rope drop. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
DHS Testing New Opening Procedure
I'm hearing rumors that Disney's Hollywood Studios is testing a new Park opening procedure that essentially allows guests into the Park a half hour earlier than before. This "rope drop without a rope," as they're calling it internally, will allow all Park guests with valid tickets through the turnstiles at 8:30 a.m. (previous "normal" opening has been at 9:00 a.m.). The only three attractions that will open at 8:30 are Toy Story Midway Mania!, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror. All other attractions will open at 8:45. FastPasses will be distributed for all attractions that use the system beginning at 8:30, and signups for the popular Jedi Training Academy will also begin at 8:30 near the ABC Sound Studio that formerly housed Sounds Dangerous.
My guess is that they hope to alleviate some of the backup and harriedness that occurs when guests are rushing to the three big attractions--whether to ride or to retrieve a FastPass--at rope drop. Perhaps this will keeps guests with--how shall I say it?--less aggressive touring plans out of the fray. Whatever the reasoning, I can only guess that this will make the mad rush for FastPasses--particularly for Toy Story Midway Mania!--even more competitive, as they will likely be gone even earlier in the day than before.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Thursday's Tip
I'm a natural-born planner. I like to have an itinerary in hand months before we ever load up our car en route to Walt Disney World. And while not everyone shares my fervor for planning, most everyone who has ever been to WDW will agree that, at least to some extent, planning is an essential ingredient for a great experience with Mickey and the gang. Today's tip: create a strategic Park touring plan, based on your family's preferences.
For example, if you have teens or older kids who love thrill rides and adventure, your touring plan for, say, the Magic Kingdom will need to focus heavily on getting to the Mountains--Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. But if you're like me and have two little princesses in the family, you'll want to make sure you get in line early for the new Rapunzel & Flynn Ryder meet-n-greet. In other words, your strategy needs to focus on what's most important to you, and then you can fill in any "spare" time with the attractions that aren't quite as essential to your crew.
How do you make a touring plan? First, as previously mentioned, prioritize attractions as "must see," "see if time permits," and "skip." (There might be a few attractions you know you wouldn't visit, even if you had all the time in the world. Haunted Mansion was that way for us until just recently. Our girls had no interest in being scared...none. If my husband was choosing, he'd say Country Bear Jamboree fits in that category.)
Next, plan your FastPass useage. Yes, I said plan...there is a strategy to using this service. Since you can't get a new FastPass until the timeframe on your current FP has started, you don't want to pick up a FP in the morning that has a return time for 4 p.m. or after--that's too many hours to sit idly without a FP! Instead, head to another attraction with an earlier return period and get that FP first. [The exception to this rule is an attraction such as Toy Story Midway Mania that tends to run out of FastPasses by midday. Grab whatever time you can, or you'll be waiting for two hours in the standby line.] It's a complicated system, but when you learn how to use it properly, FP will save you a ton of time!
Finally, as much as possible, finish attractions in each area at once. Now, I know there are major touring websites who will disagree with this approach--and there are instances when it does make sense to skip around in order to fit in more attractions. But as a mom of small children, avoiding criss-crossing the Parks as much as possible saves us from having tired, cranky children. Also, to some extent there is an "instant gratification" thing going on. If the children see Dumbo, they want to ride Dumbo...now. Don't get me wrong, we do our fair share of hopping around; we simply try to avoid going from land to land irradically, unless there is a quick form of transportation (such as a train) very close by.
Just a few additional comments: It pays to arrive early (before rope drop). You'd be surprised how much you can see and do in the first two hours if you arrive before the Parks open. Also, it is imperative that you know what the newest and most popular attractions are, so that you can either get a FastPass or get in line for those first. Finally, come to terms now with the fact that you won't see and do everything you'd like to see and do. I've been to WDW over a dozen times and there are still attractions I'm going to get to "one of these days."
For example, if you have teens or older kids who love thrill rides and adventure, your touring plan for, say, the Magic Kingdom will need to focus heavily on getting to the Mountains--Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. But if you're like me and have two little princesses in the family, you'll want to make sure you get in line early for the new Rapunzel & Flynn Ryder meet-n-greet. In other words, your strategy needs to focus on what's most important to you, and then you can fill in any "spare" time with the attractions that aren't quite as essential to your crew.
How do you make a touring plan? First, as previously mentioned, prioritize attractions as "must see," "see if time permits," and "skip." (There might be a few attractions you know you wouldn't visit, even if you had all the time in the world. Haunted Mansion was that way for us until just recently. Our girls had no interest in being scared...none. If my husband was choosing, he'd say Country Bear Jamboree fits in that category.)
Next, plan your FastPass useage. Yes, I said plan...there is a strategy to using this service. Since you can't get a new FastPass until the timeframe on your current FP has started, you don't want to pick up a FP in the morning that has a return time for 4 p.m. or after--that's too many hours to sit idly without a FP! Instead, head to another attraction with an earlier return period and get that FP first. [The exception to this rule is an attraction such as Toy Story Midway Mania that tends to run out of FastPasses by midday. Grab whatever time you can, or you'll be waiting for two hours in the standby line.] It's a complicated system, but when you learn how to use it properly, FP will save you a ton of time!
Finally, as much as possible, finish attractions in each area at once. Now, I know there are major touring websites who will disagree with this approach--and there are instances when it does make sense to skip around in order to fit in more attractions. But as a mom of small children, avoiding criss-crossing the Parks as much as possible saves us from having tired, cranky children. Also, to some extent there is an "instant gratification" thing going on. If the children see Dumbo, they want to ride Dumbo...now. Don't get me wrong, we do our fair share of hopping around; we simply try to avoid going from land to land irradically, unless there is a quick form of transportation (such as a train) very close by.
Just a few additional comments: It pays to arrive early (before rope drop). You'd be surprised how much you can see and do in the first two hours if you arrive before the Parks open. Also, it is imperative that you know what the newest and most popular attractions are, so that you can either get a FastPass or get in line for those first. Finally, come to terms now with the fact that you won't see and do everything you'd like to see and do. I've been to WDW over a dozen times and there are still attractions I'm going to get to "one of these days."
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