Welcome to Ask The Duchess – Vol. 74, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here.
1. Which parking structures take you on the bus vs. the tram? My son is honestly more excited about the tram than the rides. (submitted by Ainsley)
I will have a more detailed post explaining parking options soon, but here’s the short and sweet version. The parking structures (Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals) use the tram to take you to Downtown Disney, close to the park gates. The Toy Story Lot will take you to the esplanade via bus, and the Dumbo Lot is close enough that guests walk to the esplanade.
2. How can I reserve a spot on the tram at park close to avoid the lines? (submitted by Gayle)
The trams, buses, and monorail have no reservation system. It’s first come, first serve.
3. Is there a single rider line you DON’T recommend doing and think it’s better just to wait in line? (submitted by Rob)
If the line for the Matterhorn or Space Mountain is 45 minutes or less, I just wait in the regular line. Those two single rider lines are by far the least efficient because cast members will try their best to fill every seat with guests in the regular line (understandably). Other attractions will just quickly use single riders to fill spaces without calling back to the general queue, so in those cases, being a single rider makes a much bigger difference.
4. Where can my daughter meet Esmeralda? She’s obsessed with her. (submitted by Nina)
Sadly, Esmeralda is not currently in the lineup for character meet and greets at the resort 🙁
5. Which recent park project do you think fumbled the bag the most? For me it was Pixar Pier. (submitted by Josh)
Ooh. There have been elements of different projects I thought were a huge let down (where’s the second E-ticket, Avengers Campus?). But overall, I agree – Pixar Pier was a haphazard re-theming. I think they could’ve added some Pixar attractions without trying to create the “neighborhoods” that don’t really flow together, and given how rich the worlds of Pixar are, they could’ve done something much more immersive. Generally speaking, I’m a fan of non-franchise lands anyway (Frontierland, Fantasyland), with franchises added within. It keeps the lands more timeless and you can usher in new franchises as they become popular without having to redesign an entire area of the park.