We also just returned on Saturday after spending a week there.

1. We noticed this too. At first we thought it was due to extra magic hours for Disney on property guests. You could walk the parks and most things were open like food and souvenir kiosks, but there was a rope just past Norway in Epcot until the park officially opened. You could also get in line for rides before the park opened.

   1. We also stayed off property and ate a quick breakfast before heading out. Lunch was at the parks.
   2. The Disney app was amazing! Great not to have to walk all the way to the ride to see wait times. Also, we had a toddler with us, so we could gauge if we could stand in line or do rider's switch with a play area nearby.
   3. Totally agree on this one! We got so many rides done before noon than the rest of the day (rides including the more popular ones like Mine Ride, Toy Story Mania, Aerosmith, Everest). In fact, the wait times jumped from 5-15 minutes to 45-50 minutes after 12 p.m. Incredible!
   4. Second this. We brought bottled iced tea and when we finished them, we used the drinking fountains and those liquid flavor drops found at Target, Kroger, etc. Very useful and made the water tasty.
   5. I last went to Disney three years ago and the crowds have definitely increased since then.

I would like to add if you're hoping to be immersed in the Season of the Force, you might be disappointed. It was canceled, per a cast member at Magic Kingdom. However, you can meet Darth Vader and Chewbacca at Hollywood Studios (we did and it was fun!). There are also two gift shops and a few stands to get a BB-8 cup or Darth Vader popcorn bucket.