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View Full Version : Please help a newbie... I have several questions (sorry if I have duplicate posts)



kathyinaf
04-06-2006, 03:34 PM
I have a couple questions:

1) is Fantasmic too overwhelming for a barely 4 yr old boy? (he doesn't like loud noise and I am thinking it would be too scary???)
2) to get a birthday sticker, can it be the week of your trip and not the exact day? We have three b-day celebrations in April. Also, is the sticker good for the three days the kids are there or do you just wear it one day? Is it really worth getting one?
3) is parking at DL joke? Sounds like you park far away and then you still have to catch a tram. We are at a hotel on Harbor and have ART passes. Sounds like maybe we should just use it and leave the rental car at the hotel?
4) What is the best character breakfast for a 4 yr old boy? I have read alot of good reviews about the Plaza Inn. The only character that my little guy is really into is Chip & Dale (and Buzz, of course!) My dilemma is that we wanted to do the character breakfast the morning that we fly out and so I am assuming that we can't get into DL to the Plaza just for breakfast, correct?
5) Any opinions regarding RideMax?
THANK YOU all so much for sharing your opinions and experiences. Trip planning is stressful but an obsession of mine. :)

Kathy

Niwel
04-06-2006, 03:48 PM
1) is Fantasmic too overwhelming for a barely 4 yr old boy? (he doesn't like loud noise and I am thinking it would be too scary???)

Check out this thread here (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=55391) for that.


2) to get a birthday sticker, can it be the week of your trip and not the exact day? We have three b-day celebrations in April. Also, is the sticker good for the three days the kids are there or do you just wear it one day? Is it really worth getting one?
It can be any day, I don't think they make you show proof at City Hall (and you can get a fresh one each day). It really doesn't "get" you anything though -- except a lot of "happy Birthdays"


3) is parking at DL joke? Sounds like you park far away and then you still have to catch a tram. We are at a hotel on Harbor and have ART passes. Sounds like maybe we should just use it and leave the rental car at the hotel?
Mickey and Friends isn't too bad, although it does cost money to park there... since you have ART passes, you might want to do that (or walk if you aren't too far)


4) What is the best character breakfast for a 4 yr old boy? I have read alot of good reviews about the Plaza Inn. The only character that my little guy is really into is Chip & Dale (and Buzz, of course!) My dilemma is that we wanted to do the character breakfast the morning that we fly out and so I am assuming that we can't get into DL to the Plaza just for breakfast, correct?

If you want a character breakfast with Chip and Dale, you can do the one at Storytellers at the Grand Californian (you also see the folks from Brother Bear) AND because it isn't in the park, you won't have to buy a ticket, just enter through Downtown Disney. BTW: it is really YUMMY!

twist1980
04-06-2006, 03:51 PM
2) to get a birthday sticker, can it be the week of your trip and not the exact day? We have three b-day celebrations in April. Also, is the sticker good for the three days the kids are there or do you just wear it one day? Is it really worth getting one?
4) What is the best character breakfast for a 4 yr old boy? I have read alot of good reviews about the Plaza Inn. The only character that my little guy is really into is Chip & Dale (and Buzz, of course!) My dilemma is that we wanted to do the character breakfast the morning that we fly out and so I am assuming that we can't get into DL to the Plaza just for breakfast, correct?
5) Any opinions regarding RideMax?
THANK YOU all so much for sharing your opinions and experiences.

2) Birthday stickers are totally worth it! It was so much fun to hear everyone wish my Mom a Happy Birthday on her 50th! She even had a CM sing to her! :D She also ended up getting free dessert at the Blue Bayou!

4) I second the Chip & Dale breakfast at GCH. Niwel said it perfectly and I don't have much else to add!

5) I haven't used RideMax, but I've heard nothing but good things about it!

gimp_boy76
04-06-2006, 04:03 PM
Regarding the parking, where on Harbor are you staying? You may be close enough to walk, but since you have ART you could gauge it depending on how many people are waiting to get on the bus. Storyteller's Cafe supposedly has a really good breakfast (haven't tried it) but the only characters are Chip, Dale and Pluto so maybe that will work for you since it's in Grand Californian so you don't have to be in the park. Oh and you can get the stickers even if it's not your birthday, they also have birthday buckets you can purchase if you want, one is themed for Buzz but when I ordered one for our trip they told me they were out of those, there's a whole bunch of birthday stuff you can do follow these links here (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlr/dlrbirthdays.html) and here (http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm050412lp).
I haven't tried RideMax out myself, we are using it for our trip in May, the funny thing is I had made a plan in my mind and RideMax was pretty close to that. The biggest thing to remember is that you need to do the Fantasyland rides first thing as they are the slowest loading and have the least capacity, definitely do Peter Pan first thing, then Dumbo, etc. Always get FastPasses for Space Mt. first thing, read the recent article about making the most of FastPasses here (http://www.mouseplanet.com/misc.php?pg=fastpass) and I really like this poster's suggestions (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=46207&highlight=RideMax) from last summer hope this helps!

Cherene
04-06-2006, 09:57 PM
On question #1 regarding Fantasmic and a 4 year old. Last year we took my dd who was 3.5 at the time and who is also firghtened of loud noises. She was scared when the queen came out and whith the loud booms. But once we figured out when things were happening and could give her a little warning she would cover her ears and be fine with it. Just be aware that it can be load and overwhelming for the little ones. She wants to see it again but she also wants the bad queen to not be there :)

yellowrosedtxn
04-07-2006, 04:38 AM
I'll add my two cents in for Ridemax. It is a wonderful program... BUT (isnt' there always a but?) the problem is, you have a four year old child who might not be excited to rush from one ride after another. I tried this last year with my dad and three kids, but there were some places that they wanted to spend more time. (Like redwood trails in DCA.) You can always skip over some things that or if you don't feel like going on a certain ride at a certain time. Overall it is really a wonderful program, but some people don't like the commando style and they would rather do things when they felt like it, not when a sheet of paper told them too.

I am sure you will get other opinions here, but if you don't want to feel rushed - then don't go use ridemax. But if your main goal is to ride on every ride as quickly as possible, than use it. I really liked using it, but everyone else felt rushed.

gimp_boy76
04-07-2006, 06:14 AM
I also wanted to quickly add we used the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland's ride plans last time, they worked really well. I know some people are put off by having a plan, this is a vacation after all, and and I'm not a "type A" at all, it's just nice to have some direction so you get a general idea of what you want to do. We also have a 4 year old so we're gearing our plan to that, with RideMax you don't have to pick the maximum amount of rides per day, just pick a few and then sprinkle your favs throughout or time to meet characters, etc. But I'll say this, talking to people who haven't used a plan for their first time, they certainly saw a lot less of the park.

Waste,Please!
04-07-2006, 06:42 AM
I think Ridemax is great for planning, even if you have small kids. We used Ridemax for a trip in early February with our 3 and 1 year old girls, and it was wonderful to be armed with knowledge of when certain short rides would have long lines and which long rides always had short waits.

BUT, we usually didn't follow a prescribed touring plan, as my 1yo would want to stop and watch ducks for 20 minutes, and the 3yo would want to ride Pooh 3 times in a row. Instead, I ran multiple scenarios before we left, noting the waits at different times of day. I even made some plans using the same ride over and over, just to see how the wait changed over the course of the day. That way, when my 3yo pointed to Dumbo at 1 pm I could tell her "No, we'll ride it first thing tomorrow." (I had prepared her before the trip that sometimes we couldn't ride things exactly when we wanted to.)

I also found the "Hints and Tips" from Ridemax very useful, combined with the advice I gleaned from this site. We're going back to Disneyland at the end of April and will be using the same strategy.

bassett1976
04-07-2006, 07:32 AM
I have a couple questions:
4) The only character that my little guy is really into is Chip & Dale

If you have a Disney Visa you can go to the special meet and greet at DCA. They typically have Chip and Dale or Mickey and Goofy. THis is subject to change, of course. Its a great way to get some time with Chip and Dale and not have long lines. We've only had to waite once for 10 minutes, most of the time you are the only ones there.

If you don't have a Disney Visa you could apply for one and if you get it by your trip you can use it. You also get a free picture and you don't actually have to use the card. YOu only have to show the card to get the free picture.

SeansMom
04-07-2006, 08:21 AM
My 1yo would want to stop and watch ducks for 20 minutes, and the 3yo would want to ride Pooh 3 times in a row. Instead, I ran multiple scenarios before we left, noting the waits at different times of day. I even made some plans using the same ride over and over, just to see how the wait changed over the course of the day. That way, when my 3yo pointed to Dumbo at 1 pm I could tell her "No, we'll ride it first thing tomorrow." (I had prepared her before the trip that sometimes we couldn't ride things exactly when we wanted to.) I also found the "Hints and Tips" from Ridemax very useful, combined with the advice I gleaned from this site. We're going back to Disneyland at the end of April and will be using the same strategy.

We had a very similiar experience with RideMax, including the ducks! My just turned 12 yo DS wanted to spend a fair amount of time watching the ducklings...and our just returned from Iraq DS wanted to ride Indiana Jones again...and again...and again. That said, I'd purchase the program again and play with it a bit. I printed out more than one scenario for every day, and also broke the park down into lands, so it wasn't a race to cover the entire park everyday. Then again, we had 6 days, plenty of time to go at a slow pace. One thing that might make RideMax very valuable for your trip is that the park (from what I've read) has been busy to very, very busy. It's always good to have a plan on days like that!

Enjoy!

kathyinaf
04-07-2006, 08:56 AM
I've perused the DIS boards but just found these as well and I am really impressed with the helpfulness and friendliness of those willing to share their experiences with others (like me!)

Thanks again,

Kathy

Bolivar
04-07-2006, 10:05 AM
My son was five when he saw Fantasmic. He was very upset when the dragon breathed fire on the water and it burned. He started screaming, "The ducks! The ducks!" Because earlier he had been watching the ducks swim there. It took a bit of convincing before he believed that they had swam (swum?) away.

donaldquackers
04-07-2006, 10:23 AM
From your user name does that mean Kathy in American Fork? There are a few of us here on the boards. I took three 3 year olds to the park last summer. One loved everything, another only certain rides that didn't go fast and we had to watch out for the noise level. She liked the fireworks from far away but not up close. The third was OK if he was sitting with his mom, but no one else. We used stollers and child leashes throughout our stay. Often the stollers were empty but we then used them to hold our water and other stuff. I'll be taking one of the now 4 year olds in June. I thought about not taking the stroller, but there is just too much walking and too much freedom for a 4 year old. I like being able to say now is the time to be in the stroller. We saw charactors all over the park and didn't feel the need for a charactor breakfast.

charpaul
04-07-2006, 10:42 AM
For a Character Experience I would recommend the Story Tellers Breakfast.

I had: Pluto - Chip - Dale - Koda - Kenai - Bahloo - Rafiki - and a Ranger Character at my breakfast there in January.

I went on a Sunday and there was hardly anyone there!! We had LOTS of character interaction - and we were a table of ADULTS!! Lots of good photos:D

kathyinaf
04-07-2006, 05:02 PM
You must be from Utah! Who else would know that American Fork is also known as AF. You are correct. AF is home sweet home for me! :D

kathyinaf
04-07-2006, 05:26 PM
My boy LOVES Chip & Dale so at first I thought StoryTellers but it sounds rather mellow and he wouldn't know any of the other characters (we haven't seen Brother Bear). Then, I thought probably Goofy's Kitchen but it sounds a little chaotic and the food so-so. Also, my boy doesn't really know the Lilo & Stitch guys either. Now, I am thinking Plaza Inn. The snafu is that we were planning to go to the parks Mon, Tues, Wed and our flight leaves at 1:00 Thurs. so I thought we could end our experience with a character breakfast Thursday morning but that would eliminate Plaza Inn as we won't be in the park that day. I hate to use our park time eating breakfast. Any opinions would be SO appreciated. Thanks!

Kathy

Wendi
04-07-2006, 07:26 PM
I would go ahead and do Storyteller's Cafe. The character interaction is a bit more mellow, and he may not know all of the characters, but they seem to spend more time at each table... he might have enough fun just with Chip & Dale that he won't be bothered by not being familiar with the others. There is a funny wilderness guide guy there to play games and do fun stuff with too. But the clencher for me is definitely the food... it is truly the best breakfast ever! My mouth is watering for the French Toast now!!! The atmosphere really can't be beat either.

Susan L
04-07-2006, 08:19 PM
Chip and Dale are always at Goofy's Kitchen also, Goofy's Kitchen is a lot of fun.

gimp_boy76
04-07-2006, 09:41 PM
Hey guys my Bro-in-law lives just south of you in Spanish "Fark"!

adriennek
04-07-2006, 09:46 PM
Mod Note: Duplicating Threads Merged.

Adrienne