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View Full Version : Trip Report (2-19 to 2-25)



itig
02-27-2007, 03:29 PM
I'm one of those people that go to DL and just cannot find the time to sit down and type up anything on the days of the trip. When we finally drag ourselves back to the hotel, I'm just too wiped out to bother booting up. So, instead of a day by day recounting of our trip, I'm just going to talk about some of the highlights topically...here we go...

Crowds
Yes, it was crowded and really busy on some of the days we were at the park. Sunday the 25th seemed to be way out of control, but by then, we were about to wave goodbye to the Mouse anyway and our 2:00 exit time was fine with us. It rained one day we were there, I believe it was Thursday night. My wife stayed back at the hotel with the baby and stroller (not ready for that adventure) and I took my 5 and 3 three year old boys to the park. As I had hoped and was thankful for, the park was pretty empty and we were able to get in some quality ride time. Peter Pan twice, Dumbo twice (they weren't even bothering to hand out the feathers) and of course Buzz about 4 times. We usually go when it's slower, so I don't think we will be visiting the park again during this time. I did not go expecting small crowds, but it was just confirmation to us that we like to take it a bit slower and not play stroller dodge all day long.

Desert Inn Anaheim Suites
This was our first time staying at this hotel and being within walking distance of the park...and we will never go back. Someone mentioned in another thread I started before the trip that this would revolutionize our park experience – truer words were never spoken. Not having to get on a shuttle or ride the tram saved us so much time and stress. I can't believe we never did this before, but it was great. I don't think the shuttle/tram thing would be so bad without a stroller and little ones, but in our current life situation, not having to mess with folding, unloading or otherwise muscling the stroller around is such a big help. OK, enough of that and on to the actual hotel. We stayed in the parlor A suite, which is their smallest. We thought it was perfectly suitable for our needs and didn't feel cramped at all. All the necessary amenities we needed were there (fridge, microwave, two rooms) and the room was clean. It's not a fancy place at all, but it was comfortable and worked well for us. We swam in the pool once during out stay. It was a bit on the cool side and had a touch too much chlorine, but I really didn't think it was that bad. It's not the nicest pool, but it works and we had a great time. We didn't bother with the hot tub, but it appeared to have a lot of bubbles in it :) The breakfast is kind of weird and skippable, as widely reported here on the boards. We grabbed some of the danishes for late night snacks (add a little butter and nuke it for 10 seconds..yummy) and also got some milk for the cereal that we brought....that was about it. My wife went down one morning to grab some milk and relayed that it was a bad scene down there. Basically, she said it was like a desperate frenzy of parents trying to get to the toast machine to feed their little ones before hitting the park. All in all, kind of pathetic...would it kill them to add hard boiled eggs or some small boxes of cereal? Don't get me wrong, it's better than nothing – just keep your expectations realistic and bring your own protein if you need that in the morning. The only other thing that went wrong while we were there was that the elevator was out one day. No tragedy, but the 5th floor is a long way up with three kids at the end of the day. Overall, we really liked this place and I appreciate the recommendations here on the boards, as well as the tips about the hotel. We may check out a couple of the other places near the gate for our next trip, but would be totally fine staying here again. The staff was pleasant and efficient and we didn't really have any trouble. On the contrary, we requested an early cleaning of our room so it would be done before our afternoon nap time and they took care of us.

Dream Team
Saw people wearing the super FastPasses and the ears, but I never actually saw the team. I was sure hoping for a sighting, but alas, it was not to be.

Autopia
We had some really good times on this ride. My 5 year old is really into race cars and loved being able to get behind the wheel. Of the 3 rides we took, the most memorable was our late night police car run :) I remembered to bring along their light spinner toys from a previous trip and they served us well. I sat in the middle with a boy on either side and held them up in the air as we all did our best siren impressions. We got a good laugh out of the CM who hangs out in the middle of course and several smiles from passers-by. Best of all, my sons had a blast and were smiling ear to ear. Another ride was memorable, but for another reason...we waited in the line and right when we were about to get into the car, it started pouring down rain. Perfect timing for us to be in an open cockpit car so our backsides could become amazingly soaked. My boys didn't mind the rain at all and we had a blast driving through the big drops of rain.

Rain Parkas
I could only find one of our old blue DL rain parkas, so I went ahead and bought some of the new clear ones for my wife and the lil' guys. The hood on the first one nearly ripped off when I put it on my 5 year old. I didn't yank it or anything, but it just sort of separated from the rest of the parka when I pulled it down. Later in the evening, I discovered a hole in the middle seam of the hood of the one for my 3 year old. I took the "half-hooded" one back to the store and the CM kindly replaced it for me, no questions asked. Unfortunately, by the end of the evening, the hood was hanging halfway off again. I know they are not super expensive or anything, but they appear to have become a disposable item vs. something you can use over and over. I was hoping to keep them for our DL trips like the older blue one I have, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Regardless, we were grateful to have them and I am glad that they still sell them in the park.

Buzz Lightyear
This is fast becoming one of my families favorite rides. The great thing is that we can all go on it at the same time (infant included) and have a great time. The line generally moves fast and the queue is very entertaining for all of us. I think we rode this ride about 15 times during our time at the park. It's just a blast and we all enjoy it so much.

Food
I can't believe that I have never experienced a Dole Whip prior to this trip. It bumped its way to the top of my list of favorite DL food. My wife and I both love the cinnamon twists you can get at the Blue Ribbon (and in DCA). We ate waaay too many of these and had several mochas. It's part of the experience for us and it wouldn't be the same without them :) We ate at the pizza port several times. The wife loves the Alfredo pasta with chicken and I'm a fan of the pepperoni pizza – the crust is super-yummy. Cotton candy is always on the list for me and the boys. We also went to Rancho for lunch on our last day, but did not really like the food. We ordered the enchilada plate and the chicken plate. The chicken was OK, but the enchiladas and rice tasted funky to us. It's probably more about the spices we're used to vs. the ones they use. They didn't appeal to us, so I don't think we'll be ordering them again. I sure do miss the ribs. That was my favorite meal at the park. The boys and I had some ice cream at Gibson Girl after the rides closed on the rainy night. It was really crowded for such a cold and soggy evening. We each got a waffle cup with a scoop and were able to snag a window table. A perfect ending to the night.

DCA
I don't know what it is, but I really like DCA. I know it definitely gets mixed reviews around here, but I like it. We enjoyed Playhouse Disney -- my boys are at the perfect age for this show and they always have a great time. Got to ride Monsters Inc. for the first time and I liked it. I agree with a review I read (somewhere) that the queue could be more interesting, but I thought it was fun. I really liked the "doors" area of the ride. What else...got to ride TOT, which is always a blast even though I always have to ride it alone. I also got to ride Screamin' and thought the soundtrack was great...not that I was overly focused on it, but I thought it was fine. My 5 year old got up the courage to ride MM and had a really, really good time. He was so excited when he got off that he was jumping up and down and giving me high fives. It was priceless to see him so jazzed.

Lightning McQueen and Mater
We loved this...my boys are totally into the Cars movie and characters and this was really fun for them (and me). I didn't really know what to expect and was surprised that they were full-sized vehicles. The nice thing was that they hung around for plenty of time for everyone to paw all over them and get the pictures they wanted. The accompanying CM's were very nice as well and let my boys wave their checkered flags and they signed our autograph book as well. A good character experience all around.

Jedi Training
We went to this once and enjoyed the show. My sons didn't get picked, but they were good sports and just enjoyed the experience. A word to those who go and want to be chosen...shameless self promotion seemed to be the ticket. Two kids had hand scrawled "pick me for Jedi Training" signs and they were both chosen. Also, a kid on her dad's shoulders screaming wildly was also chosen. If you want in, don't be shy. Make a sign and make some big noise. The guy who led the show was really quite good. I found it entertaining and funny. He was good with ad libs as well, which is always a nice talent when working with children.

Small World
We usually go during Christmas time, so it seemed so empty without all the extra goodies. My boys didn't care and we rode it about 3 times anyway. I still like it, but it wears on the wife a bit after the second time...although, she's a big fan in the summer when it's hot outside and we can get 15 minutes of relief from the heat.

Fireworks
We saved seats early at the front of the hub for ourselves and some friends (yes, we stayed there and didn't just park a stroller and blanket). They had never seen the show before and were really excited to have such a good view. The show was great as always and it was worth the wait.

Splash Mountain
I knew it was going to be down, but it was still a bummer... boo! :(

Balloons
One of our traditions is to always get balloons for the boys before we leave the park. If this is something you do or want to do, be sure to try and get them when they are out selling them around parade times. One time we were unable to get them because of the time we were leaving the park. A couple of CM's told us that they pretty much just sell the around parade time. Not sure if that is an always/never thing, but I didn't take any chances this time. We have also found that the double balloons (clear outside with Mickey balloon on the inside) last a looooong time. We've had some last up to 3 months, which is great fun for our boys. I bought a Mickey mylar once and it was dead in less than two weeks. It was probably just a dud, but I'm I didn't want to try it again.

Disneyland 50 Year Movie
I can't remember the official name, but I think you know the one. I had never seen it before and I'm glad that I took the time to do so. We all enjoyed it and I really liked looking around the lobby area at the different maps and such. Seeing the old tickets and some of the old rides brought back some wonderful memories for me. It's a fun thing to share with my kids. I was telling them how it used to be different and the rides that are no longer there and such. This was the last thing we did before we left the park, so it was a perfect ending to a fun vacation.

AP
We had purchased 6-day passes and decided that we would upgrade to AP's so we can come back sometime when the Christmas decorations are up. I'm excited to be an AP holder again and am scheming about how to get down there a couple more times as well. Birthday's for the boys? Maybe...it would be a fun road trip and quite a treat for them. Oh, I have a "nice CM" story to share. As we were walking up to the counter to get our passes, I was holding the baby and accidentally bumped my 3 year old into the one lower counter in the room. I couldn't see him and it was right at his head height and he got a pretty good bump. There was much crying and the CM behind the counter was very nice and helpful. They called the nurse to come check him out and offered us ice for his head. She also gave us a family FastPass to use on any ride that we wanted for our trouble. She didn't have to do that and it was very nice. She was also very patient as I held him and consoled him...she wasn't trying to rush us at all and was very attentive. Kudos to her for handling a rough (and loud) situation with grace and patience.

Time to start planning our next trip :)
We are looking at early November, early December or early January. We heard conflicting reports about how busy it is the first week of January, so I'm a bit leery of going at that time. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm leaning toward early November, but want to be sure the decorations are up when we go. I know it's way early, but does anyone know when this might happen this year? Definitely looking for a slower time. I know there are no guarantees, but trying to take our best shot at finding a somewhat slow week to go at a less frenzied pace and have a little elbow room.

Thanks!!!
I also wanted to send along a heartfelt thanks to everyone on these boards for your advice and opinions. I have learned so much about DL from being a member here and it has vastly improved our DL experiences and saved us much time and money. Thank you!

kandyk
02-27-2007, 04:09 PM
We were there at almost the same time (Feb. 16-21) and are planning a trip for November as well. I talked to a CM and the holiday decorations went up last year on 11-06 which also coincided somewhat with the Veterans Day holiday. Way busy!!! So we are planning for the week after like on the 15th or some where right around that time when things have hopefully slowed down a little. We also want to make sure we are gone before the Thanksgiving crowd starts. Hope this helps.

Leofoenget
02-27-2007, 05:59 PM
This was our first time staying at this hotel and being within walking distance of the park...and we will never go back.

You will never go back to using a TRAM or never go back to the Hotel?

Next time try the Best Western Park Place next door. The breakfast is MUCH better and does include eggs.

rentayenta
02-27-2007, 06:22 PM
Fun report. Thanks for sharing! :)

HobbitFeet
02-27-2007, 08:46 PM
This was our first time staying at this hotel and being within walking distance of the park...and we will never go back.

You will never go back to using a TRAM or never go back to the Hotel?

Next time try the Best Western Park Place next door. The breakfast is MUCH better and does include eggs.


I got confused too. :) But I think the OP is saying they won't go back to staying further away. :p



Question: when is the Cars thing in DCA? Is it done multiple times during the day, or only once? Is there a way to find out when/where it will be? And does anyone know if it will still be going by a weekday in mid-September. :cool:


Thank you so much for the review! I have a feeling we'll like DCA too, so after reading "meh" reviews of it, it was good to hear that someone else enjoyed it.

itig
02-27-2007, 09:54 PM
This was our first time staying at this hotel and being within walking distance of the park...and we will never go back.

You will never go back to using a TRAM or never go back to the Hotel?

Next time try the Best Western Park Place next door. The breakfast is MUCH better and does include eggs.

Ha! :p Sorry about that...things seem so clear when you're writing them, but it was a bit confusing.

I was trying to say that we will never go back to a hotel where a tram or shuttle is needed. We loved being able to walk to DL and back for naps. It was really nice and made things much easier on us.

The hotel itself was fine and we enjoyed our stay. Thanks for the recommend on the Best Western. I'll check into it and see what they have to offer.

itig
02-27-2007, 09:59 PM
Question: when is the Cars thing in DCA? Is it done multiple times during the day, or only once? Is there a way to find out when/where it will be? And does anyone know if it will still be going by a weekday in mid-September. :cool:


The park guide I brought home with me states the following for Lightning McQueen and Mater:

Daily: 10:55 am, 12:20, 1:55, 2:55, and 4:05 pm
Across from Golden Gate Amphitheater, in front of Golden Dreams

I'm sure the times are subject to change like everything else, but that's what it was last week.

Hope you have a great time!!!!

losaitkens
02-28-2007, 07:03 AM
I enjoyed your report. We were there from 2/21-2/24 and had a wonderful time too. We stayed at BW Park Place Inn and really enjoyed it but we are thinking of trying Desert Inn & Suites next time for a true, 2 room suite. Walking distance hotels cannot be beat! Our room was literally steps from the crosswalk and I loved starting my day and being able to look out at that entrance.

partyoffive
02-28-2007, 08:57 AM
So glad you had fun and glad you like the hotel. We always stay there. We have stayed at the BWPark Place next door but like the size of the suite better at the Desert Inn and Suites (since we almost always have an aunt or an uncle accompanying us on our trip). So fun to hear from someone who was just there! We pull out for a long 14 hour drive first thing tomorrow morning!!! Can't wait!

itig
02-28-2007, 12:27 PM
So glad you had fun and glad you like the hotel. We always stay there. We have stayed at the BWPark Place next door but like the size of the suite better at the Desert Inn and Suites (since we almost always have an aunt or an uncle accompanying us on our trip). So fun to hear from someone who was just there! We pull out for a long 14 hour drive first thing tomorrow morning!!! Can't wait!

I am still recovering from the trip...sheesh...is there such a thing as Disneylag? Hope you have a wonderful and safe trip!