PART FIVE!! *December 2012 Roll Call* Holidays, FLE & MVMCP!! A very, merry thread!

Just out of curiosity how many days do you suggest for DLR - we plan on going out that way in 2 years or so to see my brother in law and his family. We thought a short trip there would be fun, especially if we can get them to go.
Minimum 4 days, really 5 is better if you want to see/do everything. If you're okay with "just the highlights", eg. the E-tickets and the things that you can compare/contrast with WDW, and you really tried to squeeze it all in you might be able to do it in 3 breakneck park days.
 
I'm going to agree with you on the YC. We had dinner ADRs at Yachtsman for 7:40......we had come from AK and were in pants and short sleeve shirts (from AK). I really felt that people were snobby while waiting for tables. We were both tired and actually still full from our Yak and Yeti lunch (1pm ADRs). Yachtsman was running behind schedule so we were over the moon excited when we heard some others talking about canceling their ADRs because of the delays. We canceled ours too after we learned that we would not be penalized. I was never so happy to leave a resort and we saved 4 table service credits by doing so.....we ended up eating at Boatwright's at our resort......and our dinner was delicious!

We had no problems eating dinner at either the steakhouse or the Captain's Grille. Our servers were terrific. At the Captain's Grille, our server was originally from our area in NY. She was terrific. We felt pretty bad for our server at the steakhouse, though. She was really nice as well, but when she came to clear the table, she picked up too many plates. On the way back to the kitchen to wrap up DS's leftovers, she dropped his plate on the floor and (I think) broke the plate. We still had a great time at both places.
 
So I'm finally editing my PP photos and have a few that they obviously missed adding the special effects. Do you think if I emailed or called they can go back and add what's supposed to be there? I've never had this happen before :confused3:
 
So I'm finally editing my PP photos and have a few that they obviously missed adding the special effects. Do you think if I emailed or called they can go back and add what's supposed to be there? I've never had this happen before :confused3:

I know they can add pictures to it when they are mixed up, so it's worth a try to email them and ask about the magic shots that weren't done.
 


So I'm finally editing my PP photos and have a few that they obviously missed adding the special effects. Do you think if I emailed or called they can go back and add what's supposed to be there? I've never had this happen before :confused3:

My Merida photos were missing the ability to put her borders on them....so I emailed them and they put the borders on for me and saved everything as "copies" so I had the originals in tact. Then they emailed me to let me know they were done :)
 
PhoenixStrength said:
I know they can add pictures to it when they are mixed up, so it's worth a try to email them and ask about the magic shots that weren't done.


ksromack said:
My Merida photos were missing the ability to put her borders on them....so I emailed them and they put the borders on for me and saved everything as "copies" so I had the originals in tact. Then they emailed me to let me know they were done :)

thanks! I'll give it a try
 
So I'm finally editing my PP photos and have a few that they obviously missed adding the special effects. Do you think if I emailed or called they can go back and add what's supposed to be there? I've never had this happen before :confused3:

I know they can add pictures to it when they are mixed up, so it's worth a try to email them and ask about the magic shots that weren't done.
This is good to know ... we have a few pictures where we're looking at an Xmas present surprised ... I think Stitch is supposed to be popping out.

Does anybody know if they can find pictures that didn't make it onto your card? We stood in line for half an hour for Santa Goofy, then took pictures with just the kids and Goofy, then the whole gang and Goofy. The ones with everybody made it on but not the ones with just the kids, but they should be right next to each other sequentially.
 


This is good to know ... we have a few pictures where we're looking at an Xmas present surprised ... I think Stitch is supposed to be popping out.

Does anybody know if they can find pictures that didn't make it onto your card? We stood in line for half an hour for Santa Goofy, then took pictures with just the kids and Goofy, then the whole gang and Goofy. The ones with everybody made it on but not the ones with just the kids, but they should be right next to each other sequentially.

Yes, you have to know the date and approximate time you got the pictures taken, and they can usually find them for you.
 
taaren said:
This is good to know ... we have a few pictures where we're looking at an Xmas present surprised ... I think Stitch is supposed to be popping out.

Does anybody know if they can find pictures that didn't make it onto your card? We stood in line for half an hour for Santa Goofy, then took pictures with just the kids and Goofy, then the whole gang and Goofy. The ones with everybody made it on but not the ones with just the kids, but they should be right next to each other sequentially.

Yep. Our stitch was missing too. I used the form on the website, they found them and added them the next day.
 
PhoenixStrength said:
Yes, you have to know the date and approximate time you got the pictures taken, and they can usually find them for you.

If you can remember clothing that helps speed it up.
 
This was our 1st trip using the deluxe dining plan. And we BEAT IT :thumbsup2 . It took some effort and a couple of dining/show combos, but we beat it. I keep the final receipt in my wallet as a trophy.

We barely managed to "beat" the deluxe plan too. Required a REALLY expensive dinner a Narcoossee's, HDDMR, and a couple character meals, but we more than got our money's worth out of the plan, despite having to blow 9 snack credits on Mickey Head rice krispee treats to take home at the end of our trip. I have to say, we ate a ton of great food on the trip, but I'd be happy with the regular plan next time since it seemed all the ADRs ate into a lot of park time.

I know this thread is winding down, but wanted to post some exciting news here because I've been chatting with y'all for so long you feel like friends.

I've been job hunting in California for about a year now, and this morning I got a call from one of the counties I interviewed with right after my DisneyWorld trip. They needed another reference, since one was out of the office until Monday, and wanted to get the paperwork in to make an offer before then!

So it looks like we'll be living 3K miles closer to Disney World by the time our next trip rolls around! Such a relief! :woohoo:

Just wanted to say thanks for all the moral support ... this group was one of the few things that kept me sane and cheerful while going through this job hunt the last year. There truly is something magical about Disney friends ...

CONGRATS! Hope you love the new job!

We won't be going to WDW but Disneyland instead! I'm excited for a new park (been to WDW about 8 times but never to the west coast park).

Sweet! We went to DL last April for sissy's 30th birthday! You'll have a blast. There's almost as much to do at the 2 parks in California as there is in all 4 of the parks in Florida, and it's much more compact and easier to navigate.

I'm a little late with this response but our DHS day was 12/15 and at 9:15 am we pulled a 3:25 fast pass! The line was too long to wait at 9:15 so we took the fast pass. We had a FP+ for 10:20 so we knew we'd get at least those two rides in. When we arrived for that 10:20 FP+ guess what the new Fast passes were for? 7:20pm! I must say, I adored that ride but they really need to do something about getting people through that line!

Totally agree, but I think the only thing that will fix the problem is Disney building several more kid-friendly rides in that park to take the brunt of the traffic off of TSMM. We got to the park at noon and pulled a FP for 7:00. Within 10 minutes of getting our FP they were out for the day. We did go during EMH the last day of our trip. We were there 15 minutes before RD, managed to pull a FP for 9 am (right after EMH ended) and then walk onto the ride. By the time we were off the ride the standby line was 45 minutes long, so we saw the new POTC thing with no wait when (there had been a 60 to 90 minute wait the afternoon we were at the park earlier in our trip). I have to agree with everyone - totally lame and really disappointing. Then we grabbed a cupcake at Staring Rolls for breakfast, and then went back and used our FP. That's about the only way I know of to ride TSM more than once in a day without a significant wait.
 
M&MGirl1 said:
Totally agree, but I think the only thing that will fix the problem is Disney building several more kid-friendly rides in that park to take the brunt of the traffic off of TSMM. We got to the park at noon and pulled a FP for 7:00. Within 10 minutes of getting our FP they were out for the day. We did go during EMH the last day of our trip. We were there 15 minutes before RD, managed to pull a FP for 9 am (right after EMH ended) and then walk onto the ride. By the time we were off the ride the standby line was 45 minutes long, so we saw the new POTC thing with no wait when (there had been a 60 to 90 minute wait the afternoon we were at the park earlier in our trip). I have to agree with everyone - totally lame and really disappointing. Then we grabbed a cupcake at Staring Rolls for breakfast, and then went back and used our FP. That's about the only way I know of to ride TSM more than once in a day without a significant wait.

I honestly think they need to do a lot to DHS, a Carsland and expansion of Star Wars is totally needed. I think the fact that there isn't much little kids can do is why TSMM is so crazy too. We got there like 30 min after rope drop the stand by line was 45 min and FP were for mid day (1-2ish) We stood in line because I wanted to do it with my two little ones....
 
taaren said:
Minimum 4 days, really 5 is better if you want to see/do everything. If you're okay with "just the highlights", eg. the E-tickets and the things that you can compare/contrast with WDW, and you really tried to squeeze it all in you might be able to do it in 3 breakneck park days.

Here is another question :) so we are debating a California trip sooner than later to see BIL- is there nice reasonably priced resorts near DL that have 3 - 4 bedrooms. We would be paying for the room and trying to get family together again...
 
Here is another question :) so we are debating a California trip sooner than later to see BIL- is there nice reasonably priced resorts near DL that have 3 - 4 bedrooms. We would be paying for the room and trying to get family together again...
There are private home rentals ... other than that your options for multi-bedroom resorts are
1) Wyndham, about a block away from DLR (I believe they have 3 bedrooms)
2) VGC rental, obviously your closest but most expensive choice
3) Marriott Residence Inns, there's one walking distance and one that is a few blocks down the way, up to two bedrooms
4) Peacock Suites ... I have no idea where these are, or what kind of multi-room suites they might have. I think they're farther than Wyndham and the RI's but closer than:
5) Newport Beach area, about a 20 minute drive to DLR, has several timeshares. I've only had experience with the Marriott Newport Beach (which is the one that Disney Vacation Development at one time owned and sold to Marriott to develop), and their units go up to two bedrooms. There are several other timeshares in this area though.
 
taaren said:
There are private home rentals ... other than that your options for multi-bedroom resorts are
1) Wyndham, about a block away from DLR (I believe they have 3 bedrooms)
2) VGC rental, obviously your closest but most expensive choice
3) Marriott Residence Inns, there's one walking distance and one that is a few blocks down the way, up to two bedrooms
4) Peacock Suites ... I have no idea where these are, or what kind of multi-room suites they might have. I think they're farther than Wyndham and the RI's but closer than:
5) Newport Beach area, about a 20 minute drive to DLR, has several timeshares. I've only had experience with the Marriott Newport Beach (which is the one that Disney Vacation Development at one time owned and sold to Marriott to develop), and their units go up to two bedrooms. There are several other timeshares in this area though.

Thanks :) I was looking online and not getting anywhere... Grand Californian would be nice but if we are footing the bill too much. The Newport beach area sounds good too :) Thanks for the list (especially distance) I want to try and figure out an estimate to go out there. We keep seeing pictures of BILs family and miss them :) (and want to meet some of them!) Us getting to the west coast would make it reasonable for them to drive to us :)
 
There are private home rentals ... other than that your options for multi-bedroom resorts are
1) Wyndham, about a block away from DLR (I believe they have 3 bedrooms)
2) VGC rental, obviously your closest but most expensive choice
3) Marriott Residence Inns, there's one walking distance and one that is a few blocks down the way, up to two bedrooms
4) Peacock Suites ... I have no idea where these are, or what kind of multi-room suites they might have. I think they're farther than Wyndham and the RI's but closer than:
5) Newport Beach area, about a 20 minute drive to DLR, has several timeshares. I've only had experience with the Marriott Newport Beach (which is the one that Disney Vacation Development at one time owned and sold to Marriott to develop), and their units go up to two bedrooms. There are several other timeshares in this area though.

Taaren, which of the "good neighbor" hotels would you recommend at Disneyland? It seems like each one has it's benefits. HoJo sounds good but seems like a walk to the entrance to the parks. I'm not as keen on Best Western PP (but I'm liking the location). Hubby has stayed at Crown Center while in Anaheim on business about 6 years ago and he really liked that hotel and claims it's close enough to walk to the parks......although he only did it ONCE and was under the influence of "happy hour" whilst walking it. lol! I see you have stayed at the Hilton Anaheim too.......is that a doable walk? What I really want is a cheap hotel that is a convenient walk. Is that too much to ask? :rotfl2:
 
ksromack said:
Taaren, which of the "good neighbor" hotels would you recommend at Disneyland? It seems like each one has it's benefits. HoJo sounds good but seems like a walk to the entrance to the parks. I'm not as keen on Best Western PP (but I'm liking the location). Hubby has stayed at Crown Center while in Anaheim on business about 6 years ago and he really liked that hotel and claims it's close enough to walk to the parks......although he only did it ONCE and was under the influence of "happy hour" whilst walking it. lol! I see you have stayed at the Hilton Anaheim too.......is that a doable walk? What I really want is a cheap hotel that is a convenient walk. Is that too much to ask? :rotfl2:

I have a friend who stays at the Candy Cane Inn at least twice a year for trips to Disneyland,
 
Taaren, which of the "good neighbor" hotels would you recommend at Disneyland? It seems like each one has it's benefits. HoJo sounds good but seems like a walk to the entrance to the parks. I'm not as keen on Best Western PP (but I'm liking the location). Hubby has stayed at Crown Center while in Anaheim on business about 6 years ago and he really liked that hotel and claims it's close enough to walk to the parks......although he only did it ONCE and was under the influence of "happy hour" whilst walking it. lol! I see you have stayed at the Hilton Anaheim too.......is that a doable walk? What I really want is a cheap hotel that is a convenient walk. Is that too much to ask? :rotfl2:
Cheap hotel that is a convenient walk ... the problem is most of the ones that are a 5 minute or less walk are really "motels" not hotels.

The Hilton was okay, the Marriott was much nicer, but they refurbed the Hilton the year after I stayed there though, I hear its gotten nicer. Its about a 15 minute walk to the front gate from the Hilton, so not long by Florida standards ... when we stay at the Marriott Anaheim, we walk over in the morning, then cab back in the evenings when our feet are tired, the cab is usually about $8+tip.

Honestly I wouldn't stay at the Best Western Park Place Inn again. Despite how close it is, its not that much cheaper than the HoJo or Marriott Fairfield Inn, and I'm kind of a hotel snob now ... :snooty:

Fairfield Inn and HoJo are a great combination of "not too motel-ey" and still pretty darn close (walk is under 10 minutes). I'd go for one of those two if you can find a rate of about $100-125/night. The convention center hotels (Hilton/Marriott/Crown) feel much farther, but are nicer, they are actual hotels and have the quality of the brand they represent. Oh, and if you want decent pools you have to go on-site or at least as far as the convention center.
 

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