WDW Vets go to Cars Land … Have we been converted?

[ValpoCory]

Originally Posted by czmom

we came into this vacation thinking we had to see Cars Land, but that once we did this, we likely would go back to going exclusively to WDW.

This is exactly our thoughts going into our trip. I am so happy to read your trip report and what an amazing time your family had! We are staying at the VGC for the first time in December. My daughter will be 7, and son 4, so this gave me a great idea of what to expect.

Did I read it right that you lined up for EMH just 10 minutes before it opened? That would be fantastic!

That's right. We showed up to the main entrance at 6:50am on our first morning (seemed like 8:50am to us Texans) and were first in one of the lines. There were 10 people or so in 2 of the lines, but many aisles were wide open, so we got to be first in those. Once we did that, others saw what we did and quickly covered up the other open turnstiles.

As far as the rest of the days, we showed up around 8:45-8:50am or so for the 9am EMHs and were about 15th-20th or so in line each time. We were in within 5 minutes of EMH start on most days, with one DL EMH day taking about 10 minutes to get in. DL EMH was a little more crowded due to it being open to non DLR guests. So I'd suggest getting to the esplanade a little earlier on DL EMH days than DCA EMH days. Especially if you don't want a 15 minute Peter Pan wait time, which it is by 15 minutes into EMH.

[DisSarahK]

Loved reading your trip report!

[czmom]

Originally Posted by ValpoCory

That's right. We showed up to the main entrance at 6:50am on our first morning (seemed like 8:50am to us Texans) and were first in one of the lines. There were 10 people or so in 2 of the lines, but many aisles were wide open, so we got to be first in those. Once we did that, others saw what we did and quickly covered up the other open turnstiles.

As far as the rest of the days, we showed up around 8:45-8:50am or so for the 9am EMHs and were about 15th-20th or so in line each time. We were in within 5 minutes of EMH start on most days, with one DL EMH day taking about 10 minutes to get in. DL EMH was a little more crowded due to it being open to non DLR guests. So I'd suggest getting to the esplanade a little earlier on DL EMH days than DCA EMH days. Especially if you don't want a 15 minute Peter Pan wait time, which it is by 15 minutes into EMH.

Great! We are also from Texas, so getting there early will not be a problem.

[DLR29]

Great TR!!! Loved the video of your DD playing the piano. What a special moment.

Looks like you guys did a lot, and I'm even a bit tired myself from reading about your full days. I can barely get up for my 9AM class let alone EMH multiple days in a row!!! I was there on 2/1 (Friday) but I didn't get there until dinnertime. Glad you had a really fun time!

[ValpoCory]

Originally Posted by DisSarahK

Loved reading your trip report!

Thank you DisSarahK!

Originally Posted by czmom

Great! We are also from Texas, so getting there early will not be a problem.

I'm loving that more and more Texans are heading west for their Disney vacation.

Originally Posted by DLR29

Great TR!!! Loved the video of your DD playing the piano. What a special moment.

Looks like you guys did a lot, and I'm even a bit tired myself from reading about your full days. I can barely get up for my 9AM class let alone EMH multiple days in a row!!! I was there on 2/1 (Friday) but I didn't get there until dinnertime. Glad you had a really fun time!

Thanks DLR29! She was very brave to get up there. We'll always remember that. 5 straight days of EMH is more manageable in the offseason, that's for sure. One 7am entry was enough for us.

Thanks again for reading you guys. I appreciate it.

[Pesky]

Loved your TR and the video of your DD playing piano with Bert and Mary Poppins watching in the background is adorable. Makes me excited for our own trip this December, for which we have rented points at the VGC as well and asked for the same rooms! Fingers crossed!

[ValpoCory]

Originally Posted by Pesky

Loved your TR and the video of your DD playing piano with Bert and Mary Poppins watching in the background is adorable. Makes me excited for our own trip this December, for which we have rented points at the VGC as well and asked for the same rooms! Fingers crossed!

Thanks Pesky! The VGC is the best. You can't lose with any room, but those 4 rooms have ridiculous views. You are going to love it. Feel free to ask me any other questions as your trip approaches.

[disneyismyheart247]

I really enjoyed reading your report. Glad you had such a great time!

[PoohsFan1]

Originally Posted by ValpoCory

And the GCH entrance into DCA is great, except for Extra Magic Hours. This is largely due to the bottleneck issue, where the GCH entrance has only 2 turnstiles while the main entrance had about 10 open. Also, the GCH is physically farther away from Cars Land than the main entrance.

We walked right past people who had been in the GCH EMH line for 45 minutes when we were headed to the main entrance. When we got to RSR, we saw them about 50 places behind us in line.

I first want to say, what an awesome trip report you put together . You have such a beautiful family and I am so glad that you all had a wonderful time (I absolutely love the view that your family got, I am crossing my fingers that my requests get granted so we can get the same view).

Secondly, not using the GCH entrance during EMH is a tidbit of information that I did not know about. My family would of been one of those people, like you saw, stuck in line for over an hour because we would of used GCH's entrance on a EMH day, and then DH would of gotten really cranky after awhile because he doesn't like to wait in long lines . Thank you so much for saving me from a headache if not a migrane .

[ValpoCory]

Originally Posted by disneyismyheart247

I really enjoyed reading your report. Glad you had such a great time!

Thank you disneyismyheart247! I appreciate it.

Originally Posted by PoohsFan1

I first want to say, what an awesome trip report you put together . You have such a beautiful family and I am so glad that you all had a wonderful time (I absolutely love the view that your family got, I am crossing my fingers that my requests get granted so we can get the same view).

Secondly, not using the GCH entrance during EMH is a tidbit of information that I did not know about. My family would of been one of those people, like you saw, stuck in line for over an hour because we would of used GCH's entrance on a EMH day, and then DH would of gotten really cranky after awhile because he doesn't like to wait in long lines . Thank you so much for saving me from a headache if not a migrane .

Thanks PoohsFan1! I hope you get the same (or a better) view for your stay. It was a privilege to get that room. And I'm happy to hear you'll use that tip about using the main entrance for EMH. I got that and others from the DISboards, so it's great to be able to pass them on to others going.

[stacy~**]

I really enjoyed your report. The video of your daughter playing the piano was great! What a magical moment!

[czmom]

Mind if I ask you a couple more questions? Our trip is planned exactly like yours, 6 nights, 5 days at the parks. Was that a pretty good length with the ages of your kids? I know no ones is ever really ready to leave, but were you able to do just about everything you wanted?

And did you use any touring plans or ridemax?

[ValpoCory]

Originally Posted by stacy~**

I really enjoyed your report. The video of your daughter playing the piano was great! What a magical moment!

Thank you stacy! Definitely something we'll remember forever.

Originally Posted by czmom

Mind if I ask you a couple more questions? Our trip is planned exactly like yours, 6 nights, 5 days at the parks. Was that a pretty good length with the ages of your kids? I know no ones is ever really ready to leave, but were you able to do just about everything you wanted?

And did you use any touring plans or ridemax?

Hi czmom,
We liked that length. There were a lot of ride and show closures last week, and we still didn't get to see and do everything that was open. So it didn't feel too long or anything. However, I think you can have a great vacation regardless of how many nights you go. It's all a matter of pacing. But going for 6 nights, in my opinion, allowed us to take naps, to take it slower without feeling like we'd never be able to "get it all done".

I did not use any touring plans or ridemax. I just used a couple key hints from the DISboards, like I mentioned in the report. But mostly we toured based on our past WDW Disney trips, and what we got the most enjoyment out of on those trips. And if ever I had a question I thought a CM could answer, I'd call the GCH's Guest Services desk. Very helpful resource.

[lifesgr8]

great report!! posting so I can find it later for tips

[ValpoCory]

Originally Posted by lifesgr8

great report!! posting so I can find it later for tips

Thanks lifesgr8! I appreciate it, and let me know if you have any questions.