Halfway trip report

[At Least Many]

It's had it's highs and lows.

Monday - DCA - was able to exchange orbitz vouchers easily and we were in line about an hour before rope drop. Went to TSMM first and walked on. I ran for RSR fps at about 10:45 and got a return of 6-7pm.

Mistake one: attempting to ride tsmm again instead of heading to Goofy's Sky School. Ended up with a 40 min wait.

Pulled fps for Screamin, that worked great, super short wait.

My older boys did GSS multiple times single rider, hardly any wait.

Soarin' was next, sign said 60min wait, but was only 20. Headed to Hollywoodland for the parade. We sat around the corner from the TOT fp machines, shady and the start of the parade route. Bigs rode TOT after the parade and littles did bugs land.

RSR was very easy with fps and single rider.

Used fps for WOC, but ended up leaving the show early.

Tues - DLR MM - got in line about 8:20, waited at rope drop and split off with big kids going to Matterhorn and littles going to Peter Pan. This is where things went downhill fast. It's a crush getting through the castle, I'm wearing my 6month old, pushing my other 2 kids in the stroller and had to maneuver to park it by PP. I carefully made my way and inevitably, I had to go sideways in front of a couple. I looked him in the eye and said "I'm sorry", and he says "Well, you just keep pushing your stroller, so you're really not sorry, b****.". In front of my kids. Nice.

Got in line for PP, and just as we get to the covered part, the ride breaks. Get a call from my dad that matterhorn is broken down also. My 9yo was looking forward to this one the most and he is just grumpy. Second wave hits as park opens.

Fantasyland is a madhouse, so we decide to go to Tomorrowland. This worked out well. Space was practically walk on, as was ST. Did Buzz with littles with about a 20min wait.

Big boys go back and ride matterhorn, dd meets Tink. My baby is getting very hot at this point, so I walk out to drop off to have my dh take him back to the hotel for a nap. I grab BTMRR fps on my way to meet family at BTMBBQ. The food was excellent, great value. We head over to use our fps at BTMRR, broken down. My 9yo has been going downhill however, he's a redhead and they are sensitive to extreme temps, and it was hot. We start making our way out of the park and he threw up on Main Street. Aw, the memories.

Ended up calling it a day and came back to a closed pool due to dust from the construction site next door and high winds.

Tried to go to Huntington today and ended up with microdermabrasion from the wind. Beach Day Fail. Ate at Slater's 50/50, win.

Pool closed again. However, our stay here at the Raffles has been great. The manager found us a neighboring hotel that allowed us to use their pool. They have been extremely nice and accommodating.

I'm sort of dreading tomorrow. Today, actually, as it's 3:10 am and I can't sleep. You can plan and plan and plan, but if the weather throws a curveball, not much you can do. Really hoping for lower crowds and probably going to hit the shows as the heat will be unbearable for us PacNorWesters. I suppose if I make it through the day without being cursed at or puked on, it'll be a good day. My poor kids, they've felt pretty let down. We'll still find the magic.

 

[lucysmom]

Oh, goodness. I am sorry for your troubles. DLR is never an inexpensive trip, and when things don't go right, it can be very disappointing. I hope things slow down for you and that you will find the magic. Try to not commando the parks. The magic is seen in the little details that are easy to miss when you are running from ride to ride. I hope your child feels better and that there are no more Main Street disasters.

 

[kangamama]

Tues - DLR MM - got in line about 8:20, waited at rope drop and split off with big kids going to Matterhorn and littles going to Peter Pan. This is where things went downhill fast. It's a crush getting through the castle, I'm wearing my 6month old, pushing my other 2 kids in the stroller and had to maneuver to park it by PP. I carefully made my way and inevitably, I had to go sideways in front of a couple. I looked him in the eye and said "I'm sorry", and he says "Well, you just keep pushing your stroller, so you're really not sorry, b****.". In front of my kids. Nice. Got in line for PP, and just as we get to the covered part, the ride breaks. Get a call from my dad that matterhorn is broken down also. My 9yo was looking forward to this one the most and he is just grumpy. Second wave hits as parks open.

I was in that PP line with my family in Tuesday morning, too. It was awful. I'll never both with a magic morning again, after that nightmare. We were probably pretty close to each other in line, too. I could not believe the crowds -- much higher than I was anticipating. And the weather was so horrible! We found our magic moments in the three days we were there, but it was not one of my family's best Disneyland trips. We came home yesterday vowing that from now on, only in February. I hope the rest of your trip is easier.

 

[MinnieMom13]

Do you have to exchange the Orbitz vouchers at the ticket booth? I was thinking I could take them straight to the gate. Also, I had read elsewhere that the vouchers could be exchanged at the onsite hotels. I hope that's true, as I would like to turn the voucher the day we check-in, even though we won't go to the park until the next day.

 

[At Least Many]

I would exchange at the booth. You'll have some upset people behind you if you try to do it at the gate. It was very easy. I have heard you can exchange at an onsite hotel as well.

 

[mrsskehan2013]

Besides the pool being closed, how do you like Raffles? We will be there from the 16th-23rd and haven't found very many new reviews. How is the free bfast? Are you guys talking the tram from the parking garage to the parks?

 

[Misskitty3]

I am so sorry about that rude man - what a terrible way to start off your day,

DH and I visited Hilton Head Island once but could not get on the beach without getting sand blasted. It was very painful. Sounds like you had a similar experience at Huntington Beach - no fun.

What was fun (and yummy) was Slaters! We ate there last June and it was awesome!! I love the drive there too! Glad you were able to make it there for a meal!

Hope you have an AWESOME day today and that your little guy is feeling better. Maybe plan to hit Starbucks since you have been up since 3am or the Jolly Holiday Bakery -- they make the best mochas (even better than Starbucks!

 

[At Least Many]

Besides the pool being closed, how do you like Raffles? We will be there from the 16th-23rd and haven't found very many new reviews. How is the free bfast? Are you guys talking the tram from the parking garage to the parks?

We really like it. We have 10 in our party and we have a family suite and a queen suite next door to each other. We are on the second floor and yes, you can hear other guests walking, but not intrusively so.

The pool is small, but the kids love it. Hot tub doesn't work, but the pool water is very warm. The breakfast is like any other hotel continental, nothing special. We are taking the tram for the first time today, I'll update later.

Thanks all for the comisery. Really hoping for a better day today

 

[twilightsparkle]

I was at DL Monday and DCA tues. The lines were longer than I thought. I think it felt so crowded bc of all the ride clousers. Having Pirates, Small world and Indy closed forced people who would have been in line for those rides elsewhere in the park. Fantasy land was so bad on mon we just skipped it. We got lucky with FPs and hitting the rides at the right time. I'm sorry your visit wasn't fun. Oh and the winds were horrible.

 

[Girimama33]

Sounds pretty good so far, with the exception of Magic Morning.
I hope you continue to have a great time...and YAY for being able to use another pool while BWR is under construction. It is going to be a hot one. Maybe you can get a mister fan with ice water for your son??

 

[Tasscrapper]

We were there until yesterday afternoon too. I don't know if you'll check this thread while you are in the parks but hear is an idea for your son to help deal with the heat. Wet a hat and have him wear it. I am sensitive to the heat too and that helped me a lot. If you are not aware of it you can get free cups of ice water at any counter service place you see.

 

[crystal1313]

I've got a red head too....hope he is feeling better, poor guy

I cannot believe that man was so rude to you, what a jerk! Hope karma caught up with him

Hope today is filled with pixie dust for you guys!

 

[Greysword]

Your story brings up a good point. We try to spend the mornings in the Park, afternoons at the hotel, and the first part of the evening back in the park. This way we have a break from the heat, crowds, and noise.

Just wanted to mention it for other planners going soon.

 

[blackjackdelta]

It's had it's highs and lows.

Monday - DCA - was able to exchange orbitz vouchers easily and we were in line about an hour before rope drop. Went to TSMM first and walked on. I ran for RSR fps at about 10:45 and got a return of 6-7pm.

Mistake one: attempting to ride tsmm again instead of heading to Goofy's Sky School. Ended up with a 40 min wait.

Pulled fps for Screamin, that worked great, super short wait.

My older boys did GSS multiple times single rider, hardly any wait.

Soarin' was next, sign said 60min wait, but was only 20. Headed to Hollywoodland for the parade. We sat around the corner from the TOT fp machines, shady and the start of the parade route. Bigs rode TOT after the parade and littles did bugs land.

RSR was very easy with fps and single rider.

Used fps for WOC, but ended up leaving the show early.

Tues - DLR MM - got in line about 8:20, waited at rope drop and split off with big kids going to Matterhorn and littles going to Peter Pan. This is where things went downhill fast. It's a crush getting through the castle, I'm wearing my 6month old, pushing my other 2 kids in the stroller and had to maneuver to park it by PP. I carefully made my way and inevitably, I had to go sideways in front of a couple. I looked him in the eye and said "I'm sorry", and he says "Well, you just keep pushing your stroller, so you're really not sorry, b****.". In front of my kids. Nice.

Got in line for PP, and just as we get to the covered part, the ride breaks. Get a call from my dad that matterhorn is broken down also. My 9yo was looking forward to this one the most and he is just grumpy. Second wave hits as park opens.

Fantasyland is a madhouse, so we decide to go to Tomorrowland. This worked out well. Space was practically walk on, as was ST. Did Buzz with littles with about a 20min wait.

Big boys go back and ride matterhorn, dd meets Tink. My baby is getting very hot at this point, so I walk out to drop off to have my dh take him back to the hotel for a nap. I grab BTMRR fps on my way to meet family at BTMBBQ. The food was excellent, great value. We head over to use our fps at BTMRR, broken down. My 9yo has been going downhill however, he's a redhead and they are sensitive to extreme temps, and it was hot. We start making our way out of the park and he threw up on Main Street. Aw, the memories.

Ended up calling it a day and came back to a closed pool due to dust from the construction site next door and high winds.

Tried to go to Huntington today and ended up with microdermabrasion from the wind. Beach Day Fail. Ate at Slater's 50/50, win.

Pool closed again. However, our stay here at the Raffles has been great. The manager found us a neighboring hotel that allowed us to use their pool. They have been extremely nice and accommodating.

I'm sort of dreading tomorrow. Today, actually, as it's 3:10 am and I can't sleep. You can plan and plan and plan, but if the weather throws a curveball, not much you can do. Really hoping for lower crowds and probably going to hit the shows as the heat will be unbearable for us PacNorWesters. I suppose if I make it through the day without being cursed at or puked on, it'll be a good day. My poor kids, they've felt pretty let down. We'll still find the magic.

do not want to give the boarders an impression about the heat. We love the 90 plus days in the land. We enjoy the frozen drinks, etc that go along with it, but we are not from the moss side of Washington or Oregon, good luck and keep up with the positive attitude. Have fun

Jack

 

[Gisele]

I hope you were able to get enough sleep this morning.
Sometimes, it can be such a difficult thing to do, sleeping well. I hope that today is going so much better for you and your family.

I am sorry too, for your having had to encounter such a rude male individual.
And while with your baby, and two older children no less!! Times like that, it can make one feel like giving said rude male a serious smack down! Of course that can't be done for reasons of logistics and witnesses, but still it would have been well deserved!
What an insensitive, boorish, cretinous, lummox miserable excuse for a man! Definitely do not give that moronic, imbecile any more power over your visit from what may have already occured.

I sure do hope that your son is feeling well again. Maybe take a break during the afternoon, then return to the parks during the evening. Or on another day, just sleep in, have a nice day, then visit DLR during late in the day/early evening. And water, water and more water. My nephew isn't big on drinking enough water, so I try to encourage him to drink more water, especially on a hot day. Those mister fans are real nice too. And then there is the magical wonderment of the enchanted Tiki room. Where Jose and his fine feathered and non feathery friends alike are always happy to see and entertain you and your family. And the air conditioning in the tiki room is wunderbar!

Here's hoping that you and your family are having an awesomely magical day!

 

[At Least Many]

Today was so much better. It was good to have that break yesterday out if the parks, even if the beach didn't pan out. We did DCA again today, we kept my ds plenty cool and he did well after a sluggish morning.

My dh, who wasn't going to set foot in the parks, came with us. That allowed us to split up more and everyone got to do what they wanted. My two year old was far happier. We did a lot of indoor stuff: turtle talk, Disney Jr, Muppets 3D, Aladdin (fabulous, a fave of us all). My dh is no Disney convert, but he was a huge help. I think my family really prefers DCA.

One more day, it'll be mostly DL. Going to try and do Frozen M&G. Still lots to do there as we left so early on Tues. Wish us luck!

ETA to add that taking the tram worked great, even with my mom in an ECV. However, they start running an hour before park opening, so if you have MM, or want to be there early, be forewarned.

 

[At Least Many]

I've got a red head too....hope he is feeling better, poor guy

I cannot believe that man was so rude to you, what a jerk! Hope karma caught up with him

Hope today is filled with pixie dust for you guys!

I was really hoping to run into him again so I could whisper in his ear, "When you buy your first double stroller, think of me." Probably with a cackle thrown in for good measure.

 

[kangamama]

I am so glad today was better! I really felt for you when reading your post this morning.

 

[todzwife]

I'm sorry it hasn't been a perfect trip, Here's some pixie dust for some extra magic for the rest of it!

I've found I can do hot OR crowded but not the two together.

_=

 

[Riversong]

I am so glad today was better! I really felt for you when reading your post this morning.

Me too!

I am so so glad you had a lovely day today!
Just keep swimming...