hyperminimalism
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 9, 2014
- Messages
- 302
Okay, so judging by the title of the thread, you can assume my trip was wonderful overall. I'm not going to list out a thing of pros and cons, but instead I'll go by day.
Monday, August 11th:
We decided to break up the trip, so after arriving in Anaheim on Sunday the 10th, we visited family, got checked into the hotel and then relaxed. That 15-16 hour drive from Portland is brutal at times, and it kicked our buns both down and back up. We decided to get there at 9:00 a.m., which is when the park opened to all guests. I didn't mind that the hours had changed 'cause I dislike waking up early, especially on vacation and after a drive like that. We got parked, got on the tram, and down to the parks maybe 20 minutes after leaving the hotel (we stayed at the Springhill Suites on Ball, which I'll talk about later).
Immediately after getting through DTD, we rushed over to DCA to grab FPs for RSR. Had a pretty early return time, which kinda stunk because we wanted to ride at night, but I didn't want to risk not being able to get FPs if we decided to wait for as long as possible. I still don't know how long they would have lasted, but we did all that there. At that point, the park wasn't too crowded either. There were people there most definitely, ones who had already been in the park, and those of us who showed up at opening, but it was not too bad. I didn't feel claustrophobic like you can sometimes when the park is super crowded. Monday was not bad at all, and none of the rides we went on had any problems during the times we came up to them. Probably because of the lower capacity!
Wednesday, August 13th:
Wednesday got a little busier, but not significantly. This, however, was the day I did notice a few more rides were going down more often, but not to the point where I couldn't get on a ride I desperately wanted to go on. For instance, Indy, which we all know goes down quite a bit, had gone down a few times that day. We did, however, ride it something like 3 times without issue. So when we did get on it, it worked!
Something similar happened to Big Thunder. We were in line and were told to reverse our way out of the line as they were shutting the ride down completely. I don't know why. We just got out of line and then went elsewhere (can't remember where). We did leave a tad bit earlier that night since we were planning on coming into DL for our MM on the 3-day PH tickets.
Thursday, August 14th:
Thursday, our last day, was different. I noticed lots and lots of kids skipping school to come to DL/DCA. I outright heard a parent say: "Aren't you glad we decided to skip school today?" to her child, which doesn't surprise me. This day was mega packed. It was uncomfortable and hotter, and the crowds didn't disperse even after all the firework shows or coming up on the end of the night.
And oh god, Downtown Disney was a nightmare. I feel horrible for the workers who have to clean up World of Disney. T_T Such disgusting, messy, slob customers who have no respect for the products being sold or the people who have to clean up after them. In any case, aside from that, a LOT more rides broke down this day. It went hand in hand with the amount of people inside the parks, and you could tell how frustrated the employees were. They weren't rude in any way, though. Every CM I saw or spoke to was incredibly helpful, but Thursday tested everyone!
Oh, oh, oh--and Indiana Jones broke down while we got to the ball. The jeep shifted backward as it was supposed to, but never went down the ramp under the ball. They shut the power off, turned the lights on, and we got to see the ball on its track. I was so excited! After maybe 20 minutes we got going and rode around one more time before our Blue Bayou reservations (who accommodated our twenty minute lateness), but it worked perfectly the second time around.
Overall, I'd say my trip was so definitely worth it and I was very excited to be able to go on Big Thunder this time around. Last year when we visited in July, we couldn't ride it because it was being refurbished. I think that's my second favorite ride at DL after Indy! Despite how crowded it was on Thursday, I still had a lot of fun and I really want to go again, but maybe during a time when it's not peak.
Some things I noticed that may already be painfully obvious:
1. Crowding. Let's face it. This is a growing issue that everyone knows happens. Monday and Wednesday were normal, tolerable summer days. Thursday was insane for whatever reason, I don't know why. Perhaps a bunch of people trying to fit in last-minute Disneyland adventures before school gets into full swing. It was very problematic for two reasons: (1) The amount of rides breaking down, which funneled guests over to other rides. (2) Difficulties getting through certain areas in the park that tend to be very crowded, specifically and not surprisingly over by Jungle Cruise/Indiana Jones, near Star Tours and that area of Tomorrowland, and over down in New Orleans square and that walkway down by the Rivers of America (it goes without saying that when they're preparing for the shows, it gets ten times worse).
Also, a looooooot of people just stopped and stood in the middle of walk ways. It wasn't wheelchairs, ECVs, or strollers that were the problem. It was physical bodies standing in the middle of walkways, stopping dead in their tracks, or just generally not paying attention to the fact that there are dozens and dozens of other people around them. This was the most annoying as opposed to certain issues I've read on the forum about things like stroller parking, which actually wasn't something I noticed as an issue. People parked their strollers off to the side or by the designated roped off areas, and that was that.
2. Some trash, but not a lot. This was something I was also looking out for. I threw a way some stuff myself, but walked past a few pieces that weren't being caught by CMs. However, I did see them out in full force sweeping and cleaning up. Most areas were very well taken care of, and I didn't notice any trash on any rides. I did, however, notice a lot of hats strewn about like on RSR. I get why they didn't go out onto the tracks to pick them up. Firstly, the hats weren't obstructing the rides from operating, but it would just delay the loading process and Wed/Thurs(especially) were days they couldn't afford to interrupt that.
3. CM friendliness. There isn't anything I can say that was negative about the CMs. This is another issue I've read about on the forums, but I did not encounter one noticeably irritated, rude, or mean CM. All of them were very friendly and helpful, albeit a tad bit assertive when loading and unloading or asking guests to fill in spaces while standing in line. I can see exactly why they would need to be more insistent on making sure guests work with them to properly and efficiently get them through the rides. More often than not, guests would completely ignore the CMs instructions to do something, which in turn started a domino effect. No one seemed to care, so no one really did much. It was like watching the CMs talk to a wall sometimes, but they never got too upset about it.
This, of course, is an issue of over crowding and time management. I believe Disney could do more about this, but we'll see what happens in the future.
Again, the trip was very fun, as expected, and I'm glad I went despite the crowding we experienced. I enjoyed myself, and will most definitely visit again. I don't know when, hopefully in another year's time, but we'll see what happens!
EDIT:
Adding a portion here about the hotel. We stayed for 5 days at the Springhill Suites Anaheim Maingate on W Ball Rd. and I'm very happy that we did. It's a newer hotel having opened earlier in the year, and you can tell they're maintaining it as such. The hotel is located in a perfect area. It's north of Disneyland, and far enough away from the hustle and bustle of both vehicle and foot traffic on Harbor, and driving to DL was an easy right on Ball, right on Disneyland Dr and right into the Mickey and Friends structure--no hassle! I'm sure we could have walked to the park considering it's right behind the parking structure, but I had my car and free parking at DL with my 3-day PH tickets. There was a stop for the shuttle right outside the hotel, which would've been just as easy to take as well, but Ball was free from traffic jams, which made getting to and from the hotel an easy deal.
The hotel itself is clean and well taken care of. There was always parking available as well, which was nice. Some of the other Marriott's around town that we've stayed in have been more difficult to work with when trying to find parking, but we always got a spot each night at this one We stayed on points, so the cost wasn't something I thought too much about. I only paid for daily parking, which isn't included in the stay, but breakfast is and we didn't utilize that. Every morning we went downstairs, though, it was very busy. It seemed like a lot of the guests took advantage of that. From what I could tell, the food smelled absolutely delicious, but looks and smells can be deceiving! However, if that many people were downstairs eating the breakfast, it couldn't have been that bad.
It's only a four-story building, which means there aren't a boat load of people staying there like some other hotels, but you could definitely tell there were children there with their families visiting Disneyland. Sunday afternoon/night was the worst. It quieted down after that. No one was running up and down the halls or being loud in their rooms anymore. Seemed like Sunday/Monday were popular check-in days. Speaking of checking in, we got into our room at 11 a.m. despite check in being at 3 p.m. They were very accommodating, which was nice and always appreciated when you've just arrived from being in the car for 16 hours. The room they assigned us to was very clean and well taken care of. It had a lot of room, and the layout was really cool and modern. We very much enjoyed those aspects. I also noticed they had some really cool artwork in there, too! Fun to look at.
I'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a place to stay that's nearby, modern, and all inclusive aside from parking. We love Marriott and will continue to stay with them. I'd say Springhill, or at least this location in particular was the best out of the few we've stayed out down there, but I'm curious about the new one opening on Katella. We may stay there just to experience it next time!
Monday, August 11th:
We decided to break up the trip, so after arriving in Anaheim on Sunday the 10th, we visited family, got checked into the hotel and then relaxed. That 15-16 hour drive from Portland is brutal at times, and it kicked our buns both down and back up. We decided to get there at 9:00 a.m., which is when the park opened to all guests. I didn't mind that the hours had changed 'cause I dislike waking up early, especially on vacation and after a drive like that. We got parked, got on the tram, and down to the parks maybe 20 minutes after leaving the hotel (we stayed at the Springhill Suites on Ball, which I'll talk about later).
Immediately after getting through DTD, we rushed over to DCA to grab FPs for RSR. Had a pretty early return time, which kinda stunk because we wanted to ride at night, but I didn't want to risk not being able to get FPs if we decided to wait for as long as possible. I still don't know how long they would have lasted, but we did all that there. At that point, the park wasn't too crowded either. There were people there most definitely, ones who had already been in the park, and those of us who showed up at opening, but it was not too bad. I didn't feel claustrophobic like you can sometimes when the park is super crowded. Monday was not bad at all, and none of the rides we went on had any problems during the times we came up to them. Probably because of the lower capacity!
Wednesday, August 13th:
Wednesday got a little busier, but not significantly. This, however, was the day I did notice a few more rides were going down more often, but not to the point where I couldn't get on a ride I desperately wanted to go on. For instance, Indy, which we all know goes down quite a bit, had gone down a few times that day. We did, however, ride it something like 3 times without issue. So when we did get on it, it worked!
Something similar happened to Big Thunder. We were in line and were told to reverse our way out of the line as they were shutting the ride down completely. I don't know why. We just got out of line and then went elsewhere (can't remember where). We did leave a tad bit earlier that night since we were planning on coming into DL for our MM on the 3-day PH tickets.
Thursday, August 14th:
Thursday, our last day, was different. I noticed lots and lots of kids skipping school to come to DL/DCA. I outright heard a parent say: "Aren't you glad we decided to skip school today?" to her child, which doesn't surprise me. This day was mega packed. It was uncomfortable and hotter, and the crowds didn't disperse even after all the firework shows or coming up on the end of the night.
And oh god, Downtown Disney was a nightmare. I feel horrible for the workers who have to clean up World of Disney. T_T Such disgusting, messy, slob customers who have no respect for the products being sold or the people who have to clean up after them. In any case, aside from that, a LOT more rides broke down this day. It went hand in hand with the amount of people inside the parks, and you could tell how frustrated the employees were. They weren't rude in any way, though. Every CM I saw or spoke to was incredibly helpful, but Thursday tested everyone!
Oh, oh, oh--and Indiana Jones broke down while we got to the ball. The jeep shifted backward as it was supposed to, but never went down the ramp under the ball. They shut the power off, turned the lights on, and we got to see the ball on its track. I was so excited! After maybe 20 minutes we got going and rode around one more time before our Blue Bayou reservations (who accommodated our twenty minute lateness), but it worked perfectly the second time around.
Overall, I'd say my trip was so definitely worth it and I was very excited to be able to go on Big Thunder this time around. Last year when we visited in July, we couldn't ride it because it was being refurbished. I think that's my second favorite ride at DL after Indy! Despite how crowded it was on Thursday, I still had a lot of fun and I really want to go again, but maybe during a time when it's not peak.
Some things I noticed that may already be painfully obvious:
1. Crowding. Let's face it. This is a growing issue that everyone knows happens. Monday and Wednesday were normal, tolerable summer days. Thursday was insane for whatever reason, I don't know why. Perhaps a bunch of people trying to fit in last-minute Disneyland adventures before school gets into full swing. It was very problematic for two reasons: (1) The amount of rides breaking down, which funneled guests over to other rides. (2) Difficulties getting through certain areas in the park that tend to be very crowded, specifically and not surprisingly over by Jungle Cruise/Indiana Jones, near Star Tours and that area of Tomorrowland, and over down in New Orleans square and that walkway down by the Rivers of America (it goes without saying that when they're preparing for the shows, it gets ten times worse).
Also, a looooooot of people just stopped and stood in the middle of walk ways. It wasn't wheelchairs, ECVs, or strollers that were the problem. It was physical bodies standing in the middle of walkways, stopping dead in their tracks, or just generally not paying attention to the fact that there are dozens and dozens of other people around them. This was the most annoying as opposed to certain issues I've read on the forum about things like stroller parking, which actually wasn't something I noticed as an issue. People parked their strollers off to the side or by the designated roped off areas, and that was that.
2. Some trash, but not a lot. This was something I was also looking out for. I threw a way some stuff myself, but walked past a few pieces that weren't being caught by CMs. However, I did see them out in full force sweeping and cleaning up. Most areas were very well taken care of, and I didn't notice any trash on any rides. I did, however, notice a lot of hats strewn about like on RSR. I get why they didn't go out onto the tracks to pick them up. Firstly, the hats weren't obstructing the rides from operating, but it would just delay the loading process and Wed/Thurs(especially) were days they couldn't afford to interrupt that.
3. CM friendliness. There isn't anything I can say that was negative about the CMs. This is another issue I've read about on the forums, but I did not encounter one noticeably irritated, rude, or mean CM. All of them were very friendly and helpful, albeit a tad bit assertive when loading and unloading or asking guests to fill in spaces while standing in line. I can see exactly why they would need to be more insistent on making sure guests work with them to properly and efficiently get them through the rides. More often than not, guests would completely ignore the CMs instructions to do something, which in turn started a domino effect. No one seemed to care, so no one really did much. It was like watching the CMs talk to a wall sometimes, but they never got too upset about it.
This, of course, is an issue of over crowding and time management. I believe Disney could do more about this, but we'll see what happens in the future.
Again, the trip was very fun, as expected, and I'm glad I went despite the crowding we experienced. I enjoyed myself, and will most definitely visit again. I don't know when, hopefully in another year's time, but we'll see what happens!
EDIT:
Adding a portion here about the hotel. We stayed for 5 days at the Springhill Suites Anaheim Maingate on W Ball Rd. and I'm very happy that we did. It's a newer hotel having opened earlier in the year, and you can tell they're maintaining it as such. The hotel is located in a perfect area. It's north of Disneyland, and far enough away from the hustle and bustle of both vehicle and foot traffic on Harbor, and driving to DL was an easy right on Ball, right on Disneyland Dr and right into the Mickey and Friends structure--no hassle! I'm sure we could have walked to the park considering it's right behind the parking structure, but I had my car and free parking at DL with my 3-day PH tickets. There was a stop for the shuttle right outside the hotel, which would've been just as easy to take as well, but Ball was free from traffic jams, which made getting to and from the hotel an easy deal.
The hotel itself is clean and well taken care of. There was always parking available as well, which was nice. Some of the other Marriott's around town that we've stayed in have been more difficult to work with when trying to find parking, but we always got a spot each night at this one We stayed on points, so the cost wasn't something I thought too much about. I only paid for daily parking, which isn't included in the stay, but breakfast is and we didn't utilize that. Every morning we went downstairs, though, it was very busy. It seemed like a lot of the guests took advantage of that. From what I could tell, the food smelled absolutely delicious, but looks and smells can be deceiving! However, if that many people were downstairs eating the breakfast, it couldn't have been that bad.
It's only a four-story building, which means there aren't a boat load of people staying there like some other hotels, but you could definitely tell there were children there with their families visiting Disneyland. Sunday afternoon/night was the worst. It quieted down after that. No one was running up and down the halls or being loud in their rooms anymore. Seemed like Sunday/Monday were popular check-in days. Speaking of checking in, we got into our room at 11 a.m. despite check in being at 3 p.m. They were very accommodating, which was nice and always appreciated when you've just arrived from being in the car for 16 hours. The room they assigned us to was very clean and well taken care of. It had a lot of room, and the layout was really cool and modern. We very much enjoyed those aspects. I also noticed they had some really cool artwork in there, too! Fun to look at.
I'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a place to stay that's nearby, modern, and all inclusive aside from parking. We love Marriott and will continue to stay with them. I'd say Springhill, or at least this location in particular was the best out of the few we've stayed out down there, but I'm curious about the new one opening on Katella. We may stay there just to experience it next time!
