We are home and had a wonderful time at DLR. We stuck to the plans listed in my original post. We were
most pleased with the Carthay Circle Restaurant with WOC tickets
and the Fantasmic! Dessert package. The Wine Country Trattoria itself was good - but we felt that their WOC tickets were oversold resulting in a very crowded, uncomfortable viewing location. Brennan's, this time, was only 'OK.' We might try the Sunday Brunch at Storytellers on a future non-Park visit.
We rode RSR 3x each day and
finally got a car that went to Luigi's instead of Ramone's for pre-race prep. We had to ask a ride CM at boarding for help on that special request.
I'm glad to say we rode both Luigi's Flying Tires and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. Both were fun ... and are now in the same mental file as The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (cute, fun if you have extra time, not a "must do" but certainly brings a smile).
Our seating for the Fantasmic! package was a perfect vantage point for the fireworks. I can't say I normally sit through fireworks -- but the offer to remain in our seats enjoying a refill of coffee won us over. The "
Remember ... Dreams Come True" show incorporates several old ride songs and voices. (Two references to Monsanto's Adventure Through Inner Space in one day? How strange!)
Overall, we did
everything we hoped to do. We rode all our favorites, some several times; hopped between parks with little thought; spent several long breaks sitting on benches watching people and/or the free-loading ducks; went looking for the new Brabants and participated in horse-talk, met Clarabelle and the Babydolls; did some pin trading; saw Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and thoroughly enjoyed the pre-show from Voices of Liberty; and spent a rather long time watching a stuck ride vehicle on the Matterhorn. After 45 minutes of waiting, the family was
walked off the ride. (They were celebrities with folks waving to them and taking photos.)
Three full days was perfect -- we really felt we did everything. The key was taking full advantage of the early park hours for resort guests ... in that first hour we got as many as 5 major rides!
As for the
DVC considerations ...
At four nights, this was our longest stay in a DVC studio. While we missed the jetted tub, kitchen, laundry and extra desk surfaces of a 1BR unit ... we were ok.
Kitchen: We had the mini-fridge packed with vegetables, yogurts and fruits; and we toted several small appliances (
Omega juicer, electric kettle, small rice cooker, serious chef knife, cutting board, etc.) to prepare and enjoy light meals and snacks in our room. We were pleased to find real coffee mugs and glassware in the cabinet along with paper plates and plastic utensils. (I was expecting paper/plastic items only -- and was very pleasantly surprised to find ceramic coffee mugs and the glassware!)
Studio Queen Bed: Surprised by the lack of a nightstand on one side, we improvised using available room elements to avoid a trip hazard while charging electronics at night. The bedding was similar to that of Aulani: high end mattress (very comfortable!), duvet encased in easily-cleaned-sheets, exceptional pillows. Great!
Laundry: During check-in we were offered free tokens to use for the shared laundry facility. While we didn't need to run any laundry - we appreciated the gesture.
A/C: Ugh. We woke up overheated every night. Gotta figure out that override? (We were really surprised to be so warm at night. We live nearby and rarely think about indoor temps. At home we keep windows open and are generally quite comfortable without the use of either heat or air. How do we duplicate that "just open a window" sensation while at any Disney Resort?)
We have a return visit on the books for Memorial Weekend (GCV 1BR) and mid-June (off-site timeshare, 1BR) and toyed with upgrading our promotional passes to APs. After long review, we simply couldn't justify the DLR AP prices ... $639 (after DVC discount) for two CA parks with no blackout dates vs just $395 last year for DVC members for 4 WDW parks + Water Parks + DisneyQuest? No, sorry ... that just didn't make sense to us. As we felt we really did get everything done ... we are toying with canceling the May reservation and banking the points. Hmm ... glad to have a few more weeks to think that through ....
We are 3 sleeps away from 4 nights at VGC ... giving us 3 full days at DLR. We have 3 day park hoppers and a few key dining reservations:
Any suggestions for "Don't Miss!" or "Must do!"?
Given the early park opening hours, I think we might have to skip the Power Walk through DCA this go'round-- but we'll watch to see how the schedule plays out.
Thanks for your ideas!
, there are several good threads by HydroGuy regarding Disneyland resort in general. There is also a new thread regarding Carsland Radiator Springs Racers (RSR titled "Wide Right", that discusses the best method to get on the ride first thing!
