mummabear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 2, 2012
- Messages
- 5,536
THE GOOD
Musical chairs with Alice and the Mad Hatter:
Very possibly the best thing from our whole trip, I had it on my list of things to try but completely forgot about it and happened to be in the right place at the right time on our last day. Best character interaction, just pure fun.
Tiggers tail:
OMG yum. Nothing more needs to be said
RSR at night:
Awesome, also did not know that there was 2 options, every ride had been via Lugis for new tires and I had assumed that was just what both cars got-lovely surprise after so many rides to find out there was a Ramones paint side too.
F! Dessert Package:
Loved it, finally got to see F! at DLR, better than the WDW counterpart and really enjoyed all the desserts as well. Happy with the back seats as we could stand for a great view (note had we been in the row in front of ours I would not have been happy with the view from the seats, the fence really is in the way as are some of the posts)
BTMRR:
First time riding it since its refurb, again so much better than WDW counterpart. DDs favourite ride and was just really impressed.
Pirates League:
After doing this last year at WDW I was so happy that it would be open again at DLR during our tip. The pirate masters were great and we were happy that by chance our villain meet right after was Captain Hook.
On a side note: The Empress package at PL, DLR does not include hair like it did at WDW and there is a photopass photographer taking photos during the transformation but not any portraits.
Conjure a Villian:
I really enjoyed the chance to meet a few villians, the whole set up is cute and DD loved being the assistant. The gypsie entertaining the line is hilarious and you can see the stage from the line as well (the magician still has me wondering how he did the levitation)
I wasnt a huge fan of the russian roulette of who you get though-nothing like spending 45 minutes to meet the same villain more than once ..
THE BAD
World of colour:
Obviously there are some great spots for viewing but I just dont get why Disney has put on such a great show and put so little effort into viewing-at least remove the large arches from the area.
THE UGLY
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique:
We did the Sofia the First package (x2). The tiara was too large for our 3 year olds head and kept falling off; their hair was already starting to come out prior to leaving the boutique after having the photos taken but there were no FGIT available to repair them. The hair had come out completely within a couple of hours.
Also see comments below about Photopass plus at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Ariel's Grotto:
We made a booking 60 days out, I phoned to order a cake for our reservation and requested indoor seating in a booth if possible and was told this was noted on the reservation.
When we checked in we found the seating we had been booked for was an outdoor seating entirely.
I find the patio setting disappointing, you could as easily be eating at the wharf around the corner. It is very lacklustre compared to indoors.
On a side note, it was 39C and we had been greatly looking forward to being indoors with AC.
In the future I feel that a) Disney should make people aware if they are being booked for an outdoor seating-particularly and obviously when they have requested an indoor table and b) That Disney should put some thought into refurbishing this area so that these guests dont receive a less special setting-and include some cooling fans.
I did find this meal did the best job of getting the characters around each table and I like that they did it before the food came out which made it easy to see the characters then enjoy the meal. The new desserts (since our last visit in 2012) were possibly the best thing we ate on site.
However overall with 2 visits to Ariels neither time did we feel we got good value/experience for the cost and I dont see us doing it again.
Goofy's Kitchen:
We checked in at 7.20 for a 7.30 reservation, at 8 after groups that had checked in after us had been taken through I enquired why we had not been seated. I was told oh we thought you were in there already then told that we had waited as friends who had been seated earlier had requested that we have a table next to them and we had been waiting for that-despite the fact that a) no one had checked with us that that is what we wanted (we would love the opportunity to sit with/near them but given that we had an infant crying because she was so hungry and a toddler crying because she was so thirsty with the heat we wouldnt have waited around for a table) and b) when we spoke to these friends at 7.30 they had said they were seated in a mostly empty section with the tables either side of them free.
We asked to speak to a manager who just said oh well I guess it was a bunch of miscommunication but no apology.
Characters had to be wrangled to stop by the table, Snow White in particular had to be asked by my husband to come by as she was leaving our section after bypassing our table and her response was I saw the boy earlier but no acknowledgment of the 3 girls now seated there.
We had ordered 2 Ultimate Long Island Ice teas and after the 2nd one a check was brought to the table, we were not able to find anyone to bring any more drinks paid or included and were really given the bums rush to get out only 45 minutes after we had been seated and before we had even seen all the characters.
The service by absolutely every CM we encountered during this meal was substandard. We cancelled our Storytellers Breakfast reservation immediately as we were not willing to risk another chunk of money on a poor experience, we would have cancelled Minnies as well but that was for the next morning and so would have incurred a fee.
Minnie's Breakfast in the park:
We checked in for a 9.30 breakfast and were seated quickly, however our friends who checked in after us and enquired about being seated in the same section were told that we had said that we didnt want to (no one came to talk to us).
After over an hour we had only had 2 characters enter our section and had long finished eating, I asked a handler if they could get the characters could come by some we could finish up and get into the park. I was told Peter Pan had left for Fantasyland (we ended up finding him on the patio), we waited and talked to the character handler another time before Minnie finally came around.
We ended up going to Town Hall and spoke to a lovely girl named Stacey who arranged for the Storytellers breakfast to be rebooked and provided vouchers to cover this, she also arranged for a birthday cupcake for our 3 year old.
Storytellers Breakfast:
We saw the first 3 characters quickly but it took about 45 minutes to see Meeko (after asking a handler).
My only complaint here is about the birthday cupcake. Stacey at City Hall had advised DD that she had arranged one for her so after seeing several going out and with us almost ready to go (once we saw Meeko) we enquired what was happening with it, the CM brought one out with a lit candle and put it on the table and walked away. What I want to know is why didnt the CM do what we had seen for all the other ones both that morning and at Surfs Up and bring a character over and as a small group as CM/character/s sing Happy Birthday? Why wasnt DD worth that effort?
I feel awkward complaining about pixie dust but it doesnt feel like pixie dust when it is begrudgingly thrown at you, we only asked about it because Stacey had told her to expect it. She had watched-on her birthday at Surfs up as they did it to people around her and not put 2 and 2 together that she was missing out but tell a 3 year old they will get a cupcake-they dont forget that.
Anna & Elsa's Boutique:
We had a booking for Anna and Elsas boutique on Wednesday 17th. We stopped by the store on Monday 15th to see the new design and get an idea of what outfits they may choose to find that it was still Studio 365 and that the new boutique had been pushed back until October. We cancelled our appointments and I find it really poor that no one from Disney thought to contact people to advise them that the boutique they have an appointment with doesnt exist.
Photopass Plus:
We had emailed Disney/Photopass prior to purchasing our Photopass plus to seek clarification around the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique portraits and photopass plus, we were told that electronic copies were included.
Once at BBB I was told they were not included and despite showing the CMs the email exchange it still took more than 25 minutes of waiting and discussions before they were willing to do the right thing, something I find unbelievable given the had the info in front of them in writing and what we were asking for had no actual cost to Disney. Even then we had people who had paid and joined the queue after us be taken in for their photos before us, in fact it was only when they called for another child who had gone to the bathroom that we were allowed in.
Also I searched around the park to find a PP+ photographer to do the Pascal magic shot, I have gotten home to find that Pascal was instead Tinkerbell- disappointing.
Characters:
Finding Characters in general seems to be a difficult experience that at times was a real let down. Over 10 days in the park we were not able to come close to crossing paths with either Jasmine or Aurora. Frustratingly the handlers were very evasive about when characters could be found and frequently we would be told that they would be out at x time to return and find that had changed (for example on Sept 17th we were told a 2.55 that Flynn Ryder would be out at 3.30, we returned frying pans in hand-for autographing, to be told that he had had to go feed Maximus, a day prior to return to meet Sofia at 4.45 and when the handler came out we were told she would not be doing a meet and greet but just a walk past-I would not have dragged 3 kids in the heat all the way across the park for her to walk past us).
The heat seemed to be blamed for many of the characters not being available, I understand that Disney has to look after their staff but Anaheim is frequently hot, your systems need to be better worked then just pulling them. Fantasy Faire and the royal theatre should be air conditioned for both the staff and guests comfort. At DCA the large space at the animation academy could easily be used as an alternative for meet and greets in the heat.
On this note the monorail from the Disneyland Hotel was regularly (and by regularly I mean we were unable to ride it at any point we needed it) closed because of the heat, we were told it was too hot for us on board-again add air con, not to mention if you think it is too hot on board how hot did you think it was for us to walk all the way back carrying/pushing 3 kids and our purchases?
Musical chairs with Alice and the Mad Hatter:
Very possibly the best thing from our whole trip, I had it on my list of things to try but completely forgot about it and happened to be in the right place at the right time on our last day. Best character interaction, just pure fun.
Tiggers tail:
OMG yum. Nothing more needs to be said
RSR at night:
Awesome, also did not know that there was 2 options, every ride had been via Lugis for new tires and I had assumed that was just what both cars got-lovely surprise after so many rides to find out there was a Ramones paint side too.
F! Dessert Package:
Loved it, finally got to see F! at DLR, better than the WDW counterpart and really enjoyed all the desserts as well. Happy with the back seats as we could stand for a great view (note had we been in the row in front of ours I would not have been happy with the view from the seats, the fence really is in the way as are some of the posts)
BTMRR:
First time riding it since its refurb, again so much better than WDW counterpart. DDs favourite ride and was just really impressed.
Pirates League:
After doing this last year at WDW I was so happy that it would be open again at DLR during our tip. The pirate masters were great and we were happy that by chance our villain meet right after was Captain Hook.
On a side note: The Empress package at PL, DLR does not include hair like it did at WDW and there is a photopass photographer taking photos during the transformation but not any portraits.
Conjure a Villian:
I really enjoyed the chance to meet a few villians, the whole set up is cute and DD loved being the assistant. The gypsie entertaining the line is hilarious and you can see the stage from the line as well (the magician still has me wondering how he did the levitation)
I wasnt a huge fan of the russian roulette of who you get though-nothing like spending 45 minutes to meet the same villain more than once ..
THE BAD
World of colour:
Obviously there are some great spots for viewing but I just dont get why Disney has put on such a great show and put so little effort into viewing-at least remove the large arches from the area.
THE UGLY
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique:
We did the Sofia the First package (x2). The tiara was too large for our 3 year olds head and kept falling off; their hair was already starting to come out prior to leaving the boutique after having the photos taken but there were no FGIT available to repair them. The hair had come out completely within a couple of hours.
Also see comments below about Photopass plus at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Ariel's Grotto:
We made a booking 60 days out, I phoned to order a cake for our reservation and requested indoor seating in a booth if possible and was told this was noted on the reservation.
When we checked in we found the seating we had been booked for was an outdoor seating entirely.
I find the patio setting disappointing, you could as easily be eating at the wharf around the corner. It is very lacklustre compared to indoors.
On a side note, it was 39C and we had been greatly looking forward to being indoors with AC.
In the future I feel that a) Disney should make people aware if they are being booked for an outdoor seating-particularly and obviously when they have requested an indoor table and b) That Disney should put some thought into refurbishing this area so that these guests dont receive a less special setting-and include some cooling fans.
I did find this meal did the best job of getting the characters around each table and I like that they did it before the food came out which made it easy to see the characters then enjoy the meal. The new desserts (since our last visit in 2012) were possibly the best thing we ate on site.
However overall with 2 visits to Ariels neither time did we feel we got good value/experience for the cost and I dont see us doing it again.
Goofy's Kitchen:
We checked in at 7.20 for a 7.30 reservation, at 8 after groups that had checked in after us had been taken through I enquired why we had not been seated. I was told oh we thought you were in there already then told that we had waited as friends who had been seated earlier had requested that we have a table next to them and we had been waiting for that-despite the fact that a) no one had checked with us that that is what we wanted (we would love the opportunity to sit with/near them but given that we had an infant crying because she was so hungry and a toddler crying because she was so thirsty with the heat we wouldnt have waited around for a table) and b) when we spoke to these friends at 7.30 they had said they were seated in a mostly empty section with the tables either side of them free.
We asked to speak to a manager who just said oh well I guess it was a bunch of miscommunication but no apology.
Characters had to be wrangled to stop by the table, Snow White in particular had to be asked by my husband to come by as she was leaving our section after bypassing our table and her response was I saw the boy earlier but no acknowledgment of the 3 girls now seated there.
We had ordered 2 Ultimate Long Island Ice teas and after the 2nd one a check was brought to the table, we were not able to find anyone to bring any more drinks paid or included and were really given the bums rush to get out only 45 minutes after we had been seated and before we had even seen all the characters.
The service by absolutely every CM we encountered during this meal was substandard. We cancelled our Storytellers Breakfast reservation immediately as we were not willing to risk another chunk of money on a poor experience, we would have cancelled Minnies as well but that was for the next morning and so would have incurred a fee.
Minnie's Breakfast in the park:
We checked in for a 9.30 breakfast and were seated quickly, however our friends who checked in after us and enquired about being seated in the same section were told that we had said that we didnt want to (no one came to talk to us).
After over an hour we had only had 2 characters enter our section and had long finished eating, I asked a handler if they could get the characters could come by some we could finish up and get into the park. I was told Peter Pan had left for Fantasyland (we ended up finding him on the patio), we waited and talked to the character handler another time before Minnie finally came around.
We ended up going to Town Hall and spoke to a lovely girl named Stacey who arranged for the Storytellers breakfast to be rebooked and provided vouchers to cover this, she also arranged for a birthday cupcake for our 3 year old.
Storytellers Breakfast:
We saw the first 3 characters quickly but it took about 45 minutes to see Meeko (after asking a handler).
My only complaint here is about the birthday cupcake. Stacey at City Hall had advised DD that she had arranged one for her so after seeing several going out and with us almost ready to go (once we saw Meeko) we enquired what was happening with it, the CM brought one out with a lit candle and put it on the table and walked away. What I want to know is why didnt the CM do what we had seen for all the other ones both that morning and at Surfs Up and bring a character over and as a small group as CM/character/s sing Happy Birthday? Why wasnt DD worth that effort?
I feel awkward complaining about pixie dust but it doesnt feel like pixie dust when it is begrudgingly thrown at you, we only asked about it because Stacey had told her to expect it. She had watched-on her birthday at Surfs up as they did it to people around her and not put 2 and 2 together that she was missing out but tell a 3 year old they will get a cupcake-they dont forget that.
Anna & Elsa's Boutique:
We had a booking for Anna and Elsas boutique on Wednesday 17th. We stopped by the store on Monday 15th to see the new design and get an idea of what outfits they may choose to find that it was still Studio 365 and that the new boutique had been pushed back until October. We cancelled our appointments and I find it really poor that no one from Disney thought to contact people to advise them that the boutique they have an appointment with doesnt exist.
Photopass Plus:
We had emailed Disney/Photopass prior to purchasing our Photopass plus to seek clarification around the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique portraits and photopass plus, we were told that electronic copies were included.
Once at BBB I was told they were not included and despite showing the CMs the email exchange it still took more than 25 minutes of waiting and discussions before they were willing to do the right thing, something I find unbelievable given the had the info in front of them in writing and what we were asking for had no actual cost to Disney. Even then we had people who had paid and joined the queue after us be taken in for their photos before us, in fact it was only when they called for another child who had gone to the bathroom that we were allowed in.
Also I searched around the park to find a PP+ photographer to do the Pascal magic shot, I have gotten home to find that Pascal was instead Tinkerbell- disappointing.
Characters:
Finding Characters in general seems to be a difficult experience that at times was a real let down. Over 10 days in the park we were not able to come close to crossing paths with either Jasmine or Aurora. Frustratingly the handlers were very evasive about when characters could be found and frequently we would be told that they would be out at x time to return and find that had changed (for example on Sept 17th we were told a 2.55 that Flynn Ryder would be out at 3.30, we returned frying pans in hand-for autographing, to be told that he had had to go feed Maximus, a day prior to return to meet Sofia at 4.45 and when the handler came out we were told she would not be doing a meet and greet but just a walk past-I would not have dragged 3 kids in the heat all the way across the park for her to walk past us).
The heat seemed to be blamed for many of the characters not being available, I understand that Disney has to look after their staff but Anaheim is frequently hot, your systems need to be better worked then just pulling them. Fantasy Faire and the royal theatre should be air conditioned for both the staff and guests comfort. At DCA the large space at the animation academy could easily be used as an alternative for meet and greets in the heat.
On this note the monorail from the Disneyland Hotel was regularly (and by regularly I mean we were unable to ride it at any point we needed it) closed because of the heat, we were told it was too hot for us on board-again add air con, not to mention if you think it is too hot on board how hot did you think it was for us to walk all the way back carrying/pushing 3 kids and our purchases?
The Good sounds great on your trip! I will have to put Musical chairs on that Disney wish list I keep.
