Any Dapper Day Vets care to share experiences?

[cruisehopeful]

I am considering going to Dapper Day in April. I am 100% sure that I want to go, but my AP expires a couple weeks before it and that is the only thing holding me back from making a reservation since I don't know if I'd want to get another right then.

I would stay at DLH because that is where the convention hall is and that is the main reason why I'd go. My husband suggested I just go for the day to do convention stuff, but I want to be decked out in more than one outfit. For those who have attended in the past, what types of stuff was there to do without going into the parks? Was there anything special going on in the parks? I know with Gay Days, everyone goes on certain rides and certain times and meets for a photo op. Does Dapper Day do stuff like that, too?

 

[cruisehopeful]

Still hoping for some feedback from someone who has attended Dapper Day before.

 

[lvdis]

I'm interested in hearing more about this too. I also might be going in April and it will be our first time attending one of these events. I hope you get some replies!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I did a 5 day trip over Dapper Days this fall and loved it! The outfits in the parks on Dapper Day itself are great to see but the park is VERY busy. We did rides during EMH but only got a few rides in the rest of the day because the crowds were too much for us. I meant to go to the expo that day but I didn't, even though I stayed at DLH I was just too tired from all our park activity the previous days. For Dapper Day we made TS reservations for lunch at Cafe Orleans which was GREAT for people watching from the patio, I highly recommend it! (We did dinner at Carnation cafe just to make sure we could grab a bite to eat without a long wait and it worked ok, a reservation in DtD would have served our purpose just fine in retrospect.) I don't remember seeing anything on meet ups. I think there are just too many people now for that.

 

[ddwlms]

This is not your question, but be careful about booking hotel reservations unless you're sure about travel plans. This is the only time (that I'm aware of) that Disney will charge you for your first night's stay if you cancel, even before their normal window.

The expo is pretty cool, but we were done looking at everything, and watching the dancers, within a couple of hours.

 

[cruisehopeful]

This is not your question, but be careful about booking hotel reservations unless you're sure about travel plans. This is the only time (that I'm aware of) that Disney will charge you for your first night's stay if you cancel, even before their normal window.

This is another hesitation of mine. I will probably be better off waiting until a few weeks before to book, but then I risk it being sold out. I wonder why they keep a night's fee if you have to cancel. Maybe they had bad experiences with all the rooms getting booked up early and then a bunch of cancellations.

 

[gottalovepluto]

This is another hesitation of mine. I will probably be better off waiting until a few weeks before to book, but then I risk it being sold out. I wonder why they keep a night's fee if you have to cancel. Maybe they had bad experiences with all the rooms getting booked up early and then a bunch of cancellations.

Bingo. Apparently lots of people would book just in case & cancel right before. You're probably gonna have a tough time a few weeks out from the event btw. If you want to stay at a DLR hotel I urge you to make that decision a lot sooner because the rooms at the dapper day rates still sold out quick even with the non-refundable night this fall. I wish I could remember for you but we booked in August or July & GCH was already sold out of some days at the Dapper rate. If you gotta wait, you gotta wait but have an offsite backup.

 

[cruisehopeful]

If you want to stay at a DLR hotel I urge you to make that decision a lot sooner because the rooms at the dapper day rates still sold out quick even with the non-refundable night this fall.

Thanks. That is good information. I will probably go ahead and just book one night. I was planning on 2, but if don't know if I will want to renew my AP or pay the ticket price. If I stay the one night, it won't really matter since I can busy with the Expo and I can schedule an afternoon tea at DLH.

 

[Dentam]

We went this past Spring and the expo at the DL hotel only took about an hour to look around. It was fun to see people all dressed up, but I don't think there were any organized meetups. The best place for info will be the Dapper Days website.

 

[disneyxica20]

i went a few years ago and it was a blast. that year, they had ride "take overs" at the mark twain in the afternoon and the carousel in the evening. i don't remember if they did a big group photo. it does get very busy, but it's so much fun being dressed up and seeing everyone's outfits.