August 2013

[Miss Red]

Hi
I have lurked here on the boards the last five years off and on but I am now into actually planning and going to Disneyland.

I will be travelling with 10 yr old DD, so an adventure for us going all that way on our own! I know August is a crazy busy time at Disney but figure that adds to the fun.

I have booked flights with virgin aust and also booked hotel. But my list to organise is still long...

Insurance - both have pre existing medical conditions, so advice on good insurance is very welcome.

Park hopper tickets - thinking will get these in June or July, no hurry

Money - still researching best way to take money

Visa waiver thingo - again going to leave until June- July

Um, brain has just gone to mush, I know there is lots still to do and think about.

I will have lots of questions, so looking forward to getting advice and hearing everyone else's experiences.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Welcome Miss Red.

Exciting times ahead. I can't give too much advice on Disneyland - I went once about 7 years ago but don't remember much about it for some reason.

Just a thought about the tickets however. If it's like WDW, Disney tend to increase their prices every year around that time. If you're going to wait till the middle of the year to buy tickets, just keep an ear to the ground for rumors of price hikes.
Also, keep an eye on the dollar. I'm trying to book as many things as I can while the dollar is as strong as it is. While I'm hoping it continues to stay strong all year, you never know. Economists here in NZ are always trying to find ways of bringing the kiwi dollar down, because as strong as it as at present, it's bad for our export market. Good for travelers like me though.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Welcome aboard

Congratulations on booking your trip.

We have been to Disneyland at its busiest and the key to success is being there early when the park opens and FASTPASS. Using these will make the most of your time.

Where are you staying and for how long?

You will get lots of great advice here.

 

[zanzibar138]

Congrats on booking the trip AND coming out of lurkdom! I'm sure you and DD will have a blast! I think 10 is a great age for Disneyland

I would also tend to book everything I can now while the dollar is so strong againt the US, but if you do want to wait to buy the tickets, as Wanderlust suggested, just keep an eye out for price rises.

V Australia is great! We went to the US with them and the flight was about as good as a 14 hour flight can be

I'm afraid I can't really help with insurance - we haven't found one we're really happy with yet, and we don't even need cover for pre-existing conditions!

 

[aussie shaz]

Hi Miss Red,

I went to Disneyland in August 2011 with hubby and 2 sons, ages 8 and 10. We had a ball, and are going back again this May.

We were there from 13-19 August and we didn't find it crazy busy at all. I'm not saying it wasn't crazy busy, but it just didn't feel like it to us.

I would highly suggest buying Ridemax. It's a computer program that helps you work out what to do and when. I think this really saved our holiday from being really overwhelming. We just didn't feel the busy queues at all.

We also flew Virgin and are flying them again. They were absolutely fine. I've heard they are much better than Qantas. We didn't see the free snacks that were supposed to be available, but I'll check it out better this time!

Regarding money, we take a bit of cash, but put most things on our 28 Degrees MasterCard. It has no fees, no international transaction fees, and no currency conversion fees. We found it to be great and will do the same again this time.

We bought our Parkhopper tickets last time from the Disney site direct. I kept my eyes open for a heads-up when the prices were going up, and bought them just before that. Tripadvisor is another good site that will probably have some inside knowledge.

With our visa waiver thingy, I got really excited and got them in about April for our August visit. Silly me never thought we'd go back within 2 years, so now have to pay for them again. I would suggest leaving it as close as possible, but just don't forget to do it!!

You will have a wonderful time. 10 is a fantastic age. Your daughter will have such wonderful memories.

Let me know if you need any more info.

By the way, where are you staying?

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Welcome, you will love it here

 

[Minniemum]

Welcome Miss Red!

Congratulations on booking your first trip! You've got some great advice already. We are long time Qantas customers but decided to fly Virgin for the first time last year. We were really impressed and would now fly Virgin over Qantas.

Have you signed up for the Mousesavers or All Ears newsletters? Of the two, Mousesavers has more of a DL bent with the addition of Southern CA park info. Both will provide info on things like upcoming ride closures, ticket price increases, accommodation deals etc.

Happy planning!

 

[alicia1506]

welcome Miss Red,

disneyland is such a great place to visit, and 10 sounds like a great age to travel!! we have flown vaustralia previously and will be flying them again this trip... they are great, and we did see the snacks on our flight (we also sat near to the galley, so that may be the trick). we flew on a promo fare, (approx 1200 pp return) and thought it was good value for the economy seats. you will love it

regarding the visa waiver ESTA thing, they say do it at least 3 days before you fly, but i would recommend doing it at least a month or 2 out from your departure date, that way, heaven forbid anything goes wrong, you still have time to make an appointment for a regular visa etc. not that anything will go wrong, but in travel planning, i say you can never be too paranoid or organised

re the tickets, i agree about the prices going up approx mid year (may/june ish) and it's better to buy them before the price hike than after... mousesavers.com have a monthly newsletter you can subscribe to and they will warn of upcoming price hikes for tickets.

how long are you going for and where are you staying? right now disneyland have a 3 day park hopper ticket for only 220, which is cheaper than normal.

we also put our money on our commbank travel money card, our 29degrees mastercard (this is through GE finance, no international fees, currency conversion fees etc, it's really handy) and we order our cash through an online currency exchange and pick it up at our local australia post...

if you have any more questions or just want to talk/vent/discuss your plans, we are all here to help

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Welcome to the boards, we went to Disneyland in August 2012 we really didnt think it was that busy except for Cars land which we knew would be busy.
I highly reccomend Minnie's breakfast at Plaza Inn and we also loved Ariel's grotto.

 

[Snickals]

Welcome and congrats on your upcoming trip! VAustralia is great to travel with...and you will have a great holiday! Happy planning

 

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome and congrats on the trip!

 

[Miss Red]

Thanks for the fantastic welcome

I have booked Best Western Plus Park Place Inn & Mini Suites from August 17-25, so we only have a week but its better than never getting there hehe

I have had a couple of quotes for insurance and am now waiting on RACWA to change their travel insurance underwriter before getting a quote from them. Once I have them all I will compare prices and what coverage we will get. Who is a reliable underwriter?

Is it better to get Disney tickets online or through a travel agent? I am going to get a 5 day park hopper that way the other days can be quiet days or day trips. I will be doing more research on Lego Land as DD loves her Lego.

Shopping isn't a big thing for me as I hate shopping for myself and most of what DD will want can come from Disney.

So much more research to do, and loving every second of it

 

[Marlea98]

Welcome.

Buy your tickets for DL through Mousesavers. Much cheaper than buying from Disney direct. We bought direct through Disney site last time and printed them off at home, they had our names on them with a cute picture of Sulley, then traded them in for proper tickets at the gate. It didn't take us long and wasn't a hassle.

 

[Travel Mum]

Welcome Miss Red and Happy Planning!!!

 

[Miss Red]

ARGH, just applied for our ESTA, and have to wait to be approved I wanted it to be instant. The waiting is going to drive me nuts!

But otherwise planning is going ok, I have got insurance paid and also got our Disneyland park hoppers

I am starting to get excited but DD isn't yet. I want to countdown but DD doesn't want to yet.

 

[Caroline NZ]

ARGH, just applied for our ESTA, and have to wait to be approved I wanted it to be instant. The waiting is going to drive me nuts!

But otherwise planning is going ok, I have got insurance paid and also got our Disneyland park hoppers

I am starting to get excited but DD isn't yet. I want to countdown but DD doesn't want to yet.

You are definitely on the countdown homestretch now

 

[darren123]

Welcome and Hello
We will be at Disneyland DCA 22nd and 23rd of August
Will be busy but you will enjoy

 

[vnuzz]

That's too funny...we're flying out August 29 and have been counting down since about 280 days!! Down to 73 days for us now You will love Disneyland. We went in 2010 and had the best time. We're heading over to Orlando this time to check out the World but haven't ruled out a quick visit to Disneyland on our way home

For money we have an Australia Post Load & Go card plus will take some cash with us as well.

For travel insurance I've found Covermore to be the best. DH and I had a 6 week European adventure booked and paid for in 2003 and I fell pregnant and was advised not to travel - we got every cent back with no hassle whatsoever.

Happy planning!

 

[Miss Red]

Woohoo, our ESTA's have been approved

Days seem to flying by and our trip is getting closer and closer.

I am now starting to wonder if I will have issues getting in and out of the rides, I have had both hips replaced and sometimes struggle to get up and down off my couch. In summer, I kayak with friends but they are very kind and help me in and out of the kayak. From what I understand the CM's are not able to assist guests in and out of rides, I think this may cause issues as its only going to be me and DD and there is no way that my DD can help me climb in and out

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Woohoo, our ESTA's have been approved

Days seem to flying by and our trip is getting closer and closer.

I am now starting to wonder if I will have issues getting in and out of the rides, I have had both hips replaced and sometimes struggle to get up and down off my couch. In summer, I kayak with friends but they are very kind and help me in and out of the kayak. From what I understand the CM's are not able to assist guests in and out of rides, I think this may cause issues as its only going to be me and DD and there is no way that my DD can help me climb in and out

Would steer clear of Astro orbiters. That really is a blessing. I have a dodgy knee and that is the ride that i find the hardest.