August 2017 Disneyland Check-In & Chat!

[coloredimage]

Hi guys! I kept seeing other months pop up but I couldn't find an August Check-In thread even after searching, so I figured I'd start one up!

Come post your dates, where you're staying if you'd like, and come chat about your planning, touring, and whatever else you'd like!

I'm going with two of my friends! It'll be my friend Liz's first time in California. I also super love planning so I'd love to hear what y'all are doing!



Dates

Just Peachy - July 31-August 5
DDhunter - August 1-5
Rachie0517 - August 1-8
Sew Into Disney - August 1-9
cgh - August 2-4
lmhall2000 - August 2-5
chicagodisfan - August 2-6
leagirl12 - August 2-7
buyerbrad - August 2-9
ezonline - August 3-7
DisneylandPlanner - August 4-9
lozzypop - August 4-12
butterfly123 - August 6-10
DISNEYFOURME - August 6-14
Canadian Girl 77 - August 7-12 or 14-19
JBF1982 - August 8-9
cindyland - August 8-11
littlemuffin06 - August 8-11
coloredimage - August 8-14
jcc0621 - August 9-18
hjgaus - August 11-13
DLmama - August 11-13
PrincessIM - August 11-16
Gin0818 - August 11-19
Princess Jes - August 11-15
BriannaRuth - August 12-18
cubed - August 13-16
disneymouse16 - August 13-16
Abbey1 - August 13-16
Cory's Gal - August 13-17
tesslor - August 13-17
22Tink - August 13-19
DaveNinja - August 14-18
endoux - August 14-18
ProudMommyof2 - August 14-18
Helene_C - August 14-25
gsrieff - August 15-19
M_Loves_DW - August 16-17
dec2009mama - August 16-20
bwmetts - August 16-21
Davin_Felth - August 17-20
blackjackdelta - August 17-22
joseph821 - August 17-23
LoverDisney - August 19-24
MIChessGuy - August 19-24
Disney127 - August 19-24
bswift - August 20-24
Jump4Joy8390 - August 20-27
delyrium - August 21-24
LoveOlaf - August 21-25
GlitteryOtters - August 21-28
AussieDisneyMum - August 21-31
Chubby - August 22-23
ixmnrs - August 22-24
Melany502 - August 22-29
plack - August 23-24
dec2009mama - August 23-25
Jedimom - August 23-29
MrTMorrow - August 25-27
tammytam - August 27-30
Kauai4life - August 27-31
Frozen2014 - August 29-September 1

 

[Gin0818]

Hi! We will be visiting August 11th to the 19th for my daughter's birthday. We have never been and it will be a surprise trip for her, so excited! We are WDW veterans so everything is new for us.

 

[GlitteryOtters]

Yay! Glad to see an August post pop up! My husband & I are 95% sure we are going towards the end of the month to celebrate my 40th birthday. My husband has never been inside Disneyland (despite having stayed nearby & even on site on previous trips when I went in the parks & he bummed around So Cal). He has promised to get a 4 day ticket to FINALLY come see what i keep making such a fuss about. Will post dates when they are finalized (probably within the month). We'll be there for probably 7 or 8 days (I'm going again in early December with my mom, so I have an AP I'll be activating in August), with me hitting the parks for at least part of all the days, and my husband joining me on 4 of them.


We are driving cross country from Michigan, so we still have some logistical planning to finalize before we can set the dates exactly. All I know for sure is that we *will* be inside the parks on my birthday on the 25th!


~Meg

 

[coloredimage]

Hi! We will be visiting August 11th to the 19th for my daughter's birthday. We have never been and it will be a surprise trip for her, so excited! We are WDW veterans so everything is new for us.

Oh wonderful! That sounds like so much fun! My whole gang is made up of WDW vets (my friend who's never been is a former WDW CM) and we love how similar yet different it is!

Yay! Glad to see an August post pop up! My husband & I are 95% sure we are going towards the end of the month to celebrate my 40th birthday. My husband has never been inside Disneyland (despite having stayed nearby & even on site on previous trips when I went in the parks & he bummed around So Cal). He has promised to get a 4 day ticket to FINALLY come see what i keep making such a fuss about. Will post dates when they are finalized (probably within the month). We'll be there for probably 7 or 8 days (I'm going again in early December with my mom, so I have an AP I'll be activating in August), with me hitting the parks for at least part of all the days, and my husband joining me on 4 of them.


We are driving cross country from Michigan, so we still have some logistical planning to finalize before we can set the dates exactly. All I know for sure is that we *will* be inside the parks on my birthday on the 25th!


~Meg

Yay! Welcome! That sounds like fun! And I'm glad he's finally giving in and coming IN to the parks

 

[gsrieff]

Yay! I've been waiting for an August check in too. This is my year of Disney, and this would be my final trip.

I don't have official dates worked out yet. It's really depending on the re-opening of ROA, F!, and the train. I'm thinking the 15th-19th. I've read that's the earliest locals will be back in school. My AP expires the 19th, but that would be our travel day home. It would be just my DS7 and I going this trip. We have family that lives about 25 minutes away, so we will stay with them this time. In this year I also stayed at Tropicana, and have BWPPI reserved for my May vacation.

I would LOVE to surprise my son, but building the excitement is part of the fun for me. I'm pretty sure once I book the flights, I'll tell him. Then we can start planning together. About a month ago, I bought my flight from PDX to LGB for 130 for the May vacation. Unfortunately the flights for August right now are 260 a person! I'm reallllllllllllly hoping those go down, or this trip might not happen. Last year I bought flights in August for a spontaneous trip 10 days before we went and we only payed 160 a person. Is it common for flights to be so expensive so far out?

Last August (19th & 20th) had pretty great weather. It was 84 both days. The crowd level was fantastic on Friday, and Saturday was a zoo. I'm hoping to be able to afford A Walk in Walt's footsteps tour, and a F! dining package for us! I've never splurged on that kind of thing (we don't even do character meals) but I figured it would be my grand finale. I won't probably be back down to Disney until 2020...sigh, I'm already depressed just saying that.

 

[Gin0818]

I would LOVE to surprise my son, but building the excitement is part of the fun for me. I'm pretty sure once I book the flights, I'll tell him. Then we can start planning together. About a month ago, I bought my flight from PDX to LGB for 130 for the May vacation. Unfortunately the flights for August right now are 260 a person! I'm reallllllllllllly hoping those go down, or this trip might not happen. Last year I bought flights in August for a spontaneous trip 10 days before we went and we only payed 160 a person. Is it common for flights to be so expensive so far out?

To be honest the surprise part of it is driving me nuts, it is just the 2 of us so usually we plan everything together and now I find myself going would she like this or this I have never managed to keep a surprise before so I am really hoping I can hold out for it....I am also hoping to do the A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour.

 

[Princess Jes]

Myself and @minniemumma are 95% sure we are visiting 11-15 August this year from Australia!

We are wondering how having 2 of our 5 days as weekend days will affect us and whether it's worthwhile shifting dates to the 9-13 instead? Anyone have any thoughts on that?

At this stage, we will most likely be staying at the Sheraton or the HoJo (no kids so walking isn't an issue) and will probably do some character dining also.

We are then traipsing over to Orlando to check out Volcano Bay at Universal so doing 5 days there too. (taking a red eye on the 15th) so will also hit up WDW for Ohana dinner and trader sams one afternoon and maybe the new Rapunzel breakfast at the Boardwalk if it's still running then (we have reservations already for Ohana and the breakfast!!)

 

[Frozen2014]

Yah, I noticed a June, July and September thread so have been watching for the August one. Thanks for starting it.

We're coming to LA on August 24th, and will be at the park Tues Aug 29 - Fri Sept 1st. We're staying at Desert Inn & Suites. Hotel booked. Park tickets bought. Flight booked.

Where are you all staying?

We took our kids to WDW in 2014 and had such an amazing time. Our son is in grade 6 now and so we're at the point of not wanting to take him out of school, which leaves March Break, summer or Christmas. We figured summer is the best option but with Orlando weather, we thought, hey why not try Disneyland? Can't wait!

We haven't told our kids yet either. I sooo want too, but DH wants to keep it a surprise.

 

[lozzypop]

Yay! I have been waiting for an August check-in thread. Thanks coloredimage!

We are going August 4 - 12. Staying at the Hojo. My daughter is in her first year of high school so I had resolved not to take her out during the school year (which I have happily done in the past) especially since she is in a gifted learning program at school. So that left July or August. We are planning to upgrade our ParkHoppers to APs and go sometime in late June/early July next year so we get two trips out of our APs.

As for the weather, it can be stinkin' hot any time of the year in Anaheim. We lived through 102 degree weather in May one year and I figured that if we could live through that then we can handle August. At least the parks will be open early in the mornings during peak season and that really is the best time to go.

 

[tammytam]

Yay, an August thread! I've also been on the look out .

I have a trip booked at the end of the month, we'll be in the parks for 4 days; Aug 27-30. I'm taking my two kiddos (at that time they'll be 9 and 5), and my niece (who's 20) is coming along for the ride (to help out.. I'm a single mom) )

Super excited! It will be the first trip to Disney for my son. I did a mom/daughter trip last spring with my oldest (her first time and my first time as an adult), which was amazing and it made me want another trip asap with all of us! We're from Canada, so it's a big trip for us.

I have bought our park tickets (got the great deal for Canadians), flights are booked and hotel is reserved! We're staying at the Park Vue Inn. My daughter and I stayed at the Tropicana last year and I quite liked it.. but decided to go with the Park Vue this time.. for just a bit more $$ we'll have two queens AND bunk beds. A bed for everyone

I'm a little worried about the heat.. but know that we'll be there early and most definitely take an afternoon nap/pool break when it's likely to be the warmest.. so trying to not worry too much.

I have to watch the budget pretty closely, but I'm considering doing a character meal (Minnie's at the Plaza), which would be a new experience for us.. just trying to justify the cost when we get free breakfast at the hotel. Lol

The kids have no idea yet.. trying to decide when to tell them. When I took my daughter last year, it was a mega surprise and I didn't tell her until the morning we left for the airport. It was awesome, but this time I'm going to tell them beforehand so we get experience the excitement of counting down.

 

[chicagodisfan]

We are going August 2-6 and staying at the Desert Inn and Suites! It is me, DH, DS 10, DS 7 and DD 3. We've never stayed there before and are excited to try it out. We booked one of the suites where we'll each have a bed! We are WDW vets as well and I was on the College Program at WDW a loooong time ago so we know WDW well, but we've only been to Disneyland a couple of times as a family. We love character meals so we definitely want to do Minnie's at the Plaza and Ariel's Grotto and Storytellers. I'm trying to decide about the World of Color Dessert Package. Does anyone have any experience with that?! It sounds great but it's a big ticket!

 

[Frozen2014]

tammytam, where in Canada are you from? We're from Ontario. We were planning a trip and then the Canadian discount came along so was very happy. Basically saves the bad exchange rate. Am worried about the heat too. May pick up some of the cooling towels but don't know if they really work (or how long). We are booked next door at Desert Inn but I kept eyeing Park Vue. Also looking at a character meal...probably dinner at Goofy's Kitchen but not sure.

chicagodisfan, what type of room did you get? We're trying parlour suite.

 

[gsrieff]

For heat breaks I got this silly little mist thing from the drug store for $1.50. It holds a small amount of water, and then you pump the bottom once or twice to fill with pressure. Then when we were in line in direct sun (which truthfully didn't happen much) we would spray our legs, neck, and chest. In October one of our days was 98 degrees, and it worked perfectly. It kept us from needing to spend the $25 on the ones disney sells. It's a little bigger than the size of a popsicle, and it fit well in our packs. I will for sure be bringing it again...I hope I can bring it as a carry on because I've only checked it up to this point!

 

[tammytam]

Gsrieff - I'm going to add something like that to my list and keep my eyes out for something similar. Thanks! I actually love the heat, and know there are plenty of places to 'escape' if we need to.. so I think it'll be okay

Frozen2014 - we're from Vancouver Island. I was hoping (dreaming!) of being able to go this year, and then the ticket sale for Canadians came along and knew I had to make it happen. So excited!

Has anyone been at the end of August before? We'll be there at the very end of the month (27th - 30th, which is Sunday to Wednesday) and I was hoping to have the longer summer hours still in effect, but when I check the historical park hours.. it looks like that week (for the weekdays) has had a 10am opening the last couple years (2015 and 2016). Bummed about that. My fingers are crossed that it's at least 9am this year!

 

[Frozen2014]

Good tips for hot weather.

tammytam, nice so you're on the same coast and so DL isn't "too" far. We're going end of August too (our dates overlap). Really? Didn't realise that the park opens a bit later. I guess good use of Magic Morning. I'm more upset that Haunted Mansion will (most likely) be closed for the layover. DD and I love that attraction at WDW so she'll be disappointed when she hears it won't be open. I was originally looking at week of Aug 14th for this reason but the last week fit best with our summer and made most sense.

 

[Canadian Girl 77]

We're going to Disneyland either August 7-12 or 14-19. Our flights out of Toronto are booked so we'll be in LA for just shy of two weeks. We're planning on spending 5 nights at Disneyland, 4 nights at the Magic Castle and 3 nights in Santa Monica. We just haven't figured out the order yet! It has been five years since our last trip to CA.

 

[coloredimage]

Yay! I've been waiting for an August check in too. This is my year of Disney, and this would be my final trip.

Yay! Glad you found us! And that sounds like a ton of fun - I had a summer of Disney a few years ago and would do anything to do it again!

To be honest the surprise part of it is driving me nuts

That'd drive me crazy too!

Yah, I noticed a June, July and September thread so have been watching for the August one. Thanks for starting it.

Same! So I just gave in and decided to start one. I'd done the same for an April thread last year on the WDW side of things so I figured if nobody else started one by this week I didn't mind leading the way

Where are you all staying?

For me, we're staying at Camelot Inn & Suites. We've stayed at Fairfield Inn in the past, and while I do really like it there I wanted to try someplace else. And this way we got just a little bit more room too, which is nice!

Yay! I have been waiting for an August check-in thread. Thanks coloredimage!

Welcome!

it can be stinkin' hot any time of the year in Anaheim

That's so true! But last time I was there I didn't notice as much because I had just down two weeks split between a heatwave in South Carolina and the normal July in Florida death heat lol.

Yay, an August thread! I've also been on the look out .

Yay! Welcome!

I'm a little worried about the heat.. but know that we'll be there early and most definitely take an afternoon nap/pool break when it's likely to be the warmest.. so trying to not worry too much.

Yes, I'd definitely take afternoon breaks! Or if you want to do a sit-down meal (or a meal in general) I'd try to plan around that time it gets super hot and crowded. At least that's what we normally do!



So, I'm at work right now and I have a bit of a cold, but I'll try to update people's dates into the first post tonight - if not I definitely will by tomorrow!

 

[MIChessGuy]

I am making a solo trip to both DLR and USH from August 19-26. Got a good deal on Southwest the other day when they offered a 40% bonus on purchased points. I have a cancellable booking at the Anaheim Super 8 on Katella Ave., which I've read is a pretty good budget choice. Not likely to change it since many DLR-area lodgings are big fans of resort and/or parking fees. Rental car rates seem completely nuts compared to Orlando, which I've visited many times--hopefully they will get more reasonable as trip dates approach. I used to live in L.A. and will be visiting various locales in addition to USH, so the car is a must.

Although not a first-timer, my last visit to Disneyland was in 1984. Looking forward to seeing how they've built it up over the years. Above all, looking forward to my first ride on Mr. Toad in 20 years. I still remember when WDW decided that Toad merchandise wasn't moving well enough and they were going to bring in Winnie the Pooh, and there were protesters in the park (even though officially you can't do that), etc. At the time I assumed the clock must be ticking on Toad at DLR, but apparently not. Also interested to see the USH version of Forbidden Journey. I *barely* fit into the seat at the IOA version, so I am realistic about might happen as I try to click the restraint at USH, but will try to stay optimistic.

 

[Butterfly123]

Count us in for August! We're planning on the second week. We were going to go in July, but we postponed in hopes of catching Fantasmic and the RR reopening. Of course if it does, the crowds will be insane!
Two years ago, our last visit, was in July, and it got into the 90's, so you never know with weather. We'll just start early, plan for breaks, and stay up late! My kids are all teen and older now, so that gives us flexibility.

Now, if we could just make August come a little bit faster!!!

 

[chicagodisfan]

chicagodisfan, what type of room did you get? We're trying parlour suite.

We got the same! I had to go back and check my confirmation. We got the C1 Parlor suite. I think it is three queen beds and a sleeper in two rooms. Is that right?!