*August 2019 check in*

[Aladora]

And we are off! Just landed in Seattle, waiting for our LAX flight!

 

[CherylGonz]

Not sure I’m ready for a 3am wake up but we are packed and ready to go

 

[Aladora]

USH day report.

Arrived late last night and we were all awake fairly early. We had early entry in WWoHP and got both rides there done within 35 minutes. Amazingly themed area!

We have Express Pass but didn’t use it until around 11ish when the crowds picked up. After we started using it, I really felt it was worth the $! Jurassic World was 100 minutes and we were on in less than 5.

It was starting to get really crowded so we did a few more rides and went back to the hotel for our Disneyland pick up!

We are now in the car heading to the Grand!

 

[CherylGonz]

Got a lot done today considering how early we got up. Got to DL around 10:30. The lines were slow to get in. Went to pick up our lanyards in TL so decided to ride Buzz because it was a walk on. Headed over to Pirates with a 15 min wait. Had lunch at the Mexican place ( name escapes me). The line was long to get burritos but not enchilada. While eating we booked a FP for HM. Rode HM and it was time for DD12 to build a droid. The place is hard to find. When we were done walked around SWGE. The line for the ride was 80+ min and no one wanted to wait. DD18 tried blue milk and liked it. Had a 3 pm ressie at Oga’s. Didn’t have to wait to long and got seated at a table we had to share with another party. They were out of a few drinks. While waiting booked a FP for IASW. Rode and then headed to TL. Had a ressie for SM but decided we were tired so rode Buzz, walked through the shops, bought some treats, and headed back to the hotel. Enjoying some pool time and then heading to Panera for dinner. We will watch the fireworks from the hotel and call it a early night. DCA tomorrow

 

[caribbeandream]

We were completely shocked and so excited! Love the little things that keep us coming back to Disney!

I wonder what is the equivalent of Pixie Dust on Batuu?

 

[B-rad]

I wonder what is the equivalent of Pixie Dust on Batuu?

Midi-chlorians!

 

[MaC410]

Is today the day we find out if the crowd flood gates open? Wasn't it the 19th that all blockouts ended?

 

[Elias1901]

We fly out and arrive in tomorrow! Pretty excited.

 

[CherylGonz]

Today we found DCA really busy. RSR and IC were down for the first hour. Although I was able to book a RSR FP at 7:45 before the park officially opened. We noticed it was down after Soarin. We missed the FP time so we ended up with anytime FP

 

[Aladora]

Today we found DCA really busy. RSR and IC were down for the first hour. Although I was able to book a RSR FP at 7:45 before the park officially opened. We noticed it was down after Soarin. We missed the FP time so we ended up with anytime FP

IC was down this morning but we rode RSR during EMH, it was practically a walk on. We also managed to hit GotG:MB, Soarin’ and Monsters all before 8am!

 

[CherylGonz]

IC was down this morning but we rode RSR during EMH, it was practically a walk on. We also managed to hit GotG:MB, Soarin’ and Monsters all before 8am!

We did get a lot done with MaxPass and we are heading back for IC, RSR, and TSMM as I booked FP from the room. This AM we did Soarin x2, TSMM x2, Jessie, Guardians, IC x2, Monsters, Disney VISA photo, Ariel, lunch, GRR, mobile ordered ice cream on our way out. Back to the hotel for a nap!

 

[Sydnerella]

IC was down this morning but we rode RSR during EMH, it was practically a walk on. We also managed to hit GotG:MB, Soarin’ and Monsters all before 8am!

Hi Aladora! So how did you learn that IC was down during EMH? Did you walk there first? Then head to RSR?
If you could walk me through the steps that you did for that first hour I would very much appreciate it. It is our first trip to DL next Monday And it would be helpful to understand a touring strategy for the first hour. And if the app tells you a ride is down. Thank you!

 

[TikiTikiFan]

We visited 8/6-8/13 and we had such a good time! My son (9) and I travel to Disneyland often just the two of us and this was our first time going with more people. We had some old friends from another state meet us there- all first timers just there for SWGE. We did five day park hoppers at Disneyland and one day at Universal!

Here’s my randomly scattered thoughts:

SWGE: I wrote a longer recap on the SWGE thread but wow... I loved it. It felt like a love letter to the franchise and the fans with all the small details and Easter eggs. We did everything and our favorite things were Savi’s, Oga’s and MFSR. I shed a tear when I put the falcon into light speed. I can’t wait to go back!

Universal: Geez, that was our worst day. We went on the day of the CHOC walk and perhaps everyone else decided to do what we did as well?! It was so unbearingly crowded- I’ve never been there when it’s been that busy. You couldn’t even move down the walkways. They had staff organizing the crowd flow in directions with signs. We decided to wait three hours (?!?!) for Jurassic World and that really killed our day too. I normally would never subject myself to such insanity but my son said that was the only thing he cared about doing so I made the sacrifice. I found it terrifying but he absolutely loved it haha. Too bad they charge so much for one picture- the ride photo would have been worth keeping because when we dropped I hid my face in his shoulder and wrapped myself around him because I think I panicked and felt like he was going to fall out. He was like ‘mom, get off me!’ I guess I thought it was going to be like Splash Mountain.... definitely a bit more intense. After that we only had time to do Harry Potter world and ride the Forbidden Journey ride and see the Waterworld show. We didn’t get to do anything else- the lines were just too long. Our focus was HP though and my son and I were able to ride four times using single rider waiting less then ten mins each time. No one else in our group wanted to ride so we divided up for a bit. Frozen Butterbeer is my favorite. We drank so much! Overall, I think we just had a bad luck day. Every wait time was over 100 minutes and up. It was just not fun and I was kissing the FastPass scanners at Disneyland the next day. It was so horrible I told my kiddo I’m skipping Universal on our next trip to recover from my trauma haha! If I knew it was gonna be that insane we would have budgeted for the Express Pass!

Group trips: Wow, I found this surprisingly challenging. I’ve learned that I just like to move fast in the parks (rope drop and hit those rides before lunch!) and really prefer that everyone can keep up. We had some people that didn’t like some of the major rides after they tried them and that was also challenging to maneuver. Or people had issues waking up on time. Just overall, differences in how we wanted to experience the parks. Since we were traveling with people that aren’t necessarily Disney fans first (their focus was SWGE) they weren’t as interested in things that are ritual for us (characters, parades, etc) so that was also challenging trying to balance everyone’s priorities. Even though it was a fun change of pace, I think my kiddo and I both prefer it being just us. We are so used to our routine of rope drop and park hop till you drop! I think in the future if I did a group trip again I’d make sure to mark specific time slots where everyone does their own thing each day for a bit. We did that on the last day and it really helped keep everyone more happy.

Disneyland Crowds: I’m sorry, what crowds?! We always visit at peak times and this was heaven. Every day was so easy to manage! Immediate FP return times nonstop and low wait standbys for most rides. Evenings picked up especially for the parade but mornings were blissfully slow. We did MaxPass as usual and that made it even easier. We rode everything we wanted each day with no hassle.

The Clarion: You may have seen me on these boards strongly defending this budget hotel.. we’ve stayed there our last three trips and it’s always been great.. well, there was definitely some dust or some weirdness in their AC units. It bothered all of us. My friends all had sore throats and coughs. I suffer from migraines (I take the preventative shots and all the crazy meds for them- I’m talking real migraines here..) and it triggered three (!) for me in the week we stayed. At first I couldn’t figure out what the deal was and then we noticed the funny smell when we ran the AC. Because of this, I’m taking them off my hotel list. Bummer! I normally never have migraines on my trips to Cali- the weather and lack of things I’m allergic to just seem to suit me better.

Dining: We did the dessert party for the first time and I loved it! It was so much fun, it’s the only way I want to watch WOC now. We did the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! Package like we always do and the experience was good as usual. Tried the Lamplight Lounge brunch- it was good but kind of a bummer it runs so late because we wanted lunch items and the reservation was for 1pm so surprised to be told they only were doing brunch. Cafe Orleans was disappointing. Our server was really rude and food was cold- first time Ive had that happen there. They did bring us new food but weren’t too friendly about it either. I hated all the SWGE food (I’m a picky vegetarian- it’s challenging) but I loved Oga’s!

Next years trip: I feel like I had some small post-vacation blues when we got back so I already booked our summer trip for next year! Anyone else do this? My family thinks I’m nuts but oh well. It’s never too early to plan! Next summer I’m splurging and we’re doing the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance. If old hotels can trigger migraines then I’m not doing that anymore!

Well that was a lot of random rambling, wow! Hope everyone had/will have a great time!

ETA: Character selfies are hilarious and my new favorite thing.

 

[Aladora]

Hi Aladora! So how did you learn that IC was down during EMH? Did you walk there first? Then head to RSR?
If you could walk me through the steps that you did for that first hour I would very much appreciate it. It is our first trip to DL next Monday And it would be helpful to understand a touring strategy for the first hour. And if the app tells you a ride is down. Thank you!

Sure thing.

We found out that it was down through the app.

So, here is how that first hour went and I will preface this by saying that we were not efficient in the least!

We used the Grand Californian entrance and walked up 5 minutes after 7. There was almost zero line and we were in the parks by 7:10. I had some issues buying max pass (the app did not like my visa but ended up having no issues with my MasterCard, odd since my visa is attached to my Disney account and it has worked fine for everything else!)

We went right to Soarin’ and we were in a small group who all fit in the middle area, we were lucky enough to get the front row! Loved seeing the original!

After that we went to RSR and we were in in less than the 5 minute posted wait. Then was GotG and then Monsters Inc. That took us to just after rope drop at 8:00 so we hit Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. While we were there, I grabbed a fast pass for Hyperspace mountain and after a quick stop at the Chamber of Commerce to renew our son’s DAS, we were off to DL.

Hope that helped! We are hitting EMH in DCA again tomorrow, let’s see what we can get done!

 

[momtohms]

Sure thing.

We found out that it was down through the app.

So, here is how that first hour went and I will preface this by saying that we were not efficient in the least!

We used the Grand Californian entrance and walked up 5 minutes after 7. There was almost zero line and we were in the parks by 7:10. I had some issues buying max pass (the app did not like my visa but ended up having no issues with my MasterCard, odd since my visa is attached to my Disney account and it has worked fine for everything else!)

We went right to Soarin’ and we were in a small group who all fit in the middle area, we were lucky enough to get the front row! Loved seeing the original!

After that we went to RSR and we were in in less than the 5 minute posted wait. Then was GotG and then Monsters Inc. That took us to just after rope drop at 8:00 so we hit Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. While we were there, I grabbed a fast pass for Hyperspace mountain and after a quick stop at the Chamber of Commerce to renew our son’s DAS, we were off to DL.

Hope that helped! We are hitting EMH in DCA again tomorrow, let’s see what we can get done!

We were probably passing each other all morning! Haha! I went in the GCH entrance that morning just before 7 - did RSR, then Toy Story, then Soarin’ and finally GOTG right at the end of that first hour

 

[Sydnerella]

Sure thing.

We found out that it was down through the app.

So, here is how that first hour went and I will preface this by saying that we were not efficient in the least!

We used the Grand Californian entrance and walked up 5 minutes after 7. There was almost zero line and we were in the parks by 7:10. I had some issues buying max pass (the app did not like my visa but ended up having no issues with my MasterCard, odd since my visa is attached to my Disney account and it has worked fine for everything else!)

We went right to Soarin’ and we were in a small group who all fit in the middle area, we were lucky enough to get the front row! Loved seeing the original!

After that we went to RSR and we were in in less than the 5 minute posted wait. Then was GotG and then Monsters Inc. That took us to just after rope drop at 8:00 so we hit Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. While we were there, I grabbed a fast pass for Hyperspace mountain and after a quick stop at the Chamber of Commerce to renew our son’s DAS, we were off to DL.

Hope that helped! We are hitting EMH in DCA again tomorrow, let’s see what we can get done!

Thank you! That is helpful to get the flavor of the way you did it! It also sounded pretty stress free! Love it! We head to LA Friday and DL Sunday- SO Excited

 

[caribbeandream]

SWGE: I loved it. It felt like a love letter to the franchise and the fans with all the small details and Easter eggs. We did everything and our favorite things were Savi’s, Oga’s and MFSR. I shed a tear when I put the falcon into light speed. I can’t wait to go back!

Yes, yes and yes

Dining: We did the dessert party for the first time and I loved it! It was so much fun, it’s the only way I want to watch WOC now.
I hated all the SWGE food (I’m a picky vegetarian- it’s challenging) but I loved Oga’s!

Ditto on the WOC dessert party! Eating at SWGE was definitely challenging and I'm pretty adventurous. I agree, Oga's is awesome!

Dining: We did the dessert party for the first time and I loved it! It was so much fun, it’s the only way I want to watch WOC now.
I hated all the SWGE food (I’m a picky vegetarian- it’s challenging) but I loved Oga’s!

Next years trip: I feel like I had some small post-vacation blues when we got back so I already booked our summer trip for next year! Anyone else do this? My family thinks I’m nuts but oh well. It’s never too early to plan! Next summer I’m splurging and we’re doing the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance. If old hotels can trigger migraines then I’m not doing that anymore!

I love people who cure their Disney post-vacation blues by planning another Disney vacation! And ditto about cheap motels. I stayed at the Dessert Inn and it was disappointing.

ETA: Character selfies are hilarious and my new favorite thing.

Your SWGE character selfies are the best! I could almost see Kylo Ren's side eye under this mask.

 

[gpjacobs]

We had something really cool and unexpected happen today in Galaxy's Edge that I thought I'd share.

We were wondering around the land, looking at some of the merchandise and taking in the theme of the area when DS was approached by a CM. She asked if he was part of the resistance and he said maybe. She asked if he could complete a mission for her and give a message to her friend in the resistance who was keeping an eye on the first order. He said he would, so off we went on our "mission."

We found our guy and he said he'd been waiting for us all day. We were to take our message to Hondo himself! Yep, we were escorted to Smuggler's Run and taken up the fast pass side with absolutely no wait!

We were completely shocked and so excited! Love the little things that keep us coming back to Disney!

This is just amazing!

 

[Aladora]

We’re at White Water Snacks grabbing lunch before our car comes to pick us up.

I’ll post some things when we get home on Sunday but I can definitely say that this was one of our best trips!

Sad to leave but always trying to plan the next trip!

 

[CherylGonz]

Got home last night at midnight. Been in a funk all day because we had the best trip Ever and it’s all over!

SWGE was cool even for this non Star Wars fan. My DD12 was giddy with delight so it was fun watching her soak it all up. She built a droid and although it was a quick experience I couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

Minnie’s Breakfast was the best. We had been to Goofys 3 times before. 10:30 ressie was a good time because as the restaurant cleared out we had the characters to ourselves. I asked Captain Hook where Peter Pan was and that resulting in the best interactions. He would always come back to our table and do the “I’m watching you” with his fingers. We were all laughing. He saw us leaving and “escorted” us all out shaking his finger at us.

Thanks everyone for the help with planning.