Beginning to get frustrated with family

[littlelambie]

We are trying to plan a trip to DLR for early May 2008. It would be me and ds (who will be 6), my sister, bil and niece (who will be almost 6), and my parents (my dad has MS). Dh and I have been with ds 3 times, so dh is going to sit this one out. Dh and I have always gone in the fall, and always experienced light crowds, which is what we would prefere. So when we started planning this trip, I suggested Feb because I have heard the crowds are also low at that time of year. Well, my mom wants to go when it's warm. To which i responded, it's Cal, it's always warm!! My sister wants to go when the park hours are longer. Well, I WILL NOT go at a busy time, when the parks are open later.

ARRGGGG....it is getting very hard to give everyone what they want. I kind of feel like I know what I am talking about, having been the last 3 yrs in a row. I feel with the kids, and my dad, who will be riding a scooter, we are better to go when it is quiet.

Sorry, no real point to this post, just needed to vent.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Oh geez. I'm leaving for Disneyland in four days...my seventh trip. You are 100% correct and they should listen to you. Tell your mother that it will be in the 70s in February. Depending on where y'all are from, that is warm to many people! Southern Cal people think they need a winter coat when it's in the 70s but me, I think it's still rather toasty like that! Seriously, I have never been to Southern California and experienced it as cold or even cool!

And tell your sister that yes, she will have more hours available to enjoy the parks in the summer, but given the HUGE crowds, she will get less done. I always go in October and while the days are shorter, we get so much more done. You can get right on most rides. In the warmer months you can expect to wait two hours for Splash Mountain. In February you will walk right up to the canoe. I've gone in the summer and the fall and I would never, ever go in the summer again. It's just not worth it to me.

And omg, if your dad will be in a scooter he will be much happier if the crowds are small! Yikes! I can't imagine trying to get around Disneyland in one of those things when the crowds are heavy. They need to listen to you!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Tell your mother that it will be in the 70s in February. Depending on where y'all are from, that is warm to many people! Southern Cal people think they need a winter coat when it's in the 70s but me, I think it's still rather toasty like that! Seriously, I have never been to Southern California and experienced it as cold or even cool!

dont bet on that!...I live in CA but I was born and raised in Michigan and no I dont need a coat in the 70's in fact...I dont even own what you call a "winter coat"...the weather is so fickle here that you cant judge it by past years anymore..last thanksgiving I was wearing shorts it was so hot but then this past march we went and during the day it was fine...I would say it got up to high 60's but as soon as the sun dropped bam! it was freezing...had to put on 2 coats and mittens...it was sooooooooo cold...I actually had to use my friends gloves because I didnt think I would need them and I didnt bring any.. we went to every single store in DL, CA, and DD plus went to target and they were all sold out of gloves and it snowed on the grapevine on our way to DL...Feb is an iffy time...not just with the weather but also alot of refurbs and short hours...you might want to reconsider going at that time...but its just my opinion

 

[Zoemakes5]

I'm sorry this is such a hassle! It's always hard to accomodate larger groups, no matter what.
Something else to add in the mix, sounds like that year, probably for the first time, your DS and Dniece will be in school for your planned trip, so that might need to be figured into the equation. (Will both you and DH and your bro and SIL be on the same page about taking the kids out of school or working around school schedules?) If you don't take them out of school, then you have considerations about going during busy times around holidays, or during the summer. Now, as I understand it, late May-early June could be a great time to visit when considering crowds.
For what it's worth, weather.com shows average temps. to vary quite a bit. Not as much with the highs as with the lows. Feb. av. high is 69 and av low is 47 (pretty dang chilly), while May's is 75 & 56. Even Nov. has higher av temps than Feb.
If this is a "one time trip" for other family members, then they may look at it as getting the best bang for their buck and want longer hours so they can see fireworks and parades at their leisure and be able to enjoy the pools and warm weather. I know my kids would be disappointed at not being able to go in the pools. Perhaps the issues that have your father in a scooter are more likely to flare up or be bothersome to him when it's cold? Heck, I know my parents won't even come and visit me in MN during any time it's even somewhat likely to snow! And we stay inside most of the time!
You definitely know what you're talking about, being a DL vet, but one thing I've discovered, through trips with family and friends and being on Disboards, is that while I'm an expert on how me and my Dfam are at Disney, there will be lots and lots and lots of opinions about what is the best way to travel, when is the best way, how is the best way. (There's even differences within my immediate family, I want to be there early and go go go. A bunch of my brood are "let's sleep in and relax, it's vacation.") And something I've had to get my arms around, they aren't wrong, they're looking at what's right for them, their patterns, personalities, desires, budgets, etc.
I'd make recommendations, give input, talk about your experiences and concerns re: very busy times, grumpy kids and crowds making it tough to maneuver with the scooter, and then graciously bow to the will of the group if this is to be a group vacation. Trust me, it will make your life easier and less stressful!

 

[HydroGuy]

Tell your mother that it will be in the 70s in February. Depending on where y'all are from, that is warm to many people! Southern Cal people think they need a winter coat when it's in the 70s but me, I think it's still rather toasty like that! Seriously, I have never been to Southern California and experienced it as cold or even cool!

I have to object to this statement. I lived all around Southern California for 28 years and this is just not true.

It is true it may get into the 70's on some days in February - but it is just as true it might never get above the 50's on those days.

Check out this link for Anaheim weather: www.helloanaheim.com/Weather.Cfm

In summary, on average the highest it ever gets in Feb is 69 degrees. The average is 58. The coldest evenings are downright cold at 47 degrees. And during Februrary it is the most likely to rain.

The summer months will be 12-16 degrees warmer.

 

[HydroGuy]

We are trying to plan a trip to DLR for early May 2008. It would be me and ds (who will be 6), my sister, bil and niece (who will be almost 6), and my parents (my dad has MS). Dh and I have been with ds 3 times, so dh is going to sit this one out. Dh and I have always gone in the fall, and always experienced light crowds, which is what we would prefere. So when we started planning this trip, I suggested Feb because I have heard the crowds are also low at that time of year. Well, my mom wants to go when it's warm. To which i responded, it's Cal, it's always warm!! My sister wants to go when the park hours are longer. Well, I WILL NOT go at a busy time, when the parks are open later.

ARRGGGG....it is getting very hard to give everyone what they want. I kind of feel like I know what I am talking about, having been the last 3 yrs in a row. I feel with the kids, and my dad, who will be riding a scooter, we are better to go when it is quiet.

Sorry, no real point to this post, just needed to vent.

It is frustrating when you have a way you like to do things and your group disagrees. We are complete opposite of you. We want to go to DLR when it is warm outside. So I sympathize more with your family than with you when it comes to weather, but sympathize more with you when it comes to frustrations of making everyone happy.

However, if you have mobility issues - scooters or wheelchairs - that really swings the balance back to less crowded visits. The good thing about Southern California is that you have a lot of options. If it were me, and I was trying to accomodate everyone (especially the warmer weather with lesser crowds issues), and I had 100% schedule flexibility, I would choose to go in May, September or early October. But watch out for May 2007 - it appears that it may be more crowded than previous May's because of another possible POTC ride refurb and POTC 3 movie premiere.

 

[camouseketeer]

We went in early May this year. It was great. We are also "low crowd" type of people, and it was perfect for us.

Our usual visiting months are:
late Jan/early Feb (before President's Day)
mid/late Sept
early May (at least two weeks after Easter and AFTER the spring promo ends)

From Jan to April, tickets are all priced at the children's price, and that brings bigger crowds. We went this year just after the last day people could use those lower priced tickets. From my reading here at the DIS, we went at the right time because crowds were much lower than in previous weeks.

The weather in early May was short/capris with a sweatshirt at night.

May does have longer hours and less refiibs than Feb.

Good luck in your trip.

 

[imjen]

Just MTCW on February, I went on a high school choir trip about 11 yrs ago and it was cold and rainy most of the time. We still had fun, but I do think you need to go into the plan knowing what you might get. Doesn't mean I'd never go that time of year again, but it is risky! Good luck getting everyone on the same page. It's hard planning things with others.

 

[PattiPB]

I plan all of our trips for a wide variety of travellers. IMO, you need to schedule around whoever is the FOCUS of this extravaganza, if you KWIM. If this event is so your parents can experience with parks with your kids, then you cater to your parents. If it's you tagging along on your DBro and DSil's planned trip, then they can lead the planning. If it was originally your plan that other people have jumped onto, then you stick with exactly what you were planning and they need to compromise.

It's a difficult job to plan for different people with varied personalities and (especially!) budgets. I feel it's totally worth it for me, so I keep doing it. I have learned to satisfy my own family first.

 

[mom2dzb]

May is a perfect time to go. We went early in May this year and the temperatures were warm, but not too hot, the parks were open late and crowds were not an issue. I can't imagine being there in the summer. The crowds and temperature seem unbearable to me.

 

[littlelambie]

Thanks guys, I feel better already. I think we are aiming for early May. I told them I was not willing to go any later than the 15th. Glad we have awhile before we take this trip!!

 

[hlbtimes2]

Early May is a great time to go- Just go before Mothers day and you'll be fine. It tends to be a bit busier around moms day and after.

This past March was cold! We had on layers of clothes and froze our bottoms off! I wish we would have packed mittens and scarves- it was that cold.

 

[Amy&Dan]

However, if you have mobility issues - scooters or wheelchairs - that really swings the balance back to less crowded visits. The good thing about Southern California is that you have a lot of options. If it were me, and I was trying to accomodate everyone (especially the warmer weather with lesser crowds issues), and I had 100% schedule flexibility, I would choose to go in May, September or early October. But watch out for May 2007 - it appears that it may be more crowded than previous May's because of another possible POTC ride refurb and POTC 3 movie premiere.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest as far as good months to visit. September can be very warm but once Labor Day is over, the crowds go away during the week. We went to DL the second weekend in Septmber in 04 and 05 and it was hands down the least crowded times we have visited. It was also a bummer that fireworks were only on Fri. and Sat., the Electrical Parade was not running and during the week the hours were 10-8 at Disneyland and 10-6 at DCA. Its a definite trade off! October is also nice and can be nice and warm too. DCA now has a Halloween Treat event that looks fun that everyone might enjoy. Early May is nice because the spring breakers are gone but summer vacations have not started yet. I love that time at DL and WDW. It can be hot, in 2004 we were there from the end of April until May 5 (the day they announced the 50th and TOT officially opened) and it was unseasonably hot, like in the 90's kind of hot. I have also heard that the week following Memorial Day can be very good. They may not have really long hours but the hours will be longer than in the months previous as that is the official start of summer but still early enough that crowds are not bad. Don't think that park crowds can necessarily ruin a trip. The longer hours and having the nighttime entertainment every night can be a great thing. If you arrive early (as in at opening), take a midday break and come back later when you are rested its amazing how much you can get done. And I know how hard it is to accomodate large groups because I have coordinated both trips to DL and WDW with extended family and it is a challenge. But it is a wonderful way to spend time together in the Happiest Place on Earth! I also have to agree that cold weather can and does happen in southern Cal. Once the sun goes down even in the summertime a jacket in varying degrees of heaviness is almost always a certainty at DL if you plan to stay in the park late. I have pictures of my family in Disneyland on the same trip wearing shorts, jeans, parkas and bathing suits. It was ever changing in temps from one day to the next. And February can be crowded if you go around President's Day so avoid that time frame if you do go then. Good luck, it will all work out!

P.S. We also travel to DL with my fil who has a scooter and that can also be a challenge with crowds. Tell your dad not to be afraid to blow the horn on his so that people know he's there. They have a tendancy to look straight forward and not down missing the scooters, strollers and little ones.