So.. here's a minor trip report. We have just come back from a ten day trip to CA,with a very pleasant couple of days at the all new LA Acoustic Music festival - look out for it next year on the Santa Monica Pier. It was reason for heading back to LA, and also to take some friends with us to DL, for their first-ever trip.
It was short and sweet - just three days, and we stayed at the DLH. Staff were excellent, arranged for our three rooms to all be on the same floor. Room service was timely, rooms were clean, everything as you would expect.We stayed in the old Bonita building, which looks better after its repaint.
We arrived Tuesday afternoon, an picked up some Fps for TOT, spent the afternoon poolside, (like the new bar!) then headed to DCA to show everyone around. Rode M inc, and TOT, (quiet in park) then dinner in DTD. Which was a nightmare....ended up in the Jazz kitchen for good service but a very ordinary meal with looonnng waits. Still, at least they seated us straight away. HOB estimated 45 mins to an hour, with no reservations possible. Stupid.
Wednesday was MM at DL, there at 6.30 for front place in the queue, then off to Fantasyland for all the usual rides, plus the teacups. One great thing about new people is they break your old habits. We never ride the teacups, and we even slipped in a quick spin on old Dumbo.
Then it was off round the park, which was reasonably, but not excessively busy. We tend to focus on either one side or the other ( I love the rides in TLand, but the theming and crowds leave me cold). Wed was all frontierland, adventureland, etc. Friends were exhausted by 2pm, so we called it a day, and headed back for more poolside relaxation. Plus we had a date at Goofy's kitchen. It was pretty good, but it seemed like the characters were pretty thin on the ground, especially compared with other visits. Then we slipped back into the park to use a few more FPS from the afternoon.
Thursday began the sub dash - all on board the first sub, (again, our new visitors were keen, so though we normally wouldn;t we got on board!) then off to remaining rides, repeats and shows.Our FP runner kept hopping, so we went home via soarin',leaving our final morning free for TSm at DCA.
Dinner was at Storytellers. Just what we needed , calm and pleasant surroundings. I think the Disney restaurants are increasingly better than the DTD offerings, and their pricing is competitive (especially for wine)
Should note - that Thursday night we attended the media Nightastic showing of Fantasmic and fireworks. Great way to top off the trip, even if they were running late, confused about seating and minus a dragon. We are very interested in seeing the new EP next time.
Friday was check out , so we took the easy route , packed and went to DCA for the day. Surprisingly quiet, as Dl 's first Nightastic probably drew crowds away.
We had a great time as usual, but our friends really enjoyed the experience. That included episodes like stroller rage (quite an eyeopener), and other parts of the varied human experience that is a theme park! That really made it even better for us, because we looked at things with fresh eyes. they were very impressed the parks, but consistently commented on how lost they would be without their 'guides'. It's easy to forget how overwhelming the parks can be for new visitors, and it reminded me to to be helpful to those who look a bit lost. And of course it reminded me how useful these boards are, so this report is just one way to say thanks!
It was short and sweet - just three days, and we stayed at the DLH. Staff were excellent, arranged for our three rooms to all be on the same floor. Room service was timely, rooms were clean, everything as you would expect.We stayed in the old Bonita building, which looks better after its repaint.
We arrived Tuesday afternoon, an picked up some Fps for TOT, spent the afternoon poolside, (like the new bar!) then headed to DCA to show everyone around. Rode M inc, and TOT, (quiet in park) then dinner in DTD. Which was a nightmare....ended up in the Jazz kitchen for good service but a very ordinary meal with looonnng waits. Still, at least they seated us straight away. HOB estimated 45 mins to an hour, with no reservations possible. Stupid.
Wednesday was MM at DL, there at 6.30 for front place in the queue, then off to Fantasyland for all the usual rides, plus the teacups. One great thing about new people is they break your old habits. We never ride the teacups, and we even slipped in a quick spin on old Dumbo.
Then it was off round the park, which was reasonably, but not excessively busy. We tend to focus on either one side or the other ( I love the rides in TLand, but the theming and crowds leave me cold). Wed was all frontierland, adventureland, etc. Friends were exhausted by 2pm, so we called it a day, and headed back for more poolside relaxation. Plus we had a date at Goofy's kitchen. It was pretty good, but it seemed like the characters were pretty thin on the ground, especially compared with other visits. Then we slipped back into the park to use a few more FPS from the afternoon.
Thursday began the sub dash - all on board the first sub, (again, our new visitors were keen, so though we normally wouldn;t we got on board!) then off to remaining rides, repeats and shows.Our FP runner kept hopping, so we went home via soarin',leaving our final morning free for TSm at DCA.
Dinner was at Storytellers. Just what we needed , calm and pleasant surroundings. I think the Disney restaurants are increasingly better than the DTD offerings, and their pricing is competitive (especially for wine)
Should note - that Thursday night we attended the media Nightastic showing of Fantasmic and fireworks. Great way to top off the trip, even if they were running late, confused about seating and minus a dragon. We are very interested in seeing the new EP next time.
Friday was check out , so we took the easy route , packed and went to DCA for the day. Surprisingly quiet, as Dl 's first Nightastic probably drew crowds away.
We had a great time as usual, but our friends really enjoyed the experience. That included episodes like stroller rage (quite an eyeopener), and other parts of the varied human experience that is a theme park! That really made it even better for us, because we looked at things with fresh eyes. they were very impressed the parks, but consistently commented on how lost they would be without their 'guides'. It's easy to forget how overwhelming the parks can be for new visitors, and it reminded me to to be helpful to those who look a bit lost. And of course it reminded me how useful these boards are, so this report is just one way to say thanks!
