dsneygirl
<font color=blue>My little pirate is here<br><font
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2000
- Messages
- 5,480
Just got back from a stay on points at the Disneyland Hotel to enjoy some of the 50th Anniversary festivities. We had exactly enough points left from the 2004 UY to stay 3 nights in a standard room at DLH. When I checked in I was pleasantly surprised to received a "Welcome Home" and the familiar DVC folder with all our info. DH and I also noticed lots of others folks with the folders over the course of the weekend so the lower points promotion must be having some effect.
We were upgraded to a "premium" view which meant looking out over the pool. We were on the 8th floor. Our room was in good condition and we enjoyed the Disney decor especially the bedspread with the attraction motif. Dh was trying to figure out a way to stuff it in our suitcase. Some parts of the hotel are very dated, reminded us of the Contemporary with it's 70's decor but other parts look to have been recently updated. One small annoyance was the Sundries and Souvenir shops closed at 10 and 9pm which I thought was really odd since the park was open until midnight each night of our trip.
We had breakfast one morning at Granville's which was really good and very fast. We ate at the IHOP later in the weekend and commented Granville's was only a few bucks more expensive for a much nicer atmosphere.
Lots of DVC promotion all around the resort. There were several kiosks at the hotel, in DTD and in the parks. Also the DVC channel on the hotel TV. They also have a special edition of Member Perks for the DL resort. Make sure to carry it with you. We had lunch at Pacific Wharf at DCA and the CM didn't know there was a discount when I asked so I showed him it in the book.
Now for DL, DCA and the 50th anniversary celebrations. DH and I have been to DL a few times now but we are always struck by how small it seems compared to WDW. DL always seems crowded around the walkways and attractions even where the line ups weren't very long and this past weekend was no exception. We also noticed on this trip though that they seem to have a few kinks in their system that WDW has long since resolved. For example every day we went to DL they maybe only had half the entry gates open. And at the gates the CM had to manually scan and sometimes date stamp your ticket. This was so time consuming. The finger scan is so much quicker but I understand that many people are probably only on 1 day tickets so it's not worthwhile. Also we had charging privileges back to the DL but rather than tied to your room card you had a separate paper card and had to show photo ID. Took extra long at the merchandise shops and food stops. Also really made us appreciate how almost all the quick serve carts at WDW now take a room charge.
We loved all the new 50th anniversary attractions. I particularly liked looking for the 50 hidden gold Mickey ears and loved the photo collages at the various attractions. The Block Party at DCA is awesome. Super high energy and colourful. We saw the parade at DL twice once in the afternoon and once in the evening. It was also fantastic. We did the new Monsters Inc which is really cute. Basically a dark ride but well done. Saw 'Turtle Talk' at DCA. Same basic attraction as at Epcot but in a bigger and more comfortable setting. I would guess it holds twice as many people as in 'The Living Seas'. Also the movie about the history of DL hosted by Steve Martin was great. There are also some great displays of artefacts in the Opera Hall where the movie plays.
The highlight for both DH and I was probably the fireworks at DL. Due to high winds they were cancelled both Fri and Sat night but Sunday night we were able to see them right in front of the castle. Probably the first 20 rows of people were seated in front of the castle and out on the road. We were worried people would start standing but I think everyone was in awe. They use a lot of attraction music and special effects like fire balls. Tinkerbell also makes several passes by the castle.
I am 6 months pregnant and therefore didn't get to do my faves like Indiana Jones or the new Space Mountain but seemed to find lots of other stuff to do. Unfortunately the weather was miserable. It was warmer at home in Toronto than in LA and was drizzling at some points. The first night there I think it was only 40 degrees.
I'd be happy to answer any questions.
We were upgraded to a "premium" view which meant looking out over the pool. We were on the 8th floor. Our room was in good condition and we enjoyed the Disney decor especially the bedspread with the attraction motif. Dh was trying to figure out a way to stuff it in our suitcase. Some parts of the hotel are very dated, reminded us of the Contemporary with it's 70's decor but other parts look to have been recently updated. One small annoyance was the Sundries and Souvenir shops closed at 10 and 9pm which I thought was really odd since the park was open until midnight each night of our trip.
We had breakfast one morning at Granville's which was really good and very fast. We ate at the IHOP later in the weekend and commented Granville's was only a few bucks more expensive for a much nicer atmosphere.
Lots of DVC promotion all around the resort. There were several kiosks at the hotel, in DTD and in the parks. Also the DVC channel on the hotel TV. They also have a special edition of Member Perks for the DL resort. Make sure to carry it with you. We had lunch at Pacific Wharf at DCA and the CM didn't know there was a discount when I asked so I showed him it in the book.
Now for DL, DCA and the 50th anniversary celebrations. DH and I have been to DL a few times now but we are always struck by how small it seems compared to WDW. DL always seems crowded around the walkways and attractions even where the line ups weren't very long and this past weekend was no exception. We also noticed on this trip though that they seem to have a few kinks in their system that WDW has long since resolved. For example every day we went to DL they maybe only had half the entry gates open. And at the gates the CM had to manually scan and sometimes date stamp your ticket. This was so time consuming. The finger scan is so much quicker but I understand that many people are probably only on 1 day tickets so it's not worthwhile. Also we had charging privileges back to the DL but rather than tied to your room card you had a separate paper card and had to show photo ID. Took extra long at the merchandise shops and food stops. Also really made us appreciate how almost all the quick serve carts at WDW now take a room charge.
We loved all the new 50th anniversary attractions. I particularly liked looking for the 50 hidden gold Mickey ears and loved the photo collages at the various attractions. The Block Party at DCA is awesome. Super high energy and colourful. We saw the parade at DL twice once in the afternoon and once in the evening. It was also fantastic. We did the new Monsters Inc which is really cute. Basically a dark ride but well done. Saw 'Turtle Talk' at DCA. Same basic attraction as at Epcot but in a bigger and more comfortable setting. I would guess it holds twice as many people as in 'The Living Seas'. Also the movie about the history of DL hosted by Steve Martin was great. There are also some great displays of artefacts in the Opera Hall where the movie plays.
The highlight for both DH and I was probably the fireworks at DL. Due to high winds they were cancelled both Fri and Sat night but Sunday night we were able to see them right in front of the castle. Probably the first 20 rows of people were seated in front of the castle and out on the road. We were worried people would start standing but I think everyone was in awe. They use a lot of attraction music and special effects like fire balls. Tinkerbell also makes several passes by the castle.
I am 6 months pregnant and therefore didn't get to do my faves like Indiana Jones or the new Space Mountain but seemed to find lots of other stuff to do. Unfortunately the weather was miserable. It was warmer at home in Toronto than in LA and was drizzling at some points. The first night there I think it was only 40 degrees.
I'd be happy to answer any questions.
