Astylla
Disney Fanatic
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2011
- Messages
- 2,791
Hi all.
DH and I just got back from a 4 night stay at DLH and just wanted to share some points. ( My last long post got eaten..)
DLH is amazing. I am totally spoiled now haha. We were granted free parking due to our anniversary by our check in CM Markus who was a gem. We received anniversary buttons/birthday button for me along with signed photos of Minnie/Mickey and Daisy/Donald. We had a standard room booked but were granted an adventure tower request - 2nd floor facing Trader Sam's/walkway/fire pit area. Loved it. Beds were amazing - towels were soft and luxurious and loved the amenities. The headboards were super cool and we used them every night.
We also received turndown service nightly with lovely chocolates and the headboard lit up for us and this was not requested just done , which was such an awesome surprise everyday. Even being next to the elevator/vending we never heard anything from either. We never waited more than a few minutes for an elevator.
Loved the pool area. Though we only used it one day it was an awesome way to spend part of the day. The E ticket was down due to an incident ( these things happen) so DH used the monorail slide and was awesome he said. We also used the Minnie whirlpool and D-ticket pool while busy not so crowded that it was uncomfortable. We truly enjoyed it all.
Bell services delivered our luggage under 10 minutes our first night back and were very prompt and courteous.
Crowd days have definitely shifted. Saturday crowds were incredibly manageable. We actually regretted not arriving earlier as our first whole day.
Saturday and Sunday had the lowest crowds by far. It wasn't until Tuesday that we saw waits what we expected - 60 minutes for SM , Splash ,; Pirates at 30 minutes or more ; Star Tours even hit 65-70 minutes that day.
Wednesday our departure day was the worst by far. It also was unbearable hot as in mid 80's by 11am. I am very glad we weren't there long that day.
There was a dance competition happening at the DLH the first two days but we saw no increase in crowds on the property or at the parks , had we not known from staying at the DLH it would have been unnoticeable.
The day we left ( Wed 23rd) a professional convention was in town at the DLH so unsure if it will affect crowds this week.
We had some interesting and awesome experiences including :
Amazing dinner at Storyteller's Cafe. We both chose the buffet and had no regrets. The carved turkey and rpast were both moist and flavorful. The chefs carving wished me a happy birthday/anniversary and encouraged me to try some items. At the end we were provided two of the most delicious cupcakes we have ever had. Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting and had happy birthday sang to me by our server. Everything was perfect. We chose the first seating of 5pm and happy we did !
A CM at the churro cart by Buena Vista St./Condor Flats entrance grated us complimentary mini churros due to our anniversary ! Was very kind and sweet.
We were in line one day at Grizzly River Rapids and another guest asked if we were just the two of us waiting for fast passes - we said yes and she gave them to us and the window was open right then ! We thanked her for her generosity and kindness and wished her a wonderful trip.
We decided to catch fireworks on Tuesday and got to the castle area about an hour before and found a space for the two of us with a 90% clear view of the castle. It was the closest we have ever been. The spot was great but I will admit Magical is not my favorite show. I much preferred Dreams but glad we saw it regardless.
We caught the second Fantasmic showing on Monday with a near perfect view. We basically were at the railing behind the reserved dessert seating and had a great view of everything. Having never fully seen Fantasmic this was a great treat. We arrived literally five minutes before showtime and had this view. It was great and loved the show.
We finally made time to catch a show at the Princess Faire. It was Tangled and it was just awesome. It was so cute and so well done ! Very happy we got in line early for a spot !
We loved the refurbed Alice in Wonderland - we actually got lucky with this one. It wasn't open yet one day so we went on Teacups and Storyland boats , just as we exited teacups it was opening so we had only a five minute wait. Everything was awesome except the white rabbit in the first part where he is exclaiming he is "late" , the audio was so jumbled it sounded let's just say he had one too many energy drinks...LOL. We thought it was hilarious but it was taken down again shortly after so glad we caught it.
We had SM fast passes and used them on Monday night and saw a small scuffle break out between a rider and some CM's. The CM's were very professional when the guest tried to engage the CM in a physical way. It was shortly after we noticed they were escorted by security away from the ride and likely out of the park. When we got to ride we noticed the audio wasn't working. It was actually an odd ride without it. Hearing the actual cars on the track versus the soundtrack was odd but hey a new experience.
Speaking of which - we happened to go "left" on our last ride of SM Wednesday. We had to unload and reload on another car. We think we were off balance. Was weird happening but the CM's were helpful in getting us off and got us on a new car/ split up better and all was great.
We had lunch at Award Weiners one day and it was delicious. I had the portabello veggie sandwich and DH had the chili dog. Both were very tasty and we would order again. Also we had the seasonal smoothie and Schmoozies - the Orange Blast which tastes like an orange creamsicle and it was amazing.
We closed the park on Monday and rode IASW very late near 11:40pm and it was practically empty. There were about 5 people total in our boat including DH and I. It was really awesome almost like a private ride.
I have discovered a love for ToT. Now you have to understand my first ride was so traumatic for me. I promised DH I would try it and I was crying going up or down then took me 20 minutes to calm down I was shaking so hard. I knew I needed to try again..and I think my DH thought I was going crazy when I started laughing and having fun on the ride. I actually LOVE it now. On our last ride I even looked out at the view and didn't feel sick or scared. I used to be a huge chicken but finding enjoyment on rides has been awesome.
I also discovered the first car on Screamin' is awesome and don't know what I was afraid of !
We had so many CM's wish us a happy anniversary/birthday. Many inquiring how long we have been together. We always felt so special !
We had a truly magical trip and have nothing but great things to say about the DLH. We definitely will be back at least once a year on site we have decided. I hope everyone has an awesome time too.
DH and I just got back from a 4 night stay at DLH and just wanted to share some points. ( My last long post got eaten..)
DLH is amazing. I am totally spoiled now haha. We were granted free parking due to our anniversary by our check in CM Markus who was a gem. We received anniversary buttons/birthday button for me along with signed photos of Minnie/Mickey and Daisy/Donald. We had a standard room booked but were granted an adventure tower request - 2nd floor facing Trader Sam's/walkway/fire pit area. Loved it. Beds were amazing - towels were soft and luxurious and loved the amenities. The headboards were super cool and we used them every night.
We also received turndown service nightly with lovely chocolates and the headboard lit up for us and this was not requested just done , which was such an awesome surprise everyday. Even being next to the elevator/vending we never heard anything from either. We never waited more than a few minutes for an elevator.
Loved the pool area. Though we only used it one day it was an awesome way to spend part of the day. The E ticket was down due to an incident ( these things happen) so DH used the monorail slide and was awesome he said. We also used the Minnie whirlpool and D-ticket pool while busy not so crowded that it was uncomfortable. We truly enjoyed it all.
Bell services delivered our luggage under 10 minutes our first night back and were very prompt and courteous.
Crowd days have definitely shifted. Saturday crowds were incredibly manageable. We actually regretted not arriving earlier as our first whole day.
Saturday and Sunday had the lowest crowds by far. It wasn't until Tuesday that we saw waits what we expected - 60 minutes for SM , Splash ,; Pirates at 30 minutes or more ; Star Tours even hit 65-70 minutes that day.
Wednesday our departure day was the worst by far. It also was unbearable hot as in mid 80's by 11am. I am very glad we weren't there long that day.
There was a dance competition happening at the DLH the first two days but we saw no increase in crowds on the property or at the parks , had we not known from staying at the DLH it would have been unnoticeable.
The day we left ( Wed 23rd) a professional convention was in town at the DLH so unsure if it will affect crowds this week.
We had some interesting and awesome experiences including :
Amazing dinner at Storyteller's Cafe. We both chose the buffet and had no regrets. The carved turkey and rpast were both moist and flavorful. The chefs carving wished me a happy birthday/anniversary and encouraged me to try some items. At the end we were provided two of the most delicious cupcakes we have ever had. Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting and had happy birthday sang to me by our server. Everything was perfect. We chose the first seating of 5pm and happy we did !
A CM at the churro cart by Buena Vista St./Condor Flats entrance grated us complimentary mini churros due to our anniversary ! Was very kind and sweet.
We were in line one day at Grizzly River Rapids and another guest asked if we were just the two of us waiting for fast passes - we said yes and she gave them to us and the window was open right then ! We thanked her for her generosity and kindness and wished her a wonderful trip.
We decided to catch fireworks on Tuesday and got to the castle area about an hour before and found a space for the two of us with a 90% clear view of the castle. It was the closest we have ever been. The spot was great but I will admit Magical is not my favorite show. I much preferred Dreams but glad we saw it regardless.
We caught the second Fantasmic showing on Monday with a near perfect view. We basically were at the railing behind the reserved dessert seating and had a great view of everything. Having never fully seen Fantasmic this was a great treat. We arrived literally five minutes before showtime and had this view. It was great and loved the show.
We finally made time to catch a show at the Princess Faire. It was Tangled and it was just awesome. It was so cute and so well done ! Very happy we got in line early for a spot !
We loved the refurbed Alice in Wonderland - we actually got lucky with this one. It wasn't open yet one day so we went on Teacups and Storyland boats , just as we exited teacups it was opening so we had only a five minute wait. Everything was awesome except the white rabbit in the first part where he is exclaiming he is "late" , the audio was so jumbled it sounded let's just say he had one too many energy drinks...LOL. We thought it was hilarious but it was taken down again shortly after so glad we caught it.
We had SM fast passes and used them on Monday night and saw a small scuffle break out between a rider and some CM's. The CM's were very professional when the guest tried to engage the CM in a physical way. It was shortly after we noticed they were escorted by security away from the ride and likely out of the park. When we got to ride we noticed the audio wasn't working. It was actually an odd ride without it. Hearing the actual cars on the track versus the soundtrack was odd but hey a new experience.
Speaking of which - we happened to go "left" on our last ride of SM Wednesday. We had to unload and reload on another car. We think we were off balance. Was weird happening but the CM's were helpful in getting us off and got us on a new car/ split up better and all was great.
We had lunch at Award Weiners one day and it was delicious. I had the portabello veggie sandwich and DH had the chili dog. Both were very tasty and we would order again. Also we had the seasonal smoothie and Schmoozies - the Orange Blast which tastes like an orange creamsicle and it was amazing.
We closed the park on Monday and rode IASW very late near 11:40pm and it was practically empty. There were about 5 people total in our boat including DH and I. It was really awesome almost like a private ride.
I have discovered a love for ToT. Now you have to understand my first ride was so traumatic for me. I promised DH I would try it and I was crying going up or down then took me 20 minutes to calm down I was shaking so hard. I knew I needed to try again..and I think my DH thought I was going crazy when I started laughing and having fun on the ride. I actually LOVE it now. On our last ride I even looked out at the view and didn't feel sick or scared. I used to be a huge chicken but finding enjoyment on rides has been awesome.
I also discovered the first car on Screamin' is awesome and don't know what I was afraid of !
We had so many CM's wish us a happy anniversary/birthday. Many inquiring how long we have been together. We always felt so special !
We had a truly magical trip and have nothing but great things to say about the DLH. We definitely will be back at least once a year on site we have decided. I hope everyone has an awesome time too.
