February 2018 Check-in Thread

[HuskyGal]

Coming down from Seattle during our mid-winter school break 2/18-2/25. We'll be driving 18 hours for the first time, so no guarantees that we will arrive with the same number of children as when we start, considering they fight on a five-minute drive to the bus stop. But flights are crazy expensive and with the money we save we can splurge on WOC Dessert party and nicer room at the Courtyard Theme Park.

Did you check the recent alaska sale? I was beating myself up thinking how much I could’ve saved but I used points and companion pass so didn’t beat myself up too much.

 

[mlittig]

Santa (AKA me) gave two very special little girls the gift of a trip to Disneyland in February The girls will be 6 1/2 and 5 so they will be a perfect age for their very first ever trip to Disneyland These sweet girls are like my grandchildren and they know they are going to Disney with their parents but what they don't know is that I am flying out from Massachusetts to surprise them and go with them :whohoo: We will be staying at the Marriott Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance for two nights. We will do DownTown Disney on Sunday 2/11/18 after I arrive, spend Monday 2/12 at Disneyland Park and I'll fly back home on Tuesday It will give us one day in the parks so I want to make the most of it for the girls. As part of their Christmas gift, I made them Disney outfits with T-shirts that have bling on them that says "Best Day Ever" in Disney font and I made one girl a Little Mermaid skirt and the other one a Stitch skirt I am a Disney World veteran but have never done Disneyland so any and all suggestions and help will be very appreciated Is it normally warm enough to swim in February? There is a great water park at the hotel and I would love it if the girls could use it Are fireworks shown nightly like in WDW?

 

[sandysue]

Santa (AKA me) gave two very special little girls the gift of a trip to Disneyland in February The girls will be 6 1/2 and 5 so they will be a perfect age for their very first ever trip to Disneyland These sweet girls are like my grandchildren and they know they are going to Disney with their parents but what they don't know is that I am flying out from Massachusetts to surprise them and go with them :whohoo: We will be staying at the Marriott Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance for two nights. We will do DownTown Disney on Sunday 2/11/18 after I arrive, spend Monday 2/12 at Disneyland Park and I'll fly back home on Tuesday It will give us one day in the parks so I want to make the most of it for the girls. As part of their Christmas gift, I made them Disney outfits with T-shirts that have bling on them that says "Best Day Ever" in Disney font and I made one girl a Little Mermaid skirt and the other one a Stitch skirt I am a Disney World veteran but have never done Disneyland so any and all suggestions and help will be very appreciated Is it normally warm enough to swim in February? There is a great water park at the hotel and I would love it if the girls could use it Are fireworks shown nightly like in WDW?

Our kids braved the water park last year but I huddled under a towel to watch them. At least it was sunny.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Is it normally warm enough to swim in February? There is a great water park at the hotel and I would love it if the girls could use it

In Southern California you never know. In general, I personally wouldn't usually swim in February but sometimes we get random heat spells even in the winter. It was 90 degrees on Thanksgiving this year and was in the 80s many days in December so far. Not exactly typical but also not unheard of. You might get lucky with some warm weather.

 

[Poppins2010]

I'll be joining you all in February. DH and I are bringing DS, who is a starving law school student, and his girlfriend for a long weekend 16-19. We haven't been since 2012, so pretty excited to revisit our favorite park! Paradise Pier for the first time.

 

[hippiechicken]

I'm so excited. We usually go to WDW, but are making a short trip to DL in Feb. I've only been to DL in 2013, and my daughter also went for the 60th Celebration. We're also taking her boyfriend this time. We're staying at the Grand Californian and I've booked a Fantasmic Dinner, Storyteller's Cafe Brunch, and Carnation Cafe. The hours look great, but I'm hoping for a parade and fireworks still.

 

[hjgaus]

I did not see a February 2018 thread so thought I would start one!

Leave your dates and where you are staying and I will keep a list going here!

Also any questions about that time can be posted here and I am sure lots of people will have helpful responses!



tlcdoula 1/28-2/4 Del Sol
ishbit92 2/3-2/9 Airbnb or Grand Legacy
jenjenw 2/4-2/9 DLH
lillywillow 2/4-2/9 Best Western Anaheim
skridermom 2/5-2/10 Tropicana
sarah28 2/10-2/17 Disneyland Hotel
mgd2007 2/14-2/18 DLH
Tlovesdis 2/18-2/21 Motel 6 or DI&S
FSUgirl 2/19-2/22 GCH
amyg1976 President's Day Weekend - Tropicana
jeanniejay Grand Californian

We will be at VGC with a check in of Feb.17th and check out Feb. 20th

 

[Nickarooney]

We will be there Feb. 3-6 at GCH for my 50th birthday! So excited to be at the Napa Rose chef's table for my birthday dinner on Feb. 4...and I've heard there is a huge football game in honor of my special day that evening and Justin Timberlake offered to entertain. If you see a still ridiculously cute, newly minted quinquagenarian who looks nothing close to entering her 6th decade, please say hi!

 

[Baurora_mom]

Feb 22-25th. Hotel is still TBD as we are going with friends and that always complicates things!

 

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Hi, First trip to DL Feb 12,13 & 14. Parks only on last two days. We will be visiting with DGP & DGM, DH and 2 kids 4 & 7. Staying at Best Western Stovalls.

 

[xtina!]

I'm following the January thread and I would like to follow this one, too! We are going 1/31 - 2/3. "We" = myself, my wonderful husband, our toddlers, ages 1 and 2, and our babysitter. I have never been, nor have our boys or our sitter. DH has been several times but not in years. DH relies on me to plan everything and normally I am a travel planning pro, but Disney is a whole new ball of wax!
We're staying at Grand Legacy, basically because of their 2 room suites + close proximity to DL.
We are flying in thru LAX, which was the closest I could get since we wanted a direct flight.
Haven't booked transport yet from LAX to the hotel but I have seen that Lansky is a very popular choice on this board. We need a company that can provide car seats. I plan on booking this very soon so if anyone has any suggestions on this, please share!
I have been researching doing Disney with tots like crazy, but would definitely welcome anyone's thoughts. I want to keep things low pressure, low key. I need this trip to go well; DH just found out there's a conference he would like to go to this summer and it's going to be held at Disneyland Hotwl, and he said if this trip goes well, we can go to that, and that would probably be a week long trip! Sounds like heaven!

Probably my biggest questions at this point are: what is the best way to buy DL tickets (we would be at the parks Thursday and Friday), do we need FastPasses, do we need Park Hopper whatever... I don't want to overspend but I want to get whatever will give us the best experience of course! I expect that during the day we will be doing almost exclusively kiddie rides. In the evening we'll be leaving the boys with the sitter and going out with my in-laws, and I'm not sure if we'll be in DL or off site at this point for our adult time spent together.

 

[RedHotMama]

Probably my biggest questions at this point are: what is the best way to buy DL tickets

A lot of us buy tickets through Last Minute Travel. Great discount, quick and trustworthy.

do we need FastPasses, do we need Park Hopper whatever

Fast passes are free and you can get them in the parks, next to the rides. They are awesome.
What you may have heard about is MaxPass. It is an upgraded way to get your FP. You book them on your phone, rather than having to go to the ride yourself. It can save you time and energy. But it does cost $10 per ticket per day. Since your kids are too young to need tickets, you wouldn't need to buy them MP either. Just for you, DH, and the sitter (assuming she'll be riding the rides too). You'd want to check if the rides you're planning on doing with the kids are even FP rides. You can find that on the Disneyland website and app.

In the evening we'll be leaving the boys with the sitter and going out with my in-laws,

Sounds like a wonderful balance of family time and adult time!

 

[RedHotMama]

Forgot to reply about Park Hoppers. Most people love them and swear by them. They give you flexibility to move from one park to the other throughout the day. And since they are so close together, and both within security, it's easy to do.
Check the price difference, but I don't think it is much.

 

[xtina!]

Thank you!!! I had no idea that the rides may or may not be fastpass rides! Off to do more research!!!

 

[tlcdoula]

I'm following the January thread and I would like to follow this one, too! We are going 1/31 - 2/3. "We" = myself, my wonderful husband, our toddlers, ages 1 and 2, and our babysitter. I have never been, nor have our boys or our sitter. DH has been several times but not in years. DH relies on me to plan everything and normally I am a travel planning pro, but Disney is a whole new ball of wax!
.

You will have an amazing time, we will be there the same time! Remember to just relax and have fun when you get there, often times I see parents with little ones in tow that are tired and overwhelmed, just take it slow and enjoy disney. We used Lansky a couple years ago and they were great, we had a large group and they were on time and friendly. I would use them again if we flew in or out of LAX.

Have a great trip!

 

[michigal23]

Hi

We will be taking our first DL trip Feb 13-15! We’ve done DW a few times and I’m so excited to check out DL, but also kind of freaking out because I feel like I don’t know enough about it plan anything haha. We are looking at staying at Paradise Pier Hotel - any experience there?

Also, is MaxPass worth it? It looks like the parks are mid-level busy according to all the crowd calendars, while we’re there. Is it that difficult to get a FP at the ride itself? DH wants to do MaxPass, I’d rather spend that $ on a character meal. ‍

 

[Arianabtd]

Visiting friends in Cali, but also will be going to the parks on Feb 15-16!(Not sure which hotel yet!)
I've only been to DL once before, but that day was kind of a rushed mess (it still was fun). So I'm really excited to have a more planned couple of days

 

[RedHotMama]

Also, is MaxPass worth it? It looks like the parks are mid-level busy according to all the crowd calendars, while we’re there. Is it that difficult to get a FP at the ride itself? DH wants to do MaxPass, I’d rather spend that $ on a character meal. ‍

It really depends on why you would want it. No, I don't think all the Fastpasses will run out if you don't get it. And no, getting Fastpasses the regular way isn't difficult at all. MP is a perk of convenience. Not having to be anywhere near the ride to get a FP, waiting just 90 min instead of 2 hours for the longer wait ones, being able to book while eating, or in line, or back at your hotel for break, or in another park. Feeling a little less rushed and more relaxed.
I think it also depends on your touring style. Have you generally planned out your days? Do you like the idea of bouncing around the parks / between the parks? MP would be awesome. But if you want to stay in one area at a time, it would be easy to get a fp when you get to an area, stay there for the other rides, shops, food, then use your FP and move on to another area.
MP is nice, but not crucial. You will have a fantastic time with or without it.
Maybe this is too much relationship advice, but since you and your husband disagree, I would ask: Who, between you two, is more excited about this trip? If you are there one who most wants to go and loves Disney, I would give him this one. Let him make some decisions. You really want him to love this trip (so you can go more! Heehee). If he is there bigger Disney lover and talked you into the trip, I don't know. Maybe you can request your way this time.
Either way, you'll have a great time!
(Sorry that was so long!)

 

[Ahhhhshley]

We will be there 2/6-2/15!! Staying at PP 2/6-2/9 and then GCV 2/9-2/15. Excited to celebrate my sons 5th birthday!

 

[brandimay412]

We'll be there Feb 6th through 10th. Bringing my DH, DD (5) and DS (8) who have been a handful of other times but we're still very excited. My dad and brother are also joining us this time. They've not been in many years so I'm excited to see what they think of all the new changes. Staying at Candlewood Suites.