Final thoughts about the park. 10/31-11/2/2019

[smartlabelprint]

I’m back after about 11 mos.

I love no smoking in the parks. AAAh, fresh air.

GE I like it. Enjoyed the ride. Not my faves but I’ll definitely go back. No one mentioned the varied smells. There are lots of sounds and no music no big deal to me.

Ogas. Not my style. Loud music. Glad we went once. Cookie-so hard! Didn’t like it. Fuzzy taun taun is a win. It’s sweet.

2 sips of kiwi and I was done. T-16 something drink.

The rum drink in the brown mug. $45 too citrusy, not sweet enough. Cup looks better close up.

The little creature mug. Drink ok. None of the drinks had much alcohol.

Maxpass when you enter at 4. Not worth it this time. It was great when we went to dca st 4 last year. So it’s still a toss up. Really depends on the day. I had prepaid. Didn’t remember I did. Lol

DLH is nice. Long walk!!! Not worth it for the bubble IMO. I’ll be perfectly happy staying off site in the future.

EMH tomorrow!

 

[midnight star]

Have fun!

 

[LizzyS]

Have a great time!

 

[Indiana Scott]

I was a little worried that not having any smoking area's at all would just have some people "cheating" and smoking where ever. I take it that hasn't been the experience?
We're not smokers but I understand that it's a powerful habit.

 

[midnight star]

I was a little worried that not having any smoking area's at all would just have some people "cheating" and smoking where ever. I take it that hasn't been the experience?
We're not smokers but I understand that it's a powerful habit.

Last weekend I saw someone vaping in SWGE. but that was the only time I’ve seen that after the smoking ban. Even before the smoking ban I would see people vaping all over.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I was a little worried that not having any smoking area's at all would just have some people "cheating" and smoking where ever. I take it that hasn't been the experience?
We're not smokers but I understand that it's a powerful habit.

We smelled smoke once. I think it was in dtd heading to the hotels before we got to security.

 

[Geemo]

I love no smoking in the parks. AAAh, fresh air.

I agree!!

I also liked not having the WAGONS all over in the parks.
Looks like everyone is managing just fine with strollers.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I agree!!

I also liked not having the WAGONS all over in the parks.
Looks like everyone is managing just fine with strollers.

oh yeah! Strollers everywhere as usual. I am kind of sad to not see more babies in carriers facing their parents. This is *a lot* of sensory information to process! No kids with noise cancelling headphones either. Sometimes we bring our stroller but often just the carrier. This trip we are sans kids. And loving it!

 

[smartlabelprint]

We rode MF 2x with single rider our last day. The more I’m in the park the more I notice little details like music transitioning is into the land. Disney is superb at theming. It’s too bad people had different expectations and don’t love it.

 

[AndrewC]

We smelled smoke once. I think it was in dtd heading to the hotels before we got to security.

I think I smelled it once or twice too, same place, about 50 to 100 feet away from security. Not all the way to the monorail station, but between security and the monorail. I wonder if there is a hidden smoking spot somewhere there, or an employee smoking area behind the scenes somewhere near that area. Not a huge deal, but was really noticeable after zero smoke smell anywhere in the parks for almost a week.

I love the transition into GE. The little music cue, the slow change from one world to the other that is perfectly matched. It's really well done and honestly feels magical, even as an adult

I didn't expect to really buy into Smugglers Run very much since I hate screen based rides compared to anything with real elements... instead my friend and I went on it at least four times during our four days there and I went on it again on my solo day. I was an idiot on my solo day and forgot they had a single rider line, lol. So apparently it was good enough for me to wait 30 some minutes for. My friend and I enjoyed it so much and the dynamic of us being part of a group that we opted not to do single rider either. Sadly out of all our rides we were never pilots, lol. I doubt single riders get pilots either unless someone wants to trade (since they'll be filling in a group at the end of the queue)

 

[lalasmama]

I was a little worried that not having any smoking area's at all would just have some people "cheating" and smoking where ever. I take it that hasn't been the experience?
We're not smokers but I understand that it's a powerful habit.

I saw 1 smoker on Halloween. They were near a trash can in SW:GE, and clearly trying to hide it (facing the trash can, cig down at arm's length when not taking a drag). There was a CM explaining the rules and smoking areas. He kept on "not understanding" where to go, or telling her that was too far away, or "I'm almost done here anyway" with every puff until he was done.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Disneyland Hotel
One and done for me. I'm really glad to experience it. The light up headboard was fun. I probably wouldn't have gone to Trader Sam's at the end of the day to enjoy the Tiki lights and music, even though I wanted to. Pool hours were too short to benefit. Adults can't even use the hot tub after a day in the parks. EMH is the only perk for me. It was awesome for DCA. I didn't even bother for DL. We wanted to sleep in and it's not that empty with parkhopper guests as well. I really wish they'd cancel the parkhopper perk to make it worth it for hotel guests. We don't really enjoy it when we have hoppers because it's not all that quiet.

Random
Broke my wedding ring. Not sure how. Probably on Incredicoaster. My finger got cut, which I noticed that day. I didn't notice until that night that my solitaire was spinning. Yikes!

I love the parks at night. A lot of rides are better or enhanced IMO. We did not get to ride RSR, Incredicoaster or Guardians when it was dark. DH just couldn't walk back our last night. I hope it will motivate him to exercise and eat better. My feet hurt a little bit (and my hip a little, probably from wearing heels one morning dressing up for Dapper Day) but I could have happily gone on.

I finally watched the Sh-boom lighting! We were too tired to walk back to our room to rest for a couple of hours and we had a couple of DL FP to use. Matterhorn at 10:20--yikes! So I suggested we eat our snack at Flo's. He got a beer somewhere and we got food at Cozy Cones.

Watched the fireworks near Space Mountain. I enjoyed it. DH won't stand and wait for things like this so it was a good compromise.

Parkhoppers
We didn't parkhop like we did in our 20's and it's unlikely we ever will. Haha! We will not have parkhoppers next trip with our kids (now that we have to pay for all tickets!) and I think the biggest thing I will miss is food in DCA. We typically spend time in a park, leave the park for some reason like going to hotel or eating in DTD or to eat in the other park. I may feel really disappointed about leaving a park on our second to last day. It will make the vacation seem like it's ending early.

Maxpass
We love it! We will probably get it a couple of our days next trip with the kids. They both have DAS so we will probably stick to what they can ride. I really wish that was completely digital though. It can be really hard for my kids to wait in the line to get the service and the red stroller wheelchair tag. The line at green kiosks is often too much for them as well. Not necessarily the line, but especially the transitioning over to the green tent, then back to the the land for the ride. Prepurchased maxpass. Didn't need it on our first half day.

How Many Days?
DH and I come, basically annually. His last trip was March 2018; mine was Dec 2018. We started Thursday at 4 p.m. We didn't really need that day. But it made the rest of our trip less stressful. We didn't feel like we were cramming everything in. For next summer's trip with our kids I went with 5 day single park. We may only go 4 days. But the price wasn't much different between 4/5 so I went with 5. Difference is we can only spend 6 hours tops with the kids in the parks. Typiucally it has been in two periods. A couple of hours in morning 10-12, lunch in park, back to hotel. Back to park after 5 p.m. snacks at Homewood Suites. Since we're coming in summer instead of when the park opens at 10, we hope to open the park and stay until lunch or slightly after lunch. No returning to the park. One of my kids is super sensitive to visual stimulation. When it gets crowded the parks are just impossible. We would like the kids to enjoy an evening in the parks and now that they can sometimes stay up later, we may be able to do a night instead of a morning one day.

Food
We did not get to enjoy table service this time. I didn't think we had time, but we probably did. We weren't disappointed.

Mobile Order
Ah-mazing! Why do so few use this? Huge line at Jolly Holiday and no one at mobile order.

Favorites
vegetarian chili in a bowl with no queso & lemonade at cozy cone
caesar salad French Market
Tortilla soup Jolly Holiday
pumpkin beignets
pretzel cheese at Coke Corner
marinara pasta and caesar salad at Boardwalk pizza & pasta. It could have used a little more sauce. The person that ogt hers at the same time asked for more. I should have too. It tasted more like the pasta at Alien Pizza planet usually does, a little dry.

Good
Blue & green milk; afraid to try green but I liked it! I preferred blue, slightly.
Veg sandwich with cheddar at earl of sandwich
pretzel at coke corner, kind of dry
lemon cone adorable snowman
Ghiradelli Ice cream

Okay (I'd probably order these again)
chicken strips & fries @ Galactic Grill (DH likes it here so I come...)
tomato soup & grilled cheese Jolly Holiday
Mickey Beignets
Flo's breakfast. bacon was greasy and very few eggs

Meh (unlikely to order)
veggie skewer @ Bengal BBQ; not much seasoning. I appreciate the new seating area. It's so full! How did they get by with 5 tiny tables for so long?!
Popcorn from stand
jack jack cookie num num not very warm. I prefer starbucks cookie that's actually warm

Yuck
Oga's one and done for us. Didn't care for cookie or 3/4 drinks.
breadsticks at Alien Pizza Planet
chicken salsa sandwich Jolly Holiday, must have been a seasonal offering.
queso at tortilla joe's taqueria

Wished I'd had
Award Wieners veggie sandwich, no mushrooms
lentil soup at Harbour Galley
Lamplight Lounge

Could have had
Rancho del Zocalo
Tropical Hideaway
WOC dessert party (but cost would have been wasted on DH)
Blue Bayou

How crowded are the parks, and why?
I was shocked at how quiet the parks were. Our first full day we repeatedly walked on TSMM at opening. We didn't really need maxpass that day either. I really think it has something to do with outpricing people. Even in the hotel we were moved up to the 9th floor with a pool view on Dapper Day rates. I'm interested to see how this plays out.

 

[Becca1007]

oh yeah! Strollers everywhere as usual. I am kind of sad to not see more babies in carriers facing their parents. This is *a lot* of sensory information to process! No kids with noise cancelling headphones either. Sometimes we bring our stroller but often just the carrier. This trip we are sans kids. And loving it!

Baby wearing in the parks is the way to go! It was so much easier than navigating a stroller through the crowds.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Rides sorry, my memory is a little fuzzy. Weren't too concerned about rides. Trying to relax this trip, without the kids.
BTMRR 2x day & night (maybe more?)
Grizzly River Run 1x (I tolerate for DH) We used the lockers then ran over to...
Splash Mountain 1x (I tolerate for DH) Cute phone bags they offer now.
Guardians 2x at least (both day)
Hyperspace 3x (I don't mind this but I prefer original. I think I hate the talking. I prefer just music.)
Incredicoaster 2x
Indy
Pirates (1st ride of our trip)
Matterhorn (last ride of our trip)
Millennium Falcon 3x (once standby) I was engineer and gunner, someone switched with dh and he was pilot once.
RSR Not in my top rides at all... but they asked for a group of 2. We come up and the family has two in each row and in the back seat they didn't even scoot all the way over. I don't think they understood English well.
Soarin 1x They were running only the middle section on both sides since it was low crowd.
Star Tours 2x
TSMM 3-4x
Swings
Emotional whirlwind - ehh I miss the old ride. Music was great. Maybe this would be good at night because of the light up balls.
Little Mermaid
Carousel DL
Teacups
Dumbo
Mr. Toad
Monorail
Railroad
Main St. Cinema. Love the benches. Thought this was made into a store?
Mater
PhilHarMagic
Mickey & Magical Map




One last note...Ghiradelli doesn't give candy out to you until you pay for your treat. Something they should have done long ago IMO.

 

[Aurora0427]

Disneyland Hotel
One and done for me. I'm really glad to experience it. The light up headboard was fun. I probably wouldn't have gone to Trader Sam's at the end of the day to enjoy the Tiki lights and music, even though I wanted to. Pool hours were too short to benefit. Adults can't even use the hot tub after a day in the parks. EMH is the only perk for me. It was awesome for DCA. I didn't even bother for DL. We wanted to sleep in and it's not that empty with parkhopper guests as well. I really wish they'd cancel the parkhopper perk to make it worth it for hotel guests. We don't really enjoy it when we have hoppers because it's not all that quiet.

Random
Broke my wedding ring. Not sure how. Probably on Incredicoaster. My finger got cut, which I noticed that day. I didn't notice until that night that my solitaire was spinning. Yikes!

I love the parks at night. A lot of rides are better or enhanced IMO. We did not get to ride RSR, Incredicoaster or Guardians when it was dark. DH just couldn't walk back our last night. I hope it will motivate him to exercise and eat better. My feet hurt a little bit (and my hip a little, probably from wearing heels one morning dressing up for Dapper Day) but I could have happily gone on.

I finally watched the Sh-boom lighting! We were too tired to walk back to our room to rest for a couple of hours and we had a couple of DL FP to use. Matterhorn at 10:20--yikes! So I suggested we eat our snack at Flo's. He got a beer somewhere and we got food at Cozy Cones.

Watched the fireworks near Space Mountain. I enjoyed it. DH won't stand and wait for things like this so it was a good compromise.

Parkhoppers
We didn't parkhop like we did in our 20's and it's unlikely we ever will. Haha! We will not have parkhoppers next trip with our kids (now that we have to pay for all tickets!) and I think the biggest thing I will miss is food in DCA. We typically spend time in a park, leave the park for some reason like going to hotel or eating in DTD or to eat in the other park. I may feel really disappointed about leaving a park on our second to last day. It will make the vacation seem like it's ending early.

Maxpass
We love it! We will probably get it a couple of our days next trip with the kids. They both have DAS so we will probably stick to what they can ride. I really wish that was completely digital though. It can be really hard for my kids to wait in the line to get the service and the red stroller wheelchair tag. The line at green kiosks is often too much for them as well. Not necessarily the line, but especially the transitioning over to the green tent, then back to the the land for the ride. Prepurchased maxpass. Didn't need it on our first half day.

How Many Days?
DH and I come, basically annually. His last trip was March 2018; mine was Dec 2018. We started Thursday at 4 p.m. We didn't really need that day. But it made the rest of our trip less stressful. We didn't feel like we were cramming everything in. For next summer's trip with our kids I went with 5 day single park. We may only go 4 days. But the price wasn't much different between 4/5 so I went with 5. Difference is we can only spend 6 hours tops with the kids in the parks. Typiucally it has been in two periods. A couple of hours in morning 10-12, lunch in park, back to hotel. Back to park after 5 p.m. snacks at Homewood Suites. Since we're coming in summer instead of when the park opens at 10, we hope to open the park and stay until lunch or slightly after lunch. No returning to the park. One of my kids is super sensitive to visual stimulation. When it gets crowded the parks are just impossible. We would like the kids to enjoy an evening in the parks and now that they can sometimes stay up later, we may be able to do a night instead of a morning one day.

Food
We did not get to enjoy table service this time. I didn't think we had time, but we probably did. We weren't disappointed.

Mobile Order
Ah-mazing! Why do so few use this? Huge line at Jolly Holiday and no one at mobile order.

Favorites
vegetarian chili in a bowl with no queso & lemonade at cozy cone
caesar salad French Market
Tortilla soup Jolly Holiday
pumpkin beignets
pretzel cheese at Coke Corner
marinara pasta and caesar salad at Boardwalk pizza & pasta. It could have used a little more sauce. The person that ogt hers at the same time asked for more. I should have too. It tasted more like the pasta at Alien Pizza planet usually does, a little dry.

Good
Blue & green milk; afraid to try green but I liked it! I preferred blue, slightly.
Veg sandwich with cheddar at earl of sandwich
pretzel at coke corner, kind of dry
lemon cone adorable snowman
Ghiradelli Ice cream

Okay (I'd probably order these again)
chicken strips & fries @ Galactic Grill (DH likes it here so I come...)
tomato soup & grilled cheese Jolly Holiday
Mickey Beignets
Flo's breakfast. bacon was greasy and very few eggs

Meh (unlikely to order)
veggie skewer @ Bengal BBQ; not much seasoning. I appreciate the new seating area. It's so full! How did they get by with 5 tiny tables for so long?!
Popcorn from stand
jack jack cookie num num not very warm. I prefer starbucks cookie that's actually warm

Yuck
Oga's one and done for us. Didn't care for cookie or 3/4 drinks.
breadsticks at Alien Pizza Planet
chicken salsa sandwich Jolly Holiday, must have been a seasonal offering.
queso at tortilla joe's taqueria

Wished I'd had
Award Wieners veggie sandwich, no mushrooms
lentil soup at Harbour Galley
Lamplight Lounge

Could have had
Rancho del Zocalo
Tropical Hideaway
WOC dessert party (but cost would have been wasted on DH)
Blue Bayou

How crowded are the parks, and why?
I was shocked at how quiet the parks were. Our first full day we repeatedly walked on TSMM at opening. We didn't really need maxpass that day either. I really think it has something to do with outpricing people. Even in the hotel we were moved up to the 9th floor with a pool view on Dapper Day rates. I'm interested to see how this plays out.

We are totally on the same page regarding Oga’s. We thought the cookie and drinks were disgusting. Way too sweet and I wasn’t impressed with the alcoholic beverages either. When we have out of town guests who like Star Wars, we go. We took my mom in October and my three year old, who can sleep anywhere, fell asleep on my shoulder waiting in line and I happily left and sat on a bench in the shade while she slept and missed it but my dad is coming with my mom in January and she says we have to take him.

The grilled cheese with tomato basil soup at JH is perfection!

 

[tsumgirl]

Glad you had a great trip! Thanks for all the feedback on your experiences. It's really helped me narrow down my food choices.

They both have DAS so we will probably stick to what they can ride. I really wish that was completely digital though. It can be really hard for my kids to wait in the line to get the service and the red stroller wheelchair tag. The line at green kiosks is often too much for them as well. Not necessarily the line, but especially the transitioning over to the green tent, then back to the the land for the ride. Prepurchased maxpass. Didn't need it on our first half day.

Just a few DAS tips that may help...The green kiosks can take quite a bit of time during peak season, especially now that people go there pretty frequently to learn how to use Maxpass. In my experience, the DL kiosks near HM and Dumbo are usually the least busy, and I frequently have no wait at these. In DCA, the Pixar Pier kiosk has never had a line when I went. I think it's because the tent is Pixar-themed instead of green, so many people don't realize it's there. Hope that helps on your next trip!

 

[AndrewC]

We are totally on the same page regarding Oga’s. We thought the cookie and drinks were disgusting. Way too sweet and I wasn’t impressed with the alcoholic beverages either. When we have out of town guests who like Star Wars, we go. We took my mom in October and my three year old, who can sleep anywhere, fell asleep on my shoulder waiting in line and I happily left and sat on a bench in the shade while she slept and missed it but my dad is coming with my mom in January and she says we have to take him.

The grilled cheese with tomato basil soup at JH is perfection!

Did you at least try the fuzzy tauntaun?

 

[smartlabelprint]

Those are great DAS tips. Thanks

Glad you had a great trip! Thanks for all the feedback on your experiences. It's really helped me narrow down my food choices.


Just a few DAS tips that may help...The green kiosks can take quite a bit of time during peak season, especially now that people go there pretty frequently to learn how to use Maxpass. In my experience, the DL kiosks near HM and Dumbo are usually the least busy, and I frequently have no wait at these. In DCA, the Pixar Pier kiosk has never had a line when I went. I think it's because the tent is Pixar-themed instead of green, so many people don't realize it's there. Hope that helps on your next trip!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Did you at least try the fuzzy tauntaun?

Loved it. Super sweet and delicious.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I love the parks at night...
Maxpass
We love it! We will probably get it a couple of our days next trip with the kids. They both have DAS so we will probably stick to what they can ride...

We also love the parks at night. As your kids get older, you might find that they have an easier time in the parks in the evening and at night. I find that all the stimulus can be easier for me to process when I'm not also trying to deal with the heat and bright sunshine (oh, sooo bright, even with sunglasses -- which are helpful, but another stimulus to deal with on my face and head...). The parks at night are just easier somehow. Less visually harsh. No need for sunblock (another irritant). Air quality can be better, too.
Another DAS tip: in DCA, if there is a very short line or no line at Chamber of Commerce, get return times there -- the a/c is a nice plus! (And with First Aid right next door, you'll have a Companion Restroom for your kids if needed.) Not so easy to find City Hall in DL with no line, but it can happen! And sometimes, a CM outside cruising the line will give me a return time quickly.