First time back in 3 years, lots of questions

[whoever]

Booked DLH for 11/4-11/7 Vic's 10th birthday trip. Still not sure if it will be just her and us, or all 3 kids. Both the older girls got DL trips as part of their Girl Scout end of year activities this summer. Haven't been to DL as an entire family since 2018 though. So I'm sure I could pour through the pages looking for answers, but I figured I could get them all answered in one fell swoop.


1. Park Reservations... seem to be still required. How far out can you make your park reservations?
2. 4 day park hoppers....worth it or go single park only? We've always done hoppers historically, but the GSA trips they did single park and it seemed to work OK. I presume you still have to make a primary park reservation and start there and are still only allowed to hop after a certain time?
3. Genie +..... Amy did it for the GSA trips she was the leader of that also seemed to work pretty well for her. I've heard a lot of noise about the Fastpass lanes being longer than standby though.
4. Dinning reservations... they open 60 days out still? As in when will the month of November open? 9/1 at 12:01AM?
5. Construction.... What challenges would you expect we will experience staying at the DLH? Access to Downtown Disney easy? Construction noise for the DVC wing they are putting up an issue? Pool closures?
6. Dapper Day. Last DD we attended was May of 2019 for Char's 10th bday trip. How have the more recent ones gone? We will obviously be dressing, just not sure as what yet. Expo been decently attended for recent ones?
7. EMH for onsite guests... Is this finally back?
8. What else have I missed having been focused on the hardest year of our lives and not keeping up with Disney?

 

[maleficent55]

Welcome back!
We too have not been since 2018 and go back next week! Granted we can get over this bout of Covid. It’s been some of the hardest years of my life, these last two, so I really hope we can make it. We are finally staying at the GCH.

I can answer some of your questions but not all.
1. Reservations can be made 120 days out

2. I always feel like park hoppers are necessary. As you know, it’s a 2 minute walk between the parks. Disneyland is always open later. As nighttime entertainment gets complicated, I don’t like being restricted to one park to try to figure out which show I can watch.
You do have to pick your starting park now, Disneyland always runs out first, and you can hop after 1pm with all the back and forth you want after that.

3. Sounds like Genie+ is a must. Having never even used it yet personally, I know I’ll
Never not use it. Especially after reading the thread on how to better use it and how to fish for MEP and how to stack

4. Yes. Still 60 days, out and day by day. But harder than ever now. While next week will be our first time back it’s not our first attempt back, so I’ve done the dining reservation thing a couple times since being back. It’s more cutthroat now. You have to be QUICK. Know what you want each day and maybe have two people try. Mostly it’s 0600 PST but some reports of 0300 drops. It’s crazy.
Some things gone in literal seconds like Trader Sams, Carthay circle alfresco dining, river Belle premium Fantasmic dining….
Just be ready. Also external third party alerts ($) helped me secure some.

5. Not exactly sure. Others will answer better.

6. Again, not sure.

7. A LOT. Ever changing. Catch up on the first few pages of posts here ;-)

Again, welcome back. I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed your reports and pictures and it’s been fun watching your girls grow up. In fact, since I'm
Staying at the GCH, I need to dig up your craftsman tour post again so I can bore my daughter and try to impress my husband with facts!!!

 

[maleficent55]

Forgot to add, and maybe you know. They’re bringing EMH back starting august 8th.

It’s now just 30 minutes before opening but it’s both parks everyday for Disney hotel guests

 

[tkradtke]

3. Genie +..... Amy did it for the GSA trips she was the leader of that also seemed to work pretty well for her. I've heard a lot of noise about the Fastpass lanes being longer than standby though.

We used Genie+ quite a bit this past trip and we only had one ride that had a bit of a wait in the LL. I think we waited maybe 15 minutes for HM... but that was nothing compared to the stand-by line (this was midday in the height of the crowds). We scheduled a LL for BTM for the time right as the fireworks ended... we figured we would have a wait there as everyone else who was in that window would wait until after fireworks as well... but it was still just a five minute or so wait to get on.

 

[DizMe]

Hi, Matt!! Good to see you back. I'm tentatively planning to go to Dapper Day, but you know how life gets crazy--I've got a bunch of other things going on so we'll see.

I agree with maleficent about park hopping, but part of that is that I'm just not as fond of DCA as I am of DL. I love some of the dining options there and the MK terrace, but there isn't enough to keep me happy for a whole day.

I have yet to purchase Genie+. I think it really depends on your style. I like to go early, stay late, and take a break in the middle. I'm not concerned about hitting every ride, I'm into the atmosphere and other experiences. I would probably purchase Genie+ with my family, though, or if it were going to be the only way to get on rides without interminable wait times.

The dining reservations system is a b.... I mean, it stinks. It REALLY stinks. You have all this pressure to click and grab whatever you can get each day that is 60 days before the day you're attempting to reserve. At least it's now 6 am and not 3, although it's kind of hit or miss. Sometimes they release right on time, sometimes early, and sometimes not at all and you just have to guess when they'll drop. They no longer offer Vacation Planning if you're staying on site so you have to do it all yourself. Now, that said, it's really fairly easy to end up with the places you want, but you may have to hunt and scramble and switch around to get there. I used Mouse Dining to send me alerts for a few things when I had an unexpected trip come along and I'd missed the reservation drops. Since you're staying at DLH, it shouldn't be too hard to get the terrace at TS's or on the waitlist for inside.

My suggestion as far as construction is to try and reserve a premium view room in Adventure (DTD view). I stayed in a deluxe room a couple of weeks ago and we were in a room in Fantasy that was at the far end, away from DTD, so not much view of pool and we could see/hear the construction (though most of our trip was on the weekend when they weren't working on the construction). It was an older, dated room and pretty disappointing for the price. Then again, I'm not used to paying rack rates for DLH so that was probably part of it. I'd stay away from any room in Fantasy and especially Frontier that is on the far end of the property that is across the pool from Adventure.

I went to Dapper Day last Nov. There were lots of people dressed up, but not much of the old "Happy Dapper Day!" exchanges etc. Most people were just walking around. The exposition part had far fewer displays and entertainment etc, but it was the first time back so it wasn't unexpected that they didn't go as all out as usual. I still had fun and Kelsey, Monte, and I dressed up and walked around enjoying the day. Monte was not quite 5 and I bought him a short-sleeved button-down shirt with pirate stuff on it from the Expo and that's what he wore. We had a standard room in Fantasy with a great view of the fireworks, and that was nice for us because Monte was too tired to be in the park to watch them. Anyway, I didn't make it to the spring DD so I don't know how that one compared.

You'll have to let me know what's been going on. It has been a challenging year and I've missed catching up but have been keeping a pretty low profile so I've missed what everyone else has been up to.

As far as Disney, I have been 3 times since it reopened and very much enjoyed every visit. I don't like some of the decisions made but I figure it's still a work in progress and it must be hard trying to figure out how to balance everything. I think we'll keep seeing changes, which are hard for me because one of the things I most loved about DLR was knowing how to do everything and work the system. Now I'm just a rube

 

[Brandonius]

Booked DLH for 11/4-11/7 Vic's 10th birthday trip. Still not sure if it will be just her and us, or all 3 kids. Both the older girls got DL trips as part of their Girl Scout end of year activities this summer. Haven't been to DL as an entire family since 2018 though. So I'm sure I could pour through the pages looking for answers, but I figured I could get them all answered in one fell swoop.


1. Park Reservations... seem to be still required. How far out can you make your park reservations?
2. 4 day park hoppers....worth it or go single park only? We've always done hoppers historically, but the GSA trips they did single park and it seemed to work OK. I presume you still have to make a primary park reservation and start there and are still only allowed to hop after a certain time?
3. Genie +..... Amy did it for the GSA trips she was the leader of that also seemed to work pretty well for her. I've heard a lot of noise about the Fastpass lanes being longer than standby though.
4. Dinning reservations... they open 60 days out still? As in when will the month of November open? 9/1 at 12:01AM?
5. Construction.... What challenges would you expect we will experience staying at the DLH? Access to Downtown Disney easy? Construction noise for the DVC wing they are putting up an issue? Pool closures?
6. Dapper Day. Last DD we attended was May of 2019 for Char's 10th bday trip. How have the more recent ones gone? We will obviously be dressing, just not sure as what yet. Expo been decently attended for recent ones?
7. EMH for onsite guests... Is this finally back?
8. What else have I missed having been focused on the hardest year of our lives and not keeping up with Disney?

1. 120 days out. With magic keys, that window is important. With normal tickets (especially staying at DLH) you will have no problems with reservations.

2. With reservations, you must start at the park you reserve. You can hop as much as you want from 1 PM onward. I still love park hopping even post covid, highly recommend for both the mileage of Genie+ and flexibility.

3. I recommend Genie+ for sure. People complain about the exact problems fastpass used to have - lines that extend out the Fastpass entrance and occasionally in weird circumstances (especially evening Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, and Matterhorn) where the standby line is gone but people still have LL reservations booked. The ride breakdown problem also used to exist with fastpass - I have noticed very few actual changes to the way the system existed when it was maxpass/paper fastpass except that people are faster to point out problems because they are now paying for the system.

ILL on Cars and Web Slingers depends on your preferences - are you OK with single rider? Are you OK paying extra to skip the line for a ride that isn't that amazing? (Web slingers lol). Rise of the resistance, honestly just buy the ILL. The ride breaks down enough that the only ways to get on it without risking a huge waste of time in line for a down attraction are either rope drop rush (which is chaotic and unless you're a psycho like me, it's not fun) or just pay for the pass and enjoy getting on with a less than 10 minute wait (most of the time).

4-6 - way outside my realm of expertise lol.

7. Starting August 8, yes, it is back! We don't know exactly how the implementation will look, but both parks have 30 minutes of early entry every day for on site hotel guests only. No multi-day tickets get the benefit. Nearly everything important is open at DCA, and Tomorrowland/Fantasyland are open at DL.

8. Covid's effects on the business world also affected Disney so now the ever-present complaints about things "not being like they used to be" are exacerbated, consistent quality of customer service has definitely dropped (just like it has literally everywhere), Avengers Campus Opened (Easy to forget about - it kinda stinks), Magic Keys being sold out are causing quite the non-issue because we're all just gonna rush to hand Disney our money anyway, Tarzan's Treehouse has been taken out of the middle of the Adventureland walkway making the single biggest improvement to Disneyland crowd flow since the beginning of time, and churro prices have increased. I think that covers the highlights.

I look forward to seeing another TR from you!

 

[whoever]

Hi, Matt!! Good to see you back. I'm tentatively planning to go to Dapper Day, but you know how life gets crazy--I've got a bunch of other things going on so we'll see.

Would love to see you FTF again. I'm trying to remember when we saw you last, I think it was my March 18 Birthday trip.

Look who Amy ran into organically a few weeks back...

I agree with maleficent about park hopping, but part of that is that I'm just not as fond of DCA as I am of DL. I love some of the dining options there and the MK terrace, but there isn't enough to keep me happy for a whole day.

I'm feeling that way. Bummed about the 1PM hopping restriction as we usually preferred to hop around lunch time (11).

I have yet to purchase Genie+. I think it really depends on your style. I like to go early, stay late, and take a break in the middle. I'm not concerned about hitting every ride, I'm into the atmosphere and other experiences. I would probably purchase Genie+ with my family, though, or if it were going to be the only way to get on rides without interminable wait times.

I imagine we'll be doing G+ based on Amy's experience(s) using it this summer. Just didn't know if she experienced an anomaly with it or that's the new norm.

The dining reservations system is a b.... I mean, it stinks. It REALLY stinks. You have all this pressure to click and grab whatever you can get each day that is 60 days before the day you're attempting to reserve. At least it's now 6 am and not 3, although it's kind of hit or miss. Sometimes they release right on time, sometimes early, and sometimes not at all and you just have to guess when they'll drop. They no longer offer Vacation Planning if you're staying on site so you have to do it all yourself. Now, that said, it's really fairly easy to end up with the places you want, but you may have to hunt and scramble and switch around to get there. I used Mouse Dining to send me alerts for a few things when I had an unexpected trip come along and I'd missed the reservation drops. Since you're staying at DLH, it shouldn't be too hard to get the terrace at TS's or on the waitlist for inside.

That'll be a new first for us. We've always had luck with dinning reservations. She was able to get Cafe Orleans for the GS troops, but obviously Blue Bayou is going to be a hard one from what I'm reading. Will be hoping, praying, and pulling ever string I have for a special reservation at a 2nd floor dining establishment to celebrate Vic's 10th.

My suggestion as far as construction is to try and reserve a premium view room in Adventure (DTD view). I stayed in a deluxe room a couple of weeks ago and we were in a room in Fantasy that was at the far end, away from DTD, so not much view of pool and we could see/hear the construction (though most of our trip was on the weekend when they weren't working on the construction). It was an older, dated room and pretty disappointing for the price. Then again, I'm not used to paying rack rates for DLH so that was probably part of it. I'd stay away from any room in Fantasy and especially Frontier that is on the far end of the property that is across the pool from Adventure.

We've only ever stayed in the Adventure tower and that's our preference. I heard you can call a week in advance and request a tower preference (albeit not a guarantee). I've had the palm tree view of DTD many a time and love it.

I went to Dapper Day last Nov. There were lots of people dressed up, but not much of the old "Happy Dapper Day!" exchanges etc. Most people were just walking around. The exposition part had far fewer displays and entertainment etc, but it was the first time back so it wasn't unexpected that they didn't go as all out as usual. I still had fun and Kelsey, Monte, and I dressed up and walked around enjoying the day. Monte was not quite 5 and I bought him a short-sleeved button-down shirt with pirate stuff on it from the Expo and that's what he wore. We had a standard room in Fantasy with a great view of the fireworks, and that was nice for us because Monte was too tired to be in the park to watch them. Anyway, I didn't make it to the spring DD so I don't know how that one compared.

Here's to hoping it's a magical weekend.

You'll have to let me know what's been going on. It has been a challenging year and I've missed catching up but have been keeping a pretty low profile so I've missed what everyone else has been up to.

As far as Disney, I have been 3 times since it reopened and very much enjoyed every visit. I don't like some of the decisions made but I figure it's still a work in progress and it must be hard trying to figure out how to balance everything. I think we'll keep seeing changes, which are hard for me because one of the things I most loved about DLR was knowing how to do everything and work the system. Now I'm just a rube

I've always liked the organic flow of pre-technology Disneyland. I've heard they are really struggling with staffing lately, so that's another concern. Was hoping that by now things would be better and issues with a lot of things ironed out. Not much can spoil DLR for us though. Adapt and overcome.

 

[whoever]

7. Starting August 8, yes, it is back! We don't know exactly how the implementation will look, but both parks have 30 minutes of early entry every day for on site hotel guests only. No multi-day tickets get the benefit. Nearly everything important is open at DCA, and Tomorrowland/Fantasyland are open at DL.

So both parks have EMH every day, not alternating park/day like in the past? That would be a big decision maker for us as we always did the starting park based on EMH.

 

[maleficent55]

1. 120 days out. With magic keys, that window is important. With normal tickets (especially staying at DLH) you will have no problems with reservations.

2. With reservations, you must start at the park you reserve. You can hop as much as you want from 1 PM onward. I still love park hopping even post covid, highly recommend for both the mileage of Genie+ and flexibility.

3. I recommend Genie+ for sure. People complain about the exact problems fastpass used to have - lines that extend out the Fastpass entrance and occasionally in weird circumstances (especially evening Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, and Matterhorn) where the standby line is gone but people still have LL reservations booked. The ride breakdown problem also used to exist with fastpass - I have noticed very few actual changes to the way the system existed when it was maxpass/paper fastpass except that people are faster to point out problems because they are now paying for the system.

ILL on Cars and Web Slingers depends on your preferences - are you OK with single rider? Are you OK paying extra to skip the line for a ride that isn't that amazing? (Web slingers lol). Rise of the resistance, honestly just buy the ILL. The ride breaks down enough that the only ways to get on it without risking a huge waste of time in line for a down attraction are either rope drop rush (which is chaotic and unless you're a psycho like me, it's not fun) or just pay for the pass and enjoy getting on with a less than 10 minute wait (most of the time).

4-6 - way outside my realm of expertise lol.

7. Starting August 8, yes, it is back! We don't know exactly how the implementation will look, but both parks have 30 minutes of early entry every day for on site hotel guests only. No multi-day tickets get the benefit. Nearly everything important is open at DCA, and Tomorrowland/Fantasyland are open at DL.

8. Covid's effects on the business world also affected Disney so now the ever-present complaints about things "not being like they used to be" are exacerbated, consistent quality of customer service has definitely dropped (just like it has literally everywhere), Avengers Campus Opened (Easy to forget about - it kinda stinks), Magic Keys being sold out are causing quite the non-issue because we're all just gonna rush to hand Disney our money anyway, Tarzan's Treehouse has been taken out of the middle of the Adventureland walkway making the single biggest improvement to Disneyland crowd flow since the beginning of time, and churro prices have increased. I think that covers the highlights.

I look forward to seeing another TR from you!

Hi! Regarding what you mentioned about in #3, where on some attractions at night when the standby line is gone but the ILL still exists, at that point can you drop a booked ILL? Or does not using it, drop it?
Because at that point I’d want to jump in the standby and not use the ILL.

 

[maleficent55]

So both parks have EMH every day, not alternating park/day like in the past? That would be a big decision maker for us as we always did the starting park based on EMH.

Correct. Both parks, every day. The choice will be ours. Not alternating.

So far….

 

[Brandonius]

Hi! Regarding what you mentioned about in #3, where on some attractions at night when the standby line is gone but the ILL still exists, at that point can you drop a booked ILL? Or does not using it, drop it?
Because at that point I’d want to jump in the standby and not use the ILL.

Yeah, you can drop it if you want to! Just edit or remove it in the appl. Just at that point usually its 9-10 PM and you want to "maximize the value" of your Genie+ day, and the other rides that are available to book aren't really going to save you time either, so many people get annoyed that their "Fastpass is useless" when really they just didn't book rides in an order where the Fastpass had an actual line to skip. It's a problem that didn't exist before when fastpass was free, but now that there's a cost attached to the system it's a regular complaint.

 

[Brandonius]

So both parks have EMH every day, not alternating park/day like in the past? That would be a big decision maker for us as we always did the starting park based on EMH.

Yes! I really like the new system (in theory) - no ticketholders means the benefit isn't watered down for hotel guests, and the guests will be split between two parks, and you can choose which park you want each day, which means there isn't some ridiculous algebra equation to figuring out which parks you go to on which day based on EMH. And (again, in theory), the EMH might have legitimately low lines - like station wait or walk on for everything open for that 30 minutes. We will see!

 

[maleficent55]

Yes! I really like the new system (in theory) - no ticketholders means the benefit isn't watered down for hotel guests, and the guests will be split between two parks, and you can choose which park you want each day, which means there isn't some ridiculous algebra equation to figuring out which parks you go to on which day based on EMH. And (again, in theory), the EMH might have legitimately low lines - like station wait or walk on for everything open for that 30 minutes. We will see!

We will be there for the first day of EMH, so I’m excited to see how it goes!

 

[whoever]

We will be there for the first day of EMH, so I’m excited to see how it goes!

I'll be checking out your thread on the experience for sure.

 

[whoever]

Also, mousekeeping at the hotels, are they still only doing it every 3rd day?

 

[RoseColored97]

We had Mousekeeping everyday in March at the Disneyland Hotel, but that was also Club Level and we mentioned wanting it from concierge. I believe they'll drop by if you request.

Highly recommend Genie+. We've used it on two trips now and it's worked out really well for my family. There are a lot of complaints on the boards over it, but honestly I think it works fine.

Hopefully MagicBand+ will be a thing at Disneyland by November. This is something I am so excited for.

The construction at the DLH has also had a lot of complaints recently, however I would think by November things should be wrapped up (...hopefully). It's more so impacting the Frontier tower than the Adventure tower. If you're doing club level or have a more premium view than just standard, I think you should be ok.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Just popping in to say, "Hi Matt!"

 

[whoever]

Just popping in to say, "Hi Matt!"

Hey Mary! Missing you and Tom lightening my Sundays.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hey Mary Jo! Missing you and Tom lightening my Sundays.

Check this out!

 

[whoever]

Again, welcome back. I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed your reports and pictures and it’s been fun watching your girls grow up. In fact, since I'm
Staying at the GCH, I need to dig up your craftsman tour post again so I can bore my daughter and try to impress my husband with facts!!!

Wish we were staying at the Grand. I've experienced the lowest income of my career since 2015 till now though coupled with the highest expenses of my life so we'll be riding on my $4k+ of Disney rewards points for most of it. A Disney trip is the only thing I've got to look forward to in 2022. will be my 5th and 6th day of PTO for the year.

The tour is amazing if they still offer it, and I hope they do, it's a pure treat for craftsmen architecture that I simply love. (MCM is a close second)

The Art of the Craft tour was great...

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...r-at-disneys-grand-californian-hotel.3629840/