Hi all,
Back after our first summer trip. Usually we go in winter, so there were many contrasts for us.
Lows first:
Heat
It wasn't ridiculously hot (25 to 27 most day) but crowd dodging in heat is not the first thing that comes to mind when fantasising about the ideal holiday - especially when you're used to Irish weather.
Crowds
We've been in the Xmas session and it has been pretty busy at times, but there were times this week that I found it hard to look around and enjoy the location because it was wall to wall people who all seem to think everyone else should avoid them.
Queues
We got very few rides done each day as fast passes were giving out return times hours away which mean we couldn't get any more for a long time. The non-fastpass rides had long queues (as usual) but in the past we just avoided these rides. For example, Dumbo was a queue of 60 minutes so each of us played pass the parcel with sleeping toddlers, their heavy hot little bodies giving us backache and a bit more heat to contend with. Not fun.
Buses
The number 50 that serves the Adagio and Elysee was a big pink sardine can. The first bus was at 8.45 which was useless for anyone with Dream Passes who wanted to avail of EMH.
Staff
Staff who were just rude - for example, when we produced an AP when paying at Annette's the waiter said "Too late" and flatly refused to apply it for discount.
Scrums
The usual complaints really - adults who should know better who practically trampled toddlers to get to characters.
Scary characters at Cafe Mickey
I know most people expect to see some of the 'scarier' characters and a lot of children are quite blase about them, but quite a few small children (including ours) were really upset by the none cute characters. Not sure how they could do it, but it would be great if they could operate some kind of method of obscuring the scary ones from the littlest ones. Or maybe have them come out at a later hour or something.
Okay, that all sounds quite bad, but we had a brilliant time overall.
Highs
Weather
Perversely I have to say the weather was also a high, because when we weren't hacking our way through the people we were able to enjoy real summer weather.
Disney Dance Express
This went down well with all of us - lively, interactive, really Disney even though it used non Disney music.
Tarzan
Amazing acrobatics skill and very entertaining.
People who were having fun
One of the great things about Disney is that grownups and children aren't embarrassed to express their enjoyment of where they are. Watching people dancing, singing, smiling, and sharing their excitement is always a high in Disneyland for me.
Thrill rides
Sharing my nephew's exuberance after his first trip on SM, and conquering his trepidation of RnRC and ToT was a blast.
Staff
Being amazed at the language skills and patience of till operators who have to contend with several languages in succession from people who rarely have a clue what they want before they get to the till. Chatting with CMs, expecially in the AP Office and in shops, who remain friendly and enthusiastic despite the lack of grace they receive from a large proportion of their customers.
Nieces
Seeing the progression in my three year nieces as they learned what Disney is all about. From their first ride on IASM where they flatly refused to leave the boat as they loved it so much, to watching them line up patiently to meet Minnie and Aurora and moving on for the next child, despite desperately wanting to just stay there. Seeing (and feeling) their responses to parades and street shows as they danced and clapped on our shoulders.
Adagio
As others have said before, these apartments have definitely seen their fair share of wear and tear, and I won't lie, I hate having to make my own bed when on holiday. However, for the price you get a lot. The rooms are compact but there's plenty of storage space and reasonable kitchen facilities. The only thing I would have liked to have had is a toaster or grill (there's a microwave and a four ring hob). The shopping and restaurant facilities are so handy, whether for self catering or (as we did) for lunches and dinners. I highly recommend the bistro on the diagonal corner. We went there on our last night, there was a brilliant guitarist playing which gave the place a lot of atmosphere.
I could go on, but if you're still reading by now I think you need a break.
I don't think I would ever go back in high summer, but I'm glad we experienced it. Lessons learned: in winter we basically did what we wanted when we wanted. In summer we found the queues and heat didn't really allow for that. Picking a few rides either for their short queues or FPs and then interspersing those with different shows each day allowed us to cover almost everything we wanted to do. Taking some time out to watch the world go by, and allowing twice as much time as you think you need to get from A to B helps the blood pressure and always expect at least half an hour for counter service meals (now I know why they don't call them fast food).
To anyone about to set off soon have a great time.....
Back after our first summer trip. Usually we go in winter, so there were many contrasts for us.
Lows first:
Heat
It wasn't ridiculously hot (25 to 27 most day) but crowd dodging in heat is not the first thing that comes to mind when fantasising about the ideal holiday - especially when you're used to Irish weather.
Crowds
We've been in the Xmas session and it has been pretty busy at times, but there were times this week that I found it hard to look around and enjoy the location because it was wall to wall people who all seem to think everyone else should avoid them.
Queues
We got very few rides done each day as fast passes were giving out return times hours away which mean we couldn't get any more for a long time. The non-fastpass rides had long queues (as usual) but in the past we just avoided these rides. For example, Dumbo was a queue of 60 minutes so each of us played pass the parcel with sleeping toddlers, their heavy hot little bodies giving us backache and a bit more heat to contend with. Not fun.
Buses
The number 50 that serves the Adagio and Elysee was a big pink sardine can. The first bus was at 8.45 which was useless for anyone with Dream Passes who wanted to avail of EMH.
Staff
Staff who were just rude - for example, when we produced an AP when paying at Annette's the waiter said "Too late" and flatly refused to apply it for discount.
Scrums
The usual complaints really - adults who should know better who practically trampled toddlers to get to characters.
Scary characters at Cafe Mickey
I know most people expect to see some of the 'scarier' characters and a lot of children are quite blase about them, but quite a few small children (including ours) were really upset by the none cute characters. Not sure how they could do it, but it would be great if they could operate some kind of method of obscuring the scary ones from the littlest ones. Or maybe have them come out at a later hour or something.
Okay, that all sounds quite bad, but we had a brilliant time overall.
Highs
Weather
Perversely I have to say the weather was also a high, because when we weren't hacking our way through the people we were able to enjoy real summer weather.
Disney Dance Express
This went down well with all of us - lively, interactive, really Disney even though it used non Disney music.
Tarzan
Amazing acrobatics skill and very entertaining.
People who were having fun
One of the great things about Disney is that grownups and children aren't embarrassed to express their enjoyment of where they are. Watching people dancing, singing, smiling, and sharing their excitement is always a high in Disneyland for me.
Thrill rides
Sharing my nephew's exuberance after his first trip on SM, and conquering his trepidation of RnRC and ToT was a blast.
Staff
Being amazed at the language skills and patience of till operators who have to contend with several languages in succession from people who rarely have a clue what they want before they get to the till. Chatting with CMs, expecially in the AP Office and in shops, who remain friendly and enthusiastic despite the lack of grace they receive from a large proportion of their customers.
Nieces
Seeing the progression in my three year nieces as they learned what Disney is all about. From their first ride on IASM where they flatly refused to leave the boat as they loved it so much, to watching them line up patiently to meet Minnie and Aurora and moving on for the next child, despite desperately wanting to just stay there. Seeing (and feeling) their responses to parades and street shows as they danced and clapped on our shoulders.
Adagio
As others have said before, these apartments have definitely seen their fair share of wear and tear, and I won't lie, I hate having to make my own bed when on holiday. However, for the price you get a lot. The rooms are compact but there's plenty of storage space and reasonable kitchen facilities. The only thing I would have liked to have had is a toaster or grill (there's a microwave and a four ring hob). The shopping and restaurant facilities are so handy, whether for self catering or (as we did) for lunches and dinners. I highly recommend the bistro on the diagonal corner. We went there on our last night, there was a brilliant guitarist playing which gave the place a lot of atmosphere.
I could go on, but if you're still reading by now I think you need a break.
I don't think I would ever go back in high summer, but I'm glad we experienced it. Lessons learned: in winter we basically did what we wanted when we wanted. In summer we found the queues and heat didn't really allow for that. Picking a few rides either for their short queues or FPs and then interspersing those with different shows each day allowed us to cover almost everything we wanted to do. Taking some time out to watch the world go by, and allowing twice as much time as you think you need to get from A to B helps the blood pressure and always expect at least half an hour for counter service meals (now I know why they don't call them fast food).
To anyone about to set off soon have a great time.....
) but I had to get him to take it away again when I produced my shareholders card - his fault, and if there had been any further issue about it I would have been talking to his manager.
- but I'm sure you'll still have a great time.
.
!
