i'm ready to go home!!

[wmp.dll]

So ds and I will be back on our own again and maybe have a better time!!!!! We will be back home on Sunday. I just can't wait.

Thats the way my Mom and I did it. My dad is not real big on Disney or anything really. So we went just the two of us. Awesome time.

 

[toocherie]

Yes, it is tough squeezing a lot into just a couple of days at DLR. Also, if you don't know for sure that you will be back to DLR soon, you tend to want to do more in your two days (like in my case). My friend likes to rest a lot, and I don't want her to feel like she has to push herself when she is exhausted, or that I am abandoning her when she is taking a break. And then I don't want to go running off and doing everything without her by myself, which I easily could do, because then why go there with her in the first place? And she tends to not want to explore very much. She dismisses things too quickly if they look boring to her. We were strolling through DCA and turned into the Hollywood area, and she instantly said, "Oh there is nothing down there. No rides or anything." And started to walk away! I wanted to wander down that way to look in shops and just absorb whatever little details I could. I like to look at details. I like to hunt for Hidden Mickeys. I like to look in shops. I like to see everything that is there, restaurants and all. And I like to ride more rides than my friend does. We have our key rides that are most important, but I would go on more if she were willing! Same with DL. I like to roam around all the hotels and see what's happening. So I feel like I can't do all the stuff I want to do, and my friend feels like she is not getting enough rest, and yet, at the end of the trip, I feel like I missed a lot of things and am still tired because what we DID do we had to squeeze in to 2 short days or 1-1/2 days.

So next time, I think I will have to rethink our plan of action to make it the most effective and satisfying. I end up getting frustrated with DLR itself when that is not really the main issue!

Sherry: now that you have an AP, the real solution is to join the DisLadies on their meet next March . . . . . believe me you will learn many details about DL!

 

[NicksMommy]

In my Trip Report, I posed the question of whether too much DLR is never enough or does a little go a long way? And a few people have chimed in that it can and does 'get old' after a while, but as soon as they/we get home, we feel that need to get back to DLR back as soon as possible!! I think it is possible to burn out there - mentally and physically. And you are experiencing that now! The worst thing is to burn out when you still have days left on the trip, and you just feel like staying in the room! Rest and breaks are definitely a necessity on multi-day trips!

Were you able to replace your DS' Buzz Lightyear cup after that episode with that rude jerk the other day? Those cups are SO cute. I wanted one for myself!

Yeah we just bought another and threw the other buzz top away so we have 2 cups to go with the top... I think 5 days in DL is too much! I would have liked to spend some time at the pool and maybe go to the beach DTD

 

[NicksMommy]

Im sorry your trip is not as magical as you would like. Hopefully the end of your trip will make up for the begining. I hope this does not keep you away for too long though

Oh, I remember not too long ago you mentioning moving to Anaheim. Is that still the plan??

Yes that is still the plan although we did not have enough time to look around for a house, so I am going with DS the 2nd week in Nov. to look for a house!! We are not going to DL! We are however going to the SD zoo, sea world and visting with family in SD!!!! I can't believe I have had my full of Disney!

 

[godalejunior]

Yeah we just bought another and threw the other buzz top away so we have 2 cups to go with the top... I think 5 days in DL is too much! I would have liked to spend some time at the pool and maybe go to the beach DTD

Last January we stayed six nights and spent one full day at Legoland. This year we opted for seven nights and are doing at least one full day at Knotts. We spend one full day out of the parks doing the pool, character breakfast, etc. We have found it is not too much DL but that we can take our time and just stroll around. Also going back to the room midday and hanging at the pool, etc. is great too.

It sounds like it was crowded and chaotic while you guys were there and seeing the other posts from people that went in October so far.........I don't think I will ever go at this time even though I would love to do the trick or treat thing.

 

[NicksMommy]

it was so crowded I would never go again during Oct. Sep. is so much better! I didn't think that the TOTP was all that great - that was crowded too, long lines for everything!

 

[godalejunior]

it was so crowded I would never go again during Oct. Sep. is so much better! I didn't think that the TOTP was all that great - that was crowded too, long lines for everything!

DH and I did a Sept. trip in '07 and the park was dead. Halloween layover was up and we had a blast. I don't want to take DS out of school the first month he is back in and that is why we opt for the end of January. I still take him out of school for four days but we like going at an "off" time for DL as we all do not do well with crowds. I was under the assumption that Oct. was a good time to go and now I am not so sure....

 

[davidsprincess]

DH and I did a Sept. trip in '07 and the park was dead. Halloween layover was up and we had a blast. I don't want to take DS out of school the first month he is back in and that is why we opt for the end of January. I still take him out of school for four days but we like going at an "off" time for DL as we all do not do well with crowds. I was under the assumption that Oct. was a good time to go and now I am not so sure....

I think that October was a one time a quiet month. Now more and more people are going and it is becoming an ever increasing popular time to go.

I guess you don't always know when a "perfect" time to go is. It can totally change from month-to-month, year-to-year. I mean look at summer, it was practically dead. Attendance was down. September was the same and boom, October. Nuts as all can get. I think if a person plans on crowds while they are planning and then it doesn't happen, great. If there are crowds, then you already have a plan in place and are not taken by surprise. (it just might be a surprise with the amount of rude people that you run into) Just my two cents.

 

[avalon451]

So sorry to hear your trip was not magical.

We were there Sunday-Thursday, and when the crowds abruptly got huge on Thursday morning, I was glad we were done. The MToT party sounded a little to chaotic and crowded for us to enjoy, so I'm glad we didn't stick around for that.

That said, we had a wonderful time. We had 3 full days plus 2 half days, and DD13 said (as we were leaving the park in precisely enough time to get our airport shuttle, having just ridden Space Mountain twice in a row as our swan song) "That was just right. I had a fantastic time, and now I'm ready to go home."

 

[NicksMommy]

I am so glad that you and your DD had a great time, I thought for sure we would run into each other... I didn't see any LGMH's anywhere

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry: now that you have an AP, the real solution is to join the DisLadies on their meet next March . . . . . believe me you will learn many details about DL!

For some reason, I missed this post and just spotted it now! I very well may end up hopping aboard for the Ladies Only trip in March. I had been thinking about it. I was kind of hoping I would have a job by then (other than the freelance stuff I do) - knock on wood. And I know it would be a blast meeting everyone!

My friend and I were in talks to go again to DLR in December, the weekend immediately after Christmas - not my first choice of a December weekend, but that was what was available for my friend. It is also not a definite plan. It depends on many factors, but I want to see the holiday stuff, so we will at least go for a day at some point in December. Now, because of some extenuating circumstances that have just come up in my friend's life, money will be tight and her schedule will be different, and she may only be able to be in DLR for a couple of days, if that much, and I might end up with at least half a day on the third day - if not more - totally by myself. That is when I will wander into shops and browse leisurely, and take photos of whatever I missed getting photos of the previous days. I think that little half-day/three-quarter day experience by myself will be a good indicator for me if I could do a full trip solo. I will be able to tell early on if it is going to get old being by myself or if I will PREFER it!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

DH and I did a Sept. trip in '07 and the park was dead. Halloween layover was up and we had a blast. I don't want to take DS out of school the first month he is back in and that is why we opt for the end of January. I still take him out of school for four days but we like going at an "off" time for DL as we all do not do well with crowds. I was under the assumption that Oct. was a good time to go and now I am not so sure....

September in '07 had the overlay up "early", b/c Thanksgiving was "early". It was up on the 21st, and although I *think* the overlay was up earlier than slated this year it was *supposed to be* up all the way out at the 26th. So for those who wanted to go during Halloweentime, that was only a tiny bit of Sept to plan for, pushing them all into October.

That's my theory, at least.

We went in October in '06, just for a day trip during the week, and it was lovely.

I really think that if you plan to spend the most time doing stuff during the week, you then don't have to fight to get around on the weekends, b/c you can use the weekends to sit and watch fireworks, or sit and see a parade you missed, etc. Use the days for the bulk of the stuff you want to do, and relax on weekends.

That's my theory at least, and it is not really tested b/c we just haven't gone at busy times, and since hubby works on Fri/Sat we don't really end up there on weekends anyway. We did think our May trip would be busy, but it turns out everyone left for home before getting to the holiday's Monday, which is when we got there.

 

[KCmike]

Four days I think is appropriate. We always schedule day(s) off in our week there. The first time we had a movie/pool day and then a Hollywood/Newport beach day. I remember the first day we got to DL we spent an entire afternoon walking thru downtown disney, going to DL hotel, Grand Californian, and scoping our harbor blvd. The second time we split our trip between San Diego (Hotel Del Coronado) and Seaworld and then drove up to DL. Our drive down from LAX thru Laguna and on to San Diego was so much fun. The kids still talk about the DEL.

Even at Disneyworld we would always schedule days off. The kids always want to know which are our days off. They love pool days, resort hopping, movie and sleeping in days.

Three days might be adequate at DL but I like adding that extra day to make sure and hit Remember Dreams Come True, Fantasmic!, and Mainstreet Electrical Parade.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

NicksMommy, I'm sorry you've had such a rotten time. We also don't handle big crowds well, so we've always gone at slower times, but there's no getting around crowds on the weekends. I remember one evening we walked into the park, crawled our way up Main St., tried to get into Adventureland, and it was just so thick with bodies, we turned around and crawled our way out. We took a big breath once we were out from the crush!

We typically stay for 7 - 8 days (one trip was just a long weekend though.)It's always been our intent on every trip to take a break, especially if it's super busy. Maybe hit the beach or go to Legoland, something like that. But in four trips, we have yet to make it to the beach. We just can't bear to leave.

So when it's busy we go to DCA, or back to the hotel to swim in the pool. One day our APs were blocked, so we shopped our way through DTD, played at the pool longer than normal, played with the mini jungle cruise boats at the DLH, and generally had a very relaxing day.

My DH is a big Disney fan, too, so I'm sure that makes a big difference. Plus he's a workaholic, so getting him to take time off is a struggle, so when we do all take vacation, it's a real treat for us.

I hope you have a safe trip home, and enjoy settling back in. It's always nice to come home, isn't it?

And I hope your next trip is better.

 

[Leofoenget]

5 days is a long time. I can take about 3 days, first day being a half day. Anymore than that and I start to get grumpy. Add heat and crowds to that and forget it. Hope you can salvage some of it.