Initial Thoughts and Impressions—Final Update: Practically Perfect In Every Way

[PirateBrigade]

Yesss! It’s funny, my daughter required about 4-5 separate visits to SWGE and ROTR rides to really get into it. She’s a Fantasyland girl through and through, but as a Star Wars fan, I’m finally glad I don’t have to ditch her and ride MF solo

How were the mid-morning crowds? We’re not rope drop people, but we might just have to do it on Friday (a grad nite day, to boot).

 

[EmJ]

Yesss! It’s funny, my daughter required about 4-5 separate visits to SWGE and ROTR rides to really get into it. She’s a Fantasyland girl through and through, but as a Star Wars fan, I’m finally glad I don’t have to ditch her and ride MF solo

How were the mid-morning crowds? We’re not rope drop people, but we might just have to do it on Friday (a grad nite day, to boot).

I felt like it didn’t really get busy until probably 10:30 or 11:00? Even then we were able to move around, get photos, and visit the shops just fine and did not feel crowded. In addition to those I mentioned, we also saw R2D2 and someone (Finnick?) who was discribed to me as “Boba Fett’s friend” by my family members.

The standby lines were definitely long by 11:00 though; I think 60 minutes for MF and 100 for Rise.

 

[Gypsybear]

I'm a Disney nerd and Star Wars fan and your post legit made tear up..

Same. Yes, I'm just a big ole teddy bear.

 

[Gypsybear]

Like I said, I'm not a Star Wars person myself, but even I thought the land was amazing, and NOTHING beat watching my boys--the big one and the little one--have the time of their lives.

This is what makes it all worth it!!

 

[smartlabelprint]

You had some amazing character interactions!!!

My 7 yo’s fave ride which he asked to go on over and over that first day was space mountain! We were surprised too. I’m so glad you went.

 

[evilmommie]

Glad you had a good day 1 and 2, I’m now sufficiently excited for our arrival on Thursday after reading this!

You also talked me back into springing for G+, because I question it every single time, but it doesn’t take much to open the wallet for Disney experiences.

Now let’s hope we don’t break the 90 degree mark later this week, else I’ll need to pencil in some pool time.

Oh yeah, it’s going to be warm Fri & Sat! Not unbearable but toasty. I’ll be there Friday, keeping cool in the shady spots.
And, yes you should get ‍♂ +. Have a great time!

 

[PirateBrigade]

Crowd levels sound great! But…I feel like we should enjoy (and appreciate) the fact that Los Angeles Unified School District’s 600,000 students finish their school year on Friday, June 10.

 

[starlite_]

UPDATE #1: SWGE Day

Today was SWGE Day. THE Day. The Big One. The reason we decided to visit Disneyland at all. Expectations were high, and I'm pleased to say--met. We started the day by rope-dropping MF and, by walking at a pretty normal pace, were able to just walk on. DH got to be the pilot. He was so happy. After that we had an ILL for Rise and O M G. I don't even like Star Wars personally, and that was hands down the best ride anywhere, ever. I don't know how you top it. We're going to pony up again on Friday Then we did Oga's, which was also super fun and we got a booth! Though my son wouldn't eat or drink anything except for the sugar cookie half of the Bantha cookie. His loss, lol; DH finished the rest. After that, we used our LL for another go on MF, and it was just as fun the second time.

We met Chewy and my son got to hold his hand and walk for awhile, and ran into some Resistance spy (I think?) who asked my son the location of the Stormtroopers, which he actually knew, because he had just had a picture with them! I cannot convey what a big deal that is. My son's favorite character not only from Star Wars, but from any show or movie is Stormtroopers. We read about them, talk about them, compare their abilities, have 1,403 toys of them, and from ages 4-5, wore basically nothing but Stormtrooper armor 7 days per week. Stormtroopers are our BFF. After that, it was lunch at Ronto Roasters (yum) and then a quick diversion to Jungle Cruise and IJA. Then back to SWGE to build a lightsaber (DH) and droid (the boy). Both were hits, and both were jealous of each other, haha.

Like I said, I'm not a Star Wars person myself, but even I thought the land was amazing, and NOTHING beat watching my boys--the big one and the little one--have the time of their lives.

This sounds like the perfect day and I'm so happy you and your fam had a great time

 

[EmJ]

Update #2: DCA Part 2, Wiser

We were back for our second DCA day today. Our first day, Monday, was a little rocky, but now that I know the Genie+ drill and had a better idea of the layout, today went much better! I don't know if crowds were unusually light or we got lucky, or what, but everything that we wanted to go on without a LL was basically walk-on, or a 5 minute wait, tops. Also, RSR was down for about 15 minutes at park opening, which ended up working well for us because they converted our ILL to an anytime pass even though we technically could have still made it in our window. This gave us time to do Soarin' and Monsters Inc. while we were still near the front of the park. After that, we knocked out all of Carsland (RSR was very cool) and headed over to Pixar Pier. We finished 10 rides before noon, and my son even went on Incredicoaster with me! His dad took a pass, haha. It was the boy's first coaster with a loop and he was a bit stunned after, but it paid off when we almost immediately encountered Mr. and Mrs. Incredible for signatures and he told them all about it. They were very impressed.

After that, we headed back to Avengers Campus for a drink. We watched the Avengers Assemble show and then loitered a bit to see if any characters would come out. We were hot and about to leave, but our patience was rewarded when Falcon/Captain America walked out basically into our laps. We had a nice walk-and-chat, photos, and a couple of handshakes before getting on our way. He was really cool and friendly; definitely my favorite character interaction so far. Also, my son's photo matting is completely filled with signatures. The next trick is to pick which photo to put in it

We stopped at Downtown Disney for a little shopping and were back in the hotel by 1:30. We are taking a rest-and-swim afternoon, since our feet--and, increasingly, a couple of muscles in my thighs that I previously didn't know existed--are DEAD, lol. Tomorrow is our last day. We're doing a Greatest Hits of Disneyland, since we basically already rode everything but Splash, which we will also do. It's been a great trip.

 

[EmJ]

Final Update: Practically Perfect In Every Way

Today was the last day of our trip. We headed back to DL for a reride of our “greatest hits”, plus we got in a few new rides for us - Alice, Snow White, Pooh, and Splash Mountain. Thanks to all who chimed in on the Splash Mountain thread to help keep us dry! In all, we hit our one day personal best ride total, with 12 in all, including rides on Rise and Millennium Falcon. The family with us on Falcon was a mom with very young boys, maybe four or five years old?, none of whom wanted to be pilot, so my son and husband made an amazing pilot duo.

We also had some more awesome character interactions. I don’t know if this is typical or not, because we aren’t that special or noticeable of a family, really. But as we were leaving SWGE, we saw two Stormtroopers and an officer headed our way. My husband yelled, “We have a recruit!” and pointed to our son, who caught on quickly and yelled, “For the Order!” He was, indeed, immediately recruited, and got to march with them for a short distance, and then a great photo op. Later, in another right-place-at-the-right-time situation, Phasma and two Stormtroopers entered Tomorrowland right where we were standing, and Phasma marched over to give my son a hard time about his Grogu shirt. Luckily, he was prepared with a solid explanation for his treachery (“But he’s so cute!”). And we still have a little bit of Disney magic left, as we wait to close out our trip with dinner at Trader Sams.

In all, the weather has been picture perfect, the park clean, and the hotel quiet (and we had housekeeping every day!). Every cast member we came across was courteous, friendly, and helpful—and so were the other guests. Genie+ worked as advertised, and the handful of times I needed advice on the spot, you were all there to save us.

I know that many on this board who remember the old times miss the way it used to be, and that is valid and understandable. However, I can say that, as a first timer who doesn’t know the difference, it would hard for me to think of any way this trip could have been better. I’m super jealous of all of you who actually live here

And thanks again to you, who were instrumental in helping make our three-year anticipated trip Practically Perfect In Every Way

 

[katyringo]

Final Update: Practically Perfect In Every Way

Today was the last day of our trip. We headed back to DL for a reride of our “greatest hits”, plus we got in a few new rides for us - Alice, Snow White, Pooh, and Splash Mountain. Thanks to all who chimed in on the Splash Mountain thread to help keep us dry! In all, we hit our one day personal best ride total, with 12 in all, including rides on Rise and Millennium Falcon. The family with us on Falcon was a mom with very young boys, maybe four or five years old?, none of whom wanted to be pilot, so my son and husband made an amazing pilot duo.

We also had some more awesome character interactions. I don’t know if this is typical or not, because we aren’t that special or noticeable of a family, really. But as we were leaving SWGE, we saw two Stormtroopers and an officer headed our way. My husband yelled, “We have a recruit!” and pointed to our son, who caught on quickly and yelled, “For the Order!” He was, indeed, immediately recruited, and got to march with them for a short distance, and then a great photo op. Later, in another right-place-at-the-right-time situation, Phasma and two Stormtroopers entered Tomorrowland /right/ where we were standing, and Phasma marched over to give my son a hard time about his Grogu shirt. Luckily, he was prepared with a solid explanation for his treachery (“But he’s so cute!”) And we still have a little bit of Disney magic left, as we wait to close out our trip with dinner at Trader Sams.

In all, the weather has been picture perfect, the park clean, and the hotel quiet (and we had housekeeping every day!). Every cast member we came across was courteous, friendly, and helpful—and so were the other guests. Genie+ worked as advertised, and the handful of times I needed advice on the spot, you were all there to save us.

I know that many on this board who remember the old times miss the way it used to be, and that is valid and understandable. However, I can say that, as a first timer who doesn’t know the difference, it would hard for me to think of /any/ way this trip could have been better. I’m super jealous of all of you who actually live here

And thanks again to you, who were instrumental in helping make our three-year anticipated trip Practically Perfect In Every Way

Amazing! Your planning paid off big!!! Where did you stay again?

 

[EmJ]

Amazing! Your planning paid off big!!! Where did you stay again?

Disneyland Hotel. It was a splurge to reward us for surviving the last two years intact

 

[goooof1]

Thanks for all the commentary and updates ! What a fantastic trip !! (glad to hear you did not miss out on Splash, Alice or Snow !!)

 

[maleficent55]

Final Update: Practically Perfect In Every Way

Today was the last day of our trip. We headed back to DL for a reride of our “greatest hits”, plus we got in a few new rides for us - Alice, Snow White, Pooh, and Splash Mountain. Thanks to all who chimed in on the Splash Mountain thread to help keep us dry! In all, we hit our one day personal best ride total, with 12 in all, including rides on Rise and Millennium Falcon. The family with us on Falcon was a mom with very young boys, maybe four or five years old?, none of whom wanted to be pilot, so my son and husband made an amazing pilot duo.

We also had some more awesome character interactions. I don’t know if this is typical or not, because we aren’t that special or noticeable of a family, really. But as we were leaving SWGE, we saw two Stormtroopers and an officer headed our way. My husband yelled, “We have a recruit!” and pointed to our son, who caught on quickly and yelled, “For the Order!” He was, indeed, immediately recruited, and got to march with them for a short distance, and then a great photo op. Later, in another right-place-at-the-right-time situation, Phasma and two Stormtroopers entered Tomorrowland right where we were standing, and Phasma marched over to give my son a hard time about his Grogu shirt. Luckily, he was prepared with a solid explanation for his treachery (“But he’s so cute!”). And we still have a little bit of Disney magic left, as we wait to close out our trip with dinner at Trader Sams.

In all, the weather has been picture perfect, the park clean, and the hotel quiet (and we had housekeeping every day!). Every cast member we came across was courteous, friendly, and helpful—and so were the other guests. Genie+ worked as advertised, and the handful of times I needed advice on the spot, you were all there to save us.

I know that many on this board who remember the old times miss the way it used to be, and that is valid and understandable. However, I can say that, as a first timer who doesn’t know the difference, it would hard for me to think of anyway this trip could have been better. I’m super jealous of all of you who actually live here

And thanks again to you, who were instrumental in helping make our three-year anticipated trip Practically Perfect In Every Way

Your trip sounds GREAT!!! Like really really magical great

We are doing trader sams on our arrival day. You’re in for a real treat, I think it’s so immersive and incredibly well themed. I’ve never had anything that wasn’t stellar there!
I hope you report back on your experience there

 

[MegaraWink]

Thanks for sharing this. It put a smile on my face to read.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Final Update: Practically Perfect In Every Way

Today was the last day of our trip. We headed back to DL for a reride of our “greatest hits”, plus we got in a few new rides for us - Alice, Snow White, Pooh, and Splash Mountain. Thanks to all who chimed in on the Splash Mountain thread to help keep us dry! In all, we hit our one day personal best ride total, with 12 in all, including rides on Rise and Millennium Falcon. The family with us on Falcon was a mom with very young boys, maybe four or five years old?, none of whom wanted to be pilot, so my son and husband made an amazing pilot duo.

We also had some more awesome character interactions. I don’t know if this is typical or not, because we aren’t that special or noticeable of a family, really. But as we were leaving SWGE, we saw two Stormtroopers and an officer headed our way. My husband yelled, “We have a recruit!” and pointed to our son, who caught on quickly and yelled, “For the Order!” He was, indeed, immediately recruited, and got to march with them for a short distance, and then a great photo op. Later, in another right-place-at-the-right-time situation, Phasma and two Stormtroopers entered Tomorrowland right where we were standing, and Phasma marched over to give my son a hard time about his Grogu shirt. Luckily, he was prepared with a solid explanation for his treachery (“But he’s so cute!”). And we still have a little bit of Disney magic left, as we wait to close out our trip with dinner at Trader Sams.

In all, the weather has been picture perfect, the park clean, and the hotel quiet (and we had housekeeping every day!). Every cast member we came across was courteous, friendly, and helpful—and so were the other guests. Genie+ worked as advertised, and the handful of times I needed advice on the spot, you were all there to save us.

I know that many on this board who remember the old times miss the way it used to be, and that is valid and understandable. However, I can say that, as a first timer who doesn’t know the difference, it would hard for me to think of anyway this trip could have been better. I’m super jealous of all of you who actually live here

And thanks again to you, who were instrumental in helping make our three-year anticipated trip Practically Perfect In Every Way

HOORAY for a truly magical trip!

Please send in your review and comments to Disney ("Contact Us" link at the bottom of the DLR webpage) -- management really needs to know what's working well and why. And make sure to give shout outs to all the character CMs who made your trip so memorable!

 

[Pluto468]

I'm so happy for you! it sounds like a perfect, magical trip

 

[EmJ]

Your trip sounds GREAT!!! Like really really magical great

We are doing trader sams on our arrival day. You’re in for a real treat, I think it’s so immersive and incredibly well themed. I’ve never had anything that wasn’t stellar there!
I hope you report back on your experience there

It was fun!! The food and drinks were good and we saw three shipwrecks and two volcanos. I didn’t realize just how small it was inside! I feel lucky we got to go.

 

[EmJ]

HOORAY for a truly magical trip!

Please send in your review and comments to Disney ("Contact Us" link at the bottom of the DLR webpage) -- management really needs to know what's working well and why. And make sure to give shout outs to all the character CMs who made your trip so memorable!

Great idea! Thanks!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

It was fun!! The food and drinks were good and we saw three shipwrecks and two volcanos. I didn’t realize just how small it was inside! I feel lucky we got to go.

So glad you had a great trip and got to cap it off with Trader Sam’s!