Just Back- Fabulous Time!

[Bonnie151]

We're just back from a fantastic 5 days at DLP. I think this was our best Disney trip yet! Somehow it didn't seem as rushed and exhausting as our trips usually are.

It rained the first day but Wed-Friday were lovely sunny days - cold in the mornings, but it warmed up a bit by lunchtime and the light was fantastic for photos. The autumn colours and Halloween decorations were fantastic.

The queues weren't too bad. Most rides were no more than 15 minutes although we waited 35 minutes for Crush before it broke down. Friday was a pleasant surprise as I had expected it to get really busy in Fantasyland. I was doing a half day with my 3 year old daughter while the boys went on the "scary" (according to DD) rides, but by lunchtime, everything was still walk on and the even the queue for Dumbo was only 15 minutes. I don't know whether people were possibly holding off going to Fantasyland until the Halloween party that night?

It was a real mess trying to get near the characters with lots of children pushing & shoving but we found that the characters paid attention to who had been waiting patiently and made a point of going up to them. Cruelle De Ville was fantastic with my son. She had been flouncing around when my 6 year old went up to her and said, "Please may I have your autograph?" She stopped, looked at him and said, "Boys who ask nicely get things", and gave her autograph & posed for a photo. He was thrilled!

I'm now trying to work out when we can next justify a trip...

 

[Tillybud]

oh your trip sounds fantastic and I have to agree, we were there the week before and it was our best trip too ... I just loved all the colours, decorations, etc. Can't wait to see some of your pics

I noticed a difference in the characters too, they noticed the little one's who were been pushed to the back and were bringing them forward ... it's great.

We too are trying to work out when to go back, I just love Disney

 

[Danauk]

I'm glad you had a fab time, we leave for DLRP in 10 hours!

 

[gemmybear83]

Sounds like you had a fantastic trip

 

[tennisfan]

Welcome back, sounds like you have a great trip

 

[mommy2ash]

im glad you had a great time. im planning to go next year again it was so much fun

 

[Anne64]

Welcome back

Glad you had a good time

 

[jillrobinson]

Sounds like you had a lovely time.

 

[Dianetigger]

Welcome back, really sounds like you had a fabulous time.

 

[mummyal]

Welcome back. Glad you had a great time!

 

[Ware Bears]

Welcome back!

 

[Tinkjon]

Welcome back! Halloween there is lovely, isn't it?

I found the opposite with the characters though, and was getting quite upset about it I kept telling DD "wait, it's not your turn" and she waited so patiently but she got ignored every time and the characters just interacted with the nearest child to them, however much they'd pushed in Perhaps we chose ones who weren't able to see very well, because of their costumes. After a while I couldn't stand it any more and we stopped with trying to see the characters because my heart was just breaking every time she missed another one! I had a huge row with one mum who pushed her child right to the front - I'd had enough by that point and I blurted out "hey, that's not fair!!" at her and she didn't like it at all... I wish all the character meets were ones where you line up in an orderly queue so everybody has a turn. The meet & greet at Critter Corral in Frontierland was the best place to meet though, there was hardly anybody there.

 

[cap'njack.]

Glad you had a great time. Halloween was awesome wasn't it! I hope that Christmas is going to be as good

When we went at the beginning of October, characters always made sure that Kacee got seen and some (Captain Jack Sparrow, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Eyeore and Woody) actually went out of thier way to see Kacee!

 

[PJackson]

Sounds like your trip was fab Hope you manage a TR!

I think it's pot luck with the characters and yes, I do think it depends on how well they can see out of their costume sometimes lol! Some did go out of their way to see the 'patient' ones while some just grabbed child nearest.... I must admit it wasn't too bad in the park when we were there for characters - worse in the studio. Donald Duck had a right strop when we were there because kids were mauling him

 

[TootieBear765]

Glad you had an excellent trip.... and glad to hear about the character interaction. I was there in June when admittedly the parks weren't heaving but nonetheless, there was bedlam near any of the character interactions which didn't have queues!

about Donald Duck as when we were there, it was BY A MILE, the worst experience as all the kids just swarmed round him and you couldn't get in. Poor DD was only just about to turn 3 and was getting more and more squashed! So I cast aside my polite British demeanour and applied the 'every man for himself'...grabbing DD under one arm, book under the other and a pen between my teeth and waded through, casting aside queue-jumping children in my wake . Some of the children at DLP in June had truly shocking manners! We were just getting ignored and pushed further and further out as we persistently tried to be polite and give way to others who had arrived before us, only for 3 folk to push in for every 1 who was waiting patiently for their turn with the Duck himself!

No wonder, Donald gets a strop on (although I bet it was hysterical and very much in character!). I too would have had a pop at a queue cutting Mum, and I can't really bring myself to have a go at someone else's children (even if they seemed to have forgotten their manners!). I did point out once we'd had our photo and after 'Merci-ing' to Donald most profusely, that there was a little girl standing quietly behind me who had been waiting as long as I had and I made a point of blocking everyone else to get to him while she got her photo taken too, which her father gave me the thumbs up for afterwards... bless! Donald, to be fair, was good at making the other kids stand aside so parents who were standing back a bit to take a photo could get a clear shot! Couldn't do that job for the world though!

It was the first and last time though as I came out admittedly with the photo and signature, but also with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach! It really puts a dampener on your holiday when it comes down to that... I WON'T be doing it again!

Sorry rambled a bit OT there... but it really is the only thing that majorly gets to be about the DLP experience!

Looking forward to maybe reading more about your trip!

 

[DLPdaft]

I'm not keen on the scrums around the characters at all, luckily when we went in early October there really weren't that many people about, and loads and loads of characters.

What I did notice this time, which does seem to work, is if you say to your child (in a loud enough voice so the character and CM can hear you) "if you wait nicely until its your turn, you'll get to meet ........(insert name of character here )". The CM's and characters do tend to pay attention to that. Not always, but it did work more often than not this past trip.

My DD is 7, and still doesn't like the scrums. It can actually be quite frightening for younger children, and no wonder it gets frustrating for their parents (been there, done that, on our first trip ).