Just back from 6/7-6/15 trip, quick thoughts

[FeistyDisneyMom]

My family just got home from our big trip, and while I have a detailed trip report in the works, I wanted to share some quick thoughts:

Genie+ was worth it, and while the 3 ILL$ rides were highlights for various members of the family, it did give me pause to purchase and I would prefer paying more for G+ and having them included than paying separately. PP was more available in DCA than DL, but we did get a lot of value out of that part of G+ too. If you are used to MaxPass though, it is very easy to get used to the system, but a little harder not to feel a let down, between the ILL$ not included and the one-ride limit. It impacted us much less than I expected, and I actually think it improved our trip, as I am the one most focused on doing as many things as possible, and it forced me to slow down a little more than last trip, which my family greatly appreciated.

Characters are aplenty! It was wonderful to see them wandering around. Was only slightly disappointed to only have 2 princesses in Fantasyland, considering the length of the line, but overall we met a bunch and got lots of autographs and priceless moments.

Ride breakdowns threatened to spoil some of our joy (I am looking at YOU Splash Mtn, Incredicoaster and RSR!), but with 5-day hoppers we managed to get all of our must-do rides in. We would not even with 4 day due to closures.

Minnie's Breakfast is still my favorite character meal, but the kids in general preferred dinner at Goofy's Kitchen!

Teens can be tricky, but tired DH is the trickiest to navigate. Do NOT let your significant other get dehydrated or overheated.

Magic is still there in spades - great CMs, excellent service, interactive characters, and fellow guests to share pixie dust together made the trip.

WoC Dessert Party was fantastic. Even without bread, still too much for us to eat, but the real star were our incredible CMs serving our table. I cannot praise them enough for their cheerfulness, interactions, and care they showed me and my family!

Please feel free to ask me any questions and I will try to answer them!

Edited to add: Mobile order was fantastic. Almost every time I could have selected immediate windows, and the only significant wait we had to pick up food was Mint Julep bar in the afternoon - it took over 30 minutes to get our 1 julep and 1 order of beignets, but they tasted so good it was worth it! That is also the only time it looked like walk-up may have a shorter wait than pickup, so if you are dreaming of mint juleps, consider walk-up for that one.

 

[CO2CA]

Excited to read your trip report! So glad you and your family had a wonderful time! It is refreshing to read something positive.

 

[Pluto468]

I'm glad you had a great trip! Thanks for all the great details and I look forward to reading your full report. I'm hoping to finally son Minnie's this trip & am so excited for the dessert party. Glad to hear Genie+ is worth it. I'm still debating how many days to get it. We have 5 day hoppers.

So...are you already planning a return trip or was that enough Disneyland for a while?

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I'm glad you had a great trip! Thanks for all the great details and I look forward to reading your full report. I'm hoping to finally son Minnie's this trip & am so excited for the dessert party. Glad to hear Genie+ is worth it. I'm still debating how many days to get it. We have 5 day hoppers.

So...are you already planning a return trip or was that enough Disneyland for a while?

Funny you should ask... my friend's health situation is nearly fully resolved (almost miraculously - she's such a fighter and so resilient!), so at some point when she's ready, I'll be planning a trip with her family. I am not sure who will be going on my side - probably not all of us, and I'll be matching her tickets (3-day single park) instead of the 5-day hoppers I got this last trip. It'll have to be much more of a budget affair, as I've sapped all my travel funds for a while, and have other non-Disney stuff in the works.

But on top of that, I have another friend who has 3 girls who have never been to DLR, and he's been asking me to help him plan a Halloween time trip for 2024, plus there is a potential Girl Scout trip to WDW next July, and DH has hinted he might want to do WDW for our 20th anniversary, sans kids. And we both discussed the potential for me to get an annual pass once they figure that out again, and take kids one at a time for some special 1:1 trips.

DH thinks I'm crazy for already starting to try to plan next trips before the dust settles on this one, but hey - budgeting and scheduling is tricky!

 

[StarlitNight05]

So glad you had a good time and can't wait to hear all the details in your trip report

 

[Pluto468]

Funny you should ask... my friend's health situation is nearly fully resolved (almost miraculously - she's such a fighter and so resilient!), so at some point when she's ready, I'll be planning a trip with her family. I am not sure who will be going on my side - probably not all of us, and I'll be matching her tickets (3-day single park) instead of the 5-day hoppers I got this last trip. It'll have to be much more of a budget affair, as I've sapped all my travel funds for a while, and have other non-Disney stuff in the works.

But on top of that, I have another friend who has 3 girls who have never been to DLR, and he's been asking me to help him plan a Halloween time trip for 2024, plus there is a potential Girl Scout trip to WDW next July, and DH has hinted he might want to do WDW for our 20th anniversary, sans kids. And we both discussed the potential for me to get an annual pass once they figure that out again, and take kids one at a time for some special 1:1 trips.

DH thinks I'm crazy for already starting to try to plan next trips before the dust settles on this one, but hey - budgeting and scheduling is tricky!

It's never too early to start planning! Sounds like you have some wonderful Disney fun in your future

We haven't even left for our June trip yet but I've already booked hotels for November

 

[PirateBrigade]

Hey! We overlapped again, lol. We were there 6/9-6/12 and it was a pretty good time to be in the parks, but fortune definitely favored those who rope dropped.

My summary: everything was broken at some point, even the cast of the Lion King stage show got COVID and had to cancel all those performances. Breakdowns we were on or witnessed: BTM, Winnie the Pooh (YES, it broke down), IASW, RSR (like, the whole day), Indy, etc...

I also agree with you G+ was worth the purchase. We only did it 1 out of the 2.5 days we were in the park, but between rope drop and G+, I did not feel the need to make it a full 3 day trip, or 3.5 days even. $40 saved me an extra like $200 in ticket costs (we were blocked out), and we still got on what we wanted.

 

[evilmommie]

Yippeee! So glad y’all had a great time. Look forward to reading your trip report.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Hey! We overlapped again, lol. We were there 6/9-6/12 and it was a pretty good time to be in the parks, but fortune definitely favored those who rope dropped.

My summary: everything was broken at some point, even the cast of the Lion King stage show got COVID and had to cancel all those performances. Breakdowns we were on or witnessed: BTM, Winnie the Pooh (YES, it broke down), IASW, RSR (like, the whole day), Indy, etc...

I also agree with you G+ was worth the purchase. We only did it 1 out of the 2.5 days we were in the park, but between rope drop and G+, I did not feel the need to make it a full 3 day trip, or 3.5 days even. $40 saved me an extra like $200 in ticket costs (we were blocked out), and we still got on what we wanted.

Same-6/12 was not terrible crowd wise-Monday was noticeably busier, by a lot. There were a lot of ride breakdowns both days, it happens, but way more than when we visited in January. A lot more people now though too.

Glad you guys got a great trip in.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Hey! We overlapped again, lol. We were there 6/9-6/12 and it was a pretty good time to be in the parks, but fortune definitely favored those who rope dropped.

My summary: everything was broken at some point, even the cast of the Lion King stage show got COVID and had to cancel all those performances. Breakdowns we were on or witnessed: BTM, Winnie the Pooh (YES, it broke down), IASW, RSR (like, the whole day), Indy, etc...

I also agree with you G+ was worth the purchase. We only did it 1 out of the 2.5 days we were in the park, but between rope drop and G+, I did not feel the need to make it a full 3 day trip, or 3.5 days even. $40 saved me an extra like $200 in ticket costs (we were blocked out), and we still got on what we wanted.

That's awesome! My kids ended up on Splash when it went down, which was a bit traumatizing for my 8 yr old, who all that morning had expressed a fear of being on a ride that broke down. On the positive side, once she got through that (there a lot of tears, but she's generally emotional anyway so it wasn't unusual), she calmed down a lot and wasn't as concerned about it. It took about 40 minutes or so from the point they got stuck on an incline near the owl at the beginning to when they were reunited with us, and I think my DH had the worst time worrying about them. Our second tearful moment was the day IC was down, but our Sunday morning at DCA made up for it when she got to walkon with a 20 minute wait, and then ride LL later in the day. We didn't manage a nighttime ride, but that just means she'll have to make another trip!

Rope drop and even close to rope drop (the earliest we scanned in was 8:08 our first morning in DL) make a huge difference in the trip, even with G+. I would not have been able to get nearly all the stuff done in 2.5 days, but we moved kind of slowly between attractions, as the family has told me previously my rush rush rush mantra doesn't work for them. So glad it worked out for you and you got so much done!

 

[Matrixleos]

That's awesome! My kids ended up on Splash when it went down, which was a bit traumatizing for my 8 yr old, who all that morning had expressed a fear of being on a ride that broke down. On the positive side, once she got through that (there a lot of tears, but she's generally emotional anyway so it wasn't unusual), she calmed down a lot and wasn't as concerned about it. It took about 40 minutes or so from the point they got stuck on an incline near the owl at the beginning to when they were reunited with us, and I think my DH had the worst time worrying about them. Our second tearful moment was the day IC was down, but our Sunday morning at DCA made up for it when she got to walkon with a 20 minute wait, and then ride LL later in the day. We didn't manage a nighttime ride, but that just means she'll have to make another trip!

Rope drop and even close to rope drop (the earliest we scanned in was 8:08 our first morning in DL) make a huge difference in the trip, even with G+. I would not have been able to get nearly all the stuff done in 2.5 days, but we moved kind of slowly between attractions, as the family has told me previously my rush rush rush mantra doesn't work for them. So glad it worked out for you and you got so much done!

LOL....I've heard that from my family too, to slowwww down and I'm moving at a pace that they're not comfortable with. It's taken me years but I've learned to listen a bit more and slow down at points during the day. Our last trip at just Disneyland from park open to park close and got to do 21 attractions but that was with many, many, many breaks I had planned into our schedule. If it was just me, I'd take no breaks and pretty sure I could have done closer to 25-30 attractions but I've learned to listen to my family and slow down a bit......only a bit.

Looking forward to reading your Trip Report @FeistyDisneyMom

 

[duckboyone]

My family just got home from our big trip, and while I have a detailed trip report in the works, I wanted to share some quick thoughts:

Genie+ was worth it, and while the 3 ILL$ rides were highlights for various members of the family, it did give me pause to purchase and I would prefer paying more for G+ and having them included than paying separately. PP was more available in DCA than DL, but we did get a lot of value out of that part of G+ too. If you are used to MaxPass though, it is very easy to get used to the system, but a little harder not to feel a let down, between the ILL$ not included and the one-ride limit. It impacted us much less than I expected, and I actually think it improved our trip, as I am the one most focused on doing as many things as possible, and it forced me to slow down a little more than last trip, which my family greatly appreciated.

Characters are aplenty! It was wonderful to see them wandering around. Was only slightly disappointed to only have 2 princesses in Fantasyland, considering the length of the line, but overall we met a bunch and got lots of autographs and priceless moments.

Ride breakdowns threatened to spoil some of our joy (I am looking at YOU Splash Mtn, Incredicoaster and RSR!), but with 5-day hoppers we managed to get all of our must-do rides in. We would not even with 4 day due to closures.

Minnie's Breakfast is still my favorite character meal, but the kids in general preferred dinner at Goofy's Kitchen!

Teens can be tricky, but tired DH is the trickiest to navigate. Do NOT let your significant other get dehydrated or overheated.

Magic is still there in spades - great CMs, excellent service, interactive characters, and fellow guests to share pixie dust together made the trip.

WoC Dessert Party was fantastic. Even without bread, still too much for us to eat, but the real star were our incredible CMs serving our table. I cannot praise them enough for their cheerfulness, interactions, and care they showed me and my family!

Please feel free to ask me any questions and I will try to answer them!

Edited to add: Mobile order was fantastic. Almost every time I could have selected immediate windows, and the only significant wait we had to pick up food was Mint Julep bar in the afternoon - it took over 30 minutes to get our 1 julep and 1 order of beignets, but they tasted so good it was worth it! That is also the only time it looked like walk-up may have a shorter wait than pickup, so if you are dreaming of mint juleps, consider walk-up for that one.

Love the summary! Been enjoying your frequent post and advice for some time now, looking forward to the detailed report!

Must admit I'm getting nervous about the ride breakdowns, on top of having to do pretty much everything through the app. Pros and cons to that I guess! All four of my kids are teenagers now though (as well as Disney fanatics and general non-complainers), so I'm anticipating us being a lot more "mobile" ourselves.

One question for you, did you ever eat at Rancho del Zocalo, or at least notice how busy it was? Last I checked that is not one you have to make a reservation for, and we have a tradition of eating there.

 

[DLgal]

One question for you, did you ever eat at Rancho del Zocalo, or at least notice how busy it was? Last I checked that is not one you have to make a reservation for, and we have a tradition of eating there.

Just to jump in, Rancho is rarely busy these days, same as Plaza Inn. I really think the fact that these 2 QS places are NOT on Mobile Order means people forget about them. Both of these places in the "before times" always had long lines at lunch and dinner. I haven't seen that since the reopening. I eat at both pretty regularly and usually have 1 or 2 people in front of me when walking in to order. There is always plenty of seating at Rancho, no matter what time you go.

 

[DLgal]

Glad you had a great trip! It's been a really pleasant couple weeks in the parks (excluding those pesky Grad nites). Can't wait to hear all the details!

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

The previous 4 trips we've eaten at Rancho and loved it. This time somehow we missed it, with things not quite working out. My sister did a trip shortly before us though, and her family enjoyed a reasonably priced meal there with a minor wait in line. We went through the area several times throughout the day, but not during peak meal times. During the in-between, the line was non-existent, with people walking right up.

 

[maleficent55]

I'm so glad to read you had an incredible time @FeistyDisneyMom ! I've been following along with your questions/answers/tips etc. I look forward to your whole report. Definitely plan another trip, it's always easier to stomach the one that just ended.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Trip Report in progress - almost through first day in parks (day 4 of the trip). Please feel free to follow along and I'm happy to answer any questions