First of all, thanks to all of you that helped make our trip much more enjoyable and effective. I was puzzled at how many people just show up and have no plan and have no idea where things are or how fast passes work. When we would try to give our leftover fast passes at the end of the day, people would say, "naw, the time has expired on them, etc" Anyway, I am just so grateful for the DIS boards!!! You guys are fantastic! 
Now on to the highlights/tips:
We arrived at Long Beach airport. Last year when we went, I had a good experience with a "car service" so I kept his card and contacted him again this year. He picked the four of us up in a Lexus SUV and took us to the DLH for $45 one way. He took us by a grocery store so that we could pick up some oj and milk without charging us more. He even made arrangements to pick us up for the return trip back to the airport. I can't remember if I can post his name and number so if you want the info...PM me.
This was our first stay at the DLH. We were there from Sat to Wed. The grounds and pool were amazing! I LOVED the convenience of the monorail which made it possible for us to come back and rest up and swim and then head back refreshed. (We usually stay at the Candy Cane Inn which we also love but the DLH is alot more convenient. When we stay at the CCI, we never take the time to go back to the motel during the day. Even though they have a shuttle it still is alot more effort and walking).
Having early entry two days was great! Absolutely follow Hydroguy's tips in regards to making the most of the mornings! We were able to ride several rides as well as collect several fast passes by noon! (We ended up giving alot of them away at the end of the day
). The monorail was awesome in regards to cutting down the walking time. Our feet were grateful by the end of the day. The new monorail was NOT up and running (taking passengers, that is) but we did see it on the tracks. The monorail operator said that the red one should be running "within a week to 10 days." One of the tips that I read here was to ask if you could ride with the driver up front. We did this several times and it was really fun for my 6 yr old boy. The view is much better! Sometimes others would be waiting to do the same thing and we didn't want to wait because we just wanted to get where we were going but if you have the time, you should try it once!
If you have a Disney Visa, make sure to take advantage of the "perks." We got a stroller every day. Even if my 6 yr old wouldn't ride in it, we packed it full of stuff i.e. parade blankets, purchases, jackets, etc. The weather went from over 100 degrees over the weekend to 67 degrees by Tuesday
! Also, we got our free 5 x 7 picture as well. We have two accounts (different numbers) and they will let you get one for each account. You can do this each day you are there. It is now located to the right of Monsters Inc. in DCA. The characters change on the 1/2 hour and it goes from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Make sure to get the voucher from the CM who is hosting at the time or they won't give you the pictures. Also, it says that you have to pick up your pictures within 24 hours. We picked ours up 2 days later...so don't stress if you forget or the time frame doesn't work for you.
We went to the Minnie & Friends breakfast at the Plaza on Sun @ 10:30 and LOVED it! Great food, character interaction - no complaints! I highly recommend it.
Try to get to Finding Nemo first thing in the morning. The line only gets progressively longer as the day goes on. It was still long at park closing.
I followed the advice that I read here as far as the Jedi training goes and my son was picked TWICE! You have to get there about half an hour early and sit on the floor by the blue tape so that you are on the front row. Both times my child wore a Star Wars t-shirt. The second time he held up a sign that said, "I am a FORCE to be reckoned with" (Every kid with a sign was selected!) The sign was not fancy. I just cut out the sides of a gift bag and then used the rope handles as handles on either side and wrote on the inside of the bag. It was really easy to pack!
The reason we did it twice was the first time we went, I was totally unprepared. My child NEVER tries to get picked. He tends to be shy initially. I never in a million years thought he would jump around and wave his hands but he did and he was selected. But I had no camera or camcorder since I wasn't anticipating him trying....so I had to try a second time so I could get it on film (and it was his birthday!) It was awesome!
Now for a food tip...the best as well as the least expensive meal we ate was the breakfast at Tomorrowland Terrace. It was a large portion and it was only $6. It included a HUGE hot chocolate as well. So I suggest you get there early, get breakfast, place your kids on the blue line while you sit at a nearby table and have a yummy breakfast!
We were the lucky recipients of dream fast passes on Sunday at the exit of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad right after park opening. However, we knew of others that had also received them on Monday and Tuesday in the same general area. I know it is supposedly random but it seems like there were quite a few around Frontierland on down to Splash Mountain.
Lastly, Fantasmic was amazing (haven't seen it in over 15 yrs) as were the Fireworks (which we have seen the for the past two years). The best spot is right in front of the castle sitting on a bench eating a corn dog! For Fantasmic we stood on the bridge by Pirates which placed us right in the center of the action.
I hope this info helps someone. I just know how much I have appreciated all of the help I have received here on the DIS boards.
!!!
Thanks again!
If you have any questions, feel free to post or PM me. Sorry this is so long. I just knew I'd never get around to doing a trip report!
Hope you all have a magical time at the happiest place on earth!
Kathy
Now on to the highlights/tips:
We arrived at Long Beach airport. Last year when we went, I had a good experience with a "car service" so I kept his card and contacted him again this year. He picked the four of us up in a Lexus SUV and took us to the DLH for $45 one way. He took us by a grocery store so that we could pick up some oj and milk without charging us more. He even made arrangements to pick us up for the return trip back to the airport. I can't remember if I can post his name and number so if you want the info...PM me.
This was our first stay at the DLH. We were there from Sat to Wed. The grounds and pool were amazing! I LOVED the convenience of the monorail which made it possible for us to come back and rest up and swim and then head back refreshed. (We usually stay at the Candy Cane Inn which we also love but the DLH is alot more convenient. When we stay at the CCI, we never take the time to go back to the motel during the day. Even though they have a shuttle it still is alot more effort and walking).
Having early entry two days was great! Absolutely follow Hydroguy's tips in regards to making the most of the mornings! We were able to ride several rides as well as collect several fast passes by noon! (We ended up giving alot of them away at the end of the day
). The monorail was awesome in regards to cutting down the walking time. Our feet were grateful by the end of the day. The new monorail was NOT up and running (taking passengers, that is) but we did see it on the tracks. The monorail operator said that the red one should be running "within a week to 10 days." One of the tips that I read here was to ask if you could ride with the driver up front. We did this several times and it was really fun for my 6 yr old boy. The view is much better! Sometimes others would be waiting to do the same thing and we didn't want to wait because we just wanted to get where we were going but if you have the time, you should try it once!If you have a Disney Visa, make sure to take advantage of the "perks." We got a stroller every day. Even if my 6 yr old wouldn't ride in it, we packed it full of stuff i.e. parade blankets, purchases, jackets, etc. The weather went from over 100 degrees over the weekend to 67 degrees by Tuesday
! Also, we got our free 5 x 7 picture as well. We have two accounts (different numbers) and they will let you get one for each account. You can do this each day you are there. It is now located to the right of Monsters Inc. in DCA. The characters change on the 1/2 hour and it goes from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Make sure to get the voucher from the CM who is hosting at the time or they won't give you the pictures. Also, it says that you have to pick up your pictures within 24 hours. We picked ours up 2 days later...so don't stress if you forget or the time frame doesn't work for you.We went to the Minnie & Friends breakfast at the Plaza on Sun @ 10:30 and LOVED it! Great food, character interaction - no complaints! I highly recommend it.
Try to get to Finding Nemo first thing in the morning. The line only gets progressively longer as the day goes on. It was still long at park closing.
I followed the advice that I read here as far as the Jedi training goes and my son was picked TWICE! You have to get there about half an hour early and sit on the floor by the blue tape so that you are on the front row. Both times my child wore a Star Wars t-shirt. The second time he held up a sign that said, "I am a FORCE to be reckoned with" (Every kid with a sign was selected!) The sign was not fancy. I just cut out the sides of a gift bag and then used the rope handles as handles on either side and wrote on the inside of the bag. It was really easy to pack!
The reason we did it twice was the first time we went, I was totally unprepared. My child NEVER tries to get picked. He tends to be shy initially. I never in a million years thought he would jump around and wave his hands but he did and he was selected. But I had no camera or camcorder since I wasn't anticipating him trying....so I had to try a second time so I could get it on film (and it was his birthday!) It was awesome!
Now for a food tip...the best as well as the least expensive meal we ate was the breakfast at Tomorrowland Terrace. It was a large portion and it was only $6. It included a HUGE hot chocolate as well. So I suggest you get there early, get breakfast, place your kids on the blue line while you sit at a nearby table and have a yummy breakfast!
We were the lucky recipients of dream fast passes on Sunday at the exit of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad right after park opening. However, we knew of others that had also received them on Monday and Tuesday in the same general area. I know it is supposedly random but it seems like there were quite a few around Frontierland on down to Splash Mountain.
Lastly, Fantasmic was amazing (haven't seen it in over 15 yrs) as were the Fireworks (which we have seen the for the past two years). The best spot is right in front of the castle sitting on a bench eating a corn dog! For Fantasmic we stood on the bridge by Pirates which placed us right in the center of the action.
I hope this info helps someone. I just know how much I have appreciated all of the help I have received here on the DIS boards.
!!! Thanks again!
If you have any questions, feel free to post or PM me. Sorry this is so long. I just knew I'd never get around to doing a trip report!Hope you all have a magical time at the happiest place on earth!
Kathy
We know quite a lot about WDW, as that's where we go for our regular Disney fix, but we will be visiting DL for the first time next month. 
