Peter Pan Fan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2000
- Messages
- 252
We just returned from a great 4 night visit to DL! Im not planning on doing a full scale trip report, but wanted to offer my observations and answer any questions.
Hotel: We stayed at the Grand Californian. We have only stayed at Paradise Pier before (back when it was the Pacific) and normally stay off site. However, due to the low cost of the package, we decided to splurge. We had the Fall Getaway package, which is the buy 3 nights, get the 4th night free. What a great deal! It was $857 total for the 2 of us (2 adults). If you do the math (subtract $274 for 2 4-day hoppers, $14.00 for the magic feature and $20.00 credit at ESPN club) the room equates to $137.25 a night which includes tax and the resort fee. Considering the rack rate was over $300 a night, this was obviously a great deal.
The hotel is beautiful, we were given a free upgrade (without asking) to a Downtown Disney view. We were directly above the World of Disney Store in a corner room with a king bed. It was really fun to sit on the balcony and people watch. Any concerns about noise coming from DD are, in my view, unfounded. It was amazing how good the soundproofing was, we didnt hear a thing until you opened the sliding glass door. This room was also quite convenient to the private entrance to DCA and the pool.
Security was extremely tight at the resort. We both had to show our drivers license upon check in at the security gate and they really looked at it, looked at us, then looked at it again. I really appreciated the security and let them know. They also checked our trunk on occasion. At the parks, they checked my bag, each and every time we entered. They have large signs at the entrance saying We apologize for the inconvenience, please have all bags open and ready for inspection or something of that sort. I didnt hear anyone complaining, everyone seemed to appreciate it and understand.
Parks: The crowds at the parks were noticeably light. Saturday morning we literally walked onto most of the Fantasyland rides. Im not exaggerating when I say that there were 2 people in front of us in line for Mr. Toad and no one, not a single soul, on Snow White or Pinocchio. Hard to believe, but it's true. Peter Pan had a line as did Dumbo, but it was neat to do on the rides we normally dont because we dont have kids and usually the lines are long.
Our longest wait was about 20 minutes for Autopia Saturday afternoon and about 20 as well for Splash Mountain on Monday. Everything else was a breeze. We rode Indiana Jones twice, the first time the line didnt form until his office (the part behind the movie area) and the second time it didnt start until below the stairs as you are just about on the ride. It was really unreal. The only bummer was the amount of rides closed. Matterhorn, which is DHs favorite, was closed as were the teacups, Alice, and Fantasmic. The other thing is that they dont have a lot of lines open at the various restaurants or shops, so lines would form quickly. For instance, they didnt even open the Dole stand on Monday (luckily we had our Dole whip fix Saturday).
DCA was obviously even less crowded than DL. The longest wait was for Millionaire. **A side note here: Please STAY AWAY from this game if you are at all competitive or really like the show. I found myself (much to the chagrin of my husband) to be 100% completely addicted to this game. I literally could have played the game over and over and over ..but my DH wasnt as into it as I was so we only went three times. It is too much fun! I was in the #1 position once and in the top 10 several times, but never at the right moment. I got into the ring of fire seat the first time we went they ask you questions from the Disney Trivia game, which I have at home, so I knew the answers. The next two times we used fast pass so we didnt wait in the queue and didnt have a chance at the ring of fire questions. I got some good practice in for my DisneyWorld trip in December. I'm gonna make it into that hot seat if it kills me!! LOL.
We also loved the Grizzly Peak water ride. It is so funny because you get so wet, not just splashed but completely doused with water as if you jumped in a pool. Its really fun to go on with people who have never been on, they are shocked when they see how wet you are. What worked well for us was to go on Grizzly Peak as our last ride before our afternoon break. We would then go straight to the room, change into our suits and jump in the pool. Soaring was great too, I was in the last row in the back and I think that the front row is really the best because you cant see anyones dangling feet. It adds a bit more realism. I think that is my favorite ride at the new park.
The Electrical Parade is wonderful, it was so uncrowded that we didnt have to queue up early at all and still got a great viewing location. Also looking great is the Haunted Mansion re-do. Im not one for changing an old favorite, but I had to admit it looks really neat. I wish we were going back this year so we could see it all completed.
Downtown Disney: I really like this area and think it adds a lot to the resort. We noticed a lot of locals really dressed up, while we were in our touristy (shorts/tees) clothes, so we felt a little out of place on Friday and Saturday night. We decided to use our ESPN game cards that came with our package on Sunday night. That place is really fun my DH got a little more out of it than I did, but I love the air hockey game and the basketball hoop game. We also explored the Disneyland Hotel. They had a really wonderful display on the wall in the hallway near Goofys Kitchen. It apparently was created by an artist for the 35th anniversary of the park. It has a ton of various souvenirs and lots of Disney memorabilia. Its worth a look.
We had some good meals too, I am going to try and do a restaurant-review post. All in all, a fantastic trip. I would love to answer any questions anyone may have!
Hotel: We stayed at the Grand Californian. We have only stayed at Paradise Pier before (back when it was the Pacific) and normally stay off site. However, due to the low cost of the package, we decided to splurge. We had the Fall Getaway package, which is the buy 3 nights, get the 4th night free. What a great deal! It was $857 total for the 2 of us (2 adults). If you do the math (subtract $274 for 2 4-day hoppers, $14.00 for the magic feature and $20.00 credit at ESPN club) the room equates to $137.25 a night which includes tax and the resort fee. Considering the rack rate was over $300 a night, this was obviously a great deal.
The hotel is beautiful, we were given a free upgrade (without asking) to a Downtown Disney view. We were directly above the World of Disney Store in a corner room with a king bed. It was really fun to sit on the balcony and people watch. Any concerns about noise coming from DD are, in my view, unfounded. It was amazing how good the soundproofing was, we didnt hear a thing until you opened the sliding glass door. This room was also quite convenient to the private entrance to DCA and the pool.
Security was extremely tight at the resort. We both had to show our drivers license upon check in at the security gate and they really looked at it, looked at us, then looked at it again. I really appreciated the security and let them know. They also checked our trunk on occasion. At the parks, they checked my bag, each and every time we entered. They have large signs at the entrance saying We apologize for the inconvenience, please have all bags open and ready for inspection or something of that sort. I didnt hear anyone complaining, everyone seemed to appreciate it and understand.
Parks: The crowds at the parks were noticeably light. Saturday morning we literally walked onto most of the Fantasyland rides. Im not exaggerating when I say that there were 2 people in front of us in line for Mr. Toad and no one, not a single soul, on Snow White or Pinocchio. Hard to believe, but it's true. Peter Pan had a line as did Dumbo, but it was neat to do on the rides we normally dont because we dont have kids and usually the lines are long.
Our longest wait was about 20 minutes for Autopia Saturday afternoon and about 20 as well for Splash Mountain on Monday. Everything else was a breeze. We rode Indiana Jones twice, the first time the line didnt form until his office (the part behind the movie area) and the second time it didnt start until below the stairs as you are just about on the ride. It was really unreal. The only bummer was the amount of rides closed. Matterhorn, which is DHs favorite, was closed as were the teacups, Alice, and Fantasmic. The other thing is that they dont have a lot of lines open at the various restaurants or shops, so lines would form quickly. For instance, they didnt even open the Dole stand on Monday (luckily we had our Dole whip fix Saturday).
DCA was obviously even less crowded than DL. The longest wait was for Millionaire. **A side note here: Please STAY AWAY from this game if you are at all competitive or really like the show. I found myself (much to the chagrin of my husband) to be 100% completely addicted to this game. I literally could have played the game over and over and over ..but my DH wasnt as into it as I was so we only went three times. It is too much fun! I was in the #1 position once and in the top 10 several times, but never at the right moment. I got into the ring of fire seat the first time we went they ask you questions from the Disney Trivia game, which I have at home, so I knew the answers. The next two times we used fast pass so we didnt wait in the queue and didnt have a chance at the ring of fire questions. I got some good practice in for my DisneyWorld trip in December. I'm gonna make it into that hot seat if it kills me!! LOL.
We also loved the Grizzly Peak water ride. It is so funny because you get so wet, not just splashed but completely doused with water as if you jumped in a pool. Its really fun to go on with people who have never been on, they are shocked when they see how wet you are. What worked well for us was to go on Grizzly Peak as our last ride before our afternoon break. We would then go straight to the room, change into our suits and jump in the pool. Soaring was great too, I was in the last row in the back and I think that the front row is really the best because you cant see anyones dangling feet. It adds a bit more realism. I think that is my favorite ride at the new park.
The Electrical Parade is wonderful, it was so uncrowded that we didnt have to queue up early at all and still got a great viewing location. Also looking great is the Haunted Mansion re-do. Im not one for changing an old favorite, but I had to admit it looks really neat. I wish we were going back this year so we could see it all completed.
Downtown Disney: I really like this area and think it adds a lot to the resort. We noticed a lot of locals really dressed up, while we were in our touristy (shorts/tees) clothes, so we felt a little out of place on Friday and Saturday night. We decided to use our ESPN game cards that came with our package on Sunday night. That place is really fun my DH got a little more out of it than I did, but I love the air hockey game and the basketball hoop game. We also explored the Disneyland Hotel. They had a really wonderful display on the wall in the hallway near Goofys Kitchen. It apparently was created by an artist for the 35th anniversary of the park. It has a ton of various souvenirs and lots of Disney memorabilia. Its worth a look.
We had some good meals too, I am going to try and do a restaurant-review post. All in all, a fantastic trip. I would love to answer any questions anyone may have!
If it makes you feel better, I made it to the 32,000 question and LOST after using two lifelines (I didn't feel too bad, the audience didn't know it either). But I did get the cool Millionaire ball cap and the pins and lanyard. Try again next time! 
