Just booked a March 2017 trip! What is new?

[sgrap]

I just booked 3 nights at VGC March 18-21 since I saw 3 consecutive nights pop up available! We never go during spring break time and we don't like to go on the weekends . . . but those may go out the window for a quick trip, especially while the Main Street Electrical Parade is there!

Our last trip was Nov 2015. What is new besides MSEP? Dining packages? Photopass? I haven't kept up on changes since out last trip and I have short time to plan this so research time is limited! Any tips for me?

We also have a daughter with spina bifida who isn't in a wheelchair but fatigues with walking all day. She has had a disability pass in the pass without a wheelchair. What is the current policy?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[sgrap]

I'm hoping now that the holiday weekend is over, people will give me some input. Pretty please?!?! ;-)

 

[VandVsmama]

World of Color has added a dessert package where you have an actual seat to sit in for WOC and they bring dessert and drinks out to you. It's $79/person. You book all of the dining packages 60 days before your reservation date. Sometimes, that 60-day window changes a bit based on whether or not DL has the Entertainment Schedule posted yet. If the Entertainment Schedule isn't posted yet for the date you want to do the package, you probably won't be able to book the dining package yet.

DCA still has its regular dining packages for WOC. Those are:

• Ariel's Grotto - dinner only. $48.58/adult, $26.98/child (3-9)
• Wine Country Trattoria lunch - $34.55/adult, $22.66/child
• Wine Country Trattoria dinner - $48.58/adult, $26.98/child
• Carthay Circle lunch - $44.29/adult, $23.76/child
• Carthay Circle dinner - $66.96/adult, $27.01/child

DL dining packages:

• MSEP "on-the-go" package @ Aladdin's Oasis - preferred viewing area is near It's A Small World. Allears.net says the pricing is $22.99/adult, $13.99/child (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/aladdins-oasis/special-dinner).
• MSEP dining package @ Blue Bayou - preferred viewing area for MSEP on Main Street. Allears.net says that the pricing for dinner is $62/adult, $25/child (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/blue-bayou/special-dinner).

Photopass is still available, but the price has changed. According to https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...sney-photopass-one-week-at-disneyland-resort/, you can purchase a 1-week Photopass+ online before your trip for $69 or in person at the parks for $99. Or a 1-day Photpass+ is $39. Photopass+ no longer includes the free CD.

I have a friend who is not disabled enough to need a wheelchair. She, like your daughter, fatigues and gets super bad joint pain when having to stand in line for >10 min at a time. She has MS. However, on her family's recent trips, she has found it almost impossible to get a DAS card for her disability. DL wants her to use a wheelchair, which she doesn't want to do. However, other folks' mileage may vary and you probably shouldn't take my advice on this just based on my 1 friend's experience. When you say that she gets tired with all-day walking, what do you mean? Does she get really worn out after an hour or 2? Or is it after 8 hours? What is her stamina like? Maybe you could plan on taking well-planned breaks at various points during the day in order to minimize her "running out of gas?"

I'd also recommend listening to the DL edition of the DIS Unplugged weekly podcasts because they cover what's new going on at Disneyland.

 

[sgrap]

World of Color has added a dessert package where you have an actual seat to sit in for WOC and they bring dessert and drinks out to you. It's $79/person. You book all of the dining packages 60 days before your reservation date. Sometimes, that 60-day window changes a bit based on whether or not DL has the Entertainment Schedule posted yet. If the Entertainment Schedule isn't posted yet for the date you want to do the package, you probably won't be able to book the dining package yet.

DCA still has its regular dining packages for WOC. Those are:

• Ariel's Grotto - dinner only. $48.58/adult, $26.98/child (3-9)
• Wine Country Trattoria lunch - $34.55/adult, $22.66/child
• Wine Country Trattoria dinner - $48.58/adult, $26.98/child
• Carthay Circle lunch - $44.29/adult, $23.76/child
• Carthay Circle dinner - $66.96/adult, $27.01/child

DL dining packages:

• MSEP "on-the-go" package @ Aladdin's Oasis - preferred viewing area is near It's A Small World. Allears.net says the pricing is $22.99/adult, $13.99/child (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/aladdins-oasis/special-dinner).
• MSEP dining package @ Blue Bayou - preferred viewing area for MSEP on Main Street. Allears.net says that the pricing for dinner is $62/adult, $25/child (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/blue-bayou/special-dinner).

Photopass is still available, but the price has changed. According to https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...sney-photopass-one-week-at-disneyland-resort/, you can purchase a 1-week Photopass+ online before your trip for $69 or in person at the parks for $99. Or a 1-day Photpass+ is $39. Photopass+ no longer includes the free CD.

I have a friend who is not disabled enough to need a wheelchair. She, like your daughter, fatigues and gets super bad joint pain when having to stand in line for >10 min at a time. She has MS. However, on her family's recent trips, she has found it almost impossible to get a DAS card for her disability. DL wants her to use a wheelchair, which she doesn't want to do. However, other folks' mileage may vary and you probably shouldn't take my advice on this just based on my 1 friend's experience. When you say that she gets tired with all-day walking, what do you mean? Does she get really worn out after an hour or 2? Or is it after 8 hours? What is her stamina like? Maybe you could plan on taking well-planned breaks at various points during the day in order to minimize her "running out of gas?"

I'd also recommend listening to the DL edition of the DIS Unplugged weekly podcasts because they cover what's new going on at Disneyland.

Thank you so much for all the great info! After a few hours of walking/standing, my daughter fatigues and gets foot pain. So reducing the amount of time standing in line greatly helps. If I can go get the wait time pass (forget what that was called, but going to the kiosk ahead of time) for her and then she can wait somewhere besides standing in line, it helps greatly. Of course, at 14, she doesn't want to be stuck in a wheelchair all day. She has had 2 spine surgeries and a foot surgery, so I can't blame her for not wanting to feel like an invalid. She is my hero.

 

[chickapin parterre]

the train is not avaiable if you have used that in the past as a resting time

 

[sgrap]

the train is not avaiable if you have used that in the past as a resting time

Yes, that is a bummer. We rode it twice all around the park last visit because we knew it would be closed for a long time. Thanks for the reminder, though. We will have to figure out some other down time.

 

[sgrap]

World of Color has added a dessert package where you have an actual seat to sit in for WOC and they bring dessert and drinks out to you. It's $79/person. You book all of the dining packages 60 days before your reservation date. Sometimes, that 60-day window changes a bit based on whether or not DL has the Entertainment Schedule posted yet. If the Entertainment Schedule isn't posted yet for the date you want to do the package, you probably won't be able to book the dining package yet.

DCA still has its regular dining packages for WOC. Those are:

• Ariel's Grotto - dinner only. $48.58/adult, $26.98/child (3-9)
• Wine Country Trattoria lunch - $34.55/adult, $22.66/child
• Wine Country Trattoria dinner - $48.58/adult, $26.98/child
• Carthay Circle lunch - $44.29/adult, $23.76/child
• Carthay Circle dinner - $66.96/adult, $27.01/child

DL dining packages:

• MSEP "on-the-go" package @ Aladdin's Oasis - preferred viewing area is near It's A Small World. Allears.net says the pricing is $22.99/adult, $13.99/child (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/aladdins-oasis/special-dinner).
• MSEP dining package @ Blue Bayou - preferred viewing area for MSEP on Main Street. Allears.net says that the pricing for dinner is $62/adult, $25/child (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/blue-bayou/special-dinner).

Photopass is still available, but the price has changed. According to https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...sney-photopass-one-week-at-disneyland-resort/, you can purchase a 1-week Photopass+ online before your trip for $69 or in person at the parks for $99. Or a 1-day Photpass+ is $39. Photopass+ no longer includes the free CD.

I have a friend who is not disabled enough to need a wheelchair. She, like your daughter, fatigues and gets super bad joint pain when having to stand in line for >10 min at a time. She has MS. However, on her family's recent trips, she has found it almost impossible to get a DAS card for her disability. DL wants her to use a wheelchair, which she doesn't want to do. However, other folks' mileage may vary and you probably shouldn't take my advice on this just based on my 1 friend's experience. When you say that she gets tired with all-day walking, what do you mean? Does she get really worn out after an hour or 2? Or is it after 8 hours? What is her stamina like? Maybe you could plan on taking well-planned breaks at various points during the day in order to minimize her "running out of gas?"

I'd also recommend listening to the DL edition of the DIS Unplugged weekly podcasts because they cover what's new going on at Disneyland.

Have you heard any reviews of which viewing location is better for the MSEP dining packages? Thanks again for the help!