Leaving in an hour!!

[sramille]

I can't believe that we got packed early, that never happens! My sister and I are on the way to Disneyland today. We'll be staying at Paradise Pier. Tonight we'll probably walk around DCA and DL, I would like to get on one or two of the big rides, but I don't know how the crowds will be. Tomorrow we're taking the Legendary Los Angeles tour during the day, probably shopping or swimming when we get back. Monday will be parks all day. Tuesday will be a half day of parks followed by the Lion King in L.A. Wednesday will be a half day of parks before we come home. I'm very excited, I love the way that I have it planned out, it should be great!
I'll make sure to report back when I get home!

 

[scanmom]

sounds like a fun plan! My Mom, Dad, Sis and her friend will be at DLR Mon, Tues, and Weds! Wish I could be there!

 

[sramille]

We had a great time! The weather was perfect and the crowds were very manageable. Couldn't have asked for much more.

We stayed at Paradise Pier in an upper level theme park view room. I love that view. We even had a great view of the fireworks in Disneyland that I didn't have last time because I was on the other end of the hotel.

I think we did everything I wanted to do in Disneyland and DCA. (We are 24 and 14 so the rides are most important) Even rode Splash Mountain 3 times. (thank you, single rider line!) Saw Fantasmic, most of the Electrical Parade and rode as many rides as we could fit in. Also saw Blast which I think is fantastic! And, of course, probably spent more money on souvenirs than I did on the trip. That's my real weakness!

We took the Legendary Los Angeles tour also. This included stops in Long Beach, downtown LA, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice Beach. It was neat to get to see all of the highlights, but it made for a VERY long day. It was helpful to me to hang out in Hollywood because it made it easier for me to get oriented when I drove out there for the Lion King which was amazing of course. (note to anyone who goes to see it....take a sweater, we were SO cold that it probly took away from the enjoyment of the show a bit)

Overall, the trip was as close to perfect as I could've asked for. I was very pleased that the crowds weren't too crazy. We were there June 29-July 3. I imagine that it got pretty crazy right after we left.

Now, I'm going to start getting excited for DisneyWorld and Super Soap Weekend in November. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have something to plan all the time!

 

[MickeyMagic]

Glad to hear you had a good time! I'm going in late August with two of my sisters and our kids. I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind:

How was Splash with the new seats? Did it make any difference? How long was the wait without using the single rider line?

Did you get tickets ahead of time for Blast? If so, when & where?

How were the lines in DCA for rides like Soarin', Screamin', and Grizzly River Raft Run?

Were there any places you ate that you might recommend?

I'm with you -- half the fun is the planning!!!

 

[sramille]

I'm happy to try to answer any questions!

Splash has 5 single seats per "log" now. I think that each time that we saw the wait it was 50 minutes. We got a fastpass once and when we went back the ride was down and we couldn't go back later that night. We had got the fastpass around 10 or 11am and the return time was 4-5pm so be prepared! The next day we got another fastpass and used it. Then, as we were leaving we heard about the single rider line and rode it again. I know that single riding is not for everyone, but it was great for us.

I've been to Blast twice and have not noticed a need for fastpasses, but I get them anyway just to be sure. Most of the time there is a guy with a booth right under the golden gate bridge as you enter DCA. You just tell him what time and how many and he hands you the fastpasses. When we were there he wasn't under the bridge, instead he was at the entrance to the Hollywood backlot and I think that when we actually went to the show he was back by the Hyperion Theatre.

I think we rode Soarin and Screamin both without fastpasses at least once with a 20 min wait. I did see Soarin with a 45 min wait at other times though. I really don't know if I saw Screamin with that kind of wait. I'm guessing that's because they can get so many people on and off so quickly.

We only went by Grizzly River Run once and it had a 50 minute wait so we did fastpasses for that too.

We didn't really eat at any nice places. We did eat at PCH grill at the hotel and that was nice. Other than that we did fast food in the parks. There is one thing that I thought was great...in Downtown Disney at Naples there is a take out window where you can get a slice of pizza and a soda for $5. That was perfect(and cheap by Disney standards), I wish I would've known about it sooner.

I hope all this helps! Enjoy your trip!