*** May 2017 Disneyland Check-In ***

[thegreggersmom]

A late entry but my DS(9) and I will be there 5/24-28. First time ever for him and 30 years since my last visit!

 

[gsrieff]

May the 4th be with you all who are in the parks today!!

 

[Belledisney]

I hope everyone has a great trip! I leave in three days. I'm so excited.

 

[Meriweather]

Last day here......it has been really crowded. I won't stand in line long, so we haven't been getting much done.
Did see MSEP last night.....so glad to see it one more time. Hope I can see it once more in June.

 

[Christina-B-Na]

Our last day as well. Its been a god trip. A bit warmer and busier than I had hoped but still good. Lines are long and pathways are crazy packed today! We plan to take it easy today....meet a few characters, people watch, shop and maybe get a few rides in on the favorites. Hope everyone with trips coming up have a magical time!!!

 

[Meriweather]

Headed home.
I thought mid 80s was quite doable......the crowds were a bit much. We skipped a few things we would usually ride.
Couple of rides were not running when we tried and too busy later.
I will be back in a month, not sure what to expect. Bringing a child this time, so lots of character meets. Hope it isn't too crowded.

 

[julieheyer]

Us too! 6 hours and we're in AZ. But we don't go til the 20th .
Have a magical time all you early May lucky folks!

 

[dec2009mama]

spending time this weekend organizing to pack it all up on Monday night......4 more sleeps! eeekkkk!

 

[georgiesmum]

I hope everyone who's there, or been, had a great time and the crowds weren't too bad. The weather is varying a lot while we're there so I've packed clothes for both warm and cooler days and nights. We fly out the day after tomorrow so it's all about the packing and last minute things here at the moment. Packing....worst part of any trip for me!

 

[Christina-B-Na]

Packing....worst part of any trip for me!

For me its coming home, unpacking, doing ALL the laundry and getting back to real life (which I am currently doing) LOL!
Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

I'm not a fan of packing either and I procrastinate big time. We're leaving tomorrow morning and I just finished. I'm super excited though and hope I can sleep

 

[gsrieff]

This is the one time I don't have to get up for the airport at 2 am...and of course I can't sleep anyway! I've woken up every two hours to check the clock. Well, it's 4 and I finally gave in. I'm up. It's disney day!!!

 

[DVCMAUREEN]

DH and I will be visiting DL May 12-19. We'll be there for the Tink 1/2 marathon and our anniversary. It's his first time visiting. :-D

Are Photpass Shares a thing at DL? We did one once in WDW and it worked really well.

 

[branv]

Came back yesterday. It was a good trip, but way more crowded than touring plans predicted (for example, our two DCA days were predicted 3's but turned out to be 6's. This is the second trip in a row they've really flubbed it, so I won't be using them anymore).

Heat was hard with crowds, but nice breezes and cool evenings helped. Glad we did four days bc we needed them (and still missed rides!). I love the ride times part of the app, but it wasn't updated frequently enough. So much frustration when you run across the park for something that says 5 minutes wait, get there to see the ride is actually 45 minutes...and the app is still saying 5 minutes!

Was really impressed with the food. At first was disappointed at the lack of variety like at WDW, but once we were there, found the food quality was way better than at WDW (yep, that fried chicken really is as good as they say! And this from a southern girl!). The CMs seemed to be friendlier at DL. The guests too! Lots of friendly people wanting to chit chat in line and offering tips.

We stayed at the newer Homewood Suites, but won't return. Normally I always stay at Homewood Suites (in fact, stayed at one for two nights near Laguna Beach before DL). So maybe my problem is that in comparison to what I'm used to from them, this location was disappointing. The breakfasts were awful comparatively. The evening social was a mad house and really poor quality comparatively. Service was indifferent. The walk to the park was waaaaay too far once you've started feeling the burn from park touring. The shuttle is next door, but still 1/3 mile to reach the actual shuttle. I really really wish we'd stayed much closer. Especially after we walked to the parks from Paradise Pier after the character breakfast. Since we took afternoon breaks/naps with our 3 yo, it was just too much time wasted on travel.

I can't say I like DL more than WDW, nor can I say I liked it less. It was its only creature in so many ways. They each have their plusses and minuses. Overall, we enjoyed our trip. It was certainly magical for our son, and watching that made it magical for us.

 

[gsrieff]

Well, we made it home yesterday. We had one day of good weather. The other days it was raining off and on, and one bout of lightning and thunder. We were prepared so it was doable. A few rides only closed temporarily. I logged 33 miles of walking in 3 park days.

The poor weather made no difference on crowd level. I posted on another thread that we took someone for their first time, and while she said she had a good time, she would never return because of the crowds. She said she never imagined struggling to stay together walking from place to place. One morning I went to grab FP for RSR and as I was walking past a snack cart I overheard two CMs talking to each other saying things like "what is going on? This is absolutely crazy." The line for FP went all the way back to bugs land. We timed things well and somehow never waited in a line longer than 30 minutes (that was for PP right reopening right after fireworks) Everyone accomplished what they had on their list. Although most rides we only rode once.

We loved BWPPI. I would stay there again in a heart beat. We had a mini suite that was updated and spacious, the maintenance was completely on top of every request, the breakfast was exactly what we were hoping for, and you just CANNOT beat the distance to the park. 9.5/10. 9.5 because the only drawback were the linens on the beds.

My favorite memory from this trip:

It was near park closing on Sunday and we were heading out down MS. I look over and see Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy meeting TOGETHER and there were only 2 people in line. Of course, we got in line. (right after that the line got pretty long) They were giving GREAT meets. So much personality and special time for each guest. We were next, and in between guests Mickey and Minnie slow danced together and had their own moment. Then it was our turn, and Minnie points at my Moana ears. She gets so excited and starts doing the way finder pose. Then Mickey and Goofy join in. Goofy gets corrected because he uses the wrong hand, and everyone laughs. They try to get me to sing (I'm an awful singer and I wouldn't) so instead, the CM starts singing and belts out a huge portion of the song. We all dance and part of the line starts to join in. I had tears in my eyes, it was so special and fun. It was a moment created just for us, and I loved it.

 

[shannonisthequeen]

I'm a bit late to this thread. We arrive on May 21 - 27 staying at the Grand Californian. We love Disneyland! Our first time at DL was Easter Week and we didn't mind the crowds too much. Hoping they aren't too terrible this trip!

 

[Xenorye]

There are no more Wednesdays standing between me and Disneyland! 6 days!

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

We got back last night. Spent Sunday-Tuesday in the parks. Had a wonderful time! It was busy but we expected that. We maximized fastpasses and didn't wait in lines for long. On Tuesday morning, BTMM was empty and we rode it 4 times in a row. That night, we walked on haunted mansion and the stretching room wasn't even full. Never had that before! The best part was getting a prime spot for fireworks. We've never been able to see them in front of the castle, too crowded. This time, we got lucky. We walked from frontierland toward the hub and walked up just as they put a rope up at the walkway, so we got in front and had a view of the castle and Matterhorn. It was the best fireworks show ever!!! That was the highlight of the trip for me. Also, want to thank everyone for the tips on here. We tried food we never would have before. The rave reviews of Jolly Holliday grilled cheese and soup was spot on. So good! Also liked the chicken at plaza inn, bread bowls in DCA, chicken skewers at Bengal BBQ and fresh pineapple were all delicious. Hoping to go back in 2 or 3 years, wish could go back now.

 

[adelaster]

For me its coming home, unpacking, doing ALL the laundry and getting back to real life (which I am currently doing) LOL!
Hope you have a great trip!

Lately I've been trying to do laundry on the day before we fly home to avoid just this! Totally agree, the realization of being home is a bit of a bummer- and California is the most difficult place to leave for me.

 

[julieheyer]

Well, we made it home yesterday. We had one day of good weather. The other days it was raining off and on, and one bout of lightning and thunder. We were prepared so it was doable. A few rides only closed temporarily. I logged 33 miles of walking in 3 park days.

The poor weather made no difference on crowd level. I posted on another thread that we took someone for their first time, and while she said she had a good time, she would never return because of the crowds. She said she never imagined struggling to stay together walking from place to place. One morning I went to grab FP for RSR and as I was walking past a snack cart I overheard two CMs talking to each other saying things like "what is going on? This is absolutely crazy." The line for FP went all the way back to bugs land. We timed things well and somehow never waited in a line longer than 30 minutes (that was for PP right reopening right after fireworks) Everyone accomplished what they had on their list. Although most rides we only rode once.

We loved BWPPI. I would stay there again in a heart beat. We had a mini suite that was updated and spacious, the maintenance was completely on top of every request, the breakfast was exactly what we were hoping for, and you just CANNOT beat the distance to the park. 9.5/10. 9.5 because the only drawback were the linens on the beds.

My favorite memory from this trip:

It was near park closing on Sunday and we were heading out down MS. I look over and see Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy meeting TOGETHER and there were only 2 people in line. Of course, we got in line. (right after that the line got pretty long) They were giving GREAT meets. So much personality and special time for each guest. We were next, and in between guests Mickey and Minnie slow danced together and had their own moment. Then it was our turn, and Minnie points at my Moana ears. She gets so excited and starts doing the way finder pose. Then Mickey and Goofy join in. Goofy gets corrected because he uses the wrong hand, and everyone laughs. They try to get me to sing (I'm an awful singer and I wouldn't) so instead, the CM starts singing and belts out a huge portion of the song. We all dance and part of the line starts to join in. I had tears in my eyes, it was so special and fun. It was a moment created just for us, and I loved it.

That is so sweet!! I love that bit of magic and the amazing memories you'll have of dancing with the characters! I think I'm going too fast sometimes at the parks to really catch those magic moments! Thanks for letting us know how your trip went and so glad it ended on such a high note!

We got back last night. Spent Sunday-Tuesday in the parks. Had a wonderful time! It was busy but we expected that. We maximized fastpasses and didn't wait in lines for long. On Tuesday morning, BTMM was empty and we rode it 4 times in a row. That night, we walked on haunted mansion and the stretching room wasn't even full. Never had that before! The best part was getting a prime spot for fireworks. We've never been able to see them in front of the castle, too crowded. This time, we got lucky. We walked from frontierland toward the hub and walked up just as they put a rope up at the walkway, so we got in front and had a view of the castle and Matterhorn. It was the best fireworks show ever!!! That was the highlight of the trip for me. Also, want to thank everyone for the tips on here. We tried food we never would have before. The rave reviews of Jolly Holliday grilled cheese and soup was spot on. So good! Also liked the chicken at plaza inn, bread bowls in DCA, chicken skewers at Bengal BBQ and fresh pineapple were all delicious. Hoping to go back in 2 or 3 years, wish could go back now.

Wow! So jealous of your low crowd level! I doubt we'll get that the 21 and 24, but a girl can dream, right? I love the fireworks!! I actually cried one visit when the wind was too much and they cancelled . And btmrr is our favorite! We go as soon as that area is open and ride it over and over again . Thanks for the feedback!