**** Official 2014 AUGUST - Disneyland thread ****

[gerilyne]

Question of the week

PARK FOOTWEAR!
Tell me about your footwear or strategy for keeping your tootsies happy with all that walking.

Hmmm, well 2 years ago I wore Reebok tennis shoes which, while my feet were sore after all that walking it wasn't anything I couldn't tolerate and they were usually ok by morning. last year I used the Sketchers go walk and that was a huge fail for me; my feet hurt so bad I couldn't walk at all and was almost in tears at times just trying to get back to the hotel. This year I am going back to my tennis shoes with more cushions for me.

I'm also enjoying the ideas of others on ways to recuperate in the hotel; gonna have to try the cold water soak I think!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I always have a terrible time with my feet at DL, but I have high hopes this time. Saw a podiatrist several weeks ago who put me in orthotics; he also recommended a particular walking shoe that I've been wearing that have been great so far.

Blisters have always been a huge problem -- his recommendation on that was to only wear moisture-wicking socks with NO cotton and if a blister develops, put a black tea bag on it or soak your toes in black tea. Evidently this can cause some discoloration, as tea stains. But I'd do just about anything to avoid the constant blisters I get at DL, so I'm taking tea bags with me!

 

[modegard]

Hmmm, well 2 years ago I wore Reebok tennis shoes which, while my feet were sore after all that walking it wasn't anything I couldn't tolerate and they were usually ok by morning. last year I used the Sketchers go walk and that was a huge fail for me; my feet hurt so bad I couldn't walk at all and was almost in tears at times just trying to get back to the hotel. This year I am going back to my tennis shoes with more cushions for me.

I'm also enjoying the ideas of others on ways to recuperate in the hotel; gonna have to try the cold water soak I think!

I had the same experience with Sketchers. I had to take advil every day of our holiday so I could walk around the parks and once we got home my toenails all turned purple. Sketchers look nice but are sure not made for all day on your feet! I stick to proper runners or my Dawg sandals now.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Hi all! We're jumping into this thread now that our plans are (finally!) official. My partner, Ryan, and I haven't been back since last October due to employment drama (which has now happily ended in two really great gigs for us both.)

We're arriving from Chicago early on Friday, August 8th for four nights at GCH, with ADRs for lunch at Cafe Orleans on Saturday (the 9th) and Big Thunder BBQ on Monday (the 11th).

We're HoJo vets (which we love), but really looking forward to GCH--our first time there--which we wouldn't otherwise afford but three of the nights are a comp stay we were pixie dusted after we got stuck in the middle of last summer's Premier AP debacle. (The drama with the passes working on one coast but not on another.) So we're grateful to Guest Services for the privilege.

We'll be renewing our APs this trip, but dropping down to Premium, since last year when we had Premiers we learned pretty fast that our hearts lie firmly in Anaheim. We hope to return in December between Chanukkah and Christmas, and then next March around Ryan's birthday. This trip is actually my birthday trip, but we're not arriving until a few days after my birthday and I don't want to fib and wear a birthday button, so no "Happy Birthday, Michaels" for me this year.

We were also going to take a day to explore our target L.A. neighborhoods, as we plan to move to the area next year, but since it's GCH we just can't drag ourselves away. So we'll do all four days in the parks, hopping as the urge takes us. (We're not commandos, we just respect rope drop and then relax into the rest of the day with strategic use of FP and midday breaks.) We have some local SoCal friends who may be joining us in the parks as well, so it will be neat finally being a group larger than two!

And finally Ryan will ride GRR with me since he can go instantly back to the hotel and dry off!!!

 

[Aladora]

Welcome to the august thread! Such a wonderful bit of pixie dust, comped rooms at the GCH! And happy birthday in advance!

 

[gokdog]

We are staying at the GCH 1-5 August

Been a year since we stayed off site at the Fairfield Inn, which was nice, but soo looking forward to GCH.

 

[dsnyfamily4]

We're going all out this year. Me, the wife and our 2 little ones are staying at the best western Anaheim inn 8/5-8/14 : ) We plan on taking our time at the parks and midday breaks. 32 days and counting!

 

[herefishy]

My little family, Grandma (my mom) and I will be traveling to the Happiest Place on Earth for my daughter's 5th birthday. We will be there August 2-6. Not sure what ADRs we have, as I have let our travel agent handle it (but I gave her the list of Blue Bayou, Big Thunder BBQ, Goofy's Kitchen and Fantasmic Dessert Package). We are staying at DLH, swimming a lot is on our agenda.
Hope to see you there!
Tracy

 

[wakica]

Pretty much just wear running shoes and occasionally will wear flip flops(but not the ones that go between the toes - they annoy me).

On another note, I've tried to get a couple reservations and haven't been able to get the times I was looking to get. No big deal at Cafe Orleans but it just makes me wonder how crowded the last weekend of August will be. runDisney and Labor Day weekend so guess i should know it will be crowded.

yes, i expect that it might be a bit busy during the marathon time.

Okay, don't hate me, but usually my Crocs or my comfy Sanuks.

DW, whatever she wants...trust me.

DD...Crocs w/Disney Jibbitz

CAN'T WAIT TICKER CHECK!!

oooh! I almost forgot about my crocs. i usually use those a bit too. gotta watch those though near wet areas, i've slipped in mine a few times!

So here's my dilemma. I wanted to do Minnie and Friends breakfast on Friday, August 29 and had hoped to get a reservation prior to park opening. I had my travel agent(she's awesome btw) book it and the earliest she could get was an 8:30 reservation, after park opening. My idea was obviously to be in the park already when it opened. So I should probably just skip it or move it to later so I'm not missing getting on some rides early in the morning right? Thoughts?

For my touring plan the first few hours is of utmost importance so my choice would be to reschedule it til later but you have to decide what would work best for you. If your starving it wouldn't be good either. lol

Hi guys! New to this thread!
My mom and I will be visiting DLR arriving August 3, and departing August 7.
We will be spending the 3-6 in the parks. Our plane lands at LAX at 10am, and we leave LAX at 10am on the 7th, headed to Mexico for a week of relaxing. We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency a few miles down Harbour Blvd until the 6th for free using our Hyatt Points then the evening of the 6th staying at the Radisson LAX so we will be near the airport for our flight. We found great non-stop flights on Delta from Orlando to LAX, and LAX to Cancun, so this made our travel plans even easier. We are from the Orlando, FL area, so we live and breathe WDW, and this will be our second visit to DLR. We were recently there last September for a couple days, toured the parks commando style and saw almost everything. This time we're looking to slow it down and enjoy the little details more We are in the WDW parks almost weekly, but everything is so different in California! This is a last minute trip, we just booked it a couple days ago, so we are still working on our plans of what to do when we get there. We saw Hollywood/LA last time we were there and were not too impressed, and since were from Florida, and spending a week in the Caribbean right after, the Pacific beaches do not interest us at all, so we will probably stick to just the parks all four days. Last time we stayed on site at DLH but we didn't make full use of the EE since we are not morning people, so grateful to be using points and avoiding the peak summer cost. We are however looking to do some table service meals possibly at Cafe Orleans, Wine Country Trattoria, and Carthay Circle. These menus interested us the most, but I am so hesitant to make reservations and commit us to being anywhere at a certain time. Last trip I had every minute planned and this time I'm doing quite the opposite. Hmm! While we will be doing tons of park hopping, it looks like Sunday will be mainly DLR focused, Monday and Tuesday DCA, and Wednesday DLR. Park hopping is so easy and we will do it numerous times, but the planner in me is looking for some kind of structure! Does anyone know if DLR imposes a fee for canceling last minute or no-showing reservations like WDW does? I want to plan a 1pm-ish lunch at Cafe Orleans on our arrival day to kickstart everything, but incase we are running behind or problems with flights, canceling a lunch reservation I know will slip to the back of my mind completely I know, and I'd hate to be charged for it :/ Also- does being in the parks by 1 sound reasonable enough if our plane lands at LAX at 10am? I figure 30 minutes to get off and get our bags, an hour for the drive to the hotel, 15 minutes to check in and drop off our bags, then that leaves an hour and 15 minutes to wait for the shuttle, take the estimated 15 minute ride there, and make it back to new orleans square to check in for our reservation. I know by this time we will be starving, and last year on our arrival day we were so lost and confused about where to eat, I think having a place to go and enjoy a nice meal after a 5 hour flight seems perfect! Well I hope to chat with everyone more, and I am sure I will ask plenty more questions leading up to the date! And I apologize about this being a novel to read!

Hope you figure out your timing for the meal! I am always paranoid about not being on time for stuff like that so i never book things close to arrival time. Your right though, it would definitely be nice to have a plan for once you arrive instead of being starving and having to look around and figure it out then.

Just made our final payment this morning!!!!! Now to wait the 40 days that are left!!

YAHOOOOO!!!

I know that there are a bunch of us here so to all the Canadians, Happy Canada Day!

And just because it always makes me smile:

I Am Canadian

I hope you all had a wonderful Canada Day!!! And Happy 4th of July to our American friends too!!!

Blue Bayou booked for 11:30am on Saturday 30th August

Nice!

Happy belated Canada Day to my fellow Canucks and early 4th of July to our American friends!

I just made our last ADR. We have 11:30am at Blue Bayou on August 26th, 11:30am at Ariel's Grotto on August 27th, and 10:30am at Minnie & Friends/Plaza Inn on August 31st. I need to wait until the end of July to make our F! Dessert reservations, but I'm shooting for the 9pm show on August 29th.

I subscribed to Ridemax to help me plan our days a bit more, but it hasn't helped yet since the days we're going are not available. This is definitely the craziest part of Disneyland planning! Why not release entertainment schedules and park hours earlier?! It makes no sense to me.

I subscribe to Ridemax too. What I like to do is plug in one ride over and over for the whole day to see how the ride waits are. Then after I put in the most popular rides I decide what order to do them for the first few rides and then after those are done with we do the others at our leisure.

Hello Everyone!

We are taking our first family trip to DL in August. It will be me, DH, DD15, DS13, & DS7. The last time we were in DL was 14 years ago, so a few things might have changed since then.

We will be staying at VGC from 8/6-8/9, then driving down to San Diego until 8/12, then back to VGC from 8/12-8/16. I think we'll get a 3 day DL pass and use one day before we go to San Diego and use the other two days after San Diego.

I know WDW like the back of my hand and feel very overwhelmed right now. I'm off to read up on rides, shows, dining, etc so I can come up with an itinerary.

You are in good company! There are a LOT of us WDW vets who are now first time DL'ers We can all figure it out together

I always have a terrible time with my feet at DL, but I have high hopes this time. Saw a podiatrist several weeks ago who put me in orthotics; he also recommended a particular walking shoe that I've been wearing that have been great so far.

Blisters have always been a huge problem -- his recommendation on that was to only wear moisture-wicking socks with NO cotton and if a blister develops, put a black tea bag on it or soak your toes in black tea. Evidently this can cause some discoloration, as tea stains. But I'd do just about anything to avoid the constant blisters I get at DL, so I'm taking tea bags with me!

I always take some precut pieces of moleskin in my park bag. If i feel ANY tiny bit of rubbing happening I slip a piece of moleskin on it and it's been a lifesaver!!! I highly reccommend doing this.

Hi all! We're jumping into this thread now that our plans are (finally!) official. My partner, Ryan, and I haven't been back since last October due to employment drama (which has now happily ended in two really great gigs for us both.)

We're arriving from Chicago early on Friday, August 8th for four nights at GCH, with ADRs for lunch at Cafe Orleans on Saturday (the 9th) and Big Thunder BBQ on Monday (the 11th).

We're HoJo vets (which we love), but really looking forward to GCH--our first time there--which we wouldn't otherwise afford but three of the nights are a comp stay we were pixie dusted after we got stuck in the middle of last summer's Premier AP debacle. (The drama with the passes working on one coast but not on another.) So we're grateful to Guest Services for the privilege.

We'll be renewing our APs this trip, but dropping down to Premium, since last year when we had Premiers we learned pretty fast that our hearts lie firmly in Anaheim. We hope to return in December between Chanukkah and Christmas, and then next March around Ryan's birthday. This trip is actually my birthday trip, but we're not arriving until a few days after my birthday and I don't want to fib and wear a birthday button, so no "Happy Birthday, Michaels" for me this year.

We were also going to take a day to explore our target L.A. neighborhoods, as we plan to move to the area next year, but since it's GCH we just can't drag ourselves away. So we'll do all four days in the parks, hopping as the urge takes us. (We're not commandos, we just respect rope drop and then relax into the rest of the day with strategic use of FP and midday breaks.) We have some local SoCal friends who may be joining us in the parks as well, so it will be neat finally being a group larger than two!

And finally Ryan will ride GRR with me since he can go instantly back to the hotel and dry off!!!

Glad the work drama has ended and you are able to plan your trip now

We are staying at the GCH 1-5 August

Been a year since we stayed off site at the Fairfield Inn, which was nice, but soo looking forward to GCH.

I would LOVE to stay at GCH!!! so I'm sure it will be nice too.

We're going all out this year. Me, the wife and our 2 little ones are staying at the best western Anaheim inn 8/5-8/14 : ) We plan on taking our time at the parks and midday breaks. 32 days and counting!

32 days will FLY right by!!! yay

My little family, Grandma (my mom) and I will be traveling to the Happiest Place on Earth for my daughter's 5th birthday. We will be there August 2-6. Not sure what ADRs we have, as I have let our travel agent handle it (but I gave her the list of Blue Bayou, Big Thunder BBQ, Goofy's Kitchen and Fantasmic Dessert Package). We are staying at DLH, swimming a lot is on our agenda.
Hope to see you there!
Tracy

yes, swimming sounds like a GREAT idea in the California heat we will be experiencing hey??

 

[scrapshappen]

So here's my dilemma. I wanted to do Minnie and Friends breakfast on Friday, August 29 and had hoped to get a reservation prior to park opening. I had my travel agent(she's awesome btw) book it and the earliest she could get was an 8:30 reservation, after park opening. My idea was obviously to be in the park already when it opened. So I should probably just skip it or move it to later so I'm not missing getting on some rides early in the morning right? Thoughts?

The park hours that are coming out right now have the park opening at 9. So that would be before the park is officially open (but likely during MM).

 

[scrapshappen]

Question of the week

PARK FOOTWEAR!
Tell me about your footwear or strategy for keeping your tootsies happy with all that walking.

Little late to answer, but I always wear a good pair of lace up running/walking type shoes and they must have the extra cushioning in the soles. (Think Nike Air or Asic Gel). I have horrible, horrible shin splints if I wear anything else to walk that much. The thought of flip flops in the park (or any kind of sandal) makes me want to cry.

That being said, I just bought a pair of Skecher GoWalk2 Flash walking shoes. They are a lace up walking shoe with the traditional Go Walk sole that I love (saved my foot after I broke it last year), but with the addition of the laces for more support and a "goga mat" insole for extra cushioning. And they are designed to be worn with socks, which is another important thing for me in the park. I wore them around the house yesterday and was very happy with them. (I know that isn't the same thing as a day at the park, but I can usually tell in about 15 minutes if a shoe will work for DL or not.)

But I will bring my trusty pair of Asic Gels as a back up just in case they don't work out as well as I hope. They've been to DL at least twice before so they know the way.

 

[wakica]

I have gel asics too and I LOVE them!!!

 

[dsnyfamily4]

I have gel asics too and I LOVE them!!!

I bought my wife a pair if gel asics for our last trip and she just got a new pair to break in for our upcoming August trip. I'm thinking I need to find me a pair soon as well. I like to wear my chacos (awesome sandals) the first half of the day then after our midday break I switch to some nice tennis shoes. I guess I'll start looking now : )

 

[Rubygoose]

Here are some coupons that you all might find useful:
http://anaheimoc.org/coupons

I haven't clicked on all of them, but it looks like most of them are valid through next year (except the LaBrea Bakery one expires July 31st 2014)

 

[8lovesmickey]

Fun board - We're down to 32 days!! Kim - I noticed my dates are slightly off on the main page -- should be August 6 - 10. Also we'll be celebrating my big 5-0 birthday on the 8th.

So.. would it be weird to wear my gold 50th anniversary mouse ears (from 2005) in the park on my 50th birthday? I mean they do say "50 Disneyland" on them so they kind of fit... Might be fun for pictures!

Also to the footwear question, I have a pair of Olokai flip flops that are fabulous. They have good support and keep my feet cool and comfortable. Other than that, I always change shoes at least once a day to avoid "hot spots." I'll start with one pair in the morning and change after we go to the hotel for a mid-day break. That seems to work for me.

Can't wait for our adventure!!

 

[BriannaRuth]

Thanks for the coupon link!

 

[dec2009mama]

So hours for our trip aren’t posted yet but if I go by the most recent posted hour parks will open at 9am during the weekdays…we are AP holders so no EE for us!

I have a reservation at minnie’s breakfast at 8:40am on wed aug 27 – I haven’t heard of breakfast reservations before the park opens ?!?

I usually try to make a reservation on a EE morning so we can get in early to enjoy EE hours before heading for breakfast – they have let us in about 30min before our breakfast ressie which is a nice perk!

 

[wakica]

I bought my wife a pair if gel asics for our last trip and she just got a new pair to break in for our upcoming August trip. I'm thinking I need to find me a pair soon as well. I like to wear my chacos (awesome sandals) the first half of the day then after our midday break I switch to some nice tennis shoes. I guess I'll start looking now : )

I think you will be happy with gel asics

Here are some coupons that you all might find useful:
http://anaheimoc.org/coupons

I haven't clicked on all of them, but it looks like most of them are valid through next year (except the LaBrea Bakery one expires July 31st 2014)

cool, thanks!!!! I will definitely be checking those out

Fun board - We're down to 32 days!! Kim - I noticed my dates are slightly off on the main page -- should be August 6 - 10. Also we'll be celebrating my big 5-0 birthday on the 8th.

So.. would it be weird to wear my gold 50th anniversary mouse ears (from 2005) in the park on my 50th birthday? I mean they do say "50 Disneyland" on them so they kind of fit... Might be fun for pictures!

Also to the footwear question, I have a pair of Olokai flip flops that are fabulous. They have good support and keep my feet cool and comfortable. Other than that, I always change shoes at least once a day to avoid "hot spots." I'll start with one pair in the morning and change after we go to the hotel for a mid-day break. That seems to work for me.

Can't wait for our adventure!!

I will fix your info. Thanks for letting me know. I actually have a good chunk of info to add to the first page but havn't had the time. Too busy trying to enjoy summer now that it has finally arrived but I will be updating things tomorrow for sure.

I think the 50 ears is a GREAT idea

So hours for our trip aren’t posted yet but if I go by the most recent posted hour parks will open at 9am during the weekdays…we are AP holders so no EE for us!

I have a reservation at minnie’s breakfast at 8:40am on wed aug 27 – I haven’t heard of breakfast reservations before the park opens ?!?

I usually try to make a reservation on a EE morning so we can get in early to enjoy EE hours before heading for breakfast – they have let us in about 30min before our breakfast ressie which is a nice perk!

I may be wrong (as I'm not big on restaraunts) but from what I've seen I think ressies for character breakfasts start 30 min. before park opening. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[wakica]

QOTW - QUESTION OF THE WEEK...



WHAT GOES IN TO YOUR PARK BAG????

 

[hyperminimalism]

QOTW - QUESTION OF THE WEEK...



WHAT GOES IN TO YOUR PARK BAG????

Auh! This is the question I've been mulling over in the last few months wondering what I want to take. I feel like I took TOO much last time, and was constantly handing the bag over to my friend who wasn't carrying a bag. Maybe I'll ask him to bring one as well since I'm typically the one who carries everything (how does that happen?! xD)

Anyway, here's a list of MUST HAVES in my bag:

1. Wallet w/ID, cards, money, etc
2. Inhaler (in case I get asthma)
3. Phone/charger
4. Glasses (sun and prescription), and contact lens case and solution
5. Lightweight jacket
6. Sunscreen
7. Small makeup bag and other various things like lip balm
8. Flip flops for when it's time to change it up
9. Water bottles (on the side since there's holders for them)

...let's see, I think I got everything else that was important in there. I'm just trying to figure out how to narrow that down so it doesn't seem like I'm carrying so much. My tickets and FPs are around my neck in my lanyard, so that's easy to carry, though!