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

[Dreamer2012]

This is the exact same as me! Four races, seven medals. Can't beat it!

Us too! Staying at Best Western Stovall's from 8/27 - 9/5 - doing Hollywood one day! So excited for our FIRST DLAND trip!!

 

[Aladora]

Welcome to all the newcomers to this thread!

 

[ScottyK86]

Scotty- every time I have emailed Disney, I get a vague reply (several days later) that never even half way answers my question. I always get a much better answer on the phone, but they don't have a toll free number.

You mentioned before that you wanted a somewhat private place... How about on the grounds of the DLH or GCH? I haven't stayed at the Grand, but at DLH there is a lovely garden next to the Frontier tower. If there isn't a wedding being set up there, it could be a nice romantic, quiet place.

Well I have emailed to see if I can email someone at the Disney Wedding/engagements website to make things easier, if it still doesn't happen, i'll have to work out a way to call them.

I didn't think about the hotels, we have only been to DLH for Goofy's Kitchen and that's about it, less of a sentimental connection there. I have seen photos of people at the park after it has closed and the masses have filed out and proposing, I wonder if they are well connected? I even considered the WOC dinner package but again you need to call!

 

[MrsWEsq]

Jumping in to say hello My name is Kathleen and me, my DH and our 3 kids are taking our first family trip to DL August 20-27. I went to DL a few times as a young child but the last time was 1987 so I don't remember much of anything. DH has never been to DL.

We are from upstate NY and are WDW vets. We had another WDW trip planned for the same dates but I really wanted a change of scenery this year. So I started researching and pricing thing out and when I found great rates on airfare into LAX I realized it was going to happen. We booked our flights and a room at HoJo. We are planning on going to the parks on Thursday 8/21, Friday 8/22, going on a whale watch on Saturday 8/23, not sure about Sunday, parks again on Monday 8/25 and Tuesday 8/26 and then we head home on Wednesday 8/27. And that is about all I have planned. With all of the planning I typically do for WDW, I am starting to get nervous.

Right now I am debating between 4 and 5 day tickets, PH v. no PH, I'm starting to look at menus (I really want to try the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at Hungry Bear) and just trying to familiarize myself with the parks.

I am really looking forward to Carsland, Mickey and the Magical Map, Aladdin, the Frozen M&G, POTC, HM and taking in the beauty of Walt's park.

I'm nervous about crowds and being a first-timer but we all have to start somewhere, right?

 

[scrapshappen]

We will be at BBPPI from Aug. 17-Aug. 24 and won't have a car, let me know if I can help you out. We plan on arriving at the hotel early on the 17th, since our flight gets in at 10:30, so I plan on having them hold our bags. I think it is 10 dollars a day, could be more, we booked through AAA and sometimes that gets you cheaper or free parking, if you get me your info I can check on it and let you know.

Thank you! I will let you know for sure when we know if we will have three cars. I appreciate it!

 

[Aladora]

Right now I am debating between 4 and 5 day tickets, PH v. no PH

I would ever think of doing DL without hoppers, the two parks (DL an DCA) are SO close, it is not unusual to go back and forth a couple of times a day! The straight line distance between the two gates is 0.06 miles (87 meters). From City Hall in DL to the Chamber of Commerce in DCA is 0.13 miles (215 meters)

And the 4 or 5 day debate? When in doubt, get the extra day!

 

[wakica]

We will be arriving on the 17th and leaving late the 21st. We have the Candy Cane Inn booked, our favorite non-resort place to stay. Love that they have an exclusive shuttle, and rooms are very nice.

The four of us have decided to splurge and do the Fantasmic dessert, kind of spendy but we've always wanted to do it.
Also planning to see Aladin, WOC and fireworks.
We are going to Minnie's brunch at Plaza Inn, Carthay Circle, Flo's, Rainforest Cafe and Blue Bayou.

YAY!! Welcome!!! I will add you to the list. Sounds like you've got some GREAT things picked out to do!! We LOVE Rainforest Cafe! Try and leave room for dessert if you can - the Volcano is amazing but definitely for sharing!!!

Our flights on Southwest went up a tiny bit in price ($3/ticket) so I took that as a sign to get off my duff and book the tickets NOW!
All that I have left to do is book a hotel in Seattle with park and fly and I am done!
Now, to get through the long 4 month wait...

UGH!! I know!! The waiting is SOOO hard!!! Good thing we have DIS to help us get through it hey? lol

Looks like we may be adding an extra day to our Disney adventure! There is talk of other people in our party either doing a day trip to Catalina Island or Universal Studios, my partner and I aren't really interested in doing the day trip and we did universal 2 years ago, looks like we may do 4 days at disney!

I also sent Disneyland an email about the whole popping the question and I did get a response, it was just a little standardised which was a little disapointing.

Unfortunately my work schedule makes it hard to call them, being in Australia and all.

YAY for the extra day! but AWE for the generic reply
I guess if you were hoping for a quiet out of the way place then your mostly on your own but I'm willing to bet that if you did one of the more "noticable" spots that something would be done. Disney is very big on magical moments so I wouldn't be surprised if you popped the question in a restaraunt or on one of the rides that a CM would in some way help out or make it more magical. I'm pretty sure if a CM saw someone proposing on the carousel that they'd do something be it get everyone starting in applauding, or give you a pin to wear or something special to recognize what you did and at a restaraunt I bet you could get them to put the ring in the meal in some way. I'm pretty sure I read about a couple having the waiter slip it into some cake one time.

Either way I guess it'll be magical for 2 reasons all on it's own...
1. Your GETTING ENGAGED
2. Your in the most magical place in the world

So regardless, you can't go wrong.

My family will be flying down to California 8/24 and flying home 8/29. Will be in the parks 8/25-8/29. I'm so excited, don't know if I can wait 4 more months!

YAY! Wecome!!! I will add your info to the list. Make sure to visit the page lots so we have lots to talk about and make this horrible wait go by more pleasently

Jumping in to say hello My name is Kathleen and me, my DH and our 3 kids are taking our first family trip to DL August 20-27.

We are from upstate NY and are WDW vets. We had another WDW trip planned for the same dates but I really wanted a change of scenery this year.

I'm starting to look at menus (I really want to try the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at Hungry Bear) and just trying to familiarize myself with the parks.

i'm nervous about crowds and being a first-timer but we all have to start somewhere, right?

YAY! Welcome to the August group!!! I will add your info in. DH, DD, and I are WDW veterans too. I can book a trip to WDW and not have to plan a thing any more because we know exactly where to go, at what time, and what all we want to do so this is all new to us too!!!
Thanks for posting about the fried green tomato sadwich!!! I hadn't heard about that but it sounds like something i will definitely want to try!!!

 

[wakica]

Sorry for the delay on qotw all!! I was a little TOO relaxed on Easter Sunday. LOL.

Here it is......

QUESTION OF THE WEEK,

What is your FAVORITE DISNEY RIDE?

 

[MrsWEsq]

I would ever think of doing DL without hoppers, the two parks (DL an DCA) are SO close, it is not unusual to go back and forth a couple of times a day! The straight line distance between the two gates is 0.06 miles (87 meters). From City Hall in DL to the Chamber of Commerce in DCA is 0.13 miles (215 meters)

And the 4 or 5 day debate? When in doubt, get the extra day!

Thanks. That's where I am a heavily leaning for both. I've seen pictures of the distance between the gates, but for some reason it is just hard to wrap my head around how easy it is and multiple hops in one day.

 

[scrapshappen]

Just have to share because you are all Disney crazy like I am will get it! We are now toying with the idea of getting annual passes so we will have flexibility during our stay and can make a few more trips in the next year. and

However, it all depends on what my kid's school schedule ends up doing. Right now, we have one in 5th grade in the gifted program at a school in the next town over on a traditional schedule and one in 3rd at our neighborhood school on year-round schedule. We should know in the next 10 days if my older son gets to continue in the gifted program next year. If he does, then we'll transfer the younger son over there too in a regular classroom and they will both be on traditional schedules. That means we just do this trip in August, no annual passes and we'll keep our planned cruise to Alaska for June 2015.

If older DS doesn't get back into the program, both will be on year round school with breaks in August (this trip), November (Christmas decorations!), February (both son's birthdays), and May. We would change our Alaska cruise to the WB Panama Canal Cruise in May and add a day or two at DL onto it.

So how sad is it that I want my son to be kicked out of the gifted program so I can go to Disneyland at least four times in a year. It's been really good for him in someways but kind of hard on the family overall. And while he is really very bright, he struggles with motivation so he gets left in the dust sometimes in that classroom. We will know soon enough. But the wait is killing me.

 

[scrapshappen]

Sorry for the delay on qotw all!! I was a little TOO relaxed on Easter Sunday. LOL.

Here it is......

QUESTION OF THE WEEK,

What is your FAVORITE DISNEY RIDE?

Just one??? How can I possibly choose? It's like picking a favorite child!

In DL it would have to be Big Thunder Mountain followed closely by Indiana Jones

In DCA, Soarin' followed closely by Radiator Springs Racers.

But you've forced me to leave Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, Toy Story Mania and so many others off the list.

 

[Aladora]

Sorry for the delay on qotw all!! I was a little TOO relaxed on Easter Sunday. LOL.

Here it is......

QUESTION OF THE WEEK,

What is your FAVORITE DISNEY RIDE?

DL: Space Mountain
DCA: Soarin' with TOT a very close second.

Just have to share because you are all Disney crazy like I am will get it! We are now toying with the idea of getting annual passes so we will have flexibility during our stay and can make a few more trips in the next year. and

After doing the math and realizing that we paid more money on tickets than we should have, TWICE, I decided last September that we were going to get APs. For us, the math works out that if we are going to go twice in a 12 month period with our normal 5 day hoppers then it would be better to get Deluxe APs and save money.

Which is why we are heading back for our 3rd trip in 11 months!

 

[wakica]

Just have to share because you are all Disney crazy like I am will get it! We are now toying with the idea of getting annual passes so we will have flexibility during our stay and can make a few more trips in the next year. and

However, it all depends on what my kid's school schedule ends up doing. Right now, we have one in 5th grade in the gifted program at a school in the next town over on a traditional schedule and one in 3rd at our neighborhood school on year-round schedule. We should know in the next 10 days if my older son gets to continue in the gifted program next year. If he does, then we'll transfer the younger son over there too in a regular classroom and they will both be on traditional schedules. That means we just do this trip in August, no annual passes and we'll keep our planned cruise to Alaska for June 2015.

If older DS doesn't get back into the program, both will be on year round school with breaks in August (this trip), November (Christmas decorations!), February (both son's birthdays), and May. We would change our Alaska cruise to the WB Panama Canal Cruise in May and add a day or two at DL onto it.

So how sad is it that I want my son to be kicked out of the gifted program so I can go to Disneyland at least four times in a year. It's been really good for him in someways but kind of hard on the family overall. And while he is really very bright, he struggles with motivation so he gets left in the dust sometimes in that classroom. We will know soon enough. But the wait is killing me.

**! How do you keep it all straight??? lol
Of course I DO see the benefit of being able to get the annual pass I hope you find out soon. It may be a good time to integrate into the regular class though, no?? It's good to try and see how things go and if it's not working go back to the other way. Always good to test the waters though.

Just one??? How can I possibly choose? It's like picking a favorite child!

In DL it would have to be Big Thunder Mountain followed closely by Indiana Jones

In DCA, Soarin' followed closely by Radiator Springs Racers.

But you've forced me to leave Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, Toy Story Mania and so many others off the list.

I'm such a horrible person. I feel aweful for making you do that I think you got through it pretty well though. Nice choices!

DL: Space Mountain
DCA: Soarin' with TOT a very close second.

Which is why we are heading back for our 3rd trip in 11 months!

Also nice choices
and I'm SO envious of all of you that get to do multiple Disney trips in a year I usually get in one every 2 years now a days but they used to be about 5 years apart!!!
Someone adopt me please!!!!

 

[Rubygoose]

Sorry for the delay on qotw all!! I was a little TOO relaxed on Easter Sunday. LOL.

Here it is......

QUESTION OF THE WEEK,

What is your FAVORITE DISNEY RIDE?

That's an easy one: SPLASH MOUNTAIN!

 

[Rubygoose]

Just have to share because you are all Disney crazy like I am will get it! We are now toying with the idea of getting annual passes so we will have flexibility during our stay and can make a few more trips in the next year. and

However, it all depends on what my kid's school schedule ends up doing. Right now, we have one in 5th grade in the gifted program at a school in the next town over on a traditional schedule and one in 3rd at our neighborhood school on year-round schedule. We should know in the next 10 days if my older son gets to continue in the gifted program next year. If he does, then we'll transfer the younger son over there too in a regular classroom and they will both be on traditional schedules. That means we just do this trip in August, no annual passes and we'll keep our planned cruise to Alaska for June 2015.

If older DS doesn't get back into the program, both will be on year round school with breaks in August (this trip), November (Christmas decorations!), February (both son's birthdays), and May. We would change our Alaska cruise to the WB Panama Canal Cruise in May and add a day or two at DL onto it.

So how sad is it that I want my son to be kicked out of the gifted program so I can go to Disneyland at least four times in a year. It's been really good for him in someways but kind of hard on the family overall. And while he is really very bright, he struggles with motivation so he gets left in the dust sometimes in that classroom. We will know soon enough. But the wait is killing me.

As a teacher, I think you can classify a trip to Disneyland as "Enrichment", so even if your son doesn't continue with the gifted program, you're still furthering his education!

We're doing APs this trip because we got 3 of our 4 park tickets from Air Miles. For the adult pass, it's only costing $200 to upgrade from the free 5 day pass to a deluxe AP, so I figured that if we were to do 2 trips, we've more than made up for it. Plus, we'll be able to go into the parks on our arrival and departure days this time, which we hadn't done on previous trips.

 

[Aladora]

That's an easy one: SPLASH MOUNTAIN!

I thought the question about about favourite rides, not LEAST favourite ones!

In all of DL and DCA there are two rides I will not go near ever. Splash and Screamin'.

 

[scrapshappen]

As a teacher, I think you can classify a trip to Disneyland as "Enrichment", so even if your son doesn't continue with the gifted program, you're still furthering his education!

I love the way you think. We have pulled him out for trips in the past for sure. It just gets harder the older he gets. He missed 8 days of school last November to go on a Disney Cruise. (It wasn't suppose to be like that. He started the school year on a year round schedule and was suppose to be off track for the cruise. Then right after the PIF date for our cruise, he got accepted into the program and we moved him over). However, it also killed us to have him make up all that work, even at the beginning of a quarter. So we've decided maybe a day here and there, but not a whole week ever again!

And no, I can't keep it all straight. All I know is that if nothing changes and we stay at two schools, I have one kid or the other and sometime both out of school from May 3-September 2. For a mom that loves her kids more when they are in school, that's a LONG summer.

Thankfully I have Disneyland to look forward too.

 

[Rubygoose]

I thought the question about about favourite rides, not LEAST favourite ones!

In all of DL and DCA there are two rides I will not go near ever. Splash and Screamin'.

Ha ha! Susan, I think you and I are polar opposites! I LOVE Splash, with Screamin a close second! And I will never, ever, ever ride Space Mountain again! I thought I might run into you when we're at the parks on the same days, but probably not

 

[pigby]

Can I join please

Our dates are 30th August to 11th September - Desert Palms and then staying at a private apartment in Hollywood.

 

[sleepymouse]

That's an easy one: SPLASH MOUNTAIN!

It is my favorite too!!!