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

[scrapshappen]

My favorite place to take photos is Toontown. I have pictures of my kids trying to lift the dumbell and break out of jail from every trip. And we always get a group shot of everyone we are there with on the Toontown Fire Engine.

 

[Rubygoose]

My favorite place to take photos is Toontown. I have pictures of my kids trying to lift the dumbell and break out of jail from every trip. And we always get a group shot of everyone we are there with on the Toontown Fire Engine.

The dumbell in Toon Town is a photo opp that we now avoid like the plague! On our trip in 2012, DD (5 at the time) was playing with the dumbell and had her back to the camera when DH was trying to take her picture. We kept trying to get her to go to the other side and she didn't understand, then finally she JUMPED over the dumbell, hooked her foot on it and cut open her chin on the pavement! We had to take her to the emergency room to get stitches. On our 2013 trip, we didn't spend very long in Toon Town, and stayed far away from the dumbell! Maybe this year we should get a picture of her holding her chin next to the dumbell!

 

[tlovesdis]

I'm going August 1-4 with my niece and my cousin! We are staying at the Tropicana! Can't wait!!

 

[dec2009mama]

Just paid the balance of our trip so it's official -trip #2 of 2014!

I can start making dining reservation soon too - not going to make too many though

 

[gerilyne]

Just paid the balance of our trip so it's official -trip #2 of 2014!

I can start making dining reservation soon too - not going to make too many though

Congratulations!!!! Always a great feeling when it is paid off!!

 

[Aladora]

On the way to school today my son randomly started asking about going back to Disneyland. He told me that it had been "so so so so so very long" since we were there and that he would really love to go back soon.

I did remind him that we are going on vacation in 3 weeks and that some people only get to go to DL once in their lives and that he was really lucky to have gone so many times already.

It was so hard not to spill the secret about our August trip!!!

 

[Rubygoose]

On the way to school today my son randomly started asking about going back to Disneyland. He told me that it had been "so so so so so very long" since we were there and that he would really love to go back soon.

I did remind him that we are going on vacation in 3 weeks and that some people only get to go to DL once in their lives and that he was really lucky to have gone so many times already.

It was so hard not to spill the secret about our August trip!!!

Uh-oh! He's onto you!

I'm kind of wishing I hadn't told DS4 about our trip, as he's telling EVERYONE he meets at the grocery store and at the park that we're going to Disneyland and Legoland. I had to have a talk with him about bragging because it's getting out of control!

 

[Rubygoose]

Just a reminder... we have a closed group on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AugDisDlr/

We only have 14 members, and you're all welcome to join!

 

[nervous1sttimer]

I am starting to get really antsy about planning for our Aug 25-31st trip. I thought I had a rough game plan, but now I think I need to start all over from scratch. I'm trying to balance out when to use the MM and whether or not we can see F! and/or WOC with our young kids (5 and 7) when we will be on EST and I'll need some early nights before the DDD races. I also want to solidify any dining reservations or F! dessert packages we might be interested in, but it makes me crazy that they won't post official operating hours or entertainment schedule until weeks after the reservations need to be made.

I am really used to the WDW style of advanced planning and feel like this trip (our first to DLR) is pretty loosey goosey, fly by the seat of our pants. There's nothing wrong with that - except all the threads about crushing crowd levels makes me nervous without a game plan. This might be a one-and-done trip to DLR for us, so I'd like to be able to plan everything out in advance to be sure we squeeze it all in.

 

[disneymath]

I am starting to get really antsy about planning for our Aug 25-31st trip. I thought I had a rough game plan, but now I think I need to start all over from scratch. I'm trying to balance out when to use the MM and whether or not we can see F! and/or WOC with our young kids (5 and 7) when we will be on EST and I'll need some early nights before the DDD races. I also want to solidify any dining reservations or F! dessert packages we might be interested in, but it makes me crazy that they won't post official operating hours or entertainment schedule until weeks after the reservations need to be made. I am really used to the WDW style of advanced planning and feel like this trip (our first to DLR) is pretty loosey goosey, fly by the seat of our pants. There's nothing wrong with that - except all the threads about crushing crowd levels makes me nervous without a game plan. This might be a one-and-done trip to DLR for us, so I'd like to be able to plan everything out in advance to be sure we squeeze it all in.

I hear you. We're there just before you, same aged kids and also from the eastern side of the continent, also our first visit to DL. Hoping all goes well, assuming it will since it is Disney after all! Going to try to book some dining over the next few days, but it is a bit strange since there are no official park hours posted yet.

 

[Aladora]

I am starting to get really antsy about planning for our Aug 25-31st trip. I thought I had a rough game plan, but now I think I need to start all over from scratch. I'm trying to balance out when to use the MM and whether or not we can see F! and/or WOC with our young kids (5 and 7) when we will be on EST and I'll need some early nights before the DDD races. I also want to solidify any dining reservations or F! dessert packages we might be interested in, but it makes me crazy that they won't post official operating hours or entertainment schedule until weeks after the reservations need to be made.

I am really used to the WDW style of advanced planning and feel like this trip (our first to DLR) is pretty loosey goosey, fly by the seat of our pants. There's nothing wrong with that - except all the threads about crushing crowd levels makes me nervous without a game plan. This might be a one-and-done trip to DLR for us, so I'd like to be able to plan everything out in advance to be sure we squeeze it all in.

I hear you. We're there just before you, same aged kids and also from the eastern side of the continent, also our first visit to DL. Hoping all goes well, assuming it will since it is Disney after all! Going to try to book some dining over the next few days, but it is a bit strange since there are no official park hours posted yet.

This thread might help you guys out:

Historical DL Park Hours

It's not 100% guaranteed to be accurate, it should give you a good guess about the hours and entertainment schedule!

 

[zanzibar138]

I am starting to get really antsy about planning for our Aug 25-31st trip. I thought I had a rough game plan, but now I think I need to start all over from scratch. I'm trying to balance out when to use the MM and whether or not we can see F! and/or WOC with our young kids (5 and 7) when we will be on EST and I'll need some early nights before the DDD races. I also want to solidify any dining reservations or F! dessert packages we might be interested in, but it makes me crazy that they won't post official operating hours or entertainment schedule until weeks after the reservations need to be made.

I know what you mean. I really wanted to see WOC with DH as it's where he proposed But the only time he's available to see it would be the Wednesday or Thursday night before the 5k or the 10k. Knowing that I'll have to be at the corrals by 4:30am the next morning, I've realised we'll have to ditch it from our itinerary We'll also have the Saturday night available to watch F!, but after such an early start, I doubt we'll make it that late

I think if it might be your only trip to DLR, you should make an effort to see them. I would do it on your first 2 nights before you have to worry about early mornings. If you're worried about not being able to stay up due to time difference, an afternoon nap might help. On the other hand, forcing yourself to stay up can help you get into the new time zone quicker and minimise the effects of jetlag for the rest of your trip

 

[disneymath]

This thread might help you guys out:

Historical DL Park Hours

It's not 100% guaranteed to be accurate, it should give you a good guess about the hours and entertainment schedule!

Thanks for this, if last August was any indication, both World of Colour and Fantasmic! will take place twice each night the entire time we are there ... so that consideration is no longer a big in terms of what to do each day.

I had started a thread asking about our tentative itinerary a while back ... and while it appears to have been read lots, I didn't get any feedback! I've linked it here just in case any folks here feel like offering their input!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3281234

 

[Rubygoose]

Thanks for this, if last August was any indication, both World of Colour and Fantasmic! will take place twice each night the entire time we are there ... so that consideration is no longer a big in terms of what to do each day.

I had started a thread asking about our tentative itinerary a while back ... and while it appears to have been read lots, I didn't get any feedback! I've linked it here just in case any folks here feel like offering their input!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3281234

I looked over your thread/post and I'm not really sure what you are asking. Since you're staying onsite, you don't have to worry about which day to use your Magic Morning, since you get EE each day of your stay. Also, since you're from the East Coast, you'll be able to get up early even if EE is at 7am. You have hoppers, so start your day at whichever park is open for EE that day and then park hop after that. I found it best to get all of the "big" rides done during EE and in the first couple hours of the morning and then go back to the hotel for a pool break and then return to the parks for parades/shows in the late afternoon/evening. Since you have so many days, you might want to plan them around which parks offer EE. Sat, Tues and Thurs are Disneyland and Sun, Mon, Weds, Fri are DCA.

 

[dec2009mama]

i really wish I had signed up for the disney run 5K Friday morning (29th) -- our return date is the 28th but if I had thought this thru better I should have flown us home on the night of the 29th rather than the 28th

would have been nice to have a 5K disney run under my belt before I do tinkerbell in may -- really excited for that trip!

 

[gerilyne]

I am happy to report all the dining reservations we were planning on have been made for the trip. Sunday the 10th is dinner at Steakhouse 55 (was supposed to be Napa Rose but they will be closed during our trip) Tuesday is lunch at Café New Orleans and Wed. dinner at Blue Bayou. We always have one dinner at BB and the other 2 will be the first time at each.

getting closer and closer...I can't wait!!!!

 

[disneymath]

I looked over your thread/post and I'm not really sure what you are asking. Since you're staying onsite, you don't have to worry about which day to use your Magic Morning, since you get EE each day of your stay. Also, since you're from the East Coast, you'll be able to get up early even if EE is at 7am. You have hoppers, so start your day at whichever park is open for EE that day and then park hop after that. I found it best to get all of the "big" rides done during EE and in the first couple hours of the morning and then go back to the hotel for a pool break and then return to the parks for parades/shows in the late afternoon/evening. Since you have so many days, you might want to plan them around which parks offer EE. Sat, Tues and Thurs are Disneyland and Sun, Mon, Weds, Fri are DCA.

Thanks for your input. Part of what I was /am trying to figure out is what days to have as our park days and what days to have as non-park, and whether one park is typically less busy than the other on any given day of the week. (I think this is the WDW influence at play, since there certain parks tend to be busier on certain days of the week regardless of season.). Since we've found that avoiding EMHs at WDW works for us, I keep second guessing the EE benefit at DLR (though your post seems to confirm what I've read elsewhere about it really being a benefit).

We discussed it a bit tonight and think we'll use Saturday as a park day and Sunday (hotel switch day) as a day off. We were learning towards DCA on Saturday, but as you pointed out, we could start at DL for EE then hop.

 

[Rubygoose]

Thanks for your input. Part of what I was /am trying to figure out is what days to have as our park days and what days to have as non-park, and whether one park is typically less busy than the other on any given day of the week. (I think this is the WDW influence at play, since there certain parks tend to be busier on certain days of the week regardless of season.). Since we've found that avoiding EMHs at WDW works for us, I keep second guessing the EE benefit at DLR (though your post seems to confirm what I've read elsewhere about it really being a benefit).

We discussed it a bit tonight and think we'll use Saturday as a park day and Sunday (hotel switch day) as a day off. We were learning towards DCA on Saturday, but as you pointed out, we could start at DL for EE then hop.

I haven't been to WDW so I don't really understand why anyone would avoid EE. On our trip last July we attended EE on all 5 of our park days. I found EE at DCA was less crowded because it's only hotel guests. We went straight to RSR one morning, then started at TOT on another EE morning and rode most of what was opened during EE. At DL it was more crowded because of the guests with MM.

 

[disneymath]

I haven't been to WDW so I don't really understand why anyone would avoid EE. On our trip last July we attended EE on all 5 of our park days. I found EE at DCA was less crowded because it's only hotel guests. We went straight to RSR one morning, then started at TOT on another EE morning and rode most of what was opened during EE. At DL it was more crowded because of the guests with MM.

Because there are SO MANY onsite guests at WDW at any given time, the extra magic hours tend to be VERY crowded (at least the times of year we tend to go) ... especially the evening ones ... that many park veterans avoid the park with early entry / late closing in favour of a less hectic/crowded experience.

We haven't made it to a morning rope drop or early entry in a few years since we tend to be a bit slower to get started in the morning ... however, since we will likely be up early due to the time change, I think we will try EE the first few days at DL.

 

[Random Ninja]

I haven't had a chance to read through the whole thread yet, y'all have been busy. I'm going to CA for an ice skating competition in Burbank in early August so I decided to add a bit of Disneyland time to my trip. This'll be my 2nd trip to CA in recent years (I grew up in Vegas before moving back to FL). The competition is from August 8-10 and I plan to arrive on the 5th or 6th and stay til the 11th. I'm staying at the Extended Stay by Garden Walk because I'll have a rental car and I need a kitchen. I know it'll be a lot of traveling back and forth to the rink but I want the ability to go to DLR around my competition schedule. Now I just have to wait for the schedule to come out so I can plan the rest of my trip.