****Official August 2015 Check-In Thread****

[Aladora]

It cleared up last night and night time shows happened! Blue Bayou dinner was good-only had to wait a few minutes for a waterfront table and service and atmosphere were very good. Shrimp cocktail was meh-I think the gumbo is the best app choice. Surf and turf was fabulous-lobster tough but steak and sides were amazing. A little annoyed with my 18 year old who wanted to order the kids Mac n cheese cause nothing "sounded good"-for $62. Waiter talked her into letting them make her a pasta primavera that was delicious. Still, $400 for dinner with no alcohol about killed me.

HOWEVER, when Fantasmic started it all seemed worth it. Haven't seen the show in years and we were all blown away-and location was amazing. Fireworks cool too, but F! is definitely the hit here. Kids were just mesmerized, especially the teenagers.

Today is a no-park day after two long days. Hate being so close and not going in, but we all needed the break. MM tomorrow. Overcast and only 70 and windy right now-kids are swimming but not looking like a good beach day. Might do Tar Pits or might just take it easy, hit Farrell's, etc. Three more park days to come!

We've made a point of doing more shows this trip-they are my husband's favorite and that's been fun. Aladdin, Playhouse Disney, two shows last night, Frozen singalong. Still have the Magical Map and the DL Frozen show on our list-I'm sure I'm missing others too.

So glad that the weather cleared up and you were able to see the shows! I totally agree with your assessment about BB...I have a hard time paying that much for a meal without wine!

This is our first trip with DS since he turned 10 last month and I'm worried that he is going to be like your DD, only wanting to eat off the kids menu even though we have to pay the adult price for him. He's still a wee little guy and even though he could definitely pass for 9 (let's be honest, he might even be able to pass for 8!), he is 10 so unless we get some pixie dust we are going to have to pay the adult price for any big meal for him.

 

[Winnowill]

Well, today is our departure day. And my child woke up with a 101-degree fever.

 

[tiffjoy]

Well, today is our departure day. And my child woke up with a 101-degree fever.

Oh, no! Are you flying or driving? I hope you can get into a doctor and get the kiddo well. Sick for vacation stinks.

 

[Aladora]

Well, today is our departure day. And my child woke up with a 101-degree fever.

Oh no!!!

DS has been sick on two of our DL trips, it really does suck. Hope your little one feels better quickly!

 

[Winnowill]

Oh, no! Are you flying or driving? I hope you can get into a doctor and get the kiddo well. Sick for vacation stinks.

We are driving, fortunately. And her pattern for these things is usually one day of being pretty sick, being 80% okay the next, and 100% by day 3. So, hopefully, she'll be back to her normal self by Sunday. She is still determined to go, though.

 

[nancy drew]

I'm getting really scared about our trip. I have 2 friends who were there in the last 2 weeks and both of them have left me very worried about the crowds, heat, crowds, and crowds. We go to WDW during winter break, so I am familiar with crowds, but I feel like it is somehow going to be worse than that.

 

[Aladora]

We are driving, fortunately. And her pattern for these things is usually one day of being pretty sick, being 80% okay the next, and 100% by day 3. So, hopefully, she'll be back to her normal self by Sunday. She is still determined to go, though.

Here's hoping she keeps up with this pattern!

I'm getting really scared about our trip. I have 2 friends who were there in the last 2 weeks and both of them have left me very worried about the crowds, heat, crowds, and crowds. We go to WDW during winter break, so I am familiar with crowds, but I feel like it is somehow going to be worse than that.

I'm not sure what the weather is like when you usually go to WDW but we've been to DL 3 times in August and once in September and the only time I found the heat to be almost unbearable was the September trip when it got over 40C. That was also the one trip when the crowds were too much for us to deal with. Although to be fair about the crowds, the one day that was too much was the first day of Hallowe'en AND Friday the 13th as well, so the crowds were to be expected. We've traditionally found Spring Break crowds worse than August ones but this year bring the 60th anniversary throws all predictions off.

My best advice is this:

Go early, we always find that by 2pm the crowds are at their peak. We usually go back to the hotel after lunch and take a break while the crowds are highest then go back to the parks later in the afternoon after we have had a chance to rest and relax.

Stay hydrated! We have been buying a flat of water each trip and we typically go through all 24 bottles in 5 days plus a few more in addition to getting free ice water at ever CS meal. (DS and I can't stand the tap or water fountain water in DL so we only drink bottled water or the free CS cups of water.) When we leave the hotel in the morning, DH will have a bottle, DS will have one in his backpack and I will carry one as well. DS and DH are not as good at remembering to stay hydrated so I have to remind them to drink up! If you are staying offsite on Harbor Blvd, the little store at the Park Vue Inn has the best price for water, as does the Denny's next door...or at least they did last August.

Find some cool places to relax when things get hot and/or crowded. DS's favourite place to chill out is the Main Street Cinema. He's autistic so can get overwhelmed by the crowds, so he loves to go and watch the cartoons here. It's air conditioned, low light level and is usually empty or nearly so.

Take breaks and don't push yourself or the kids. Nothing good ever comes from trying to stay longer than anyone can cope and usually something bad comes from it!

Pick the rides that are on your "must do" list and either get FPs for those right away or go ride those first.

 

[limace]

It's really been fine this week-and we've done August and July trips before. Absolutely busy, so get your butt to the park early and either leave or hop to DCA when DL gets crazy.

 

[earthboundfaerie]

So, I just realized we're hitting the parks on the first 2 days that annual passes get unblocked. I'm assuming this mean bigger crowds? :/ We aren't getting park hoppers (I'm 32 weeks pregnant and will be with 2 toddlers, so I don't think we'll be up for walking between the parks) so we're planning to be in Disneyland on the 16th (Sunday), DCA on the 17th because of EMH, and then Disneyland again on the 18th, also for early entry. Any tips on how we can make sure we still make the most out of our trip? We were thinking that since I'm going to be a bit limited as far as what rides I can go on because of pregnancy and the little ones (ages 3 and 1 1/2), this trip was going to be more relaxed and focused on shows.I guess Paint The Night, Disneyland Forever, World of Color, Fantasmic, Mickey & the Magical Map, Disney Junior are our priorities when it comes to our must-watch shows. Any tips on how we can make sure we get good spots for these? I'm a little nervous about having to sit on the ground for hours, but also want to make sure we get spots where my little ones will be able to see the shows. Thanks in advance, everyone!!

 

[earthboundfaerie]

Well, today is our departure day. And my child woke up with a 101-degree fever.

I hope your little one is feeling better!!!

 

[brianerickson]

If I had to guess with the passholder stuff (again, I've never been to Disneyland specifically, where that kind of stuff is more common), really the only stuff they're going to be interested in is all of the 60th anniversary festivities; basically, just don't expect to get a good spot for Paint the Night, is what I'm guessing

That, and if there's any sort of extra crowding, that won't be until later in the day anyway when people get off work; I could definitely be wrong though

Also, I've been stressing about about that a bit myself, since this is my first ever visit to any Disney Parks, but I've somehow come to terms with it? I don't know why, but I think I've been able to trick myself into thinking everything is going to be alright

 

[Aladora]

So, I just realized we're hitting the parks on the first 2 days that annual passes get unblocked. I'm assuming this mean bigger crowds? :/ We aren't getting park hoppers (I'm 32 weeks pregnant and will be with 2 toddlers, so I don't think we'll be up for walking between the parks) so we're planning to be in Disneyland on the 16th (Sunday), DCA on the 17th because of EMH, and then Disneyland again on the 18th, also for early entry. Any tips on how we can make sure we still make the most out of our trip? We were thinking that since I'm going to be a bit limited as far as what rides I can go on because of pregnancy and the little ones (ages 3 and 1 1/2), this trip was going to be more relaxed and focused on shows.I guess Paint The Night, Disneyland Forever, World of Color, Fantasmic, Mickey & the Magical Map, Disney Junior are our priorities when it comes to our must-watch shows. Any tips on how we can make sure we get good spots for these? I'm a little nervous about having to sit on the ground for hours, but also want to make sure we get spots where my little ones will be able to see the shows. Thanks in advance, everyone!!

I'm not sure about the AP question but I wanted to mention that you might also want to add the Aladdin show to your list. The nighttime shows might be too late for your little ones, depending on how late they stay awake.

Aug 16 and 18 has PTN at 8:50 and 10:45, F! at 9:00 and 10:45 and the fireworks at 9:30.
Aug 17 has WOC at 9:00 and 10:15

I would sit down now and make a list of your must do attractions and be sure to hit those first. With the ages of your little ones, I would definitely take them to Toon Town to explore the character houses. In DCA, they will love Bug's Land and if it is hot, they will love the water play area there.

For us, we always get hoppers. We take a midday break back at the hotel so it has never been a problem walking between the parks. It really is quite close to get from one to the other and I love being able to pop over to DCA if/when DL gets busy. We usually hop at least once per day but have done up to each park twice in one day once.

A great place to take the little ones to cool off is the Main St Cinema that I mentioned upthread. Also, from what I have read, the baby care centres are just wonderful although DS was 6 on his first trip so we have never checked them out. There is one in each park and they are really helpful.

 

[Aladora]

I'm just so excited! We leave exactly 2 weeks today!

I think I have everything all sorted out and as much paid in advance as I can. (The Canadian dollar tanking has been stressing me out so I have tried to pay for as much in CAD as possible and pay for the other stuff in USD as soon as I could.)

I'm trying to get everything organized in my mind, so please feel free to ignore this post, it helps me to write everything down!

Flights - booked and paid for.
Hotel near Universal - booked and paid for.
Town car from Universal to Anaheim - booked, paid for and pick up time set for 4pm
PVI for 2 nights - booked and first night paid for
PPH for 3 nights - booked and paid for
4 day PH - bought and paid for
Napa Rose dinner - reservation made
Pinocchio's Workshop - reservation made

I think I have everything done...now to try and not lose my mind over the next 14 days!

PTN and the fireworks are weighing on my mind. (I know how silly THAT sounds!) DH really wants to see the fireworks but a) I'm not sure if DS will stay up late enough to see them b) I'm not sure if DS has the patience to wait as long as we will have to in order to get a good view and finally c) I'm really concerned about how DS will cope with the crowds while waiting for and watching the fireworks.

I know..so many first world problems...

 

[theworldneedscolor]

I'm pretty worried about the crowds during our trip, since we have never experienced summer at Disney. We'll be in the parks the 28th and the 29th, so a Saturday and Sunday. Anyone have experience with this time frame?

 

[Rubygoose]

Question of the week
What ride are you most looking forward to? What are you least looking forward to? (ie. What rides will your family try to drag you onto against your will?) What shows/entertainment are you looking forward to?
(And for those who are back from their trips already: what rides and shows did you enjoy the most/least on you trip?)

We have 3 more days until our trip! Anyone else who wants to post a QOTW next weekend is welcome to, since I'll be a little busy!

 

[Aladora]

I'm pretty worried about the crowds during our trip, since we have never experienced summer at Disney. We'll be in the parks the 28th and the 29th, so a Saturday and Sunday. Anyone have experience with this time frame?

We've gone the last week of August a few times and while it has been busy, it has never been CRAZY BUSY.

Having said that, no one really knows what to expect this year. Typically, the first weekend after all the APs are unblocked is pretty crazy. The unblock date is Aug 17 so by the time you get there, it should be a bit calmer. Labour Day is really late this year, but many of the schools go back before that which could make that weekend busy as locals take their kids to DL for a treat after school starts.

Question of the week
What ride are you most looking forward to? What are you least looking forward to? (ie. What rides will your family try to drag you onto against your will?) What shows/entertainment are you looking forward to?
(And for those who are back from their trips already: what rides and shows did you enjoy the most/least on you trip?)

We have 3 more days until our trip! Anyone else who wants to post a QOTW next weekend is welcome to, since I'll be a little busy!

I love, love love TOT and can't wait to ride it again.

DS and DH love Screamin' and I do not but the deal this trip was that we were going to ride everything that any of us wanted to ride so I will have to go on it again.

None of us like Splash, so we will ALL be giving that a miss!

 

[Rubygoose]

Question of the week
What ride are you most looking forward to? What are you least looking forward to? (ie. What rides will your family try to drag you onto against your will?) What shows/entertainment are you looking forward to?
(And for those who are back from their trips already: what rides and shows did you enjoy the most/least on you trip?)

I'm most looking forward to trying Indy for the first time. The kids didn't measure up on previous trips, but they're both tall enough now. DD was tall enough last year, but we grabbed FPs and the return time was too close to Fantasmic, so we skipped it. Then she decided that she wanted to leave Indy as the only ride she hasn't been on, so that she'll have something to look forward to (pretty wise for a 7 year old, eh?) We rode Dinosaur at WDW, and the ladies behind us screamed so much that it was really annoying. When we got off, DS said "Did you hear me screaming?" and I had no idea that he was screaming too, I thought it was just the young women! He didn't like the dinosaur part of Dinosaur, but he liked the ride vehicle itself.

The rides that I avoid the most are spinny things like the tea cups and the lady bugs in bugs land. I also don't do Space Mountain! The kids will make me go on Goofy's sky school, but I've figured out that if I follow the track with my eyes and anticipate the turns, I won't get motion sickness. And I didn't have a problem with the silly swings at night, but I can't ride them in the day time.

For shows, I'm really looking forward to seeing Paint the Night and the new fire works. We don't often stay late enough for the night time stuff, but we'll try this year. We're also going to see WOC, which we skipped last year.

 

[Rubygoose]

We've gone the last week of August a few times and while it has been busy, it has never been CRAZY BUSY.

Having said that, no one really knows what to expect this year. Typically, the first weekend after all the APs are unblocked is pretty crazy. The unblock date is Aug 17 so by the time you get there, it should be a bit calmer. Labour Day is really late this year, but many of the schools go back before that which could make that weekend busy as locals take their kids to DL for a treat after school starts.




I love, love love TOT and can't wait to ride it again.

DS and DH love Screamin' and I do not but the deal this trip was that we were going to ride everything that any of us wanted to ride so I will have to go on it again.

None of us like Splash, so we will ALL be giving that a miss!

You should try Splash Mountain when you go to WDW. We LOVE Splash in Disneyland, but found the one in WDW to be pretty tame in comparison. The fronts and sides of the logs come up a lot higher, you sit side by side, there's a lap bar, and I don't think the dark drop is very bad at all. I don't remember getting wet at all on that one.

 

[heidica]

PTN and the fireworks are weighing on my mind. (I know how silly THAT sounds!) DH really wants to see the fireworks but a) I'm not sure if DS will stay up late enough to see them b) I'm not sure if DS has the patience to wait as long as we will have to in order to get a good view and finally c) I'm really concerned about how DS will cope with the crowds while waiting for and watching the fireworks.

I know..so many first world problems...

You must have read my mind! I'm having the same problem. Looks like our trips will overlap. We fly down from Seattle late on the 20th, with first day in the parks on 21st and last day in the parks on the 25th. I've learned over the years to make sure to see big entertainment like parades and fireworks at the beginning of the trip, in case they are cancelled and then you have a few days to work it in. But the idea of dedicating so much time to see the first PTN parade and then fireworks is just gnawing at me. I know it will work out in the end but I still worry.

 

[earthboundfaerie]

I'm not sure about the AP question but I wanted to mention that you might also want to add the Aladdin show to your list. The nighttime shows might be too late for your little ones, depending on how late they stay awake.

Aug 16 and 18 has PTN at 8:50 and 10:45, F! at 9:00 and 10:45 and the fireworks at 9:30.
Aug 17 has WOC at 9:00 and 10:15

I would sit down now and make a list of your must do attractions and be sure to hit those first. With the ages of your little ones, I would definitely take them to Toon Town to explore the character houses. In DCA, they will love Bug's Land and if it is hot, they will love the water play area there.

For us, we always get hoppers. We take a midday break back at the hotel so it has never been a problem walking between the parks. It really is quite close to get from one to the other and I love being able to pop over to DCA if/when DL gets busy. We usually hop at least once per day but have done up to each park twice in one day once.

A great place to take the little ones to cool off is the Main St Cinema that I mentioned upthread. Also, from what I have read, the baby care centres are just wonderful although DS was 6 on his first trip so we have never checked them out. There is one in each park and they are really helpful.

Thanks so much for the tips, Aladora! We will definitely hit up Main St Cinema on this trip as we've never done that on previous visits.

We absolutely love Alladin! We saw it a couple of years ago though, so while I would love to see it again, it isn't high on our priority list. We've never seen Mickey and the Magical Map though and Disney Junior and I'm sure my tiny tots would appreciate those more. ;p

We are planning to take midday breaks and they're little night owls so I don't think they will have a problem with waiting for the shows, especially if we try and see the first ones. We might just go to the 1015 show of WoC though, just because we only have one day in DCA and we'd love to have that extra time in the evening to walk around in Cars Land and maybe see the Mad T Party band.

Oh and thanks for reminding me about the water play area at Bugs Land! We will definitely hit that up before heading back to the hotel for our midday break!

As for Park Hoppers, we kind of had to choose between getting park hoppers and staying on-site, budget-wise. We decided to splurge on Disneyland Hotel, and try to save a bit by just getting one-park-a-day tickets. Since the kids are still so small, we won't really get to go on most of the rides in DCA (2 out of 3 aren't even old enough for RSR), I'm hoping that one day in DCA will be enough. Our must-dos there are Toy Story Mania, Monsters Inc, Disney Junior, Pixar Play Parade, WoC, and everything else is really just bonus for us.