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

[j2thomason]

We leave early Sunday morning!! We fly out very early and hope to be in the park shortly after lunch. We are WDW APs. This will be my daughter's 2nd trip and my 6th. We couldn't pass up a chance to celebrate the 60th anniversary. We can't wait to see all of the new nighttime entertainment. We will probably instagram some pictures, too. We have been researching and planning for months....so super excited!!

 

[DisTXMom]

We will be there 8/11-8/16. DLH. First trip to DLR- can't wait!!!

 

[Aladora]

We got back from the cottage yesterday so it is definitely time to update this list! I think I have added everyone, but please let me know if I have missed you!


August 1
amyg1975 Aug 1-2
cgh Aug 1-6 DLH

August 2
j2thomason Aug 2-6 Camelot
momof4fans Aug 2-8 Park Vue Inn
gerilyne Aug 2-8
Mama Mia Aug 2-8 Courtyard Irvine

August 3
Pixie Dust x3 Aug 3-4 Candy Cane Inn
beachdreamr1229 Aug 3-5 HOJO
auteur55 Aug 2-6 DLH
Disneyanajc Aug 3-7 PPH

August 4
rentayenta Aug 4-7 Anaheim Hilton/Seal Beach
sc426 Aug 4-7 GCH (Leader of the Band)
NorthernCalMom Aug 4-9 DLH
Limace Aug 4-11 Springhill Convention Centre

August 5

August 6
alchrismom Aug 6-10

August 7
Winnowill Aug 7-12

August 8
pamcarey Aug 8-16
jessicalynn88 Aug 8-14

August 9
Elk Grove Chris Aug 9-11 Carousel Inn
kindra657 Aug 9-12
czmom Aug 9-14 VGC
vkandrew Aug 9-14 DI&S
jkolkemo Aug 9-16
PatMcDuck Aug 9-16 GCH/PP split

August 10
coloredimage Aug 10-13
Luv_Tink Aug 10-14
Sjwillia Aug 10-14 Best Western Park Place Inn
jlyanks85 Aug 10-15 DLH
DLSean22 - Aug 10-15 PVI
Halloweenqueen Aug 10-17 Desert Inn

August 11
jhoannam Aug 11-13 Castle Inn
nana50 Aug 11-13 Sheraton
PrncessA Aug 11-13 Desert Palms
AnnMarBill Aug 11-15
DisTXMom Aug 11-16 DLH
Rubygoose Aug 11-19 HOJO/GCH

August 12
dbuckho Aug 12-15 DLH
sharksfinatic17 Aug 12-16
CynthiaC925 Aug 12-17 Hyatt

August 13
jewdmeister Aug 13
audrey2580 Aug 13-15 GCH
woodlygrrl Aig 13-15
PlutoJenn Aug 13-16 PVI
Missyrose Aug 13-17 Hilton Anaheim
Brumeiser Aug 13-17 Hilton Anaheim

August 14
ScrtSolstice Aug 14-16
Pygmypuff07 Aug 14-21
Spunky946 Aug 14-21 Embassy Suites
tiffjoy Aug 14-23 CCI

August 15
bfost87 Aug 15-16 Marriott Suites
Karbase8 Aug 15-20 DLH
Golf4food Aug 15-21 HOJO/GCH

August 16
dorchrislen Aug 16-17 Hotel Menage
brianerickson Aug 16-19

August 17

August 18
Girlie1 Aug 18-22 VGC
Duckwife Aug 18-22 DI&S
michelle1177 Aug 18-24 Hojo

August 19
JustCallMeVee Aug 19-21 Ramada Maingate

August 20

August 21
heidica Aug 21-26 BWPPI

August 22
Dizzy4DL Aug 22-26 BW
marx Aug 22-26 GCH
jillyasu425 Aug 22-26 PPH
Imdboss Aug 22-28 Embassy Suites S
Joyful Disney Aug 22-28 Tropicana
Tinker1972 Aug 22-29 Tropicana
Rjmdds Aug 22-30 GCH

August 23
Cameo818 Aug 23-27 PPH
Aladora Aug 23-28 DI&S
pinky Aug 23-28 GCH
DnA2010 Aug 23-29 Desert Inn and Suites
wildflower329 Aug 23-29 Park Vue Inn

August 24

August 25
maryjeane Aug 25-29 Castle Inn

August 26
Michaisgood54 Aug 26-39 BW Inn & Suites
DaveNinja Aug 26-31
pattyduke34 Aug 26-31
Ckmommy72 Aug 26-Sep 2

August 27
theworldneedscolor Aug 27-28
Mickeybell Aug 27-31 PPH
buttercup14 Aug 27-31

August 28
mlnbabies Aug 28-30 Holiday Inn
DWillowBay Aug 28-Sep 4

August 29

August 30

August 31

Unknown dates:
ndpeirce
scubamouse
ixmnrs

 

[sc426]

Wrong dates for us. We will be at Disneyland Aug 4-7. Aug 10-17 is our Disney cruise.

We got back from the cottage yesterday so it is definitely time to update this list! I think I have added everyone, but please let me know if I have missed you!


August 1
amyg1975 Aug 1-2
cgh Aug 1-6 DLH

August 2
j2thomason Aug 2-6 Camelot
momof4fans Aug 2-8 Park Vue Inn
gerilyne Aug 2-8
Mama Mia Aug 2-8 Courtyard Irvine

August 3
Pixie Dust x3 Aug 3-4 Candy Cane Inn
beachdreamr1229 Aug 3-5 HOJO
auteur55 Aug 2-6 DLH
Disneyanajc Aug 3-7 PPH

August 4
rentayenta Aug 4-7 Anaheim Hilton/Seal Beach
NorthernCalMom Aug 4-9 DLH
Limace Aug 4-11 Springhill Convention Centre

August 5

August 6
alchrismom Aug 6-10

August 7
Winnowill Aug 7-12

August 8
pamcarey Aug 8-16
jessicalynn88 Aug 8-14

August 9
Elk Grove Chris Aug 9-11 Carousel Inn
kindra657 Aug 9-12
czmom Aug 9-14 VGC
vkandrew Aug 9-14 DI&S
jkolkemo Aug 9-16
PatMcDuck Aug 9-16 GCH/PP split

August 10
coloredimage Aug 10-13
Luv_Tink Aug 10-14
Sjwillia Aug 10-14 Best Western Park Place Inn
jlyanks85 Aug 10-15 DLH
DLSean22 - Aug 10-15 PVI
sc426 Aug 10-17 GCH (Leader of the Band)
Halloweenqueen Aug 10-17 Desert Inn

August 11
jhoannam Aug 11-13 Castle Inn
nana50 Aug 11-13 Sheraton
PrncessA Aug 11-13 Desert Palms
AnnMarBill Aug 11-15
DisTXMom Aug 11-16 DLH
Rubygoose Aug 11-19 HOJO/GCH

August 12
dbuckho Aug 12-15 DLH
sharksfinatic17 Aug 12-16
CynthiaC925 Aug 12-17 Hyatt

August 13
audrey2580 Aug 13-15 GCH
woodlygrrl Aig 13-15
PlutoJenn Aug 13-16 PVI
Missyrose Aug 13-17 Hilton Anaheim
Brumeiser Aug 13-17 Hilton Anaheim

August 14
ScrtSolstice Aug 14-16
Pygmypuff07 Aug 14-21
Spunky946 Aug 14-21 Embassy Suites
tiffjoy Aug 14-23 CCI

August 15
bfost87 Aug 15-16 Marriott Suites
Karbase8 Aug 15-20 DLH
Golf4food Aug 15-21 HOJO/GCH

August 16
dorchrislen Aug 16-17 Hotel Menage
brianerickson Aug 16-19

August 17

August 18
Girlie1 Aug 18-22 VGC
Duckwife Aug 18-22 DI&S
michelle1177 Aug 18-24 Hojo

August 19
JustCallMeVee Aug 19-21 Ramada Maingate

August 20

August 21
heidica Aug 21-26 BWPPI

August 22
Dizzy4DL Aug 22-26 BW
marx Aug 22-26 GCH
jillyasu425 Aug 22-26 PPH
Imdboss Aug 22-28 Embassy Suites S
Joyful Disney Aug 22-28 Tropicana
Tinker1972 Aug 22-29 Tropicana
Rjmdds Aug 22-30 GCH

August 23
Cameo818 Aug 23-27 PPH
Aladora Aug 23-28 DI&S
pinky Aug 23-28 GCH
DnA2010 Aug 23-29 Desert Inn and Suites
wildflower329 Aug 23-29 Park Vue Inn

August 24

August 25
maryjeane Aug 25-29 Castle Inn

August 26
Michaisgood54 Aug 26-39 BW Inn & Suites
DaveNinja Aug 26-31
pattyduke34 Aug 26-31
Ckmommy72 Aug 26-Sep 2

August 27
theworldneedscolor Aug 27-28
Mickeybell Aug 27-31 PPH
buttercup14 Aug 27-31

August 28
mlnbabies Aug 28-30 Holiday Inn
DWillowBay Aug 28-Sep 4

August 29

August 30

August 31

Unknown dates:
ndpeirce
scubamouse
ixmnrs

 

[Rubygoose]

Can you make reservations for Rainforest?

Just to clarify... you can make dinner reservations at Rainforest cafe, but you can't make them online. Just phone them directly (I think the number must be on the website.) It's a good idea to have a reservation for dinner, or you'll end up waiting a very long time for a table.

 

[Aladora]

Wrong dates for us. We will be at Disneyland Aug 4-7. Aug 10-17 is our Disney cruise.

Fixed!

 

[Rubygoose]

Question of the week:

It's officially August! Some of us are leaving on our trips soon! (And some may have left already!) So, this week's QOTW is about packing:

Do you enjoy packing or is this something you dread?
How early do you start packing?
Do you have any packing tips/strategies?

 

[Rubygoose]

Do you enjoy packing or is this something you dread?
How early do you start packing?
Do you have any packing tips/strategies?

I actually look forward to packing because it means that we're going on a trip!
I start mentally packing about 2 weeks before a trip, making sure that I have everything that we need and keeping my eyes opened for sales on things we'll need like sunscreen etc. I will probably start putting things into suitcases about 2 or 3 days before the trip. When we went to DLR in September in 2011 and 2012 and to WDW in March, it was easier to pack early because we weren't wearing our summer clothes at home. It was really easy in September, because I just cleaned up the kids summer clothes from their drawers and put them right into the suitcases.

I have a few good packing hacks for DLR. The kids are always buying stuffies as souvenirs, so I pack an extra bag that's easy to squish into a suitcase pouch and it holds a lot of stuffies. This becomes one of our carry-ons on the way home, so I have to make sure I account for this in our baggage. On our WDW trip, instead of bringing an extra bag, I brought an extra suitcase. I put a carry-on suitcase inside a larger, checked suitcase and weighed it at home to make sure that it wouldn't be over the 50lb limit. That way we had a whole suitcase to load up with souvenirs! We also switched hotels quite a bit on that trip, so it was helpful to have an empty suitcase to put our dirty laundry in.

Here's another little tip that I really find useful: we bring some little bowls with plastic lids so that we can eat cereal in the hotel in the morning, or we put dry cereal in them and eat them on the walk. To wash the bowls, I bring a cut up sponge that I have presoaked in dish detergent and stored in a ziplock bag. The sponges come in handy for cleaning out water bottles and plastic souvenir cups. We also bring solo cups that come in a set with lids and straws. That way it's easy for the kids to have a cup of milk as we're walking to the gates.

We're doing a split stay on this trip, so when I pack the suitcases, I won't put all of one person's clothes into one suitcase. Instead, I'll pack by the segment of the trip. Like, the black suitcase is for the first 4 days and the red suitcase is for the second 4 days.

 

[cgh]

We are here now and need some pixie dust sent out way. It is just snafu after snafu. The trip started with my 20 month old getting car sick en route to the airport in the car seat that he sits in in the plane. Our diapers.com order was due to be delivered on Thursday and still has not arrived. I have dish soap in that order to wash bottles. On the plus side - LOVE Amazon fresh. Highly recommend.

Did goofy's last night and that was wonderful. Wish they had more characters but the ones there came to our table 3times! A tip- goofy was late and everyone was waiting for the photo. A server said you can do it after dinner tables are ready- so we skipped it. I think we were the first ones in! Wonderful! My 20 month old LOVED it - absolutely loved it. He was twirling napkins, clapping, pointing at characters and laughing. He has food allergies and the chef brought him a plate of food and he was in heaven. On the flip side, my 6 year old had fun but said-hey- is there a person in that costume- I can see his legs! The kids love the headboard (at dlh).

Ds6 did Jedi training today. It seemed really really hot. The waiting in the sun kind of did him in.

There have been a number of other snafus and we are navigating the time change. (I was up at 5 and kids at 530). One is napping now.

Oh- other highlights.the baby LOVED dumbo. He wanted to go again and again. Big brother, after conquering the Matterhorn had enough of those rides. (Though jumped in). I think some sleep for everyone will restart us. Hoping the snafus have stopped and any other 'changes to plan' are of the positive pixie dust variety. Our babysitter for tomorrow nights date night has canceled so I hope they find someone else. I'm a bit disappointed but that seems par for the course this vacation. Thankfully, everyone has pretty much rolled with the punches. We are in Disneyland so the wrinkles are easier to take.

Oh and no more take out menu at cafe Orleans?!? We tried to get some Mickey beignets.

Tomorrow is Carsland. And hopefully date night.

 

[sharksfinatic17]

We are here now and need some pixie dust sent out way. It is just snafu after snafu. The trip started with my 20 month old getting car sick en route to the airport in the car seat that he sits in in the plane. Our diapers.com order was due to be delivered on Thursday and still has not arrived. I have dish soap in that order to wash bottles. On the plus side - LOVE Amazon fresh. Highly recommend.

Did goofy's last night and that was wonderful. Wish they had more characters but the ones there came to our table 3times! A tip- goofy was late and everyone was waiting for the photo. A server said you can do it after dinner tables are ready- so we skipped it. I think we were the first ones in! Wonderful! My 20 month old LOVED it - absolutely loved it. He was twirling napkins, clapping, pointing at characters and laughing. He has food allergies and the chef brought him a plate of food and he was in heaven. On the flip side, my 6 year old had fun but said-hey- is there a person in that costume- I can see his legs! The kids love the headboard (at dlh).

Ds6 did Jedi training today. It seemed really really hot. The waiting in the sun kind of did him in.

There have been a number of other snafus and we are navigating the time change. (I was up at 5 and kids at 530). One is napping now.

Oh- other highlights.the baby LOVED dumbo. He wanted to go again and again. Big brother, after conquering the Matterhorn had enough of those rides. (Though jumped in). I think some sleep for everyone will restart us. Hoping the snafus have stopped and any other 'changes to plan' are of the positive pixie dust variety. Our babysitter for tomorrow nights date night has canceled so I hope they find someone else. I'm a bit disappointed but that seems par for the course this vacation. Thankfully, everyone has pretty much rolled with the punches. We are in Disneyland so the wrinkles are easier to take.

Oh and no more take out menu at cafe Orleans?!? We tried to get some Mickey beignets.

Tomorrow is Carsland. And hopefully date night.

You will find the Mickey beignets at the Mint Julep Bar which is on the train station side of the Cafe Orleans building.

 

[sharksfinatic17]

I actually look forward to packing because it means that we're going on a trip!
I start mentally packing about 2 weeks before a trip, making sure that I have everything that we need and keeping my eyes opened for sales on things we'll need like sunscreen etc. I will probably start putting things into suitcases about 2 or 3 days before the trip. When we went to DLR in September in 2011 and 2012 and to WDW in March, it was easier to pack early because we weren't wearing our summer clothes at home. It was really easy in September, because I just cleaned up the kids summer clothes from their drawers and put them right into the suitcases.

I have a few good packing hacks for DLR. The kids are always buying stuffies as souvenirs, so I pack an extra bag that's easy to squish into a suitcase pouch and it holds a lot of stuffies. This becomes one of our carry-ons on the way home, so I have to make sure I account for this in our baggage. On our WDW trip, instead of bringing an extra bag, I brought an extra suitcase. I put a carry-on suitcase inside a larger, checked suitcase and weighed it at home to make sure that it wouldn't be over the 50lb limit. That way we had a whole suitcase to load up with souvenirs! We also switched hotels quite a bit on that trip, so it was helpful to have an empty suitcase to put our dirty laundry in.

Here's another little tip that I really find useful: we bring some little bowls with plastic lids so that we can eat cereal in the hotel in the morning, or we put dry cereal in them and eat them on the walk. To wash the bowls, I bring a cut up sponge that I have presoaked in dish detergent and stored in a ziplock bag. The sponges come in handy for cleaning out water bottles and plastic souvenir cups. We also bring solo cups that come in a set with lids and straws. That way it's easy for the kids to have a cup of milk as we're walking to the gates.

We're doing a split stay on this trip, so when I pack the suitcases, I won't put all of one person's clothes into one suitcase. Instead, I'll pack by the segment of the trip. Like, the black suitcase is for the first 4 days and the red suitcase is for the second 4 days.

FYI - There are paper towels made by Bounty that have Dawn dish washing detergent in them. Super handy.

 

[Aladora]

Question of the week:

It's officially August! Some of us are leaving on our trips soon! (And some may have left already!) So, this week's QOTW is about packing:

Do you enjoy packing or is this something you dread?
How early do you start packing?
Do you have any packing tips/strategies?

We travel a fair bit (2-3 week long trips a year plus a few weekends mixed in) so I've pretty much got packing down a fine art. I have a travel set of almost all of my toiletries that is always packed so I just need to add a few things at the last minute such as my glasses, etc. DS is pretty easy to pack for, we don't do matching shirts or theme days so enough shorts, tees, socks and underwear plus one hoodie and he is done. DH grabs everything he wants and since I am a master packer, I will put everything into the suitcases. I've got a travel toiletry bag for each of them always packed and ready to go.

My only real challenge for packing is to avoid overpacking, always a tough one for me!

This summer so far has been a busy one for traveling. I took a 5 day trip to Ottawa in the middle of July and we just got back from a week at a cottage so it feels as though I barely unpack before I have to pack again! At least I have 3 weeks at home before I need to pack again.

We are here now and need some pixie dust sent out way. It is just snafu after snafu. The trip started with my 20 month old getting car sick en route to the airport in the car seat that he sits in in the plane. Our diapers.com order was due to be delivered on Thursday and still has not arrived. I have dish soap in that order to wash bottles. On the plus side - LOVE Amazon fresh. Highly recommend.

Did goofy's last night and that was wonderful. Wish they had more characters but the ones there came to our table 3times! A tip- goofy was late and everyone was waiting for the photo. A server said you can do it after dinner tables are ready- so we skipped it. I think we were the first ones in! Wonderful! My 20 month old LOVED it - absolutely loved it. He was twirling napkins, clapping, pointing at characters and laughing. He has food allergies and the chef brought him a plate of food and he was in heaven. On the flip side, my 6 year old had fun but said-hey- is there a person in that costume- I can see his legs! The kids love the headboard (at dlh).

Ds6 did Jedi training today. It seemed really really hot. The waiting in the sun kind of did him in.

There have been a number of other snafus and we are navigating the time change. (I was up at 5 and kids at 530). One is napping now.

Oh- other highlights.the baby LOVED dumbo. He wanted to go again and again. Big brother, after conquering the Matterhorn had enough of those rides. (Though jumped in). I think some sleep for everyone will restart us. Hoping the snafus have stopped and any other 'changes to plan' are of the positive pixie dust variety. Our babysitter for tomorrow nights date night has canceled so I hope they find someone else. I'm a bit disappointed but that seems par for the course this vacation. Thankfully, everyone has pretty much rolled with the punches. We are in Disneyland so the wrinkles are easier to take.

Oh and no more take out menu at cafe Orleans?!? We tried to get some Mickey beignets.

Tomorrow is Carsland. And hopefully date night.

Sorry your trip has been challenging, hope tomorrow is a better day! Naps while at DL are never a bad thing, DS was 9 1/2 when we went back in February and we still went back to the hotel every day for a rest period. We are going to try and go all day when we go down this month but I think we will likely rest midday a least 2 days of our trip.

 

[buttercup14]

Question of the week:

It's officially August! Some of us are leaving on our trips soon! (And some may have left already!) So, this week's QOTW is about packing:

Do you enjoy packing or is this something you dread?
How early do you start packing?
Do you have any packing tips/strategies?

I enjoy it, mostly! I start packing 2 day before i leave but start making a 'to pack list' 2 weeks beforehand (and will find myself thinking of things to add to it in the middle of the night!) I'm pretty OCD about it, last trip my list said 'sunblock' then later on it said 'more sunblock'. It's always been my family's holiday saying to pack half the clothes you think you'll need and twice the money! Don't tell this tip to your kids (partially teens, should you have any) but i've found i'm able to fit more in my suitcase if i'm not neat about it, you'd think it would work the other way around but for me it really doesn't!

 

[j2thomason]

Question of the week:

It's officially August! Some of us are leaving on our trips soon! (And some may have left already!) So, this week's QOTW is about packing:

Do you enjoy packing or is this something you dread?
How early do you start packing?
Do you have any packing tips/strategies?

We leave for the airport at 4:30 tomorrow morning. I am completely packed and my 20yo daughter has packed NOTHING! Now she says she needs a nap before she can start packing.....she's is testing my patience!

I keep a Disney packing list in my google doc and just adjust it a little bit for each trip. I usually start packing about a week before our trip. Having a list always makes it easier.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Just an FYI...you CAN book Rainforest through the Disneyland website.


We leave in 10 and we are packed. I am going with my girls, so they have picked a daily theme. It's going to be fun!

 

[keahgirl8]

Question of the week:

It's officially August! Some of us are leaving on our trips soon! (And some may have left already!) So, this week's QOTW is about packing:

Do you enjoy packing or is this something you dread?
How early do you start packing?
Do you have any packing tips/strategies?

Dread, for sure! Love traveling, hate packing and unpacking!

 

[heidica]

If anyone is using instagram and is interesting in sharing their photos with us in the August forum, please use the hashtag #AugDis15 so that we can easily search for your photos. We did this last year using #Augdis and it worked really well. And if you want to look for me, I'm @KatiDidDisney on instagram.

Great idea! I'm in, although I won't be able to add my own pics until the end of the month but look forward to others.

 

[cgh]

Instead of carsLand tomorrow, heading to the ER for a suspected ear infection. Poor kid didn't have fun in the splash area of the monorail pool, has been irritable and clingy and now has developed a fever.

 

[jewdmeister]

Hello Everyone!

I've been lurking on the boards for a little and finally decided to contribute! My boyfriend moved to SoCal five months ago for a new job position and I'm visiting him 8/12-8/17 and we'll be visiting DLR for just one day 8/13. We've both visited WDW many times but this will be the first time for DLR... I bet you can imagine how excited we are!!

My fondest Disney-related story my family tells is about my very first visit to WDW when my mom was seven months pregnant with me and I kicked the whole way through it's a small world. That attraction is still very dear to me and I'm looking forward to seeing the difference between the two coasts.

We plan on winging it through the park and trying to fit in as much magic as possible in our limited time. We have reservations at Blue Bayou and since I plan on disneybounding Tiana, we're trying to keep our eyes peeled for an appearance in New Orleans Square

I'm excited to hear about everyone's upcoming trips and sharing my experience as well. If anyone has any tips to share, I'd love to hear it.

If anyone is using instagram and is interesting in sharing their photos with us in the August forum, please use the hashtag #AugDis15 so that we can easily search for your photos. We did this last year using #Augdis and it worked really well. And if you want to look for me, I'm @KatiDidDisney on instagram.

I'm currently doing a personal countdown on instagram until our visit and I used #AugDis15. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep using the hashtag but I thought it was a great idea! I know I'm going to be uploading tons once we're in the park.

 

[Rubygoose]

Instead of carsLand tomorrow, heading to the ER for a suspected ear infection. Poor kid didn't have fun in the splash area of the monorail pool, has been irritable and clingy and now has developed a fever.

Oh no! Hopefully you get that all taken care of. We went to the ER on the last day of our 2nd DLR trip when DD had to get stitches. I can't remember the name of the hospital, but it wasn't far and I think it was part of a university or medical school. Just ask at the front desk or concierge of the DLH and they will direct you where to go.