Back home.
I decided not to do a big trip report. We had a great time though. I really want to preface that our trip was fun, but we did have some issues that probably made this trip more of a mixed bag. We usually stay offsite when we travel as a family and splurge for on site when my DH and I go alone. We decided to stay at DLH because we hoped to have more relaxed pace with 5 park days.
We requested two connecting rooms with daybeds. My teenagers no longer tolerate sleeping together. I understand that requests are not guaranteed, but I did call a day before to review our requests. We usually travel with an aerobed, but we were told the requests could easily be accommodated. Of course this was not the case when we arrived. We were told there were no more rooms with daybeds (with or without connecting rooms) and we would need to use sleeping bags. We were able to delay check in to get connecting rooms though. We ended up next to the elevators overlooking the parking lot in the Frontier Tower. The CM checking us in made a big deal over how nice our rooms were with balconies. These were the smallest rooms we have ever had at DHR. And the balcony in one room was mostly blocked by the elevator hallway. My kids took turns sleeping on the floor. You can imagine what a pain that was throughout our stay.
My biggest regret was changing to on site. We would have had more room, everyone with their own bed, plus a much closer location had we stayed off site. Two days of downpours made that long walk through Downtown Disney a miserable experience. Also my previous posts go into the construction issues...I won't repeat here.
On to the parks! How wonderful to catch some holiday decorations! Each morning brought less and less, but our hotel was one of the last holiday holdouts. The monorail was super convenient, but I did miss that feeling of walking down Main Street, so we walked to the Esplanade a few times.
Friday was crowded, but fun! It was the first time my youngest was tall enough to ride Autopia alone. Small World Holiday and Haunted Mansion were gorgeous. This was our first time back since the FP return time enforcement. We really missed the old policy and had several instances where we were not able to get back to the attraction within our return time. F! Is a mess...a very poor decision by Disney. We had a dessert only reservation at Big Thunder and enjoyed a relaxing break from the crowd. I really recommend it!
Saturday was a mess...rainy and crowded. We had FP for F!, but with the steady rain we decided to skip it for more attractions.
Sunday...rain. Enough said.
Monday....sun! The wait times reduced but the parks were no where never the predicted crowd level. First day of big closures. HM, Splash, all of Critter Country joined Matterhorn and Big Thunder Ranch to the refurb list. Condor Flats closure made the Grand Californian entrance a hassle. surprised that Redwood Creek was also closed. We never have any luck getting into there. Frozen area was pretty, but my family had little interest in it.
Tuesday was gorgeous!
Overall our biggest complaints were our hotel choice, FP return time enforcement, and the general F! mess. I think the idea of off season is dead. We all agreed to take Hydroguy's advice and go mid summer next time. The crowds are relative, especially when you take in consideration all the construction and closures.
Wishing my fellow Jan. DISers a magical trip!!!
