Planning first DL trip:

[minnie-may]

Starting to plan our first trip to DL coming up in November, and I have lots of questions, but for starters:

--Can we get Mickey waffles for breakfast other than at Goofy's Kitchen at the DLH? I saw a menu on a website that had them on the Coffee House's menu, but on the DL website the Coffee House menu doesn't list them.

--Is pin trading a thing at DL and DCA?

 

[BrianL]

Hi. I'm not sure about the Mickey Waffles, but pin trading is definitely a thing. If you are a pin collector deffinitely check out Westward Ho in Frontierland - it's a big pin store with limited editions and such. Have fun!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Does the GCH Craftsman Grill Still have Mickey Waffles? -- You can get the Mickey waffles on the kids menu at Craftsman Grill (used to be Whitewater Snacks) at the GCH.

 

[figment_jii]

As the PP said, pin trading still happens at DL and DCA. There are several major pin shops in each park and those general have pin boards you can trade with. Westward Ho, Little Green Command Store (exit of the Buzz Lightyear ride in Tomorrowland), and 20th Century Music Company (on Main Street) are the main pin shops in DL. The Emporium also carries some of the LE pins (center register in the main room). Over in DCA, there is Inkwell's (I think that's the name, it's on Buena Vista Street, next to the candy store), Humphrey's (across from Soarin'), and the shop across from Little Mermaid. There's also the pin shop in DTD (by Lego's).

 

[minnie-may]

We will be arriving November 1 staying through November 8. That puts us right in the middle of Halloween going down and Christmas going up. I can't find what attractions will be down for refurbishments, I only see the month of September. I'm wondering if we should change our dates by a few days later. What would you do?

 

[figment_jii]

Most likely, IaSW will be down getting the overlay installed; assuming no delays, it'll re-open with the start of the Holidays on November 8th (Fri). Matterhorn is going down on 10/21, with no end date known at this point. You can find some info on the daily calendar, but it only goes out about 45-days in advance. So we won't know about early November for a few more weeks. I think the biggest unknown at this is the entertainment. That is the in between period, so it's hard to say what the weekday entertainment will be like. Personally, I'd probably slide the trip by a few days so that you have more time to enjoy all of the Holiday offerings (attractions, entertainment, etc.).

 

[minnie-may]

Thanks for the response, really appreciate it.

So if I moved it to arriving the following Tuesday the 5th or Wednesday the 6th, that would put Veterans Day on the following Monday the 11th. Does Veterans Day and weekend have a big impact on park crowds?

 

[pharmama]

Thanks for the response, really appreciate it.

So if I moved it to arriving the following Tuesday the 5th or Wednesday the 6th, that would put Veterans Day on the following Monday the 11th. Does Veterans Day and weekend have a big impact on park crowds?

We went Veterans Day weekend last year and found the crowds to be manageable. I think it’s worth it to have all the holiday stuff up and running for the last couple days of your visit. You’ll have a couple days that should be pretty quiet leading up to the busier weekend so make good use of those days to hit headliner rides then you can enjoy entertainment and other things once it’s officially holiday season. If it were me, I’d be sure to be there for the weekend just for WoC Season of Light (the holiday version of WoC). It’s my FAVORITE.

 

[minnie-may]

Thank you pharmama. I'm really leaning towards changing it. Planning a DL trip is so different than a WDW trip!

 

[figment_jii]

Crowds have been so hard to predict since summer, but my guess is that Veterans Day weekend will be busy because locals will be coming in to see the new Holiday offerings (Friday will probably be the busiest because the least number of APs are blocked and that's the first day for all of the souvies). However, I don't think it'll be crazy busy. So as long as you go with the right mindset, I would move dates to include more of the Holiday season.

 

[pennym]

Mickey waffles can be had at Carnation Cafe and mini ones at Plaza Inn breakfast.

 

[ab21au]

If possible, I would delay. Last time we visited was thanksgiving weekend and the week after. The crowds were low after thanksgiving and the Holiday theme was fabulous. This year we will arrive on 28th Oct for 6 days but we are now wishing we could delay as some things will be getting the Holiday makeover. But unfortunately we can’t delay.

 

[minnie-may]

Thanks for the responses. I looked into changing our dates, but there is no availability at the DLH. May have to stick with what we currently have. It will still be fun, but I was getting excited about changing. Oh well

 

[pharmama]

Thanks for the responses. I looked into changing our dates, but there is no availability at the DLH. May have to stick with what we currently have. It will still be fun, but I was getting excited about changing. Oh well

Keep checking. Like multiple times a day. You’d be surprised how much availability changes.

 

[minnie-may]

Was able to change our dates with a room available at DLH. Had to get a premium view, but it came with the discount. So yay!

Our flight to go home from LAX will be 11:45 am. We will be using ground transportation, motor coach. I understand we will get our transportation papers in the mail 3 weeks before our trip. I'm wondering at what time would we need to be ready to board the bus from the hotel to LAX. Will it give us this info?