Rich M
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2016
Just returned from a quick two days one night trip to Disneyland and wanted to share a few thoughts. Just a little background I have been to DL about 30 times (maybe more) this is our 3rd visit since buying the FlexPass and the first visit as a Good to go day. We flew down from San Jose arriving at Santa Ana (first time at this airport). Now to my thoughts:
SNA Airport - I think this airport is nice but it is still not my favorite airport as a person who rents a car. In fairness when I booked this trip I had no intention on renting a car as I know shuttle options are not bad from this airport but 2 days prior to leaving Dollar has a price of $40 for a full size car and that was cheaper than Lyft and the other shuttles and I like to have my own car to make water stops at Target. Overall the rental car experience at SNA is terrible as we flew Southwest which is in Terminal 3 and Dollar is across from Terminal 1. So you have to walk there which is not a bad walk but if you have a lot of bags this could be a problem. The rental car pick up is on floor 0 (basement) of the parking garage which means no ventilation and a gross smell of exhaust. I will say coming back to fly home I like this airport better than most because they have a lot of food options.
Flex Pass - We are on our 3rd visit with the Flex Pass and so far have gone into the park 9 days so we have more than got our value out of this pass. We already have an October trip planned which will give us another 3 days in the parks with a January trip also in the stages of planning. We love the pass and have recommended to others but will see when word gets out of how great it is if it becomes not so great.
Max Pass - It was completely empty at the park with the average lines being less then 15 minutes except for the major rides which the longest those got was 60 mins. The Max Pass is the absolutely best part of Disneyland. We had used 5 FP in 2 hours which some might say that the lines are short so you can probably do those 5 rides in 2 hours anyway but what people need to realize is that at almost every FP location the line to get from point A to point B is always shorter and on a day that your doing over 30,000 steps in day those extra short distances really help. I will never go to DL again without a MP.
Mobile Ordering - This was our first trip using mobile ordering but it will not be our last. We used it for Galaxy Grill and Flo's and took less than 2 minutes at both locations to get our food. I love that I can look on my phone at the menu and decide what I want with no pressure at everyone else in line and also not have to sit in line waiting for someone to decide on what they want. It is such a breeze and gives you your discount right on the app. Such a great feature. Can we get a reserved bathroom time slot some time???
Low attendance - The greatest time to go. Enjoy it while it last everyone. The hotel we stayed at said they have seen a spike in reservations for the Halloween parties so I think we might see a little more crowds soon.
Halloween - Halloween time at Disneyland is my favorite time of year. I love the different offering they have and the different little ride changes. We all know that Haunted Mansion Holiday is just a superior experience but we also like the Monsters after Dark offerings as well as Luigi's and Maters Halloween music. Seeing all the characters in their costumes are great also. I got two of the special food offerings one being a Pumpkin Muffin with a vanilla cream at the Bakery at Main Street and A Pumpkin Spice Milk Shake from Flo's. Both were excellent.
The Bad - I have to say that I absolutely hate the paper straws. They are the worst part of Disney when they can only be used for a little bit of time. Try drinking a milkshake with one of those straws. It is miserable. On a side note at the end of the trip we saw that you can buy a pack of 10 plastic straws so next trip I either buy those or bring a pack from home. (Sorry if these offends anyone)
I really hate the Matterhorn now. I just can't get comfortable at all being a tall big guy. I have rode it for the last time.
Overall we had a great trip and can't wait to go back in October. I am taking my GS for that trip so I am looking forward to spending the time with him and going nice and slow and going on rides for a 3 year old. We sent him a picture of us on Radiator Springs and he told his mom, " Remember when I went on that and we won". " I want to go again mommy." I can't wait to take him in October.
SNA Airport - I think this airport is nice but it is still not my favorite airport as a person who rents a car. In fairness when I booked this trip I had no intention on renting a car as I know shuttle options are not bad from this airport but 2 days prior to leaving Dollar has a price of $40 for a full size car and that was cheaper than Lyft and the other shuttles and I like to have my own car to make water stops at Target. Overall the rental car experience at SNA is terrible as we flew Southwest which is in Terminal 3 and Dollar is across from Terminal 1. So you have to walk there which is not a bad walk but if you have a lot of bags this could be a problem. The rental car pick up is on floor 0 (basement) of the parking garage which means no ventilation and a gross smell of exhaust. I will say coming back to fly home I like this airport better than most because they have a lot of food options.
Flex Pass - We are on our 3rd visit with the Flex Pass and so far have gone into the park 9 days so we have more than got our value out of this pass. We already have an October trip planned which will give us another 3 days in the parks with a January trip also in the stages of planning. We love the pass and have recommended to others but will see when word gets out of how great it is if it becomes not so great.
Max Pass - It was completely empty at the park with the average lines being less then 15 minutes except for the major rides which the longest those got was 60 mins. The Max Pass is the absolutely best part of Disneyland. We had used 5 FP in 2 hours which some might say that the lines are short so you can probably do those 5 rides in 2 hours anyway but what people need to realize is that at almost every FP location the line to get from point A to point B is always shorter and on a day that your doing over 30,000 steps in day those extra short distances really help. I will never go to DL again without a MP.
Mobile Ordering - This was our first trip using mobile ordering but it will not be our last. We used it for Galaxy Grill and Flo's and took less than 2 minutes at both locations to get our food. I love that I can look on my phone at the menu and decide what I want with no pressure at everyone else in line and also not have to sit in line waiting for someone to decide on what they want. It is such a breeze and gives you your discount right on the app. Such a great feature. Can we get a reserved bathroom time slot some time???
Low attendance - The greatest time to go. Enjoy it while it last everyone. The hotel we stayed at said they have seen a spike in reservations for the Halloween parties so I think we might see a little more crowds soon.
Halloween - Halloween time at Disneyland is my favorite time of year. I love the different offering they have and the different little ride changes. We all know that Haunted Mansion Holiday is just a superior experience but we also like the Monsters after Dark offerings as well as Luigi's and Maters Halloween music. Seeing all the characters in their costumes are great also. I got two of the special food offerings one being a Pumpkin Muffin with a vanilla cream at the Bakery at Main Street and A Pumpkin Spice Milk Shake from Flo's. Both were excellent.
The Bad - I have to say that I absolutely hate the paper straws. They are the worst part of Disney when they can only be used for a little bit of time. Try drinking a milkshake with one of those straws. It is miserable. On a side note at the end of the trip we saw that you can buy a pack of 10 plastic straws so next trip I either buy those or bring a pack from home. (Sorry if these offends anyone)
I really hate the Matterhorn now. I just can't get comfortable at all being a tall big guy. I have rode it for the last time.
Overall we had a great trip and can't wait to go back in October. I am taking my GS for that trip so I am looking forward to spending the time with him and going nice and slow and going on rides for a 3 year old. We sent him a picture of us on Radiator Springs and he told his mom, " Remember when I went on that and we won". " I want to go again mommy." I can't wait to take him in October.
