Starting to feel stressed.

[Tonya E]

Am starting to stress over the choices I have made for our DL trip 4 weeks from today. I have only been one other time. We are staying at PPH and I keep reading negative reviews. We are doing Goofy's Kitchen and now reading people are only seeing 2 characters because it is super busy. We went with the cheaper flight to LAX and now I wish I would have picked SNA. UGHHH.....someone tell me my choices are fine. We are going with 2 other couples so there will be 8 adults and 2 kids. All the choices we pretty much left to me.

 

[rentayenta]

Am starting to stress over the choices I have made for our DL trip 4 weeks from today. I have only been one other time. We are staying at PPH and I keep reading negative reviews. We are doing Goofy's Kitchen and now reading people are only seeing 2 characters because it is super busy. We went with the cheaper flight to LAX and now I wish I would have picked SNA. UGHHH.....someone tell me my choices are fine. We are going with 2 other couples so there will be 8 adults and 2 kids. All the choices we pretty much left to me.

The PPH will be great. Nothing beats staying on property in my opinion. Have you seen the PPH super thread? There are really good reviews in it.

Goofy's may be busy but plan to stay a little longer to see all of the characters. Also remind your server that you are there to see them all. Your server should help out. The longer you sit, the less money they make in terms of amount of parties they can wait on.

I can't help you with the airport because SNA is far better to fly into but if you didn't know, how will they?

Your choices are good and you'll have a magical trip! Its a lot of pressure to be the planner. I am sure your friends will appreciate the time and effort you put in to planning their vacation. I am currently planning a trip with another family right now and can totally relate to your stress.

 

[crystal1313]

My family loves the PPH. I think it's a wonderful place to stay and we've always had a great stay there. I think a lot of people are negative about it because they are expecting it to be the DLH or the Grand. It's not. That's why it usually has the cheapest rates of the three hotels. Is it much nicer than the motels across the street? IMO yes! Our room has always been spotless. CMs have always been very helpful and courteous. PPH is our first choice of hotels when going to DL. I think you'll have a great time. After all you're at the happiest place on earth have a great trip!!

 

[Pesky]

Just remember, your vacation is what YOU make it. Those negative reviews could have come as much from the attitude of the vacation goer as poor service and also, just because one person had a bad experience in the place, doesn't mean you will. You just never know. Likely your room will be great. If it's not, talk to the front desk to try and get it fixed, even if that means a room switch. If you aren't seeing all the characters and they are bypassing your table, get up and talk to a character handler to request pleasantly if they could be sure to include your table in the visiting rotation and betting your problem will be resolved. We flew into LAX because it was cheaper than SNA and it was no problem. In fact, we had a lovely stop in Manhattan Beach on the way so the kids could play on the beach for a bit.

 

[lovebug33]

Also remember that people usually post reviews if they are unhappy. So you are going to see many more negative reviews than positive. You will have a fabulous time!

 

[ykmom]

There will always be people who are unhappy. We stayed at PPH last year and really enjoyed it. We have flown into LAX and SNA and LAX was just fine. We easily found a shuttle the last time when we arrived late at night - and checked0 into our room - which was a view room right as WOC was starting - very magical moment. The day we left home Soarin was shut down due to OHS issues and never reopened. People were cancelling their trip because of it. Don't second guess yourself - your choices are just fine - you will be at Disneyland! Enjoy, relax, go with the flow and have fun!

 

[Jairy]

We flew into LAX and we stayed at the PPH in March. Maybe because we came from Canada, but LAX was a piece of cake! We headed down the escalator, got our baggage, and were out the door to our shuttle with no problems.
And what's to complain about PPH? I think it's probably a little more basic than the other 2 Disney hotels, but we had a perfectly lovely time there. It's easy to get in and out of the parks. You could always do the breakfast at Surfs Up. It was so quiet when we went, and there was lots of character interaction. We didn't make any reservation, just went down on our last morning.
You will have a great time!!!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I live here and live between LAX and Long Beach Airport. I've only flown in/out of LAX. It is just an airport. It's easy to navigate, even with all of the people. Just pay attention to the signs above the curb. They are color-coded for the type of shuttle that you will take. If you have any questions, there are a lot of us here who can help out.

 

[hootey]

You have made your choices, now go have some fun! Have F U N FUN and then some more F U N. .
Make the most of it! You could possibly have the very best trip of your lifetime or if you worked at a little, it could be one of your worst. It is amazing what a good attitude can do for you. Adapt and overcome.

 

[Malcon10t]

Am starting to stress over the choices I have made for our DL trip 4 weeks from today. I have only been one other time. We are staying at PPH and I keep reading negative reviews. We are doing Goofy's Kitchen and now reading people are only seeing 2 characters because it is super busy. We went with the cheaper flight to LAX and now I wish I would have picked SNA. UGHHH.....someone tell me my choices are fine. We are going with 2 other couples so there will be 8 adults and 2 kids. All the choices we pretty much left to me.

Your choices are fine. I really liked the rooms at the PPH. The only negative for me was the elevators. But, even at that, I was in an ECV and it was more difficult. As long as all 10 aren't trying to get in 1 elevator going out in the morning, you should be fine.

Goofy's- We've had no problem at Goofy's. We've been the ones at Plaza Inn who only got 2 characters (2 different times) despite being there 90 mins. But Goofy's, we usually get 7-10 characters.

Another one to try is Surf's Up in Paradise Pier. You will get 5 characters, but usually get more time overall. It is my favorite. You will see Mickey, Minnie, Stitch, Goofy, and Daisy. You may also see Pluto and Max.

 

[Tonya E]

I think I am a little stressed because of a previous experience traveling with other families in 2008 to WDW. They literally complained about everything. Thanks for all the comments and helping provide stress relief.

 

[love2go2disney2]

We love the PPH.. We are leaving in 4 weeks also, we are going with my sister and her family and they have never been to DL. We are eating a Goofy's also, to get our vacation started! We have been to Goofys, and had a wonderful time, we always see soo many characters. I would stop reading all the negative reviews, and leave the magic up to you. You are going to Disneyland, the Happiest Place on earth!!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I haven't personally stayed at PPH, but people on these boards love it - so much that we're staying there next month! And we have friends who return to that hotel every year.

Last year we flew into LAX because the flights were significantly cheaper and it was easy for us. We took the DLE, which I know some people hate, but we like - it starts the adventure for the kids and is stress free for me, and although I know it IS longer than SNA, it honestly didn't feel like it. We got from LAX to the front desk in an hour.

One of our favorite meals our last trip was Goofy's Kitchen. We had the best character interaction we've ever had at ANY character meal. Alice had a tea party on the floor with my kids! If the characters aren't coming around, make sure to say something.

What I'm trying to say, is I think you'll have a great time. I understand the stress you're under trying to make it perfect for everybody, as I'm the planner when we go, but they'll follow your lead. You're happy & satisfied, so are they! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Tonya E]

We love the PPH.. We are leaving in 4 weeks also, we are going with my sister and her family and they have never been to DL. We are eating a Goofy's also, to get our vacation started! We have been to Goofys, and had a wonderful time, we always see soo many characters. I would stop reading all the negative reviews, and leave the magic up to you. You are going to Disneyland, the Happiest Place on earth!!

.
I definitely need to stop reading the negative reviews. When we went to DL last year I had not read any reviews and we had an amazing time while at DL. I read negative stuff about Ariel's Grotto and we had an amazing experience.

 

[Tonya E]

I haven't personally stayed at PPH, but people on these boards love it - so much that we're staying there next month! And we have friends who return to that hotel every year. Last year we flew into LAX because the flights were significantly cheaper and it was easy for us. We took the DLE, which I know some people hate, but we like - it starts the adventure for the kids and is stress free for me, and although I know it IS longer than SNA, it honestly didn't feel like it. We got from LAX to the front desk in an hour. One of our favorite meals our last trip was Goofy's Kitchen. We had the best character interaction we've ever had at ANY character meal. Alice had a tea party on the floor with my kids! If the characters aren't coming around, make sure to say something. What I'm trying to say, is I think you'll have a great time. I understand the stress you're under trying to make it perfect for everybody, as I'm the planner when we go, but they'll follow your lead. You're happy & satisfied, so are they! Enjoy your trip!

We fly out of a busy airport (Denver) so LAX may not be too bad. We are taking DLE express. I too thought it would get the magic started on our trip. I will be sure to speak up if we have speak far too much time waiting on characters. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Misskitty3]

PPH is a very nice place to stay and the price is the most reasonable of the 3 DLR hotels. I think you made a great choice!

We have dined at Goofy's (breakfast and dinner) many times and have never only seen 2 characters.....and Goofy's is ALWAYS super busy when we have been there. That is crazy...maybe whoever said that only stayed 20 minutes or something?? If you do happen to see a character come into your area and they (for whatever reason) don't stop at your table, let your server or one of the other employees know. Now that said, I have never experienced a character NOT stopping at my table. Last year, DD and I went to Minnie's for breakfast. While she was at the table Pooh stopped by and signed her autograph book but I was at the buffet so I didn't get a picture. When I got back to the table, I let our server know that I wanted to get a quick photo of DD and Pooh for her book and they were very accommodating....it really wasn't a big deal at all.

Time to stop stressing and start to anticipate what it will be like that first morning, walking up to the gates and hearing that Disneyland music and the monorail whizzing by over your heads.......so fun!!

 

[LizzyS]

We stayed at PPH hotel in February and loved it. I can tell you right now that you shouldn't stress about that choice, anyway.

Just relax and go with the flow. (Easier said than done, I know!)

 

[MermaidMommy]

OP, you sound a lot like me -- doing lots of research, planning everything for your group, trying to make the best trip possible. And that's great. But, one thing I've finally learned is that most people won't stress about the details the way I will, and, because I do all the research, most of them aren't aware of the different options anyway. So, they probably won't be comparing the character interactions at Goofy's vs Surf's Up, or comparing travel times for LAX vs SNA. We -- the planners -- are the ones who do that, where lots of the non-planners are just happy to have someone do the legwork for them. It sounds like you were burned by your travel companions in the past, but be confident that you're making the best decisions with the info available, and have a great time!

 

[sandysue]

It is stressful planning for the group. It's only my family but I'm sharing my plans with the kids and setting expectations. I let them choose their top 3 and added those to the plans.
We leave in 24 days so are playing "what if"? What if it's hot and windy... we go on splash mtn or to the hotel pool! What if anna and elsa line is more than an hour (rigged)? Skip it!
Trying to share ownership of our trip even though I made most of the initial planning decisions. Like the OP, I did my best and trying not to stress about it. We can adjust once we get to the parks if we need and it'll be great!

 

[lk2500]

We also fly out of LAX since it is significantly cheaper - we've done it three times. We haven't found the airport that hard to navigate either, don't sweat it, whatever happens happens.