Starting to freak out...

[clairabell29]

Ok so we leave in 8 days and I'm starting to freak. I'm a worrier by nature so bear with me. My DS3's favorite part of DL is the Charactors, but with it so busy I'm scared he won't get to see any. I had told him, before I realized it was spring break, that he could meet this Charactor and that one. He is holding me to this (he remembers EVERYTHING) and I have never let him down before. Is there a way to insure he gets Charactor time other then charactor meals? Also my DH has some PTSD from Iraq and can freak out in a large crowd. Is there a place he can sit and chill in each land when its busy? I would change our dates, except everythig is paid for and its the only time he can get off work for the next 6 months and he's been gone the last three. I know we'll do the rides we want and things just worried I'm setting us up for a nightmare. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

 

[ladylyons]

We've gone to DL the past 6 years during Christmas and talk about crowds. We have never had any problems seeing the characters we want to. I know the line for Mickey can get long at his house but once your in the room where the movie is being shown it's about a 10 to 15 minute wait. Maybe less I can't quite remember right now. Also you can get pretty lucky and see Minnie and Goofy in Toontown. If he wants to see Princesses there's the PFF where they only do Characters meets at now which was really fun cuz we got to wait in one line for 4 Princesses. Also near the begining of Main Street we have also seen Mickey and Minnie. If you have the Disney Visa go do the Meet and Greet at California Adventure and you'll get to see either Chip and Dale or when we where there at Christmas it was either Goofy or Pluto. They rotate the characters every 30 mins. Now rememer that starts 30 mins after park opening for 90 mins total.

As for you DH I'm sorry I really don't know any really quiet places but hopefully someone else does. Good luck when you go and have a great time.

 

[Bread&Butterflies]

Bless your husband's heart-
I really understand wanting to know where to go that is away from the crowds. It's good to have a plan.

My favorite quiet spot is the path between #5 & #23 on this map.
http://www.disneytravelagents.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/DLRParkMaps/DLGuideMap.PDF
See the pink path? As you get closer to the 23 side of the path
there are some benches, nice woodsy area ,you can sit by the water in the shade.
I have sat there before while my dd took a nap in her stroller and ate an ice cream & called home to my mom let her know we were having fun.
It was a nice break.
Not as much foot traffic as the bigger pathways- ahhhhhhhh

On our last trip I finally remembered to try out White Water Snacks when,
while I was hungry for lunch, I saw the entrance to the GCH from inside CA -
and Wow... so QUIET- the place was empty when we walked in & then only us and one other family in there.
We looked at each other with a wink as we stretched out and enjoyed the peace from crowds and Best of all GREAT FOOD!
Wonderful hide-a-way from crowds tho.

The best character interactions we have had were at the Plaza Inn breakfast- it really was worth it. We don't do it every trip,
but like your child my 3yr old remembers Every Thing and I wanted
her experiences to be a little more than standing in line and then a quick interaction and picture.

Having said that- a wonderful interaction that is free- is
when Alice and Mad Hatter play musical chairs at Coke Corner- we have caught it twice.
Both times
in the early-mid afternoon-ish time frame.
They are interactive with many children at once, there is a piano player and
they are all playing and having fun -so it is different than waiting in line, then quickly getting a picture.
Much more FUN! Everybody was cracking up- good times!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[clairabell29]

Thank you both so much! I feel a bit better now knowing he'll be able to see who he wants. My DH will be greatful for the tips on quiet places. You were there over spring break before, is it really wall to wall people? TY so much!

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm going the same time as you, so I'm hoping the crowds won't be TOOOO ridiculous, and it's my first time in 20 years so I can't offer much advice. I just wanted to say that my husband returned from Iraq in November and while I'm fortunate his symptoms of PTSD are mild, he definitely can get upset with crowds also. Even malls or crowded restaurants really get him, so I completely empathize with you! I hope you all have a wonderful trip!

 

[clairabell29]

Thank you and your husband for your service! I hope you both have a wonderful trip!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thank you and your husband for your service! I hope you both have a wonderful trip!

I also wish to thank your husband for serving. I have been where your husband is and PTSD may not be curable, but it is treatable. So I hope he is seeking help. Have a great trip and to your husband...Welcome Home.

Jack

 

[bumbershoot]

For your husband: earplugs. Those help tremendously when you're getting overwhelmed. Also, and I'm sure some will poo-poo it but it's brought peace to stressful times in my family, there's a "flower essence" called Rescue Remedy. It used to just be at health food stores but it's at Safeway and Fred Meyer (a Kroger company) now. It's drops, spray, or even cream, and it's astonishing. We even got a recommendation for it for our cat (when she was around) at 4th of July time, to put in her water, b/c it can calm you down. It might sound too simple, but it's definitely worth a try. I can get very anxious and nervous, and if I can remember to spritz a bit it can calm me right down.

And he can always find a bench to sit on, close his eyes, and do whatever he can do to ignore the things going on around him.


For your son: since he's able to remember things you said, I would start talking seriously with him about how you found out NEW information, and it might take A LOT of patience to meet all of the characters. Also make sure he knows that some characters might not be easily found, or found at all. My guy is like that too, and we do quite a bit of talking ahead of time, with lots of reminders...lines, characters, height requirements...all of those variable things you encounter at Disney parks must be discussed and reminded!


For you: the stress at this point is VERY normal. In a few days you'll probably hit the phase where you'll post "I was so excited and now I couldn't care less". It's all normal, we all do it. You'll be OK.



And by the way, yes, getting there early and taking some time to stop for the characters in the City Hall area (the whole square, not just at CH), will probably result in some good character meetings. In early March I noticed Mickey and Minnie over on the right (while walking into Disneyland) quite a few times during the day. And don't discount DCA for characters! I love the casual outfits Mickey and Minnie wear there in the "sunshine" plaza area. And in the hollywood section, you'll very often find characters from Monsters, Incredibles, and last trip I saw Handy Manny and saw Cinderella walking along alone (I think it was after the Drawn to the Magic show ended) twice!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

If certain characters are a must see, stop in at City Hall in the morning and ask if they can tell you when they're going to be out in the park that day. And speaking from lots of experience visiting Disneyland during crowded times, I've never gone without seeing characters if I wanted to. Yes, there may be lines, but the characters are still out. Honestly, the only problem you may have is if someone wants to see a minor character or a specific princess, which may not even be an issue with a 3 year old boy.

Be aware that sometimes you're standing in line and you will discover that the character has to go on break before your turn arrives. While they try to inform guests of the last person in line, they can't always tell everyone. When this happens, ask if they can let you know when the character will return.

In my experience, if you go to see Mickey at his house in ToonTown after dark, the line is much shorter. I've seen him after dark in his house 3 times and waited maybe 10 minutes for all 3 occasions combined.

Most importantly, thank you for your husband's service and your sacrifice. Have a great time.

 

[Bread&Butterflies]

Thank you both so much! I feel a bit better now knowing he'll be able to see who he wants. My DH will be greatful for the tips on quiet places. You were there over spring break before, is it really wall to wall people? TY so much!

Yes it was crowded!
(one reason I returned a month later,to do the things we didn't get to do) Parts of the day had wall to wall people in certain areas of the park
so it took longer to get from place to place;keep in mind last year the week in March we went was the week right before Easter too-
But it was doable with the great tips I found on this board from the experts.

I read every sticky and every link within those stickies...
I'm a worrier too- the knowledge made it it easier. If you haven't read them
I highly recommend it.

Best things we did to survive the crowds on that Spring Break trip
-up early to open the park or do magic morning & collect fast passes
- 4-5 hour mid day breaks while crowds peaked -with a nap for dd and ME.
I seriously would have had a tough time during peak crowds mid day- I need more elbo room to not panic. So this may be a good idea for your dh and the rest of you.
- then close the park down using fast passes along the way after we returned about 5:30-6:30pm.

My dd did extremely well staying up that late with her nap.
If off season we skip the mid day break because they close early.
In the evening , lines are shorter and more doable for dd
and us older people.. lol.
The park is so magical in the late evening hours too...
especially if you are in line at closing, then when you get off the ride the park has been closed 30-40 minutes and there is hardly anyone there.

As you stroll out of the now nearly empty park,
you can just kind of soak in all the wonder and magic floating in the air from the days visitors and visitors past ...I love it.



ps.
Pluto hangs out by the fire house next to City Hall in the morning too!
He is SO fun to watch.

 

[clairabell29]

Thank you so much! I had read the stickys and made a sheet with notes, but still I frett It really helps to know things will be easier in the evenings. I'll have to start getting my DS ready to wake up at 8am rather then 10 so we can make it to park open! Thanks for the tip on Pluto, Ayden loves him! My DH thinks we'll do a Charactor dinner after all. It will EVERYONES first. As for the rest of the park I hope that the people he wants to "give hugs" to are working at least one of the 5 days we're there!

 

[toni1227]

Try getting to toontown right when it opens. We just so happened to be right there to ride It's a Small World and the ride was long so I ran over to toontown Roger Rabbit to get fast passes while we waited and noticed Toon town was not open yet and a bunch of people were waiting. Then it JUST opened while I was standing there so I called my DH and kids over and we were able to see Goofy close to Roger Rabbit ride, then went into Minnie's house and Mickey's house (where you could get pics and autographs) all in about 20 min total or so. On our way out of toon town we saw pluto but the line was long so we did not stop there. We also saw Mickey and Minnie at Mainstreet near the entrance, Peter pan and Mad hatter near Alice ride and Pooh and Tigger by the Pooh ride. We were not even really looking for characters but happened to just stumble upon them it seemed. Good thing for DD because she LOVED getting autographs from them.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Critter Country has Pooh, Eeyore & Tigger pretty regularly in their meet-n-greet spot.....if lucky you can see Rabbit & Piglet.
Also in Critter Country- Brer Bear & Brer Fox has been hanging out quite a bit.

Great rest spot in this area: The downstairs to the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Sit by the water's edge & watch the boats go by.....feed the ducks.... just plain relax!

In Frontierland, Woody & Jessie have a stage-area for their Meet-n-Greet (in front of the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurant)

Pixie Hollow you usually see one pixie friend & Tinkerbell. The wait times can be long, but they take one family at a time in to see them...so that's nice!!

Princess Faire in Fantasyland also has long lines & we've never done this, so can't offer any info on it.

Benches over by IASW & the back pathway into Tomorrowland can be relaxing & quieter than most areas.

Buzz Lightyear makes some appearances in Tomorrowland but not sure when or where.

Main Street (especially up by City Hall) you will see a number of characters & if you can catch them when they come out....you can follow them to get in line first!!! (they come out from the right side, back by the "ears" shop) I've also seen them come out from beside the Firehouse. The hub in that area is a great place to sit & people watch.

I hope you have a great time & you get to see a ton of characters!!!

 

[Snow Orange]

I'm new here and maybe this sounds silly but couldn't he go to first aid to sit or lie down for a while? I imagine its cool and not too hectic?