So to wrap up the DL portion of this TR, I thought I'd post some of my final thoughts, especially concerning WDW vs. DL.
1. CROWDS
Well, it was certainly more crowded than I had expected, especially since we were going during a time when school was still in session and we were there only on weekdays. However, despite the amount of people in the parks, the wait times were not bad at all. We were able to accomplish everything we set out to do attractions wise and then some. Our use of FP was mainly to use as means of "rider swap" so we could each go through the line quicker while the other waited with DS, not so much because the lines were long. It reminded me a lot of our trip to WDW in December a few years ago. We were practically tripping over the people everywhere, but the ride lines were 20 minutes or less.
Whatever it is, it made for a very enjoyable trip that we were able to hop from attraction to attraction without extraordinarily long waits, especially since our time there was fairly limited.
2. WEATHER
OMG...fabulous! Coming from south Louisiana where it was already hot and humid as all get out in March, leaving that behind for a week was incredible. The lack of humidity made all the difference in the world! In the middle of the day, it would get pretty hot, but we were not drenched in sweat and feeling like we were in a sauna. Plus, I loved that it actually cools off there when the sun goes down. That was a welcome relief. I did get sunburned even though I was very vigilant about putting sunscreen in the mornings and when we were going back to the park from our break. Not bad though, just enough to notice I was bright red in some spots while still my typical bright white in others.
3. RESORT
We really enjoyed our stay at the Wyndham Dolphin's Cove. The proximity to the parking garage was great! Had we gone without AP's to cover the parking fees, it probably would have been better for us to stay somewhere closer and within walking distance to the parks. However, the room was just perfect for the three of us. The only things I didn't love about the units were the lack of central air (I understand this is common though in California accommodations) and washer/dryer in each unit. Especially now that we travel with DS, we like being able to throw in a load of laundry at least once during a trip. The laundry facilities there were kind of a joke since there were very few machines and almost half weren't operational. The window a/c unit was great for making enough noise for DS to sleep through the outside noise, but not so great for cooling off our bedroom! The resort itself though was pretty great. Though it didn't look like there was a lot of parking at first, we never had a problem getting a space close to our unit. And the outside facing units were never a problem with noise like we have experienced at some other Wyndham resorts. There were also plenty of restaurants close by, and it was a 5 minute drive to Target for our groceries. Overall, a pretty great resort! I would love to stay there again someday.
4. WDW vs. DL
Before visiting DL, I'll admit it, I was skeptical that it could ever measure up to WDW. How could it, when it only consists of 2 parks compared to WDW's 4? Now, I will admit that I was totally wrong! Despite having "only" 2 parks, DL and DCA pack in a surprising amount of attractions and entertainment! We enjoyed that there were so many more attractions to experience at DL that aren't available in MK, and that DCA was an entire park (with the exception of Soarin', TSM and ToT) of brand new attractions! There was so much to do with DS! We especially loved Bugs Land because he just had a blast on those attractions.
DL really stole my heart with its charm. And it was fun to go through a Disney park again and not know it like the back of my hand. It was kind of fun to be a "newbie" to a Disney park again after being to WDW so many times. It was a little disconcerting at times (ie. trying to find Indiana Jones at night by myself
) but fun at the same time.
I think overall, DL wins when it comes to traveling with a toddler. Despite the much longer travel time to get there, it is SO much easier to park hop with a little one at DL when you can just walk between the two parks instead of having to get back to the car when we were ready to go somewhere new. We didn't really have to plan exactly where we were going to be in the morning and afternoon like we do in WDW. We can change our minds on a whim and just walk across the promenade to the other park whenever we wanted!
I don't think I could really choose which one "wins" when it comes to best overall experience because despite how much they do have in common, they are such different vacations and experiences, it's not really a fair comparison. I really love both! I'm so glad we took this opportunity to experience DL now while DS is little instead of waiting until he (and his future sibling(s)) are grown, because there were so many attractions we probably would have skipped if going only with older kids.
However, I can say that despite my intense love for Wishes, World of Color wins hands down as the BEST Disney parks nighttime experience I have ever seen! Absolutely LOVED it, and wished we could have seen it more than once on our trip. We will be making up for that by seeing it as many times as possible on our anniversary weekend!
5. SOUVENIRS
And now for the stuff we bought on this trip! I admit, it was a lot because we didn't think we'd be back for a long long time. Normally I post them throughout the trip report as we bought each souvenir, but this time I didn't get around to taking pictures of everything soon enough.
T-shirt for DS. This one is still too big for him, but I wanted something he could wear a year or two from now too, not just something he can wear now.
DH's shirt - front
and back
I got one similar, but Minnie Mouse for myself...
Unfortunately they didn't have them in kids sizes because I would have loved to get one for DS so we could have "matching" shirts!
DH picked up one of these for each of us the night he went to the AP event
A WoC shirt for me.
Another shirt for me - the front
And the back
Refrigerator magnet...we buy one on every single vacation!
Deluxe Scrapbook Kit for me!
DS modeling his other shirt. Sorry it's kind of blurry, you have no idea how difficult it was to get this picture this morning!
Other things we bought but didn't get a picture of was a onesie for my godson, a v-neck Mickey top for my sister, and DS's postcard. I can't put my finger on its location at the moment, but it was a picture of Sleeping Beauty Castle. We were disappointed in the lack of Cars Land stuff available, but now that we are going back, that shouldn't be a problem again!
Now, to start on the Seattle portion of the trip...
He is such a ham! The process at the counter was super quick and easy. There wasn't anyone waiting, but there was still an attendant there to help you get your boarding passes and direct you to another attendant to have your bags weighed and checked. Very quick & easy process, and we were off to security!
