KBinCO
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
- Messages
- 737
park days: wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with 2 girls ages 5 and 7 (went once before when they were 2 and 4).
we had a blast. I still prefer Disneyland to Disney world- both the attractions and the overall atmosphere and layout, but man, last time we went (the day after Halloween 3 years ago) it was just far less crowded. we were supposed to go a month ago but rescheduled for this last week due to some snow and other conflicts, but the crowd calendars predicted low crowds for this past week as well. The crowds were lower the last time and allowed for roaming characters and such, but not as much this time. However, none of the ride lines were crazy and the character lines were always short (maybe 5 mins). We used the Disneyland app to check wait times and avoid waiting in any lines that were too long. Weds and thurs were less crowded than Friday so we tried to knock as much out as we could and were just prepared for long lines on Friday.
highlights-
Parades- i was never a parade person but the kids loved them and it was worth getting a spot. We saw then Pixar Parade twice at DCA, which hasn't changed much since last time but is still just fun to watch. We didn't watch the soundsational parade but saw some of it from a ride and it looked fun too, and the paint the night parade was great and the kids were amazed.
Fireworks- The fireworks and other effects are amazing. Loved it.
Anna & Elsas boutique- this downtown Disney alternative to bibbidi bobbidi boutique was great. I loved the hairstyle options so much more and it was almost half the price of BBB. The girls got their hair done and it included colored hair streaks and a tiara, plus makeup and nails and it was $35 each. The girls paid for it themselves. We didn't bring their frozen dresses so the girls bought tutus in the shop as well and looked super cute.
Egg hunt- the egg hunt started the day we got there and the girls loved it. There were maps for both parks and for downtown Disney and we did all three. The prize at the end is lame but the girls liked it and it would have been fun even without the prize
plaza inn breakfast- we started our trip with this again and both girls just loved seeing and visiting with the characters. We stuffed ourselves full of food so we weren't hungry again until like 8pm. The only annoying thing is that the characters are supposed to stop at every table to visit, and they did all stop at ours but during our time, other parents were coming over and shoving their kids at the characters during my kids time, like they didn't realize the characters would come to their table. So I have all these other parents and kids in front of my kids in our pictures.
Soarin- we got to soarin right as they opened it after it broke down, so we didn't have to wait at all
lines- no matter how crowded it was, certain rides, specifically the paradise pier rides and the little mermaid ride, always seemed to have little to no wait. The finding nemo submarine ride seemed to have short lines- it was our first ride and our last ride of the trip and we were able to just walk right on Friday night because we went during the parade
Minor annoyances-
hours- with the price of tickets, I think opening at 10 and closing at 8pm weds and thurs was a little ridiculous. It was just kind of limiting and with how expensive it was, it would have been nice to have longer hours.
Luigis rollickin roadsters- At one point the wait time was listed in the app so we ran over but they said it wasn't for us- it was such a tease. It was just a bummer not to be able to ride it when it was visible and had people on it.
We stayed at the anabella which wound up being a great value- and we had a suite which allowed our 5 year old to have her own room. Rooms were nice, we had free parking and free hot breakfast and a nice pool. The walk is a little long- but pedestrian friendly. It's basically across the street from Disneyland drive so you're barely walking on busy streets. I would stay there again, but it's getting leveled soon.
we had a blast. I still prefer Disneyland to Disney world- both the attractions and the overall atmosphere and layout, but man, last time we went (the day after Halloween 3 years ago) it was just far less crowded. we were supposed to go a month ago but rescheduled for this last week due to some snow and other conflicts, but the crowd calendars predicted low crowds for this past week as well. The crowds were lower the last time and allowed for roaming characters and such, but not as much this time. However, none of the ride lines were crazy and the character lines were always short (maybe 5 mins). We used the Disneyland app to check wait times and avoid waiting in any lines that were too long. Weds and thurs were less crowded than Friday so we tried to knock as much out as we could and were just prepared for long lines on Friday.
highlights-
Parades- i was never a parade person but the kids loved them and it was worth getting a spot. We saw then Pixar Parade twice at DCA, which hasn't changed much since last time but is still just fun to watch. We didn't watch the soundsational parade but saw some of it from a ride and it looked fun too, and the paint the night parade was great and the kids were amazed.
Fireworks- The fireworks and other effects are amazing. Loved it.
Anna & Elsas boutique- this downtown Disney alternative to bibbidi bobbidi boutique was great. I loved the hairstyle options so much more and it was almost half the price of BBB. The girls got their hair done and it included colored hair streaks and a tiara, plus makeup and nails and it was $35 each. The girls paid for it themselves. We didn't bring their frozen dresses so the girls bought tutus in the shop as well and looked super cute.
Egg hunt- the egg hunt started the day we got there and the girls loved it. There were maps for both parks and for downtown Disney and we did all three. The prize at the end is lame but the girls liked it and it would have been fun even without the prize
plaza inn breakfast- we started our trip with this again and both girls just loved seeing and visiting with the characters. We stuffed ourselves full of food so we weren't hungry again until like 8pm. The only annoying thing is that the characters are supposed to stop at every table to visit, and they did all stop at ours but during our time, other parents were coming over and shoving their kids at the characters during my kids time, like they didn't realize the characters would come to their table. So I have all these other parents and kids in front of my kids in our pictures.
Soarin- we got to soarin right as they opened it after it broke down, so we didn't have to wait at all
lines- no matter how crowded it was, certain rides, specifically the paradise pier rides and the little mermaid ride, always seemed to have little to no wait. The finding nemo submarine ride seemed to have short lines- it was our first ride and our last ride of the trip and we were able to just walk right on Friday night because we went during the parade
Minor annoyances-
hours- with the price of tickets, I think opening at 10 and closing at 8pm weds and thurs was a little ridiculous. It was just kind of limiting and with how expensive it was, it would have been nice to have longer hours.
Luigis rollickin roadsters- At one point the wait time was listed in the app so we ran over but they said it wasn't for us- it was such a tease. It was just a bummer not to be able to ride it when it was visible and had people on it.
We stayed at the anabella which wound up being a great value- and we had a suite which allowed our 5 year old to have her own room. Rooms were nice, we had free parking and free hot breakfast and a nice pool. The walk is a little long- but pedestrian friendly. It's basically across the street from Disneyland drive so you're barely walking on busy streets. I would stay there again, but it's getting leveled soon.
I didn't realize the A&EB was so much cheaper than BBB. I have at least one daughter who will want to do that on our next trip. And you're right about the Paradise Pier rides. I always avoided that area because I didn't want to wait in line for carnival style rides. But I tried it on my last trip and found out there really isn't much of a wait. I also found out the Golden Zephyr is incredibly relaxing in the afternoon with the smooth gliding and the nice breeze it creates. Maybe we shouldn't be telling anyone.
