texasmom45
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2014
- Messages
- 7
Hi there,
We took a trip to Disneyland from July 26-29, and I really benefited from the advice on this board, so I thought I'd share some of the things I found worked. This was our second time at Disneyland, so we generally knew where things were and I had really read up on the board. My in-laws said they would recommend if anyone wanted to go to Disneyland, they should just take me as their tour guide, so I guess I know things pretty well by now. I'm happy to answer any questions I might know the answer to.
-We stayed at the Tropicana Inn. It was a good, basic motel. They were very accommodating, as we requested connecting rooms. My kids enjoyed the pool, and the large spa was really nice on tired feet. The one thing I noticed was that the shower curtain smelled like mildew, but for $109/night across the street from Disneyland I can deal with that. We were in rooms 384 and 385, and we had a fantastic view of the fireworks from our rooms. Totally unexpected but awesome.
-We did what others recommend, which was go to the parks first thing in the morning (we had Magic Morning one day) and then come back to the motel in the afternoon. Recommended. The parks seemed crowded when we were there, so we really didn't try to ride much after 11AM or so unless we had a fast pass. There's so much to do that you don't have to wait in line for, it feels like a waste of time to wait in long lines. It got to about 90 each day, but it was cooling down by 5 or 6 in the evening (which does NOT happen in Texas), so we thought the weather was very good. We did not need jackets in the evenings.
-If princesses are your child's thing, Royal Hall has no line first thing in the morning. Also, the play at the Fantasy Faire was really cute and entertained both kids and adults.
-We like to make fools of ourselves at the parades. It seems like everyone around us is taking pictures or videoing, and we will yell and wave at all the characters. They always will wave back and sometimes will blow kisses, which just makes the day of a 5-year-old girl. We actually watched Mickey's Soundsational two times in one day.
-Carnation Cafe was a disappointment for lunch. The meatloaf was dry (although the veggies and mashed potatoes that came with it were good). The kids' burgers were tiny (my 8- and 9-year-olds left hungry after paying $8.99 each for their meals). I think the adult burgers were good. The service was good, and I got to meet Oscar.
-Cafe Orleans was delicious. We did order the Monte Christo. We do love junk food, but it was too much for us. We decided that next time we'd just get the pommes frites, gumbo, and the delicious salad with goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette. This meal was a highlight.
-As for counter service options, I absolutely loved the Spicy Meatballs at Paradise Garden Grill. If you like Mediterranean food, it's a must-have.
-The Pizza Press restaurant near our motel was a wonderful break (both for palates and wallets) after Disney food for a few days.
-I had lots of the snacks. The one that really stands out was the Matterhorn Macaroon from the Jolly Holliday. And what a deal at $1.99! Also, the soft serve from the Cozy Cone Motel was a cut above, and I'm not a big soft serve fan. I can't think of any other snacks that were just amazing. I did not grow up going to DL, so I don't have the nostalgia factor.
-BTMRR was a winner with both young kids (who did not like Space Mountain) and adults. What a fun ride.
-We followed the advice about WoC. We got Yellow fast passes and my husband and FIL were willing to wait in line. I think they got in line by about 8PM for the 9:45 show, but they didn't mind because we took the kids to ride rides and they had a moment's peace.
They then rushed with everyone else and got a spot in front of the rail on the second level (we didn't want to get too wet, but still got plenty wet). It was so worth it because our little ones could see and loved the show.
-We had 4 adults and 4 kids (5, 6, 8, and 9). We found it worked in crowds to have one adult lead the way, the kids follow that one adult, and the other three adults round up the stragglers. At night, my FIL had bought glow necklaces from the Dollar Tree, and we had all the kids wear the same color. That way, we just had to keep up with 4 green, etc., glow necklaces amongst the crowds. It worked great.
-I'm disappointed that we didn't have some of the different experiences (e.g. Tom Sawyer's Island), but the group liked riding rides, so that's what we did most of the time.
-Our group wore swimsuits (with shorts and t-shirts on top) and flip flops and rode GRR 3 times in a row first thing in the morning. They do have free lockers for your stuff (the CM told me she thought they charged, but they do not for the first 2 hours). Then we just changed and someone ran our stuff back to the motel. You do get wet on GRR.
-If you can, use a fast pass runner. That was key with all the kids.
-One last thing. I was disappointed in all the line cutting we saw and experienced. I understand if one person is trying to meet their party, but 5 people cutting through the line at TSMM to almost the front is just not cool.
I think that's it. Again, I'd be happy to answer any questions that anyone might have. And thanks to those who offer their advice; it really helped and made our trip SO much better than it ever would have been without this board.
We took a trip to Disneyland from July 26-29, and I really benefited from the advice on this board, so I thought I'd share some of the things I found worked. This was our second time at Disneyland, so we generally knew where things were and I had really read up on the board. My in-laws said they would recommend if anyone wanted to go to Disneyland, they should just take me as their tour guide, so I guess I know things pretty well by now. I'm happy to answer any questions I might know the answer to.
-We stayed at the Tropicana Inn. It was a good, basic motel. They were very accommodating, as we requested connecting rooms. My kids enjoyed the pool, and the large spa was really nice on tired feet. The one thing I noticed was that the shower curtain smelled like mildew, but for $109/night across the street from Disneyland I can deal with that. We were in rooms 384 and 385, and we had a fantastic view of the fireworks from our rooms. Totally unexpected but awesome.
-We did what others recommend, which was go to the parks first thing in the morning (we had Magic Morning one day) and then come back to the motel in the afternoon. Recommended. The parks seemed crowded when we were there, so we really didn't try to ride much after 11AM or so unless we had a fast pass. There's so much to do that you don't have to wait in line for, it feels like a waste of time to wait in long lines. It got to about 90 each day, but it was cooling down by 5 or 6 in the evening (which does NOT happen in Texas), so we thought the weather was very good. We did not need jackets in the evenings.
-If princesses are your child's thing, Royal Hall has no line first thing in the morning. Also, the play at the Fantasy Faire was really cute and entertained both kids and adults.
-We like to make fools of ourselves at the parades. It seems like everyone around us is taking pictures or videoing, and we will yell and wave at all the characters. They always will wave back and sometimes will blow kisses, which just makes the day of a 5-year-old girl. We actually watched Mickey's Soundsational two times in one day.
-Carnation Cafe was a disappointment for lunch. The meatloaf was dry (although the veggies and mashed potatoes that came with it were good). The kids' burgers were tiny (my 8- and 9-year-olds left hungry after paying $8.99 each for their meals). I think the adult burgers were good. The service was good, and I got to meet Oscar.
-Cafe Orleans was delicious. We did order the Monte Christo. We do love junk food, but it was too much for us. We decided that next time we'd just get the pommes frites, gumbo, and the delicious salad with goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette. This meal was a highlight.
-As for counter service options, I absolutely loved the Spicy Meatballs at Paradise Garden Grill. If you like Mediterranean food, it's a must-have.
-The Pizza Press restaurant near our motel was a wonderful break (both for palates and wallets) after Disney food for a few days.
-I had lots of the snacks. The one that really stands out was the Matterhorn Macaroon from the Jolly Holliday. And what a deal at $1.99! Also, the soft serve from the Cozy Cone Motel was a cut above, and I'm not a big soft serve fan. I can't think of any other snacks that were just amazing. I did not grow up going to DL, so I don't have the nostalgia factor.
-BTMRR was a winner with both young kids (who did not like Space Mountain) and adults. What a fun ride.
-We followed the advice about WoC. We got Yellow fast passes and my husband and FIL were willing to wait in line. I think they got in line by about 8PM for the 9:45 show, but they didn't mind because we took the kids to ride rides and they had a moment's peace.
They then rushed with everyone else and got a spot in front of the rail on the second level (we didn't want to get too wet, but still got plenty wet). It was so worth it because our little ones could see and loved the show.-We had 4 adults and 4 kids (5, 6, 8, and 9). We found it worked in crowds to have one adult lead the way, the kids follow that one adult, and the other three adults round up the stragglers. At night, my FIL had bought glow necklaces from the Dollar Tree, and we had all the kids wear the same color. That way, we just had to keep up with 4 green, etc., glow necklaces amongst the crowds. It worked great.
-I'm disappointed that we didn't have some of the different experiences (e.g. Tom Sawyer's Island), but the group liked riding rides, so that's what we did most of the time.
-Our group wore swimsuits (with shorts and t-shirts on top) and flip flops and rode GRR 3 times in a row first thing in the morning. They do have free lockers for your stuff (the CM told me she thought they charged, but they do not for the first 2 hours). Then we just changed and someone ran our stuff back to the motel. You do get wet on GRR.
-If you can, use a fast pass runner. That was key with all the kids.
-One last thing. I was disappointed in all the line cutting we saw and experienced. I understand if one person is trying to meet their party, but 5 people cutting through the line at TSMM to almost the front is just not cool.
I think that's it. Again, I'd be happy to answer any questions that anyone might have. And thanks to those who offer their advice; it really helped and made our trip SO much better than it ever would have been without this board.
)
