cougarfan84
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2011
- Messages
- 112
So we just got back on Saturday from our big trip to DLR, and I've got to say that we had a wonderful time.
We left on 8/18 and spent the night at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. The hotel rooms were spacious, but the carpets were rather dirty and looked in need of replacing. Plus, the pool was closed for "routine maintainance" for the one night we were there, which was a bummer. I don't know if I would stay there again, but for the cost ($34/night) I was fine with the stay for one night.
We got to our hotel in Anaheim at around 4:00 pm to check in. We stayed at the Park Vue Inn. We initially made the reservation after hearing good things from others who have stayed there and for it's high rating on tripadvisor. After hearing some negative experiences the week before we left, it made me a bit nervous. But we loved our stay there. The carpets were brand new. The beds were comfortable. The staff was overly friendly. We took advantage of the hot breakfast every morning, and ate the light dinner a couple of nights that we were there. Also, the juice and cookies in the lobby were also a big hit (especially w/ my DW). They even gave us water bottles upon request. I would definately stay there again. The only complaint that I could even find was that it was sometimes a bit noisy. This was minimized by being near the back of the hotel, though (rooms 128 and 129), and it was minimal enough that it didn't really bother me.
As far as the park is concerned, we were basically able to go on everything we wanted and then some during our stay. We had 5-day park hoppers (but no MM).
We arrived on Friday evening and entered the park at around 7:30 after eating dinner and buying a few groceries. Being as we didn't have FP's we decided to ride POTC and Haunted Mansion as those rides were short and were 2 good rides to start with for my wife's family who had never been to DLR before. After riding both those rides and taking a lengthy bathroom break, we debated on squeezing in and watching Fantasmic! We decided to pass and head over to watch the fireworks. All I've got to say on the firworks is that not all spots in the central hub are created equally. We sat on the right side near the entrance of Frontierland, and the majority of the show was blocked by the big trees to the right of the castle. After the fireworks, we ended the day by heading towards FL and riding Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, and Snow White before calling it an early night and heading back to the hotel at around 11:00.
Saturday was probably the most efficient day we had in the park. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get there for rope drop, arriving at the park around 8:30am. That morning, we rode BTMRR, POTC (x2), HM, Splash Mountain (x2 - no wait either time), Winnie the Pooh, the Tiki Room, Sailing Ship Columbia, and Buzz Lightyear. During this time, I also grabbed FP's for Splash Mtn, Indiana Jones (x2), Star Tours, and Space Mountain. We headed back to the hotel at 1:00 for a break and returned around 5:30ish for dinner at Rancho del Zocalo (delicious as always). After dinner, I grabbed FP's for BTMRR, and we basically went around using our FP's that we had grabbed earlier. We then headed over to Critter Country around 9:00ish after Fantasmic! had started and hung around there (using the bathroom, etc. at that point). We then watched the fireworks near POTC and proceeded to move in to near-front row spots for the 10:30 Fantasmic! showing. It's been a long time since I've seen F!, and I've got to say that it didn't disappoint. It was one of the highlights of the trip. We ended the day with BTMRR and Space Mountain (using more FP's that I had grabbed), and headed out of the park at around midnight.
Sunday was an off-day where we headed to Newport Beach and Balboa Island, and followed it up with dinner that evening at Buca di Beppo.
Monday it was back to the park, this time to DCA. We got there at 9:15 in wait for the 9:30 rope drop. After riding Soarin' (twice for me w/ the baby swap), we grabbed our FP's for WOC (yellow section at this point). I hoofed over and grabbed Screamin' FP's and then we rode GRR. Then it was over to Hollywood where we grabbed ToT FP's, then watched Muppetvision. I then grabbed more ToT FP's, and we headed in to watch Aladdin, which was a spectacular show. After Aladdin, it was time to ride ToT a couple times, and then head back to the pier. Back at the pier, we grabbed another FP for Screamin' and rode it twice, along w/ the carousel, TSMM, Mickey's Fun Wheel (non-swinging), golden zephyr (lamest ride in the park, IMO), and The Little Mermaid. After dinner at the Pacific Wharf Cafe (excellent bread bowl), we rode ToT one more time and then headed to the "corral" to wait for WOC.
We thought WOC was fantastic and one of the best shows I've ever seen. My only complaint was the crowd management issue. We were one of the first in "line" in the waiting area for the show. Unfortunately, we were pushed back behind somebody who was waiting in the same area for the "preferred dining" area to open at 8:30 (even after the cast member told him that he didn't need to wait and that they preferred that he didn't wait). Well, needless to say, when they opened up the area, we got stuck behind this family who had a few choice words to say as we tried getting around them (our strollers got tangled up). I just wondered what they expected when they stood right in front of a "mob" trying to walk through them to their viewing area while they were staying put. Anyways, enough w/ the rant. We still got a great spot against a railing near the left side of the yellow section (next to the preferred dining section) and our view was spectacular from that point (even if it was a bit off-center).
When the show was over, we headed back to ride Monsters Inc. (which was down earlier that day) and then the park was closed so we went home.
Tuesday was our day at Sea World, which was fun. We basically saw every show and rode every ride there (outside of the Sesame Street stuff), which wasn't that difficult to do as it wasn't very busy that day).
Wednesday was a bit more inefficient of a day (first day w/out ridemax plans coincidentally), but we got there for rope drop at 9:00. We were there a bit later than desired, so we cut through the shops on the right-hand side and got ourselves near the front of the crowds even though we were late. That morning we rode Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Tea Cups, IASW, Minnie's House, Mickey's House, and RRCTS all by 11:00. The inefficiencies was due to waiting until about 10:00 to start grabbing FP's (due to the desire to quickly get FL done). The rest of the morning, we rode Buzz Lightyear, visited Innoventions and a couple other things I forget before heading back for our afternoon break. When we returned in the evening at 6:00, we rode Nemo, used the FP's we got earlier in the day, grabbed more FP's, and basically finished up most everything we wanted to do in the park.
Thursday was kind of a laid back day for us. We were so tired we didn't get to the park until 10:00 (an hour after opening). We basically hit the few things we missed or wanted to ride again. We grabbed FPs for Star Tours, Splash Mountain, and Indiana Jones (we rode BTMRR, Splash Mtn (using FP), POTC, and HM). Then we headed over to DCA to check out Turtle Talk w/ Crush and ride ToT one more time.
After dinner at the Carnation Cafe at 5:00 (and grabbing a Space Mountain FP), we found a spot for the parade at the central hub and watched. We then rode the RR roundtrip, went on Space Mtn and Star Tours (using FP's) and then watched the fireworks again - this time from the right side from the hub which yielded a much better show than the first night we were there. Afterwards, we rode the Autopia, and finished off with Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cruise before heading out of the park for good.
A few notes and observations:
I was surprised that FP's for Star Tours lasted as long as they did. I was expecting them to be gone within 2 hours of park opening, but every day I was there they were available until around 1:00 in the afternoon. As far as the other FP's were concerned, the only other ride that ever had a return window for longer than 35 minutes out was Space Mountain, and even it had FP's available well into the evening. It seemed that while the park was rather crowded, nobody was really taking advantage of the FP's - which just meant more for me.
Also, it seemed that there was a definate shift of who was in the park on the days we were there. On Saturday it wasn't very busy during the day, but got very crowded at night (as those from D23 filtered into the park for the evening). Most of those there seemed to be tourists.
Compare that to Wednesday when it seemed busy all day long, but there seemed to be twice as many locals as there were tourists. We never felt much of an impact of the AP crowds due to advance planning and preparation, but it did seem to be more crowded in the parks (especially around Tomorrowland) once the AP's were unblocked.
Overall, the trip was fantastic and was enjoyable. Next time I hope to not wait 4 years in between visits.
We left on 8/18 and spent the night at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. The hotel rooms were spacious, but the carpets were rather dirty and looked in need of replacing. Plus, the pool was closed for "routine maintainance" for the one night we were there, which was a bummer. I don't know if I would stay there again, but for the cost ($34/night) I was fine with the stay for one night.
We got to our hotel in Anaheim at around 4:00 pm to check in. We stayed at the Park Vue Inn. We initially made the reservation after hearing good things from others who have stayed there and for it's high rating on tripadvisor. After hearing some negative experiences the week before we left, it made me a bit nervous. But we loved our stay there. The carpets were brand new. The beds were comfortable. The staff was overly friendly. We took advantage of the hot breakfast every morning, and ate the light dinner a couple of nights that we were there. Also, the juice and cookies in the lobby were also a big hit (especially w/ my DW). They even gave us water bottles upon request. I would definately stay there again. The only complaint that I could even find was that it was sometimes a bit noisy. This was minimized by being near the back of the hotel, though (rooms 128 and 129), and it was minimal enough that it didn't really bother me.
As far as the park is concerned, we were basically able to go on everything we wanted and then some during our stay. We had 5-day park hoppers (but no MM).
We arrived on Friday evening and entered the park at around 7:30 after eating dinner and buying a few groceries. Being as we didn't have FP's we decided to ride POTC and Haunted Mansion as those rides were short and were 2 good rides to start with for my wife's family who had never been to DLR before. After riding both those rides and taking a lengthy bathroom break, we debated on squeezing in and watching Fantasmic! We decided to pass and head over to watch the fireworks. All I've got to say on the firworks is that not all spots in the central hub are created equally. We sat on the right side near the entrance of Frontierland, and the majority of the show was blocked by the big trees to the right of the castle. After the fireworks, we ended the day by heading towards FL and riding Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, and Snow White before calling it an early night and heading back to the hotel at around 11:00.
Saturday was probably the most efficient day we had in the park. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get there for rope drop, arriving at the park around 8:30am. That morning, we rode BTMRR, POTC (x2), HM, Splash Mountain (x2 - no wait either time), Winnie the Pooh, the Tiki Room, Sailing Ship Columbia, and Buzz Lightyear. During this time, I also grabbed FP's for Splash Mtn, Indiana Jones (x2), Star Tours, and Space Mountain. We headed back to the hotel at 1:00 for a break and returned around 5:30ish for dinner at Rancho del Zocalo (delicious as always). After dinner, I grabbed FP's for BTMRR, and we basically went around using our FP's that we had grabbed earlier. We then headed over to Critter Country around 9:00ish after Fantasmic! had started and hung around there (using the bathroom, etc. at that point). We then watched the fireworks near POTC and proceeded to move in to near-front row spots for the 10:30 Fantasmic! showing. It's been a long time since I've seen F!, and I've got to say that it didn't disappoint. It was one of the highlights of the trip. We ended the day with BTMRR and Space Mountain (using more FP's that I had grabbed), and headed out of the park at around midnight.
Sunday was an off-day where we headed to Newport Beach and Balboa Island, and followed it up with dinner that evening at Buca di Beppo.
Monday it was back to the park, this time to DCA. We got there at 9:15 in wait for the 9:30 rope drop. After riding Soarin' (twice for me w/ the baby swap), we grabbed our FP's for WOC (yellow section at this point). I hoofed over and grabbed Screamin' FP's and then we rode GRR. Then it was over to Hollywood where we grabbed ToT FP's, then watched Muppetvision. I then grabbed more ToT FP's, and we headed in to watch Aladdin, which was a spectacular show. After Aladdin, it was time to ride ToT a couple times, and then head back to the pier. Back at the pier, we grabbed another FP for Screamin' and rode it twice, along w/ the carousel, TSMM, Mickey's Fun Wheel (non-swinging), golden zephyr (lamest ride in the park, IMO), and The Little Mermaid. After dinner at the Pacific Wharf Cafe (excellent bread bowl), we rode ToT one more time and then headed to the "corral" to wait for WOC.
We thought WOC was fantastic and one of the best shows I've ever seen. My only complaint was the crowd management issue. We were one of the first in "line" in the waiting area for the show. Unfortunately, we were pushed back behind somebody who was waiting in the same area for the "preferred dining" area to open at 8:30 (even after the cast member told him that he didn't need to wait and that they preferred that he didn't wait). Well, needless to say, when they opened up the area, we got stuck behind this family who had a few choice words to say as we tried getting around them (our strollers got tangled up). I just wondered what they expected when they stood right in front of a "mob" trying to walk through them to their viewing area while they were staying put. Anyways, enough w/ the rant. We still got a great spot against a railing near the left side of the yellow section (next to the preferred dining section) and our view was spectacular from that point (even if it was a bit off-center).
When the show was over, we headed back to ride Monsters Inc. (which was down earlier that day) and then the park was closed so we went home.
Tuesday was our day at Sea World, which was fun. We basically saw every show and rode every ride there (outside of the Sesame Street stuff), which wasn't that difficult to do as it wasn't very busy that day).
Wednesday was a bit more inefficient of a day (first day w/out ridemax plans coincidentally), but we got there for rope drop at 9:00. We were there a bit later than desired, so we cut through the shops on the right-hand side and got ourselves near the front of the crowds even though we were late. That morning we rode Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Tea Cups, IASW, Minnie's House, Mickey's House, and RRCTS all by 11:00. The inefficiencies was due to waiting until about 10:00 to start grabbing FP's (due to the desire to quickly get FL done). The rest of the morning, we rode Buzz Lightyear, visited Innoventions and a couple other things I forget before heading back for our afternoon break. When we returned in the evening at 6:00, we rode Nemo, used the FP's we got earlier in the day, grabbed more FP's, and basically finished up most everything we wanted to do in the park.
Thursday was kind of a laid back day for us. We were so tired we didn't get to the park until 10:00 (an hour after opening). We basically hit the few things we missed or wanted to ride again. We grabbed FPs for Star Tours, Splash Mountain, and Indiana Jones (we rode BTMRR, Splash Mtn (using FP), POTC, and HM). Then we headed over to DCA to check out Turtle Talk w/ Crush and ride ToT one more time.
After dinner at the Carnation Cafe at 5:00 (and grabbing a Space Mountain FP), we found a spot for the parade at the central hub and watched. We then rode the RR roundtrip, went on Space Mtn and Star Tours (using FP's) and then watched the fireworks again - this time from the right side from the hub which yielded a much better show than the first night we were there. Afterwards, we rode the Autopia, and finished off with Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cruise before heading out of the park for good.
A few notes and observations:
I was surprised that FP's for Star Tours lasted as long as they did. I was expecting them to be gone within 2 hours of park opening, but every day I was there they were available until around 1:00 in the afternoon. As far as the other FP's were concerned, the only other ride that ever had a return window for longer than 35 minutes out was Space Mountain, and even it had FP's available well into the evening. It seemed that while the park was rather crowded, nobody was really taking advantage of the FP's - which just meant more for me.
Also, it seemed that there was a definate shift of who was in the park on the days we were there. On Saturday it wasn't very busy during the day, but got very crowded at night (as those from D23 filtered into the park for the evening). Most of those there seemed to be tourists.
Compare that to Wednesday when it seemed busy all day long, but there seemed to be twice as many locals as there were tourists. We never felt much of an impact of the AP crowds due to advance planning and preparation, but it did seem to be more crowded in the parks (especially around Tomorrowland) once the AP's were unblocked.
Overall, the trip was fantastic and was enjoyable. Next time I hope to not wait 4 years in between visits.
